April 14, 1988: Diehard fans pull all-nighter for Oilers playoff tickets
That year marked the final Stanley Cup win with Wayne Gretzky on the team.
In 1988 — long before hockey fans frantically refreshed their browsers for tickets — Oilers fans waited overnight to claim some of the 3,000 tickets available for the Smythe Division Finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Calgary Flames.
Armed with Walkmans, pillows and Thermoses, fans were ready to do whatever it took to make sure they had a seat in the Coliseum for the home games.
Tickets were limited to six per person to help counteract ticket reselling, but most Oilers fans weren't interested in selling their chance at seeing the team.
"If the price was ridiculously high, yes, I would sell them. But I'm so happy that we are here and that we've got the tickets we wanted," one buyer said.
In the lineup for tickets, a Calgary Flames fan was booed while being interview for supporting the visiting team.
Once the box office opened, fans lucky enough to get tickets left with big smiles and big hopes for an Oilers win.
And win, they did. The Oilers won it all in 1988, posting a playoff record of 16 wins and two losses, marking the final Stanley Cup win with Wayne Gretzky on the team.
In this video from CBC's archives, Nancy Studer spent time with the hockey fans willing to trade a good night's sleep for tickets to a playoff game.