Page 28 - 01-Jan-Feb-2025

SPORT
“I don’t
want to
slow
down.”
At 68, Oilers’ Hall of Famer Randy Gregg
is still passionate about the health of his
patients, and keeping sport affordable in
the city he’s proud to call home
B
efore he represented
Canada in hockey at
two Olympics, before he
won five Stanley Cups
with the Edmonton Oilers, Randy Gregg
was in the spotlight as a baseball player.
It was 1978, and the Edmonton Tigers
were in the national championships.
Gregg went on a home-run hitting tear
(seven in three games), and the Tigers
won the Canadian title.
“I got kinda lucky,” he recalls.
He was named the Most Valuable Player
of the tournament, but wasn’t picked for
the national team. The reason? Because he
wasn’t attending an American university
on a baseball scholarship — he was at the
University of Alberta, pursuing his dream
of becoming a doctor, and was also the
captain of the Golden Bears’ hockey team,
playing under legendary coach Clare Drake.
Gregg would go on to get his medical
degree and a great NHL career. But he
never forgot about baseball — and why
he felt it’s so important for there to be
opportunities for young Canadian players
in that sport. That’s why, as the current
managing director of the Edmonton
Riverhawks, Gregg believes it is so
important to give young Canadians the
chance to showcase their baseball skills.
The Riverhawks play in the West Coast
League, known as a “wood bat” league,
where elite collegiate players can ply
their trades over the summer months.
“When we first went into the West
Coast League, all these teams in Oregon
and Washington said ‘Well, where is
Edmonton, anyway?’” says Gregg, sitting
in the meeting room at Re/Max Field.
“They don’t ask that anymore. They
know exactly where Edmonton is and
they’re talking about what is going on
there, and ‘how can you do this?’ in a
community we didn’t even know existed.
“It’s a really important concept that we
have. We’re really proud of all the players
we have on our team, whether they are
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American or Canadian. But we love the
opportunity of the Canadian kid to come
out and play in front of his friends and
family in this facility. And, ultimately, if
we could have 35 Canadians play for us,
we would try to do that.”
But it’s not just about the players — it’s
about the fans, as well. Even when he
played for the Oilers during their 1980s
heyday, Gregg believed that hockey tickets
were just too pricey. They’ve climbed
even more since then. The majority
of seats at Riverhawks games are $20
apiece. He believes that the team has to
have a junior hotdog on the concession
menu that costs just over three bucks. In
an era when going to sporting events is
being priced out of many family budgets,
he believes that the Riverhawks need to
hold the line.
“I’ve got enough money. I don’t need
a lot. I’ve got a house that’s paid for, I’m
driving a Ford. It’s not like I have to own
a condominium in Laguna Beach. And
I think our ownership group is similar
to that. We need a better community,
and that better community means that
a young immigrant family can come out
and see a baseball game for the first time.”
In 2024, the Riverhawks drew over
120,000 fans to Re/Max field, breaking
their own league record.
Gregg’s path was anything but straight
and narrow. He grew up in Inglewood, in
a 730 square-foot house that was built
by his dad. Born in 1956, Gregg was the
youngest of six kids.
“We were stacked up one on top of each
other. But it showed us that, if you want
to do something, you have to work at it.”
That work ethic showed itself in
university. He’d be in medical school till
5 p.m. then get to Golden Bears’ practice.
There was a time when he’d be on call
in surgery on Thursdays, but the team
played Fridays and Saturdays. So, he’d
assist in the O.R. during the day, then
spend Thursday overnight on call. He’d
be back in the O.R. helping until Friday
at 5. Game time was at 7 p.m., so he’d
head home for a mother-made, pre-game
meal, take a three-minute power nap and
then get to the rink.
“I think I’d die if I did that now,”
he laughs.
From there, Gregg went on to play in
Japan, after turning down tryout offers
from the Atlanta Flames and New York
Rangers. And it was in Japan that he
got a visit from Oilers’ general manager