‘La Bamba’ singers wish Oilers good luck in Western Conference Final

The band who played “La Bamba” is hoping to hear “La Bamba” on Monday.

Los Lobos, the group who rose to stardom in 1987 when their cover of the late Ritchie Valens’ signature song topped the charts internationally, gave a shoutout to the Edmonton Oilers before Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.

“Let’s go Oilers! Play ‘La Bamba,’ baby!” the members of the band — Louie Perez, Steve Berlin, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano and David Hidalgo — said in a video shared on social media pages.

“La Bamba” has taken on a special meaning for the Oilers. Living legend Wayne Gretzky called it one of the great winning songs for any professional sports team, but especially for the Oilers. The song honors late longtime locker room attendant Joey Moss.

“The ‘La Bamba’ song comes from a team Christmas party [we had] every year,” Gretzky, who played for the Oilers from 1979-1988, said on ‘NHL on TNT’ on Saturday. “We’d have a live band and [Moss] knew one song and he would get up and sing ‘La Bamba.'”

Moss, born with Down syndrome, helped out around the Oilers locker room for 35 years. The Edmonton native started with the team in 1985 and quickly grew to be a favorite. He died on Oct. 26, 2020 at age 57.

Now, in Moss’ memory, “La Bamba” is the Oilers anthem. Before the start of the 2021-22 season, the Oilers pledged to play the tune after every win at Rogers Place.

The song has become a rallying cry for fans, even the biggest little Oilers fan, Ben Stelter, a five-year-old battling cancer who has gained fame on social media thanks in part to his “Play La Bamba, baby!” videos during the Oilers run to the Western Conference Final.