Friday, January 1, 2010

Oilers Stiff Calgary Restaurant With Bill?




Wow. In a shocking revelation by Calgary's CTV News, the Edmonton Oilers hockey players and their wives/girlfriends were dining at Osteria De Medici, a pretty nice joint in the Kensington area of Calgary after the new years game against the Flames.  It appears that the Oilers upon receiving their bill, looked at it, and declined to pay it.  The Captain Ethan Moreau was one of the players that refused that bill. 

Apparently, it was close to an $18,000 bill and the Oilers figured it was too much.  The restaurant reportedly charged them by the shot and the Oilers wanted it by the bottle.  If you have ever been to a bar, you know that the shots add up quickly.  This liquor bill was around $8,000.  But nonetheless, the Oilers should have shut up and paid it.  No questions asked.


It's reported that the restaurant was going to call the police and the players ended up paying $12,000 and figured it out to be square.  Maurizio Terrigno, the owner of the restaurant begs to differ, he still wanted the close to $18,000 bill paid.  He also said that someone from the Edmonton Oilers organization contacted the restaurant this afternoon and worked out a deal for the rest of the tab.  He says that he is going to donate the money to charity.

What the hell are these guys thinking?  Your in Calgary, your the Edmonton Oilers, and you know, the most hated team in Calgary, and you don't want to pay a bill when you make millions of dollars?  Is this really the smartest/best idea?  In other words, take your lumps and call it a lesson learned.

So we, the fans, can't even start off the new year without an Oiler embarrassment? (True or false, right or wrong, it's just more negative news the Oilers don't need.) Thanks guys. *face in palm* Happy New Years to you too.  2010 starts off great.

EDIT (7:00pm):  Here is Dan Tencer's Take on this story:

The owner of a Calgary restaurant is trying to use the Edmonton Oilers as a publicity tool.


After last night's game in Calgary, the entire Oilers team went out for a pre-planned meal with their wives and girlfriends at the upscale, downtown eatery Osteria De Medici.


At the end of the night the players were presented with a bill for close to $19,000, a figure that struck them as being grossly inflated for what they consumed over their roughly 90 minute stay. The players, while still waiting at the restaurant, asked for the bill to be re-calculated at which point they were presented with a revised cheque for $12,381. The team paid for the bill with a credit card, and left.


The owner of the restaurant called Calgary media this morning, claiming that the players refused to pay the bill until they were threatened with a phone call to the police. Oilers officials call the story "ridiculous".(dt/tc)


EDIT (8:30pm):  Here is the TSN version of the story.

EDIT (9:00pm): Here is the Calgary Herald Version.

EDIT (5:30pm 1/3/10): Now that the storm has blown over it appears that everything has been worked out for both parties.  The Oilers say no harm was done and the restaurant owner says it's OK.  It's over.  Osteria de Medici owner Maurizio Terrigno said Saturday, "I’m happy to report the situation’s been resolved"

So did I jump the gun and spit out an opinion a little too quick?  Perhaps.  But then again, I shoot from the hip and I always have something to say.  So like many suggested, this is over and should fade away now.
-Smokin' Ray-

12 comments:

  1. I live in Calgary and have personally been ripped off by this same restaurant! We had a group of 25 people (no professional hockey players among us!) and our bill was outrageous - the food was not the issue, but the liquor was. They overcharged for the alcohol but couldn't give us a detailed list of what had been consumed. I stand by the Oilers for refusing to pay a bill that was "padded" by the owners of this restaurant. I say, "good on you, Oilers!" This restaraunteer is obviously trying to capitalize on large groups who drink and don't keep a list of every drink they order. So much for trust. To the blogger who is embarrased by his hockey team - maybe you should not always believe everything you read in the media - remember....there is most likely a slant against the rival city hockey team in the reporting of the story.

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  2. I dunno about this one, Ray.

    Something's rotten in the state of Denmark.

    I find it a tad hard to believe a restaurant is going to knock nearly $7K off of their bill because Ethan Moreau makes a fuss about it.

    Then again, it's quite possible the team could've put away $8K in booze with the way this season's going.

    I just don't see it happening.

    Love your site. Keep up the great work!

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  3. The embarrassment is the Oilers are in the news again. Just more negative non-hockey related news. It's not doing the franchise any favours.

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  4. Hey thanks for the compliment Chappy. I'm sure this is going to unfold a little more over the next 24-48 hours. I too found it strange.

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  5. I agree Ray. More bad press is not good for this team. True or not. Once again this doesn't help bring players to Edmonton. Count me in as an embarrased fan.

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  6. Hehe! Once again entertained at Oilers Jambalaya. Thanks guys.

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  7. lol. We try to entertain. Thanks for coming.

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  8. Wow, cool site... glad google found you.

    I've eaten at Osteria when I've been in Calgary, and it's truly a fine-dining experience (not at all suited to someone like me).

    Frankly, I can see why some Oilers were pissed, but when you consume 100 shots of tequila (& other shooters) and start swigging imported brandy straight from the bottle, I expect the booze - not the sticker shock - was the chief cause of the Oilers' belligerence.

    Osteria might be getting a lot of press out of this (more than the $6,000 they were stiffed), but I'd be going public too if a large group of drunken rich boys turned ugly on me because they were too irresponsibly celebratory to do the math.

    I can't imagine - despite the occassion - the Oilers were in a great mood following the fifth loss to Calgary this season, Coach Q publicly calling them a "dumb team" and Penner being left off the Olympic team (probably less disappointing). This can sink morale even more.

    Hopefully in the future, the Oilers' organization will appoint a caretaker for such gatherings to watch the tab and make sure breaks on the bill can be negotiated beforehand. I would expect this from a U.S. Olympic team... not a Canadian NHL franchise.

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  9. Hey thanks for stopping by Brewscout. Glad you like it here.

    I have to admit, I do like that you grade beer. I'm sure it's more fun than grading games like we do here (well lately anyways). I'm glad you found us, so we could find you.

    http://brewscout.wordpress.com/

    And your right. The mood was probably a little sour before the bill was put on the table. What I don't get... why wouldn't the vets pass it on to the rookies and walk out the door? (I'm kidding). If Moreau really did "lead the charge" to have the bill changed, then I respect that. Our Captain actually stood up for the team. That alone is a step forward. Maybe this is one of those "behind closed door" things that people say he's good at.

    Either way, this news about this incident doesn't look good for the team, right or wrong. Let's hope they beat the snot out of Dany "The Douchebag" Heatley and the rest of the Sharks tonight. GOILERS!

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  10. ummm... why is everyone freakin out about this? Who cares.

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  11. The restaurant overcharged and the Oilers underpaid. Let's not forget that the Calgary Flames got preferential treatment for the H1N1 shots---they're still the most evil in my opinion.

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  12. DOn't know how I ended up here, but I liked your post. I'm also glad it's over.

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Keep it nice, keep it civil. GOILERS!


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