One Edmonton Oilers fan says while she loves supporting the team in the playoffs, it can be stressful. That’s why Ashley Sinclair crochets Oilers-themed chickens. “It was definitely related just to mental health benefits of it,” she told CTV News Edmonton. “When you’re crocheting, you’re counting, you’re making something, and you’re always focusing on something, in this case, really joyful and beautiful.” The pattern was created by crochet designer Oak and Marlow in Ontario, but Sinclair put her own spin on it. “I’m like, we have our regular emotional support chicken, now we’re gonna make it the playoff edition. That really seemed to resonate with people, and I mean, I love this team, so it was something that was really fun for me, too.” “I think it’s just objectively kind of funny. They’re cozy, they’re fun, I know the animal itself doesn’t have much to do with our team, but who doesn’t love chickens?” Sinclair said she posted her chickens on social media and got such a good response that she plans to launch a website to sell them. She says she had 30 orders on her first day. “I think there’s a reason that having the emotional support chicken resonates with Oilers fans in particular, because as much as we believe that our team is going to get the job done, wow, do they do it their own way,” she said. “Who needs extreme sports when you can just watch the Oilers in the playoffs?” She says her chickens are up for the challenge of taking on any stress-related playoff anxiety fans may encounter. “These ones for this particular playoff season, I weighted them, so they’re filled with poly pellets and they have a little heft to them. They’re filled with 97 grams of poly pellets.” “They’re great for squishing, tossing, like anything like that, and, yeah, durable. They won’t break anything.” She doesn’t want to jinx it, but she has purchased a special sparkly yarn in case the ultimate Oilers fan dream comes true. “It could make a very special chicken. A very special chicken. One you’d want to raise a glass to.” The chickens cost $20 and can be purchased by sending Sinclair a message on her Instagram account. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg
