Why do the Oilers play 'La Bamba'? Explaining Edmonton's victory song and its connection to Joey Moss, Ben Stelter

Bryan Murphy

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Why do the Oilers play 'La Bamba'? Explaining Edmonton's victory song and its connection to Joey Moss, Ben Stelter image

"Play La Bamba, baby!"

Every team in sports has their song. It varies from club to club, and in some cases, year to year, but that's always the case. For some teams, it's a tune to play after a win, solely meant to be heard in the locker room. For others, it's about sharing a moment with an entire stadium. 

 When it comes to the Oilers, that's "La Bamba."

That's right — the NHL franchise based out of Alberta, Canada is associated with the folk-style song from Veracruz, Mexico. 

 

After every home victory at Rogers Place in Edmonton, those loyal to the Oil would sing along to the classic hit. In the 2024 playoffs, that's meant a lot of "La Bamba."

Here's how the "La Bamba" tradition first began in Edmonton and what it means to the Oilers franchise today. 

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Why do the Oilers play 'La Bamba'?

The origins of the "La Bamba" celebration song date back to the Wayne Gretzky days in Edmonton. 

During the 1980s, the Oilers were an absolute wagon. With The Great One front and center surrounded by a plethora of high-end talent, including Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr, Edmonton was the team to beat in that decade. 

On those teams was a dressing room attendant named Joey Moss. Moss had Down syndrome, but with the help of Gretzky, landed a job with the Oilers in the locker room. 

It turns out that Moss' favorite song was "La Bamba," and it became a hit with the organization. 

"The 'La Bamba' comes from a team Christmas party we had every year," Gretzky explained. "We would have a live band and [Moss] knew one song. He would get up and sing, 'La Bamba.' So it's one of the great winning songs for any professional sports team."

When Moss passed away in 2020, the Oilers brought the song back as their celebration tune. Starting in the 2021-22 season, "La Bamba" was played after every win on home ice, and it has stuck ever since. 

Who is Joey Moss?

Moss was an Oilers superfan who eventually turned into the team's longtime locker room attendant.

Gretzky is the reason for Moss' presence within the Oilers organization. In 1980, the Edmonton star was dating Moss's sister, Vikki, at the time. Gretzky witnessed Moss' work ethic while he was working at a bottle depot, and he suggested to Oilers GM Glen Sawther that they should consider him for a role in hockey operations. Sawther brought him in, and he was a hit, becoming a locker room attendant for the team. 

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His main duties with the team included cleaning, handling towels and water, and running errands for Lyle "Sparky" Kulchisky, the former equipment manager. 

Moss not only became a staple for the Oilers, but he also helped out with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. In the summer of 1986, Gretzky connected with Dwayne Mandrusiak, the equipment manager for the football club, and asked him if Moss could work with them during training camp in the summer months.

Moss kept his role with his team for three decades, holding the position until his death. He died on October 26, 2020, after battling Alzheimer's disease. He was 57. 

Who is Ben Stelter?

While Moss may have been the reason why "La Bamba" started, there's another heartwarming story attached to the song. 

During the 2021-22 season, a young Oilers superfan by the name of Ben Stelter began to frequent Edmonton games. Ben was 6, but he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. The Oilers heard about his story and took him in as one of their own. 

"You never want to see a family go through that thing, you never want to see a kid go through something like that," McDavid said. "Any joy that we could bring [Ben] was always worth it."

"La Bamba" already was a staple at Rogers Place for Oilers home games, but Stelter revitalized the celebration tune with his catch phrase, "Play La Bamba, baby!"

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Unfortunately for the Oilers and the Stelter family, Ben died on Aug. 10, 2022, at the age of 6 after his battle with brain cancer.

While Stelter and Moss may be gone, their memory lives on with the team. Every time the faithful Oilers crowd in Edmonton belts out, "La Bamba," the two diehard Oilers fans are going to be singing along with them in spirit. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.