Calgarians rally the troops for the first battle of Alberta in 31 years

After 31 years, Alberta's two NHL teams will meet again in the playoffs and fans, politicians and businesses are all lining up for a piece of the excitement.

It's been so long since the last battle of Alberta — where the Calgary Flames faced the Edmonton Oilers — most of the Flames' roster wasn't even alive. 

The readiness of each team to face off against their provincial rival has added an extra layer of intensity to this next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, beginning on Wednesday.

Flames fan Mark Gibson says the series will give the city the boost it needs.

"After all that we've gone through ... the city needs something to lift us up and that's exactly what they're doing," he said, sporting his Flames jersey along 17th Avenue Monday.

"Zero to a hundred, I'm 110."

Others see the series as an opportunity for an economic boost — especially for the bars and restaurants lined along the city's "red mile" on 17th Avenue S.W.

"It's been definitely very busy at night," said Karla Medkova, general manager at Porch. 

"People come here to watch the game. Sometimes they come here before the game before dinner and then they go to Saddledome but it's been very, very great for people to come here and we're hoping this second series is going to be even better than that."

Medkova says sales have probably doubled, maybe even tripled since the start of the first round against the Dallas Stars.

Every game night, the restaurant saw lineups, unable to get every customer in, which has been an exciting change of pace for the eatery in its first year of operation.

"Here on 17th Avenue, I can't wait to see the atmosphere," she said.

As is often the tradition between two adversary sports teams, the mayors of both cities have made wagers on the