EDMONTON — Calvin Pickard has fond memories of his time in Moncton, New Brunswick, the host site of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada on Saturday.
The Edmonton Oilers goalie was born in the Maritime Province city of just under 100,000 before moving with his family to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he played most of his minor hockey.
“I moved away from Moncton in 1999, so I was seven years old when I went to Winnipeg,” Pickard said. “I remember playing a year of hockey there. I have some good memories of going to different places. My grandma still lives out there, she’s not too far from Moncton. I’ve been back a few times to visit my grandma, but I haven’t been back a ton.”
Pickard and the Oilers will close out the four-game schedule of nationally broadcasted games when they travel to face the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, CITY).
The day begins with the Calgary Flames hosting the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Saddledome (3 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, MSGSN), followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNW, SNP, NHLN) and the Montreal Canadiens at the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE).
The 26th annual event will showcase Moncton and its rich hockey history between games.
“It was a great place to live, a great place to grow up,” Pickard said. “I was not happy about moving to Winnipeg when my dad got transferred through work, so I have very good memories. I only played one year of hockey in Moncton, and I was a player too, but I loved it. I loved playing soccer and baseball in Moncton as well.”
Pickard made his way from one end of North America to another when he was selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League in the second round of the 2007 WHL Prospects Draft. He played four seasons in Seattle and was chosen by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round (No. 49) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
“My brother [Chet] played in Washington state too, in Tri-City,” Pickard said. “I got drafted there (Seattle) and was following in my brother’s footsteps and got a chance to play against him in junior too. That was the path I took.”
Pickard broke into the NHL with Colorado and spent three seasons with the Avalanche before moving on to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. He is currently in his third season with the Oilers and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons.
Pickard had a 7-1 record in 10 playoff games (seven starts) last season, helping Edmonton defeat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round (six games) and backstopping them to a series lead against Vegas Golden Knights in the second round before sustaining a lower-body injury. He returned to play three games (one start) in the Final, including winning Game 4, 5-4 in overtime, when he entered in relief of Stuart Skinner and made 22 saves. The Panthers went on to win the best-of-seven series in six games.
This season, Pickard has a 5-6-2 record with a 3.68 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage in 16 games (13 starts). Currently, he is in a three-goalie rotation with Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram.
“This is new for us, and we haven’t quite decided what we’re going to do. Right now we have three goalies,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Jarry just coming back from injury, we have to be careful in how much he plays.
“We’re not really set on exactly how we’re going to do this, three goalies. Is it for the rest of the season, is it for the next couple of weeks or couple of months? Right now, we’re just playing it day-by-day.”
Pickard will be ready the next time he gets the call. And regardless of whether that comes Saturday with his hometown in the spotlight, he thinks it will be good for Moncton to get the exposure that comes along as a Hockey Day in Canada host city.
“It’s cool. It’s a good hockey community,” Pickard said. “I grew up watching the Moncton Wildcats, the junior hockey team there. When I was 5, 6 and 7, I followed them pretty closely. It’s a great hockey community, it’s great that they are doing it there and I’m excited for the city.”
