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"John", the man behind the "Lowe Must Go" campaign made news two weeks ago when he was banned from Rexall Place for an entire year:
They eventually relocated to the nearby LRT station, but when one of the group members returned to the property to get his car, he was confronted by security and handed a ticket with a one-year ban from the facility.
But at least he wasn't ushered to the Pit of Despair for his transgressions:
On the back of the jersey he was wearing, Vaughan had spelled out in duct tape the words "Trade Lowe," a commentary on general manager Kevin Lowe's decision to trade player Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders earlier in the day.
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"We were not leaving that room unless those letters came off," he said. "It was very argumentative and it was getting to a point where something silly like being physical and that. And I'm here with my nephew.
The Oilers are set for another forced march to the end of the season coinciding with the annual trade deadline sell-off and management team feeding the fans paeans dedicated to the future. But this year, with Kevin Lowe bearing the brunt of disgruntled fans, the march is going to have a decidedly different tone, as even the Oilers official message boards, traditionally a place for followers, has turned nasty:
The discussions in regards to signings, trades and your opinion on our GM and how he is doing in his role is fine, but the flat out bashing and fire Lowe threads will be removed. This rule is applied to players, other members and our mod team as well. This is not new, it has been a forum rule here since the beginning.
The public plea from the owner was poorly received, and actually temporarily turned the ire away from Kevin Lowe, but only temporarily. The Oilers, like most teams, have always been quick to deal with dissent in the building, though a Zamboni parked behind a CBC production truck was a bit much, but it will be interesting to see how the Oilers deal with more than just a one-off here and there.