Edmonton loved Joey Moss. No, Edmonton loves Joey Moss. He may have passed, but it’s clear that this city will not let his memory fade away quietly. Flowers are being left at both the Wayne Gretzky statue outside of Rogers Place, and at the Joey Moss mural on 99th Street, painted by Ian Mulder. Radio stations have dedicated entire segments to anecdotes about him. We are truly celebrating the life of a remarkable Edmontonian.
We asked our readers how the city could best commemorate the life of Joey Moss, a dressing-room attendant for both the Edmonton Oilers and the currently unnamed CFL team. Personally, I remember Joey as the kind of person who could brighten your mood even if you were having the worst of days. There was a time when I spent quite a bit of time around the Oilers, and Joey never failed to greet me with a “Steve, looking good today!” It didn’t matter if the coach had just subjected the team to a bag skate because of a string of poor performances, or if the team had come off a multi-goal win. If there ever was a person we should call Mr. Brightside, it was Joey Moss.
The readers answered. Here’s a sample of their suggestions:
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After a scan through the comments, we see that our readers really would like to see the community rink at Rogers Place named for Joey Moss. Statues (and we have some knowledge of this, thanks to our participation in getting the SCTV statue erected downtown) can take years, from putting out a call for submissions, to the work being completed, to getting a spot secured, to making sure there is an agreement in place to have a statue maintained. It is a very complex process, one that needs a lot more work than online petitions and goodwill.
But this is for certain: It’s amazing how many of us have Joey Moss stories to tell, isn’t it? And, no matter what happens when it comes to a physical memorial, it’s the intangibles that will stay with us. It’s how he inspired us, how he helped us see our best versions of ourselves. And that’s why these past few days have truly has been a public celebration of his life.
