After years of being in bubbles and battling through adversity, the sports world of 2022 has been an electrifying gift for sports fans. Not only have the NBA season and playoffs been unpredictable and exciting, the NHL playoffs have been an intense thrill ride to witness. Last week, fans got to see the greatest playoff hockey goal, scored by Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche against the St. Louis Blues. But the “Battle of Alberta,” the infamous showdown between Albertan NHL teams the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, returned in this year’s round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The rivalry that hasn’t played against each other in a postseason duel since 1991 has stretched much further than just hockey. Both Calgary and Edmonton’s mayors have agreed to a playful bet which has heavy implications for whoever ends up winning the series. The bet states that the losing city’s council will have to wear the winning team’s gear to council, the losing mayor will paint their face in the winning team’s colors, and the losing team will donate to a cancer foundation in the winning team’s city.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has confirmed that she will be attending city council on June 7 with an Oilers jersey and her face painted in blue and orange. Members of Calgary’s council have shared photos of themselves wearing Oilers jerseys and completing the bet on Twitter. This playful bet between each of the cities’ councils and mayors shows the true Canadian spirit of hockey, which has dated back to hockey’s origin in Canada, not only showing the spirit and enthusiasm of hockey fans across Canada, but even the spirit of non-sports fans that started to show as this series highlighted more than just hockey.
The Edmonton Oilers have officially moved on to round three of the NHL playoffs, ending the “Battle of Alberta” in five games. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The talent shown on both teams was evident as game one ended with an astonishing 15 goals total. The Oilers have one of the most talented players in this generation, Connor McDavid, who once again proved why he is in the conversation for one of the greatest hockey players ever. Alongside McDavid is Leon Draisaitl, who combined for 29 points with McDavid in the “Battle of Alberta,” and together were the main scoring force for the Oilers.
On the other side of the ice, the Flames’ solid squad finished top of their division with an impressive record of 50-21. Led by their young star, Johnny Gaudreau, and veteran enforcer Milan Lucic, the Flames were aggressive on the ice but struggled to defend against the Oilers’ versatile offense. Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom finished the season with a save percentage of 92 per cent and was a main reason for the Flames’ success this season. Unfortunately for the Swede, his performance was not as excellent in round two of the playoffs. Markstom allowed six goals above expected and did not perform his best, which led to the Flames being knocked out. But Markstrom’s performance did not take anything away from this exciting series between cross-province rivals.
Each game in the “Battle of Alberta” series featured no less than five goals, and the final game was a 5-4 finish in overtime with a game winner by Connor McDavid. This sent the Oilers to the third round of the playoffs, where they will face Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche, as they beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2. On the other side of the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning look to win their third Stanley Cup in a row and will face the New York Rangers in what should be an exhilarating conference final.
With the Oilers being the last Canadian team in the playoffs, they not only hold the hopes of the city of Edmonton, but all of Canada, as they look to win their 6th Stanley Cup and first since 1990. As spectators, we hope to see another series in the future that was as exciting as the “Battle of Alberta.”
Esher is a second year law & communications student who is invested in sports. When he isn't filming and writing about basketball, he can often be found washing cars or cutting the grass. Esher hopes to one day enter the field of law enforcement and start his own media group.
