Road hockey gets new meaning with NHL licence plates
Flames and Oilers fans can now show their support with specialty vehicle tags
The Battle of Alberta is taking it to the streets.
Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers fans alike will have a new way to show support for their favourite National Hockey League teams, as the province announced a new specialty licence plate program Saturday.
Starting Monday, the plates can be ordered from any Alberta registry location for a one-time fee of $75, not including registration fees. From that, $20 will be retained by the province, while $55 will go toward either the Calgary Flames Foundation or the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, the teams’ charitable wings.
“Canadians, and especially Albertans, are passionate about hockey — we’ve seen dedicated hockey fans pack the streets in Edmonton and Calgary in support of their teams,” said Service Alberta Minister Brian Malkinson.
“They wear their team logos proudly and display their team logos on their homes, their offices and their vehicles.
“Now, the Battle of Alberta is also on Alberta’s roads — be nice to each other out there.”
Both plates will feature either Calgary Flames’ red, or Edmonton Oilers’ blue and orange. Under the alphanumerical plate numbers, will be the slogans “the C of Red Lives Here,” or “Let’s Go Oilers,” depending on the plate chosen.
While the program will only feature the regular sequential numbers, Malkinson said the province will look to allow for custom plates next year, adding the system used to create plates is undergoing changes.
John Bean, president of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp., called the program a “fantastic opportunity.”
“The mandate of the Calgary Flames Foundation is to improve the lives of southern Albertans through the support of health and wellness, education and amateur sports programs,” said Bean.
“Everyone knows how good the Battle of Alberta is and to take that topic and convert it into something that can be so meaningful to the communities … is a fantastic opportunity.”
While they’re rivals when they hit the ice, Natalie Minckler, executive director of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, said the teams’ foundations share similar views.
“The Oilers and Flames may be adversaries on the ice, but both foundations are on the same page when it comes back to making a difference in the communities we live in,” she said, adding the government approached them about the program.
“The proceeds we receive from the licence plate program will be used to help the Oilers foundation pursue our goal of helping build strong, vibrant, safe communities with a focus on programs that support health and wellness, education, minor hockey programming in northern Alberta.”
Malkinson said the program was hatched following the success of Alberta’s “Support Our Troops” plate, 43,000 of which have been sold in the last four years.
“Albertans have embraced this program and we are very grateful for the opportunity (for them) to show their support for our troops in such a prominent way,” said the Calgary MLA.
“We’re one of the few provinces in Canada that actually has two separate (NHL) hockey teams and it’s a great rivalry Albertans enjoy here in the province.”
While the program would only feature the Flames and Oilers for the time being, he encouraged others to reach out to the province.