Edmonton Oilers PA Announcer Mark Lewis to Retire

If you’ve ever been to an Edmonton Oilers game, it is almost certain that you have heard the voice of Mark Lewis, surround-sound in the arena. He is the beloved long-time PA announcer for the Oilers, who we all know and love. Especially the way that he announces goals to get us excited and energized.

Today, the Edmonton Oilers announced that he is retiring from the position he has held for nearly three decades. If you don’t know his voice, think of a happy time… such as when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scores.

“Scored by #93 RYAN, NUGENT-HOPKINS!” he screams.

Unlike your ordinary PA announcer, who sometimes sits between the penalty boxes, Lewis is old-fashioned. He is always on the catwalk, holding an old-style microphone; this is to pay tribute to his roots in radio and TV. He makes the calls for penalties, goals and has announced the opening line-up game in and game out.

How long has he been with the organization? Well, he may have 40 years of experience in television and radio, but he has been with the Oilers for 35 years. And as the Oilers time at Rexall Place is coming to an end, so is Lewis’s.

He has been there since nearly the beginning, joining the organization in its early days in 1981. Lewis has seen it all and said it all- from five Cup championships to Wayne Gretzky‘s era, and now, he is watching Connor McDavid take the ice as well.

Lewis recalls Gretzky’s 50 goals in 39 games, as well as the Oilers first Stanley Cup Championship on May 19, 1984, to be his favorite memories. He has also loved to watch McDavid this season, though the time has been short.

“I have found this to be a first-class organization throughout all 35 years,” Lewis told oilers.nhl.com. “There’s been some real world-class hockey and it’s allowed us to see the best players in the world, right here in Edmonton.”

In the last season of Rexall Place, we have recognized those who don’t necessarily lace up skates. Just like Glen Sather, just like Joey Moss, Mark Lewis is an important part of this team, night in and night out.

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We here from Oil on Whyte wish him the best, and will always remember his exciting voice that energizes us all game in and game out. The Oilers thanked him for his services, and he will finish his career at the end of this season.