Gord Nelson, 63, takes ice for Oilers in Alumni Game
Former Oiler Garry Unger suited up for Saturday’s game.
BRAD BRUGGER/For the Tulsa World
By DEAN CLARK World Correspondent
Published: 8/29/2010 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 8/29/2010 7:58 AM
The hockey season got off to its unofficial start Saturday night with the third annual Tulsa Oilers Alumni Game before a full house at the Oilers Ice Center.
This year’s headline attraction was Gord Nelson, who played with Tulsa from 1967 to 1971. At 63, Nelson was the oldest player on the ice Saturday (he’s about seven months older than former Oiler player and coach Garry Unger, who played for the third straight year) and the one who traveled the longest distance to participate.
Nelson said he was contacted about a week ago when Tulsa coach Bruce Ramsay asked Todd Nelson, the coach of the new team in Oklahoma City, to play in the game.
Nelson then informed Ramsay that his uncle had played for Tulsa more than 40 years ago.
The Oilers tracked down Gord Nelson in Saskatchewan, and he accepted instantly.
“I spent four fantastic years here, and it was an incredible honor to be asked to come and play in this game,” he said, before detailing a list of fond memories and that he once had lost six teeth in one game while wearing a Tulsa uniform.
Nelson played even though he “hadn’t been on skates in 15 years and had never used the new composite hockey sticks.” He arrived in Tulsa two days ago, gave the skates a tryout on Friday and played full shifts in all three periods.
It was a special night for two other reasons.
It was the first time his wife had seen him play and the first time he had played in a game with his nephew.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=409&articleid=20100829_29_B2_CUTLIN805069&archive=yes
