Battle of Alberta allegiances split NHL fans across province

RED DEER, ALBERTA (AP) » The old Crown and Anchor bar in Red Deer was famous for its line drawn down the middle when hosting fans during the Battle of Alberta playoff games of the late 1980s.

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

NHL allegiances, after all, are split in the community of just over 100,000 people that sits just about halfway between the two cities on Highway 2, about 95 miles (152.9 kilometers) from each. The Flames host the Oilers in Game 1 to kick off the second round of the NHL playoffs on Wednesday night in a Battle of Alberta with stakes not seen in decades.

“To see both fan bases totally engaged in playoffs is something that has just never happened in a lot of people’s lifetimes who are under the age of 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 sheer nature of being exactly in the middle.”

Th Oilers and Flames have met five times in the postseason, but not in 31 years. Three of the series went seven games and the Oilers won four of them.

Red Deer wins no matter which team emerges victorious, Mayor Ken Johnston said.

“Really, every city from Fort McMurray in the north to Lethbridge in the south is going to benefit from the series, 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 perspective,” he told The Canadian Press. “People are just so eager to get out and be in person.”

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

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

Sutter said allegiances in the Battle of Alberta have generational roots. His, of course, were forged in his family’s long history with the Flames. His dad Brent, now owner, president and GM of the Rebels, coached the Flames for three seasons. Uncle Darryl’s first coaching stint in Calgary was in 2003.

“Not many can understand, but there’s not very many circumstances where you have two franchises with

such a longstanding rivalry,” he said. “This goes back to grandparents and parents, back in the ‘80s and whatnot. It’s embedded. Now, to be able to reignite it is special, but to me it’s really about the younger people who have never seen that rivalry.”

Troy Gillard, who does play-by-play of Rebels games, said Red Deer has unique connections to both teams. He believes the Oilers won some new fans when the club drafted Rebels center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall in 2011.