This past weekend at the <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2022/09/11/recapping-the-boundary-battle-of-alberta/">Boundary Battle of Alberta</a>. I had the opportunity to chat with two former Oilers — Ales Hemsky and Raffi Torres — and my questions varied from life in Edmonton to memories of the 2006 Stanley Cup run.
For me, this was my first chance to interview any former NHL players and I was admittedly nervous. I know my interview skills are not the best so please bare with me, but I still think our chats went well regardless. All I know is that it was a pleasure to chat with them as both Hemsky and Torres were incredibly kind and humble. While they may not view themselves as Oilers legends, for my generation (Millennials, Gen Zs) they absolutely were, and at least in my eyes, anyone on that 2006 team is considered a legend so maybe they just have to deal with it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
How was Ales Hemsky&#39;s time in Edmonton?
We asked him that and more! Find the full interview on our YouTube!
🔗: <a href="https://t.co/ot9HZblxTX">https://t.co/ot9HZblxTX</a> <a href="https://t.co/xQRI42zbih">pic.twitter.com/xQRI42zbih</a>
&mdash; x-Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1569472230735880195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As mentioned in my recap article from the weekend, Hemsky told us before the interview this was his first time back in Alberta since he got traded from Edmonton. Hopefully this is a sign that we&#8217;ll see more of Ales around town as he is good friends with former Oiler, Ladislav Smid, who also took part in the Boundary Battle of Alberta.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Back with my boys💙😍💙 <a href="https://t.co/bvPV0HKzPa">pic.twitter.com/bvPV0HKzPa</a>
&mdash; Ladi Smid (@LadiSmid) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadiSmid/status/1568833888402952193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As for my other interview, Raffi Torres was super chill. He opened up about how he didn&#8217;t necessarily feel welcomed with the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him. When traded to Edmonton in 2003, he said players in Edmonton went out of their way to say hello and make sure he felt a part of the team, which made the transition significantly easier. Good to Torres in great shape as well, I swear his arms are the size of my head. Having him reminisce on the 2006 playoffs was great, comparing the atmosphere from Rexall Place to this past year&#8217;s playoff run as he was in attendance for one of the games in 2022.
You can check out both interviews and more on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9SX5n9NUc-S8KGszsplljQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Nation Network YouTube page.</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSlG6Gtl4yk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hemsky Interview</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af9rf8o821A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Torres Interview</a></li>
</ul>

This past weekend at the <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2022/09/11/recapping-the-boundary-battle-of-alberta/">Boundary Battle of Alberta</a>. I had the opportunity to chat with two former Oilers — Ales Hemsky and Raffi Torres — and my questions varied from life in Edmonton to memories of the 2006 Stanley Cup run.

For me, this was my first chance to interview any former NHL players and I was admittedly nervous. I know my interview skills are not the best so please bare with me, but I still think our chats went well regardless. All I know is that it was a pleasure to chat with them as both Hemsky and Torres were incredibly kind and humble. While they may not view themselves as Oilers legends, for my generation (Millennials, Gen Zs) they absolutely were, and at least in my eyes, anyone on that 2006 team is considered a legend so maybe they just have to deal with it.

https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1569472230735880195

As mentioned in my recap article from the weekend, Hemsky told us before the interview this was his first time back in Alberta since he got traded from Edmonton. Hopefully this is a sign that we'll see more of Ales around town as he is good friends with former Oiler, Ladislav Smid, who also took part in the Boundary Battle of Alberta.

https://twitter.com/LadiSmid/status/1568833888402952193

As for my other interview, Raffi Torres was super chill. He opened up about how he didn't necessarily feel welcomed with the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him. When traded to Edmonton in 2003, he said players in Edmonton went out of their way to say hello and make sure he felt a part of the team, which made the transition significantly easier. Good to Torres in great shape as well, I swear his arms are the size of my head. Having him reminisce on the 2006 playoffs was great, comparing the atmosphere from Rexall Place to this past year's playoff run as he was in attendance for one of the games in 2022.

You can check out both interviews and more on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9SX5n9NUc-S8KGszsplljQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Nation Network YouTube page.</a>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSlG6Gtl4yk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hemsky Interview</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af9rf8o821A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Torres Interview</a></li>
</ul>

Ales Hemsky and Raffi Torres interview at the Boundary Battle of Alberta

Oilers vs. Golden Knights: Game 5 Information, Line Combinations, Starting Goaltenders, and More

Depth players have been stepping up for the Oilers in the playoffs

Edmonton Oilers Mattias Ekholm Calvin Pickard

Recent articles from Woz

Breaking News