Life after Oilers: How Edmonton bar owners are benefiting from Euro, Canada’s Copa America run

After the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff run injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the city’s economy, things haven’t fallen flat for bar owners.

David Young, the general manager at the Cabin Pub + Party, says he’s still seeing success thanks in part to Canada’s historic run in the Copa America.

Canada defeated Venezuela in the tournament’s quarterfinal to book a rematch with Lionel Messi and Argentina in the semifinal.

“We were seeing, especially on weekends, numbers equivalent to what you would see on a St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween – really strong numbers,” Young said.

The Oilers Entertainment Group says the team’s Stanley Cup run injected $280 million into the local economy.

And although Canadian soccer won’t touch those figures, Young says Copa America and he Euro is still bringing in crowds.

“People still go out on weekends. What we’re really hoping to see is the friends we’ve made during the playoffs come back.”

The Calgary Stampede traditionally means a drop in business for Edmonton bars and restaurants, but now festivals keep a lot of those people from travelling south.

“K-Days tends to stir it up a little, and whether it’s having taste of Edmonton downtown, it just gets people in the mood to get out.”

Edmontonians may feel envious that K-Days – held July 19-28 this year – doesn’t stack up to the world famous Calgary Stampede. Young says it’s not that big of a hit to his bottom line, or the city’s ego.

“A lot of business is driven away from the bars, even in Calgary, to the Stampede crowd,” he said. “So it is kind of a mixed blessing from what I hear from my colleagues in Calgary.”