Iconic sports rivalries are built to stand the test of time.
No matter the players. No matter the coaches. No matter the standings. No matter who won the last game — or the last 10.
It’s a seed planted between two teams that can’t be uprooted. The bad blood is merely transfused, one generation to the next.
The Battle of Alberta — featuring the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames — is that kind of rivalry. Like a fine wine, it has only gotten better with age. And the latest vintage (Game 1, 9:30 ET, ESPN) could be a classic.
On opposite ends of a 300-kilometer — or 186-mile — stretch of Alberta’s provincial highway sit dueling hockey markets rife with passionate fans. They’ve been waiting more than 30 years to see the long-simmering enmity between these teams peak in a postseason series.
The time, at last, is here.
Calgary knocked off the Dallas Stars in a first-round series. Edmonton jettisoned the Los Angeles Kings. The reward in victory: a second-round clash against each franchise’s biggest adversary.
If you’re new to the Battle of Alberta — or you just need a refresher — here’s a history lesson on how one of hockey’s rancorous rivalries was written.
What is the Battle of Alberta?
It all started in 1980.
Edmonton had just joined the NHL when it merged with the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1979. Shortly after, the NHL’s Atlanta Flames relocated to Calgary. One professional team in each of the province’s most populous hubs. Their hatred came naturally.
The early 1980s began a general feeling-out process. And it didn’t take long for Calgary and Edmonton to establish themselves among the NHL’s elite. The Oilers had Wayne Gretzky coming into his own, which included swiftly shattering every milestone known to hockey. By 1983, Edmonton was constructing a dynastic team boasting not just Gretzky but future Hockey Hall of Famers Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr and Jari Kurri. The legendary Glen Sather was behind their bench.
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