Battle of Alberta allegiances divide NHL fans across province

The former Crown and Anchor bar in Red Deer was famous for its line drawn down the middle when it hosted fans during the Battle of Alberta playoff games in the late 1980s.

Calgary Flames fans on one side. Edmonton Oilers fans on the other.

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NHL allegiances, after all, are spread across the community of just over 100,000 people that sits about halfway between the two towns on Highway 2, about 95 miles (152, 9 kilometres) from each. The Flames host the Oilers in Game 1 to kick off the second round of the NHL playoffs Wednesday night in an Alberta battle with stakes not seen in decades.

“Seeing both fanbases fully engaged in the playoffs is something that has simply never happened in the lives of many people under 40,” said Merrick Sutter, senior vice-president of the Red Deer Rebels. and nephew of Flames coach Darryl. Sutter. “We see it every day in Red Deer, just the simple nature of being right in the middle.”

The Oilers and Flames have met five times in the playoffs, but not in 31 years. Three in the series have gone seven games and the Oilers have won four.

Red Deer wins whichever team emerges victorious, Mayor Ken Johnston said.

“Really every town from Fort McMurray in the north to Lethbridge in the south is going to benefit from the show, the bars, the restaurants, the hospitality industry, the ability for people to come together and socialize…and it couldn’t come at a better time from that standpoint,” he told The Canadian Press. “People are so eager to get out there and be in person.”

The Mayor, by the way, shoots for the Flames; he has a Calgary jersey and hat signed by Flames legend Lanny McDonald.

“Being a good mayor, I also have a little Oilers marching band to wear from time to time,” he added with a laugh.

Sutter said the allegiances in the Battle of Alberta had generational roots. His, of course, were forged in his family’s long history with the Flames. His father Brent, now owner, president and general manager of the Rebels, coached the Flames for three seasons. Uncle Darryl’s first stint in Calgary dates back to 2003.

“Not many people can understand, but there aren’t many circumstances where you have two franchises with such an old rivalry,” he said. “It goes back to grandparents and parents, in the 80s and so on. It’s integrated. Now to be able to turn it back on is special, but for me it’s really about the young people who have never seen this rivalry.”

Troy Gillard, who does play-by-play for the Rebels, said Red Deer has unique ties to both teams. He believes the Oilers gained new fans when the club drafted Rebels center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins No. 1 in 2011.

“Even here at the Rebels, we’re pretty much even 50/50. It’s going to be a lot of fun here for the next two weeks,” Gillard said.

The 2022 playoffs are the first held in full arenas in Canada since the start of the pandemic. Red Deer came under fire for the omicron variant last winter, prompting the cancellation of the World Junior Championships after just four days.

Now the bars of Red Deer are buzzing with anticipation after a tough few years.

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“We’re all very, very excited, this kind of thing has been happening for a long time,” said Brennen Wowk, an Oilers fan and owner of Bo’s Bar & Stage. “The staff will be wearing whatever shirt they choose, we’ll be pouring plenty of beer and the volume will be as loud as possible.”

Dallas Gaume, the general manager of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Association, hopes the matchup will help hockey registration numbers in Red Deer return to pre-pandemic numbers. There was no season in 2020-21 due to COVID-19, and the number of returning players dropped 7.5% last winter.

“A lot of eyes are going to be on the province over the next two weeks, and I really think we’re going to get some growth out of it,” he said.

Calgary and Edmonton city councils have a friendly bet (losers wear winning team face paint and jerseys) and two elite Canadian soccer players have also made a bet: Sam Adekugbe, who grew up in Calgary and plays in Turkey for Hatayspor, reached Alphonso Davies, a Bayern Munich star who grew up in Edmonton.

The loser must donate $2,000 to the winning team’s charitable foundation and have a photo taken in their jersey.

Game 2 takes place Friday in Calgary before the series heads north to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4. The winner of the series will face St. Louis or Colorado in the Western Conference Finals. .

“One of the Alberta teams will be playing for a berth in the Stanley Cup final,” Gillard said. “It’s going to be heartbreaking for the team that loses in the second round, but for the team that moves on, how exciting is that?”