Prime Minister Mark Carney joined the Edmonton Oilers on the ice Thursday as the NHL team prepared for a game against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets.
Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership race to replace outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau. He wore a No. 24 jersey and an Oilers ballcap at Rogers Place.
“It’s a special moment for the organization, [having] the prime minister here with the team,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Not too many, I assume, prime ministers have been Oilers fans, so it’s nice to have one that cheers for a good team.”
The 60-year-old Carney grew up in Edmonton during the Oilers’ glory days in the 1980s, when they won five Stanley Cups.
He said during Edmonton’s run to the final last year that he remains a big fan of the team. Several photos on social media show him wearing Oilers gear, from team jerseys to a Connor McDavid “McJesus” shirt.
Carney also played hockey at the varsity level. He was a third-string goaltender at Harvard and was co-captain of the Oxford University Blues hockey team.
The prime minister suited up as a skater on Thursday, except for one small detail.
“He looked like a goalie, with those goalie skates,” McDavid said. “But yeah, obviously nice to have him here. He’s an Oilers fan, a lifelong Oilers fan, and Oilers fans are welcome here, for sure.”
Carney, when asked about the skate hours after, laughed and asked: “What did you think?”
“You may not think I still know how to skate, watching me with the Oilers,” he said at an unrelated news conference. “I didn’t fall down, at least.”
Although Carney wore goalie skates, McDavid said he didn’t push for the prime minister to take the net for a few one-timers.
“I’m not sure the security detail would like that very much,” McDavid said. “Obviously a unique thing to have to have him here. Cool to meet him.”
While at Harvard, Carney was a teammate of former Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli.
The prime minister was in Edmonton for a meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Carney, who is expected to call a federal election on Sunday for a vote as early as April 28, faces an uphill battle in Alberta, where his Liberal Party holds just two of the province’s 34 seats in the House of Commons.
