Graphic: YouTube

The Edmonton Oilers are being sued by a Dallas, Texas hotel for allegedly bouncing a check for $28,000 following a team stay in December. The hotel also claims the Oilers owe an additional $27,000 for a team stay in March. 

The Edmonton Oilers are being sued by a Dallas hotel after allegedly bouncing a $28K check following a team stay in December.
The hotel says the Oilers owe a further $27K for a team stay in March.
An Oilers official says the club is “working cooperatively” to resolve the dispute. pic.twitter.com/OY2UgRaCZn

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) November 16, 2020

“We face the same challenges as any business in the midst of a global pandemic. We are working hard on our business operations and addressing the issues resulting from the unexpected shutdown last season,” said senior vice president Tim Shipton.

The Crescent Court, an expensive, luxury spot that’s walking distance to the American Airlines Center, has been the Oilers’ hotel of choice in Dallas for years, so it’s unclear why they took the team to court rather than simply making a call to try and straighten things out.

According to the Edmonton Journal, the Oilers say they weren’t trying to skip out on the charges and there is no dispute over them. They say the issue is the result of an embarrassing accounting glitch that was further compounded by a timeline miscommunication. They plan on paying the bills and having the entire issue resolved in the next couple of days.

“The Crescent Court Hotel has been a good partner and we are working co-operatively with them to resolve this matter.”

The Oilers say the debts are simply for their block of rooms — the team travels with a large contingent of players, coaches, training staff, media-relations and web people — and not damage to the property or unpaid restaurant tabs. To the best of their knowledge, they don’t have any other outstanding debts with any other hotels.

The Crescent Court has been in touch with the club and says it will drop the lawsuit once the tabs have been paid and will welcome the Oilers back to their hotel when NHL teams begin travelling again.