Stanley Cup Playoffs brought big bucks to Edmonton, despite loss: Explore Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers' playoff run saw an economic boost for the city to the tune of more than $250 million. CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson reports.

While the Oilers may not have brought home the cup, their attempts brought home about a quarter-billion dollars.

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Explore Edmonton said the economic impact of this year’s playoff run was “pretty incredible” at $266.7 million.

“The impact of this run was seen, felt and heard in key markets across the globe for a two month playoff run,” said Amanda Krumins, Explore Edmonton’s executive director of communications and marketing.

“And they weren’t just watching, they were coming to town.”

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Krumins said the economic impact includes 80,000 overnight stays in Edmonton, as well as guest spending on transportation and food. It also looks at the impact on wages for locals who work and earn more during the playoffs.

“We have heard from bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels across the whole city that saw a surge in business, which really demonstrates how city-wide events can fuel local vibrancy and economic success,” she added.

Puneeta McBryan, CEO of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, said the playoffs have been a welcome boost for local businesses during what is normally a slump for downtown businesses.

“There’s this really slow, hard period between Christmas and the summer,” McBryan said. “The last few years, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have this team bringing tens of thousands of people to our downtown multiple times a week, and it changes the dynamic … all we can do is hope that it’s going to be a few more years of having these really deep playoff runs.”

Explore Edmonton estimated the 2024 playoff impacts at $280 million. That means this year’s per-game impact was actually higher, Krumins said, because there were three fewer games in the run.

“What we really experienced this year is that the playoff energy was city-wide. You didn’t have to step foot in Rogers Place to really get that playoff spirit,” she added.

“There were fans in orange and blue from downtown to local pubs, to watch parties in people’s living rooms, and that drove business and excitement across the whole town.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson