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and then you go and totally redeem yourselves!

As if Yakupov couldn't endear himself any more, he goes and takes homeless Edmontonians out for ritzy dinners. Other Oilers jump in on the play too at Inner City Awareness Week.

By Ken.Price
Left to right: Anton Lander, Edmonton City Councillor Scott McKeen, and Oscar Klefbom serve food to people in need at Boyle Plaza.
Left to right: Anton Lander, Edmonton City Councillor Scott McKeen, and Oscar Klefbom serve food to people in need at Boyle Plaza.

Nail Yakupov had nothing to prove to us. And then he goes and does something like this.

A recent facebook post by a fan caught Yakupov bringing a homeless Edmontonian into the ritzy Sutton Hotel for $100 worth of food.

When the fan asked the manager about it, the manager reportedly said Yakupov does this "all the time."

The news has since gone ballistic around the Oilogosphere and other sports media.

Nail has already endeared himself to us. He has climbed a steep hill from struggling first-round pick to Derek Roy protege, and no one has given up on him being a young phenom with golden hands and a world of potential - even when the Oilers do poorly it feels so good to watch Yakupov do well.

There are still heavy expectations on Yakupov’s shoulders, namely consistent point production. But in terms of helping those in need and endearing himself to the city, he has far surpassed our wildest expectations.

Yakupov hasn’t been the only Oiler getting into it though.

This past week has been come to be known as Inner City Awareness Week in Edmonton. Hundreds of people lined up downtown at Boyle Plaza for an annual roast beef dinner where Oilers Anton Lander and Oscar Klefbom were on hand to dish up some warm meals.

Here’s a media round up of Yakupov’s good deeds:

Edmonton Journal: Edmonton Oilers’ Nail Yakupov assists those in need, too

Edmonton Sun: Oilers forward Nail Yakupov routinely helps out homeless individuals

Sportsnet: Yakupov buys dinner for hungry homeless man

There are over 2,000 homeless people in Edmonton and the strain on social service organizations is expected to increase with the drop in the price of oil.

If you would like to help homeless Edmontonians, here’s some organizations that work to move people out of homelessness into homes:

Bissell Centre

Homeward Trust

United Way

While Yakupov only has 26 points in 69 games this year, 14 of those points have come in the past 19 games. He’s rocking it out right now and and even if the Oilers drafted Conner McDavid this summer, Conner would have to either get us into the playoffs or work the hell outta some soup kitchens to work his way in our hearts the way Yakupov has.

Now let’s just go out reliving this beauty: