Woman delivers baby while attending NHL game
Years from now, someone in Canada will tell their friends that they were born in an NHL arena while a game was in progress — and they’ll have proof. Play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels said during the second period of the Edmonton Oilers’ 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights that a woman was delivering a baby on the seventh floor of Rogers Place. The afterbirth — er, the aftermath — has yet to be revealed.
So too has the baby’s name. MORE: NHL, Wild mourn shocking death of 37-year-old content creator and her three children Evan Bouchard scored the only goal for the Oilers. Fortunately Evan has gained some popularity as both a boys’ and girls’ name, if the new mother is looking for a suggestion.
Goaltender Connor Ingram allowed all five goals on 33 Vegas shots. Edmonton was trailing 3-0 until Bouchard’s goal with 34 seconds remaining in the middle period. Vegas scored twice more in the third period, on goals by Mark Stone and Rasmus Anderssson.
MORE: Pat McAfee sends message to Hockey Hall of Fame about Jack Hughes It was a lousy night on the ice for the Oilers, who fell to 39-29-9 with the loss, but a banner night for medical emergencies in Edmonton. Coincidentally, a fan attending the same game was left bloodied when he was struck in the head by a puck over the glass. Documented reports of babies being born in the middle of sporting events are rare but not unheard of.
This isn’t even the first instance this decade. A cousin of Cleveland Browns wide receiver David Bell gave birth inside Lucas Oil Stadium during the Browns’ game against the Indianapolis Colts in 2023. The baby’s mother went into labor as she was arriving at the game, four days before she said she was due.