Flames, Oilers set for ‘Battle of Alberta’
Brett Kulak has a confession to make. While the veteran NHL defenseman might have grown up less than 200 miles away from Calgary, he never paid much attention to the Flames until they selected him in the 2012 draft.
No offense or anything. It’s just that Kulak grew up in Edmonton. And when you’re a hockey kid growing up in Edmonton, Calgary might as well be on the moon.
“It’s not like I hated them,” Kulak said. “But I never even listened or saw or knew much about them. I didn’t pay attention to them.”
Perhaps because there wasn’t much to say. The Flames have been adrift for the better part of three decades. The Oilers too for that matter.
The “Battle of Alberta” that defined one of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries in the 1980s and early 1990s — when the Oilers and Flames met five times in the postseason, with the victor typically reaching the Stanley Cup Final — has been relegated to backburner status outside the province for years.
Until now. The longsimmering feud that once led the old Crown and Anchor Bar in Red Deer, about halfway between Edmonton and Calgary to paint a line down the middle to separate the fans is ready to return to a full boil when the Oilers and Flames meet in the Western Conference semifinals starting tonight in Calgary.
Connor McDavid vs. Johnny Gaudreau. Family vs. family. Town vs. town.
“To have that rivalry exist in the playoffs is something special,” Edmonton forward Derek Ryan said. “We’re going to try and take it in and try our best and live in the moment.”
A moment that offers more than just official bragging rights but actual stakes. The Flames haven’t reached the conference finals since losing the 2004 Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay. The Oilers haven’t reached the conference finals since losing to Carolina in the Cup final two years later.
One team’s long wait will be over after each advanced by pulling out thrilling Game 7 victories in the opening round, with their stars stepping into the spotlight.
McDavid basically willed the Oilers past the Kings with a goal and an assist in Game 7. Gaudreau’s overtime winner in Game 7 against Dallas provided the exclamation point — so far — on a career year.
Now they’ll take center stage in a matchup that has provided the kind of jolt not seen since starcrossed rosters on both sides clashed regularly nearly 40 years ago.
“I mean, I’ve been here for nine years and never even had a sniff of a chance to play them in the playoffs,” Gaudreau said. “It’s pretty special. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be good for the province. Going to be a lot of fun for them, for us. It’s going to be a pretty cool series.”
After a 31-year hiatus, another potentially epic chapter in the Battle of Alberta awaits.
Hurricanes vs. Rangers
The Carolina Hurricanes needed to finish the regular season strong to hold off the New York Rangers for the Metropolitan Division title. They are benefitting from that push as the teams meet in a second-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
The division title secured home-ice advantage through at least two playoff rounds. The Hurricanes needed every bit of that edge in grinding through a seven-game, first-round series against Boston, with all four wins coming in front of a rowdy home crowd. They open this series at home tonight.
“I guess I always wondered what does home ice really mean,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Well, I think it did mean something last series for sure, so I guess we’ll see.”
The Hurricanes finished with the NHL’s thirdbest record but didn’t secure the division title until beating the Rangers in their second-to-last game on April 26. That came after the Rangers surged to tie the Hurricanes atop the division.
“You had to just keep winning,” Brind’Amour said. “I think the whole Eastern Conference, really, the top eight teams pushed each other I think all year that way. New York being there at the end when they were battling for us, that helped us stay sharp, too.”
Carolina ended up taking three of the four regular-season meetings with New York, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a seven-game thriller.
“They outplayed us in at least three of those games for sure,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of the regular season against Carolina. “It means nothing to me right now. We’re a confident team right now, we feel good about our team, we just beat a hell of a good Pittsburgh team.”