SENDING 10 PHOTOS FROM 2026 TO 2007 WANYE

Who do you suppose these three are, 2007 me? You think Erik Cole is going to be amazing, do you? You couldn’t even wrap your brain around who these Oilers in the future are and what they are doing in this photo. It would literally take 100 years to explain to you, but believe me when I say the future is bright beyond words. I wouldn’t believe it if you told me. And I am telling me, and I still wouldn’t believe it.

I think that 2007 me would be able to piece together that this is the new downtown arena in Edmonton. Maybe with the towers visible in the back, maybe he wouldn’t. The fact that we have got to watch the Oilers in the most insane building for a decade while Calgary has had to sit in the remains of the Saddledome watching the skeleton of a once proud franchise while we sit in this futuristic palace watching Connor and Company. This is the best possible scenario for how the world turned out in 2026 if I am talking to 2007 me.

Many an elite team has been brought down by infighting and beef. Even more have been broken up because the lifestyle of the City doesn’t vibe with players’ families. The vibes from this photo show the spirit of the Oilers is in excellent shape for the future. We had this insane expectation after the 1980s that the Oilers would not only have superstar players but that they would be best friends as well, like Gretzky and Messier. What are the odds this can happen twice in a half-century? 2007 me would not understand who we are looking at here, but it is extremely fortunate that the polycule exists and is keeping us harmonious on and off the ice.

Another concern from Oilers fans in the ’00s was the reality that the Oilers were a small-market city, competing with major markets for players. Even if an amazing player found his way onto the Mighty Oilers, there was a zero percent chance they could afford him long term. Doug Weight and Bill Guerin spring to mind. If 2007 me could lay eyes on this 10-year operating income graph, he would be flabbergasted that they had found a way to generate this kind of income in Edmonton without having to move the team to a larger market – which was threatened every other day for a good decade.

Further to the bar graph above, in 2007 I would have my mind blown again by the Oilers being the third most profitable Sports Team in the world. How is this type of revenue possible? Is the population of Edmonton 12 million in the future? No one knows how it works in the future. It’s best not to ask too many questions old me! In the future, beers cost $1,000, and tickets are easily 10 times that. Besides, if you can’t trust a Forbes infographic, who can you trust?

The biggest outdoor gathering of Oilers fans back in 2007 would have been at Recall Place during the intermissions. A good 5,ooo people would run outside into the Edmonton night, power back a 2000-era cigarette and make it back into their seats (with a fresh beer, I might add) before the next period started. Would old me mistake the Moss Pit photo for people smoking at intermission at the new arena? Perhaps. Either way, he needs to know that the parties downtown at the arena in the future are amazing.

Who is this? Why, it’s this Jeremias Lindewall, of course. He is sure to be the guy to watch. I have to mess with old me just a bit, so I would include a photo of Lindewall, who was the Oilers’ last pick taken 200th overall in the 2020 entry draft. Old me would scour the drafts for years looking for this guy – sure he had the inside track from the future. Jokes on you! Lindewall is instead plying his trade for Kalmar HC.

Say, is that the kid from One Direction? Is he a member of the Oilers training staff in the future? Yes, it is, and yes he is! This would be confusing to me back in 2007 because 1D wasn’t formed until 2010. But it is such an amazing photo that it just NEEDS to be seen.

I can’t just send back helpful and mind-blowing photos to myself in the past. I have to mess with old me a bit, like with the Lindewall photo. Brian Epp is an EBUG old sport — something that won’t be invented until 2017. They fly around with the team in the future but rarely touch the ice. The future is grand!

If 2007 me is pumped to see the bearded trio of Oilers, just wait until you meet this guy!

Final article from the time travel series coming next week: 10 questions I would ask 2047 me about the Edmonton Oilers.

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