Rounds 1 to 3 of Stanley Cup Playoffs infuse $179M into Edmonton economy

Oilers infuse $179M into local economy Rounds 1 to 3 of the Oilers playoff run brought $179 million to the Edmonton economy. David Ewasuk has the numbers.

The Edmonton Oilers playoff journey has brought $179 million to the Edmonton economy, Explore Edmonton says.

The organization, which represents tourism in Edmonton, says the data represents only Rounds 1 to 3 of the playoffs and doesn't account for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals.

"In terms of major events, this is a huge, huge number," Janelle Janis of Explore Edmonton told reporters on Wednesday. "When we look at hosting events, like the Grey Cup, that was around the $80-million mark. So being able to say that we have the Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton and to produce $179 million is pretty remarkable."

The figure represents money spent on game tickets, as well as visitors staying at hotels, eating at restaurants, and shopping in the city.

"These people are staying in hotels, and they're enjoying the restaurants and shopping in our local retail establishments."

"The more that we can have visitors coming in and spending their dollars in our local economy, the better."

And it's not just sports-related businesses that are enjoying the spoils.

Jason Bardyla owns Rolling Tales, a comic book shop located at 106 Street and 102 Avenue.

He says during the Vancouver series, a fan picked up a Connor McDavid action figure signed by Todd McFarlane that had been in the shop since December.

"It wasn't a cheap toy. I'm sure most people think action figures are like $10 or $15. This one was just over $100, partially because of the signature, so I'm not surprised it sat around for a little bit. It was nice to see it go to a couple of diehard fans," he told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

"The playoff buzz really kind of gets people excited. It'll make them buy that little extra thing that we're always on the fence about."

Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final will be played in Edmonton on Thursday and Saturday nights, respectively.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk