In a candid and revealing interview on the Dropping the Gloves Podcast (h/t to Oilers Nation for the transcriptions) hosted by former NHLer John Scott, former NHL defenseman Sheldon Souray opened up about his tumultuous time with the Edmonton Oilers, offering insight into the challenges and controversies he faced during his tenure with the team.
From the sounds of the interview, Souray’s experience with the Oilers is one he would rather forget. Known for his rugged style of play and booming point shot, Souray was signed to the team as a big-ticket free agent when not a lot of players were interested in joining a club that had struggled in the standings, had an old building, and wasn’t exactly a top destination for high-profile players. If you listen to and believe Souray’s comments about his experience in Edmonton, it’s not hard to see why.
Souray Says His Injury Was Poorly Handled by the Oilers
One of the most striking stories emerged when Souray discussed an injury that occurred in January 2010, resulting in a broken hand. The incident eventually led to Souray spending time in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and facing the potential threat of having his hand amputated.
Souray revealed that he requested medical attention for his hand from a specialist in Los Angeles, where he had a residence, and from a doctor who had done the surgery countless times. However, the Oilers denied his request, indicating that the CBA at that time didn’t grant players the right to seek a second opinion, thus giving the team the authority to dictate the course of medical action. He got the work done by an Edmonton doctor but he noted it wasn’t done properly.
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The situation took a dire turn when Souray returned to Edmonton. He began feeling increasingly ill and noticed alarming physical symptoms. Despite his suffering, the Oilers’ response was less than empathetic. Souray recounted an interaction with the Oilers’ doctor where he was instructed to drive himself to the hospital despite his condition. He noted after he arrived, “An ambulance now takes me to the U of A hospital, now I’m in the ICU for four days, I got a bone and blood infection and they’re talking about amputating my hand, they have to re-cut my hand open…” He adds, “I’m on all sorts of anti-biotics that they give cancer patients, dude it was bad.”
Things Only Got Worse From There
After reaching the hospital, Souray was diagnosed with a staph infection, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. The situation escalated further when he was admitted to the ICU, where he faced the possibility of not only losing his hand but also dealing with infections that could affect his heart. He said that’s when he knew it was serious.
However, what makes the story particularly intriguing is the Oilers’ management and ownership’s belief that Souray was exaggerating the severity of his injury.
The Oilers’ strength coach was with Souray not long after he got the serious news and when Souray asked if the coaches and management had been updated on his condition, he got an alarming response. He explained:
“I said ‘have you told the coaches or management?’ He said ‘Yeah but they think you’re milking an injury because you don’t want to play for the Oilers’ again.’ I said okay, so I picked up the phone. Now you gotta understand I’m on all these painkillers, I’m on these anti-biotics. I’m sitting in a hospital and I left Kevin Lowe and Daryl Katz a voicemail, and I wasn’t happy.”
Souray’s Exit from the Team Was Ugly
Souray elaborated on his dissatisfaction as he exited Edmonton, recounting his attempt to confront Steve Tambellini during the year-end meeting. He recalled, “We had a tough one. In my year-end interview, I kinda say, ‘Hey, it’s probably best for me to move on, but we’ll talk about that this summer.’ The next day, the headlines read ‘Souray demands trade’ and so on.”
Following this, Souray had a productive summer of training and aimed to act cooperatively in the hopes of securing a trade. But, the Oilers neglected to extend an invitation to training camp. Kevin Lowe instructed him to publicly apologize and speak to Daryl Katz, a demand Souray declined.
In the end, the Oilers relocated Souray to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Souray perceived this maneuver as a petty gesture from the organization, sensing an attempt to depict him as a ‘spoiled brat’ and to cast him as a negative influence on the Oilers’ younger talents during those years. He said he wasn’t invited to the final home game at Northlands Coliseum in 2016 where the majority of the Oilers’ alumni, even Chris Pronger — who had an arguably uglier exit from the team — was in attendance.
Before the interview was up, Souray made sure to trash Edmonton’s harsh winter climate and called Rexall Place (the former arena the Oilers used to play out of) the worst arena in the league. He mentioned the team looks like they’re heading in the right direction under Ken Holland (who he stacked heavy praise upon) but called owner Daryl Katz an idiot.
Needless to say, Souray’s experience as an Oiler was not a positive one. He didn’t blame everyone, but he clearly had a distaste for Steve Tambellini, Kevin Lowe, and Daryl Katz.