Battle of Alberta allegiances split NHL fans across province

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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.

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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."

The 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.

Calgary Flames fans sing the Canadian national anthem before Game 1 of the team's NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta.  (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

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