Edmonton Oilers host downtown rally to mark final Rexall Place game

It wasMark Messier who seemed to sum things up better than anyone.

As he had donesomany timesduring his storied career with the Edmonton Oilers, the hometown hero once againseized the moment before thousands of fans whoturned out foradowntownrally Wednesday to markthe Edmonton Oilers finalgame atRexallPlace.

• Rexall Place: End of an Era

"It's amazing that a building can actually have a personality," said the man who knows something about personality.

Front and centre in a congregation ofmore than 100 former players gathered at Sir Winston Churchill Square,Messier talkedabout growing up with the city and the arena where his number now hangs from the rafters. He talked about the past, about all those wins and all thegreat memories, and aboutwatching a Fleetwood Mac concert. Then with skill undiminished by the passage of time, he deftlypivoted toward the future.

"We look forward to turning the page to the new Rogers Place arena," he said. "And making more memories and winning more Stanley Cups."

Messier was one of three players chosen to speak to the multitude.

Ryan Smyth told the crowd, "Without you fans, it wouldn't have been the same in that building."

Former player Jason Strudwick, who grew up in Edmonton and played briefly with the Oilers, talked about dreaming as a boy of playing on the ice at Rexall Place, and how that dream came true.

Speaking on behalf of the city, Mayor DonIvesonthanked the hockey heroes lined up behind him. He recalled attendinghis first game at Rexall Place in 1988.

"It was a magical thing for a little boy to get to go to a hockey game," he said.

That much, at least, seems unlikely to change.