Matthew Tkachuk returns to Edmonton as Public Enemy No. 1 - ESPN

EDMONTON — Before Matthew Tkachuk was a star player for the Florida Panthers, he was the most hated man in Edmonton.

Tkachuk spent the first six seasons of this NHL career with the Calgary Flames, combating in the Battle of Alberta, the decades-spanning rivalry in which the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers would bludgeon each other to the delight of neighboring fan bases. It's a feud that stands next to any geographic rivalry in sports based on its championship prestige, Hall of Fame talent and unwavering vitriol.

It most recently erupted again in 2020. It was Tkachuk who lit the fuse, with big hits and his trademark provocation.

«Since being in Edmonton, that was probably the most fun that the Battle of Alberta ever was,» said defenseman Darnell Nurse, who has played 10 seasons with the Oilers. «It was just the animosity, the heat that was going on between those teams. And he brought a lot of that.»

Tkachuk remembers those rivalry games well.

«I guess I know them more than probably most guys by playing in Calgary,» Tkachuk said. «But we just had the one playoff series against them that they won, and played a bunch in the regular season. There's a lot of different guys over there now.»

Calgary traded Tkachuk to the Panthers two years ago. He has returned to Edmonton twice since.

«I know last year I was booed every time I touched the puck. This year there was nothing, so I have no idea this time,» he said.

His third reunion with Oilers fans will be Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+), with the Panthers up 2-0 in the series. It's a moment that finds Tkachuk closing in on a championship, the Oilers desperate to stay alive and the scars from the Battle of Alberta aching for both of them.

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