"Never really prayed before but praying for you!" - NHL world comes together to show support for Oilers superfan's father diagnosed with Cancer

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jul 14, 2023 05:49 GMT

The Stelter family, one of the Edmonton Oilers' most ardent supporters, is going through difficult times. Everyone knew Ben Stelter, who was probably one of the Oilers' biggest fans. He died of cancer at the age of six.

Less than a year after Ben's death, his father, Mike Stelter, has been diagnosed with the same deadly disease. Mike confirmed the news on Twitter with a long message in which he spoke about the growth of a tumor in his spine. In the tweet, he also gave the link to a GoFundMe page his sister-in-law started.

"Hi everyone, we wanted to update you all with what’s going on in our lives," Mike said in the tweet. "I was having back pains and with an MRI the doctors found a tumour growing on my spine. We have to travel to the US for treatment because it’s not available in Canada."

The news came as a surprise to the NHL community, making everyone emotional. Fans took to Twitter to express their solidarity with the Stelter family:

Mike, his wife Lea, and their two daughters Dylan (15) and Emmy (5), make up the lovely Stelter family. The family attended the 2023 NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville last month, where they also presented the Hart Memorial Trophy to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who was named the league's most valuable player.

Later that night, McDavid and "NHL on TNT" analyst Paul Bissonnette pledged a $10,000 donation each to the Ben Stelter Fund.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid earlier pledged $100,000 towards the Ben Stelter fund

Ben Stelter was a superfan of the Edmonton Oilers. He died of brain cancer at the age of six. Following his death, the Ben Stelter Fund was established to honor the life of six-year-old Ben and to assist children with cancer.

Connor McDavid, known for his charitable efforts, stepped up and pledged $100,000 to the fund when it was launched. The fund aims to continue Ben's legacy by supporting children with Glioblastoma and other types of cancer.

McDavid said in a statement following Ben's passing in August:

"He was an amazing little guy who lit up every single room he was in. He certainly lit up our room any time he walked in there."