Beloved Joey Moss’s legacy lives on with Oilers’ 50/50 charity draw

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More than a year and a half after his death, the love story between the Oilers and the team’s cherished lockerroom attendant, Joey Moss, continues.

Inside their dressing room at Rogers Place there is a bronze statue of him reaching out to give high-fives. At the beginning of the season the team adopted La Bamba – one of Joey’s favourite tunes – as its official victory song. Before each home game, a video of him belting out the final notes of O Canada draws a thunderous roar.

“He was such a fixture and a joy to be around,” Tim Shipton, the executive vice-president of communications for the Oilers Entertainment Group, said this week. “Everyone remembers how passionate he was.”

Moss was born with Down syndrome and helped keep the lockerroom clean, did laundry, filled water bottles and handed out towels for 35 years. He became an inspiration to other people with mental and intellectual disabilities and an ambassador for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society.

To honour him, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation is conducting a mega 50/50 draw during the Western Conference final with proceeds to three charities that were close to Joey’s heart: the Special Olympics, Edmonton Down Syndrome Society and Winnifred Stewart Association. The latter was established in 1953 to support individuals with developmental disabilities.

It is hoped as much as $8-million will be raised. The jackpot will accumulate through Monday’s fourth game between the Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche. Game 3 is in Edmonton on Saturday night.

“We thought it was fitting to celebrate Joey’s legacy this way,” Shipton said. “The emotional connection between him, our organization and our fans runs deep. Every generation of our players grew closer to him. He broke so many barriers.”

Moss was one of about 45,000 Canadians with Down syndrome, the most frequently occurring chromosomal congenital anomaly in the country. He died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on Oct. 26, 2020 at the age of 57.

Born in Edmonton, he landed a job with the Oilers in 1985 with help from Wayne Gretzky, who was dating Joey’s sister, Vikki, at the time. Over the years, he probably became the most famous person in the hockey world who never played the game.

Joey was beloved throughout the organization and fans considered him as much a part of the team as star players such as Gretzky, Mark Messier and Connor McDavid. The outdoor plaza across from Edmonton’s downtown arena, where thousands of fans gather to watch postseason games on a giant screen, is called the Moss Pit after him. A public school named after him will open in Edmonton this fall. He lived at an assisted-living facility in Edmonton. Around the city, a series of them are known as Joey’s Homes.

“Our family has quite a legacy because of him,” said his nephew, Andrew Walker. “I’m so lucky I was raised with Joey in my life. I learned so much from him when I was growing up.”

When he was young, Walker would visit Joey at his grandmother’s and would wrestle with him in the basement. As he got older, they watched movies together. As adults they shared a beer or three.

“He could adapt to any environment and be content,” Walker said. “He loved everyone.”

Near the end of Joey’s life Walker became one of his guardians. He is grateful the Oilers are keeping Joey’s legacy alive.

“My gosh, it is amazing,” Walker said. “There is so much desire for inclusivity and diversity. I am kind of speechless.”

In the first two rounds of the playoffs the Oilers Community Foundation raised $26-million for nonprofit groups. There are daily draws for prizes such as Ford pickup trucks, $25,000 in cash, $20,000 shopping sprees, golf outings with players, the use of a luxury suite for 12 and playoff tickets.

These mega 50/50s keep accumulating – during the regular season the whole pot is distributed each game.

Recently a massive sign in orange letters that spells out “Play La Bamba Baby” showed up at an overlook along the North Saskatchewan River as a way to remember Joey and celebrate the team. Following victories at Rogers Place, Ben Stelter, a six-year-old with brain cancer, posts videos on Twitter and says that.

For years, Joey travelled to Las Vegas and sang O Canada and La Bamba beside the pool at the Bellagio resort to mark the beginning and end of Gretzky-operated fantasy camps. The two remained close. At one point Joey lived with the Great One and would play ball hockey with him in the street.

Always, he loved to entertain.

“Any time we had a team event or Christmas party, there would be an open mic,” Shipton said. “Joey would gravitate toward it and with a little encouragement he would belt out La Bamba. He always got a standing ovation.”

It has been more than a year and a half since he has been gone and it is still happening.