Hundreds of Edmontonians say they don't want the city's NHL team to follow the lead of U.S. franchises, making cheerleaders a regular part of game-time activities.
Since an online petition was launched on Friday, 525 people have signed on – a response that has surprised the woman behind the site.
Lisa Monro says she felt compelled to act because she believes Canadian teams have no problem with ticket sales, meaning the enticement of a cheer team is not needed.
She also thinks the idea is insulting to women.
"Over 50 per cent of the people on our petition are men, commenting on how they feel it's a national embarrassment that Canadian NHL hockey teams don't have to have any cheerleaders and that we're going to be the first team to do that and it's going to be the laughing stock of the whole country," she said.
Monro says she hasn't decided if she will forward the petition and comments to Oilers officials. There's also no word on how long the site will be posted.
For more information on the campaign, click here.
For information on the cheer team auditions, click here.
