Former Oilers President & CEO Patrick LaForge (9/14/26)

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Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer 16 min 1 speaker 8 chapters transcribed just now

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Who was Cal Nichols and why is he honored in this episode?

Bob Stauffer 0:00

Hey, it's Bob Stoffer. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to Oilers Now ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. Song seems appropriate. We are live from the chairman's club. First time we've ever done the show here. Rogers Place. And this is Oilers Now brought to you by our title sponsor, World of Spas. And we are doing this one today with uh heavy hearts. As you're probably aware of, if you're listening to a show called Oilers Now, a man who is integral in saving the Emmett Oilers not once but twice. Evogen sporting icon Cal Nichols passed away. And so we are uh paying homage here through the first hour of today's show. And uh we will have Patrick LaForge, the former president CEO of the Edmonton Orders, who worked so closely with Cal during the days of the Edmonton Investors Group.

Bob Stauffer 0:53

And then the man that uh oversaw the hockey operations, hockey hall of famer, Kevin Lowe. They are our guests in the first hour of the show. I'm down at Roger's place because we were gonna be hosting in our hosting tonight's Emmett and Wetters Partners Draft. Uh Aiden Gannam will take care of the second hour of the show. He will have the athletics, Shannon Goldman and Flames television host. Uh and doing some work with sports net as well. Brendan Parker on uh to set up tonight's rookie game between the Emmett's Waters rookies and the Flames rookies down at the Saddledome in Calgary. We will tell you that you can reach us on the River Carey Resort Casino hotline at seven eight zero four five one eighty eight hundred.

Bob Stauffer 1:36

It is brought to you by the River Carey Resort Casino. Don't miss heart. Two shows, October twenty-third and twenty-fourth. Tickets at the RiverCareer Resort dot com.

How did Patrick LaForge first become involved with Cal Nichols and the Oilers?

Bob Stauffer 1:44

Excitement, bet on it. And you can text us on the Ashley Five Floors text line. Find the new floors you always wanted 143rd Street, 1111th Avenue, or head to absolutely fine floors dot com for more information. We are in exit oilers now. You can tweet me personally, Bob underscore stopper. Aiden Gannem is back at the 880 Chad Studios. He's available at Aiden Ganham underscore. And we're on Instagram as well at Oilers underscore now underscore. Our top story for legacy heating and cooling, home with no payments and no interest uh four year. That's how you Build a legacy, legacy heating and cooling. The passing of Edmonton legend Cal Nichols, uh business Titan. Uh an icon in our community and the man who spearheaded the group that would become the Edmonton Investors Group, the EIG, who owned the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers.

Bob Stauffer 2:32

Now, full disclosure here, uh Cal's son Ken Nichols and myself have known each other since the early nineteen nineties from our days at the University of Alberta. Uh Ken texts me on Saturday morning to pass along uh the news and you know your You're heartbroken for Ken and Christine and uh Edna and the family and the great support uh uh that uh Ken has with Heather and uh Christine has with Scott. The Nichols family are special and they're loyal, fiercely loyal. And uh definitely uh, you know, Cal had incredible style in panache in a very understated way. I will tell you that Um From certainly roughly about two thousand and two when I was combining the job with the University of Alberta as the communications officer, the broadcast director, and then got the show on twelve sixty on total sports from two thousand and two probably until about two thousand seven, two thousand eight.

Bob Stauffer 3:34

It w we would go to see Sandy Nesbitt over at Overtime Broiler and Tap Room at least once a week. And it was a thing for Ken for a number of years.

What early experiences shaped Pat LaForge’s career with the Oilers?

Bob Stauffer 3:43

I know that he probably had uh lunch with his father at least three times a week before he and Heather set up shop down in uh Texas. And uh we mentioned during the last couple seasons that when we go to play the Dallas Stars uh that uh Ken and Heather and Max and the family uh always take out the broadcasters to one of our favorite restaurants, Trilux. I saw Cal uh last uh I would have been about six weeks ago uh over at Sorentinos. Uh we went for a lunch together with Patrick LaForge, who's gonna join us here in about four or five minutes time, Drew Shamelhorn and a uh group of uh uh far more prominent uh guys than myself.