Sedgwick joins Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, and Adam Burish, as notable championship contributers who were either dealt or not offered a contract this offseason.
"It wasn't easy to let Homer go," Hawks GM Stan Bowman said. "He made great strides for us this year as a driver. He'll be in a great situation in Edmonton, where he'll be able to jump right in and earn the starting zamboni driver spot."
Sedgwick joins a depleted maintenance crew in Edmonton that has not helped its team to the playoffs in four years. Sedgwick is expected to be Edmonton's main driver and will be counted on to shovel the zambroni's ice residue off of the rink. Depending on further changes in Edmonton's crew, Sedgwick may be asked to empty various garbage cans around the stadium as well.
"Homer was an integral part of our championship squad," Hawks right winger Patrick Kane told the associated press. "The ice was always crisp when he was handling it. He never cut corners and made sure to always get to the hard spots in and around the boards."
Up until Sedgwick's all-star 2009-10 season, his time in Chicago was marred with controversy. After signing a hotly contested 5 year, 42 thousand dollar deal in August of 2007, Sedgwick crashed the zambroni into the boards while maintaining the ice during the first intermission of the Hawks home opener. It was later reported that Sedgwick had a blood alcohol content of .16, twice the legal limit, during the time of the accident. He was suspended without pay for the remainder of the season.
"I came into this league a lost soul," Sedgwick explained in a phone interview. "I'm so thankful that the Blackhawks believed in me and stuck with me through my difficult times."
Sedgwick added, "I'm ready to do whatever Edmonton asks of me. That's a city that expects nothing but the best from their zamboni drivers. Hopefully, with some hard work, we can restore the championship ices that this city saw through out the 1980s."
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