These have been dark times for the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
Edmonton’s tradition of having talented hockey players but not contending for a Stanley Cup has plagued the franchise in the Alberta capital. More recently, in Calgary, the Flames have had to get rid of their head coach because of racial remarks from 10 years ago.
The Battle of Alberta is on again, and this has re-energized the fans. Reporters can’t get enough of the back and forth between Edmonton’s Zack Kassian and Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk.
Now former Oiler and current Flame Milan Lucic is being questioned about what role he may play in future fights. Last weekend, Tkachuk nailed Kassian with a blindside hit and Kassian responded by punching a turtled Tkachuk. Kassian was given a two-game suspension.
It’s on.
A Flames fan and a Calgary radio station are thinking that some Matthew Tkachuk billboards in Edmonton might be a nice touch for a Jan. 29 rematch.
As long as no lines are crossed, hate-filled hockey is always fun.