A custom guitar paying tribute to the Edmonton Oilers, and inked with Connor McDavid’s signature, is up for auction to raise money for charity. Wayne Lestus says he was inspired to craft the instrument after finding a discarded guitar body in a box at a property he purchased. “I got a couple of hockey sticks from Canadian Tire, ordered this Bluetooth speaker from Amazon, got the pucks from the Rogers Place sports or gift shop,” he said. “Put it all together and it even works.” Lestus says it took six months and a couple hundred hours to make the instrument. He finished the guitar just before the Oilers faced the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoff Finals last year. The phrase “Play La Bamba Baby” is painted in black letters on the orange and white guitar. It’s a recognizable phrase to Oilers fans and was made famous by Ben Stelter, who died at age 6 from cancer in 2022. “I’ve got a grandson almost the same age as what Ben was,” said Lestus. “So to see that little guy, I know it’s a good cause.” After showing off the guitar online and receiving compliments, he decided to donate it to the Ben Stelter Foundation to help raise money for cancer research and treatment. “I know a few families that have children that have passed away from cancer,” Lestus said. ”It’s one of my main causes that I’d like to contribute to.” Ben’s father Mike Stelter, executive director of the foundation, says he is thankful for the generosity of Oilers fans and the Edmonton community. ”It was incredibly unique and we thought what better way to help raise money than (to) ask Connor McDavid if (he) would be willing to sign it and then put it up for auction to help some kids battling cancer,” he said. “Connor McDavid has held this guitar and signed it, which is pretty special.” Stelter says all the money raised from the auction will go towards the Ben Stelter Centre for Proton Therapy and Neurosciences, which he hopes will begin construction in Edmonton later this year and provide proton radiation therapy for the first time in Canada. He says currently there are hundreds of Canadians who seek treatment in the United States each year. “To see what Ben went through, it’s pretty special knowing the city wants to help other kids like Ben (and) to make it a little better for them,” Stelter said. Bids for the guitar are open online until the auction closes on Saturday afternoon. As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the current bid was $2,650. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa
