The Battle of Alberta or: Why You Should Care About Round Two of the NHL Playoffs
By Afriti Bankwalla and Kit Paulson
Hockey is a slapstick comedy. You know those old puppet shows, Punch and Judy? The ones where the puppets just whack each other with sticks in the name of comedy? That is the NHL. I roar in laughter when I see men swarm like bugs towards a scrum near the boards. I relish the drama of the clash and the build-up of tension–dirty checks and sly, goading chirps punctuating a game–all leading up to the explosion of a dropped glove. I talked for months about the time Brendan Lemieux bit Brady Tkachuk and even memorized Tkachuk’s subsequent monologue about the event.
And should I probably be a little more critical of the omnipresent culture of violence and toxic masculinity that encompasses the league? Most definitely. But sometimes I just want to see men beat each other up. I delight in the spectacle and farce of sports for the same reasons I watch the Real Housewives or read the Daily Mail: It’s a form of escapism, a way of disappearing into an almost fantastical world of absurd tales and epic brawls. There’s an infamous NHL advertisement from 2019 in which the league promises “No soaps, just hockey.” The ad quickly became the butt of many a hockey-twitter joke for good reason. But beyond the obvious sexism of the ad, it’s a marketing failure because what really lies at the heart of our love of sports is the spark of opposition, the pageantry of conflict, the melodrama of rivalry.
So, that brings me to the Battle of Alberta, among the most grueling rivalries in the NHL. Violent, bitter, intense. These are the adjectives that come to mind when one asks a Canadian to describe the Battle of Alberta, any hockey game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. In fact, the two teams have fought in about 95% of their matchups to date. Just type “Battle of Alberta” into YouTube, and the results will pull up dozens of titles such as “GOTTA SEE IT: Every Big Hit, Fight, and Scrum From Bruising Battle of Alberta” and thumbnails depicting players from Calgary and Edmonton grabbing each other by the nape of their jerseys, bare hands poised to deliver a fearsome punch.
But why should you care about this rivalry now? On Wednesday, May 18th, for the first time in over 30 years, these two teams will meet each other in the playoffs. NHL playoffs are already more physical than the regular season because the stakes and emotions are so high for the players involved. Add to that the fact that the refs essentially put their whistles away and turn a blind eye to many infractions during the playoffs, and the conditions are primed for a bloodbath. This playoff Battle of Alberta has been long-awaited, and, given the hunger and passion of both sides, a legendary clash is sure to ensue.
So, what makes these two teams so spiteful towards each other? In part, this answer can be traced to the fact that, physically, they are the closest pair of NHL cities located within the same province in Canada. There is the sense, then, that the teams are vying against each other to win over Albertans across the province. As a result of this proximity as well, the two teams fall in the same division, meaning they play each other more times than they play most other teams in the league. The frequency of their matchups also builds resentment between fans and players alike. However, none of these facts alone are enough to explain the sheer hatred these teams feel for each other. That is, in order to fully understand the drama of the Calgary-Edmonton rivalry, we have to look at the historical context within which this feud has developed. So, I’ve made a brief timeline to help you out:
1870s
The cities of Calgary and Edmonton are founded on indigenous land at the expense of the lives of countless native people. Among the settlers, a cultural and political rivalry that goes far beyond professional athletics begins to take root. Years later, Canadian writer Harvey Locke would put this deep-seated antagonism between the cities into words, stating, “The worst way to engage Edmontonians is to tell them how things are done in Calgary.”
1895
Calgary and Edmonton’s hockey teams play each other for the first time.
1921
The Western Canada Hockey League is founded and teams are established in both Calgary and Edmonton. The two teams become quick competition and dominate the first five seasons of the league.
1970s
The World Hockey Association (WHA) establishes two new professional hockey teams in Alberta: the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Cowboys. Unfortunately, the Cowboys are not very successful and fold in 1977. In 1979, the WHA merges into the NHL, and the Edmonton Oilers become an NHL team.
1980s
The Atlanta Flames NHL team becomes the Calgary Flames. As the decade progresses, the two Albertan teams prove to be two of the best teams in the league. Throughout the next ten years, they continually face each other in the playoffs, with an Albertan team winning the Stanley Cup six times between 1980 and 1990. Battle of Alberta games in this decade are passionate as fans and players alike grow to truly loathe each other.
1990s and 2000s
1991 marks the last year that the Flames and the Oilers face each other in the playoffs until 2022. Still, the fire that was lit during their intense back and forth of the 80s cannot be quenched, and fans across the league can always look forward to a fight breaking out when the division rivals meet during the regular season.
2010s
These years establish the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers as we know them today, as key players and shit-starters for the 2022 playoffs are drafted. Notably, the 2010s bring in Edmonton’s ‘hockey Jesus,’ Connor McDavid and his German pal Leon Draisaitl. Meanwhile, Calgary welcomes American stars Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk to their team. Tkachuk, in particular, develops a reputation for his pest-like behavior, provoking players of opposing teams into fights through trash-talking and dirty hits.
January 11, 2020
Matthew Tkachuk lands some major checks on the Oilers winger Zack Kassian. Kassian challenges Tkachuk to fight, and when Tkachuk doesn’t rise to the bait, Kassian drops the gloves anyway. Because Tkachuk doesn’t fight back, only Kassian is penalized. Flames capitalize on the powerplay to score the game-winning goal. In his post-game interview, Kassian calls Tkachuk a “young punk” and a “pussy.” Tkachuk calls Kassian a fourth-liner and chirps him for losing his cool and costing his team the game.
January 13, 2020
Kassian receives a 2-game suspension for fighting Tkachuk.
At practice, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is asked what he would do if he had to play with Matthew Tkachuk at the upcoming All-Star Game, where they will both be representing the Central division, and replies, “I would probably get off the ice.” This moment goes down in hockey lore and sparks a surge of gay erotic fanfiction involving Matthew Tkachuk and Leon Draisaitl following the enemies-to-lovers trope.
January 25, 2020
Draisaitl and Tkachuk end up on ice together during the All-Star Game. Draisaitl sets Tkachuk up for a goal, only for Tkachuk to return his pass (allowing him to score). After scoring the goal himself, Draisaitl is caught on camera mouthing “fuck you” to Tkachuk across the ice. Fanfiction authors rejoice.
January 29, 2020
Kassian’s first game back from his suspension is against the Flames. Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fights Flames forward Sean Monahan. Minutes later, Tkachuk answers Kassian’s challenge, and the two drop the gloves. The game goes to a shootout, which the Flames win. Flames goaltender David Rittich celebrates by tossing his stick like it’s a baseball bat, incensing the home crowd in Edmonton.
February 1, 2020
Rittich is replaced in net early in the second period after allowing four goals. With 24 seconds left in the period, a full-on line brawl occurs. A rare goalie fight breaks out between Calgary’s backup goaltender Cam Talbot and Edmonton’s goaltender Mike Smith. This is a particularly rare and remarkable occurrence because it requires both goalies to travel far beyond the scope of their nets. It’s an absolutely shocking spectacle. Both teams are put on timeout (read: sent to their dressing rooms early for intermission). Smith and Talbot are ejected from the game, meaning Rittich has to return to play in the third period while Edmonton dresses their backup, Mikko Koskinen. The final score is an insane 8-3 win for Edmonton.
March 12, 2020
The NHL shuts down for the remainder of the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This gives the Oilers and the Flames some healthy time away from each other until…
2020-2021 NHL Season
Due to COVID restrictions, new division lines are drawn, creating a Canadian division. Rather than playing teams across the league, in this new COVID-conscious season, teams only play other teams from their division. This results in the Flames and the Oilers playing each other a whopping 10 times, feeding the Flames-Oilers conflict through the sheer resentment of having to square up against the same faces so many times.
2021-2022 NHL Season
The Flames and the Oilers both have impressive seasons. Facing a slew of injuries, the Flames put Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm together, accidentally creating one of the best top lines in the league. Meanwhile, Connor McDavid has the best season of his already astonishing career so far, with 44 goals and 79 assists for a total of 123 points. Leon Draisaitl is right there with him, earning 55 goals and 55 assists to tie his career record of 110 points. Both teams clinch playoff spots handily.
May 14, 2022
The Edmonton Oilers defeat the L.A. Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This will only be the second time superstar McDavid makes it to the second round of the NHL playoffs. As the Oilers gear up to play the winner of the Calgary Flames-Dallas Stars match, excitement builds across the league at the possibility of seeing a Battle of Alberta playoff series for the first time in over 30 years.
May 15, 2022
An overwhelmingly tense game-seven between the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars goes into overtime, despite the fact that the Flames have been out-shooting the Stars dramatically (at one point the shots were 25-52, Flames). With about five minutes left in the first overtime period, Johnny Gaudreau buries the puck, ensuring that Calgary and Edmonton will face each other in their conference semifinals.
I’m sure that for most RIYL readers, the Caps’ first-round loss against the Florida Panthers was a devastating blow. Perhaps you forlornly hung up your Ovechkin or Wilson jersey and swore off hockey entirely until next September. However, it may be too soon to turn off the NHL channel. Given the context of this fierce rivalry, I can only hope and believe that the Battle of Alberta playoff berth will transcend hockey altogether. This series promises to be a spectacle so grand, so ugly, and so enmeshed in a historical and cultural hatred that there can only be one possible outcome: pure, unadulterated chaos, carnage, devastation, and tragedy. The highs will be high, the lows will be low, and all of it will be incredibly entertaining. This might very well be the Iliad of the NHL. After all, what would you expect to happen when you mix oil and flame?
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