Hey there, and thanks for joining us. How’s your day starting?
It’s starting the same as every day of my life: I wake up, say three Hail Gretzkys and crawl out from under my Oilers bed sheets. Then I pour a bowl of Pro Stars cereal and read a verse from St. Gretzky’s autobiography, which I contemplate while crunching away.
Wait, they still make that cereal?
No, I just have a bunch of really old stock. But it’s OK, I don’t have any real teeth anyway.
Oh, because you’re a hockey player?
No, because I eat so much expired cereal.
Right. So, what can we call you?
I once went by Milan Luchador, but that name totally sucks. Now they call me: The Luchadoiler.
So after you brush your fake teeth, what do you do? Seems like a lot of work being this big of an Oilers Superfan.
After my prayer breakfast I hop on my computer and check for any Oilers news, listen to a few podcasts and some sports radio. After that I’ll re-watch the Oilers game from the night before followed by games from earlier in the season as well as some of my favourites from the past like Gretzky’s 50 in 39, Game 6 of the ’06 Stanley Cup Final, Sam Gagner’s eight-point night, and Games 2, 3, 4 and 5 of round two in 2022 versus Calgary, among others. After six or seven hours of watching footage I’ll scan my fantasy leagues’ waiver wires to check for any available Oilers to pick up. Before bed I like to put some light crude oil in my diffuser next to my shrine of Joey Moss and Ben Stelter to remind me that I’m in Oil Country. Finally, I end the night with three more Hail Gretzkys, then I kiss my mini Stanley Cup goodnight and drift off to the sound of my white noise machine, which is just “La Bamba” cranked loud on repeat.
Do you have a game-day meal plan, or take a pre-game nap, like the players do?
On game days, I only eat things that are the colour orange. Pumpkins, plenty of Cheetos, Hawkins Cheezies, macaroni and Cheez Whiz, orange Freezes and orange pop. Instead of a pregame nap, I take a half dozen orange spice-flavoured Fisherman’s Friends and warm up my voice by practicing the “Let’s go Oilers/Calgary Sucks!” chant.
You know, actual oranges are orange, too.
Yeah but they’re not quite the right shade, and I don’t wanna jinx it. Plus they sting my gums.
How long did it take to piece together your current suit?
There have been many adjustments over the years. I first wore a cape during the ’06 Cup run. Got a new cape and the mask in ’17. These Chuck Taylors used to be former Oiler Iiro Pakarinen’s — don’t ask me how I got them. But my favourite is my mini Stanley Cup! I got it for free in a case of beer.
Do you wear it all for Oilers road games as well?
I don’t really “wear” any of it “for” anything, to be honest. It’s just kind of a part of me, at this point. Does Superman “wear” his suit? No, that’s his natural attire. If I ever have to dress in a real suit for a formal event, I’ll wear it over all of this — just like Superman does.
What do your coworkers think of your lifestyle? Have you ever felt judged?
Everyone is very supportive, which is great because otherwise it could be kinda awkward to wear my full luchador regalia into the office everyday. Karen from accounting doesn’t seem to like my five-minute morning, afternoon and end-of-day “Let’s go Oilers!” chants, but she’s from Calgary so no one cares.
Do you feel a responsibility, as a semi-famous, Oilers-adjacent celebrity, to be there for your fans?
“With great power comes great responsibility” — I think it was Glenn Anderson who said that. Anyway, I always appreciate our fans. Die hards or bandwaggoners, young or old — I’m always happy to pose for a picture or give a little kid an enthusiastic thumbs up. Oilers’ fans are the best in the NHL, and we can never have too many!
What about when you encounter other Superfans? Ever meet one with a luchador mask?
A fist bump or high five is pretty standard. Sometimes there’s a quick chat about what a spectacular play someone made the period before, or about how the refs totally suck. And I have met another luchador mask-wearing super fan! He had a championship Oilers belt and challenged me from across the concourse. We immediately squared off and sized each other up before locking horns right beside the bobblehead display. We were a clear, even match for each other, and neither of us was able to get the upper hand. In the end, we both declared the other as the victor, though he retained his championship belt… for now.
Do any superstitions play into your costume, or how you act at games?
I always sing the American national anthem in a polite, respectful manner. And I always sing the Canadian anthem as loud as I possibly can. I always stay and try to guess the three stars of the game. I always cheer for the Oilers and stay positive, even if they aren’t having a great night. I never yell “shoot!” on the power play and I never start the wave before we’re up by five goals or up by three in the last 10 minutes. One fan tried to start the wave in Game 6 versus Dallas in the second period, if you can believe it. So I, along with several other fans, put an end to that nonsense right away.
Have you ever met any Oilers past or present?
Yes, I’ve met Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier before! They are both heroes of mine so that was pretty rad, but one of my most memorable encounters with an Oiler was bumping into Sam Gagner in the Save On Foods on Jasper Ave around Christmastime in 2009. We had a quick chat and I invited him to a Christmas party I was throwing that night. He did not end up coming but it was still a fun party and everybody loved hearing me tell them that I talked to Sam Gagner earlier that day at the grocery store.
