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Edmonton, Calgary mayors issue wager for first NHL playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years

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The last time the Oilers and the Flames faced off in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Don Getty was Alberta’s premier, Woodward’s was still open in West Edmonton Mall, and Edmontonians were still risking their lives driving through the Downtown tunnel known as the Rat Hole.

But Edmonton and Calgary’s hockey rivalry hasn’t changed since the last true NHL Battle of Alberta in 1991.

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Back then, Edmonton and Calgary mayors Jan Reimer and Al Duerr made a wager: the mayor of the vanquished city would ride a Zamboni onto rival ice, wearing a sweater from the winning team for peak hockey-town humiliation.

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A few weeks later, after the Oilers scored a winning overtime goal in Game 7, Calgary mayor Duerr entered the Northlands Coliseum — still years away from being renamed Skyreach Centre and, eventually, Rexall Place — to endure his public shaming. Decked out in an Oilers sweater, he yelled, “I look terrible in these colours!”

Three decades later, the mayoral bet is back on. On Monday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek issued this year’s challenge to Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. City councillors from the losing city will attend the first council meeting after the series in rival team jerseys, and the mayor will sport full face paint “celebrating” the opposing team.

“I’m confident that I will not be donning orange and blue paint,” Gondek said. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing Mayor Sohi wearing the Flames ‘C’ on his face.”

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Sohi, who was travelling Monday, issued his own vote of confidence in his team.

“I will be cheering on the Oilers every step of the way, and will happily send Mayor Gondek well wishes when the Oilers beat the Flames and move forward in the playoffs,” he said.

The losing city will also donate to either Kids with Cancer Society in Edmonton or Kids Cancer Care in Calgary. The donation will be in recognition of Ben Stelter, the five-year-old Oilers fan living with brain cancer.

“Ben has been incredibly brave in this past year, and all hockey fans are cheering him on,” Gondek said.

Calgary Mayor Ralph Klein had to settle his playoff bet with Edmonton Mayor Laurence Decore. left, on May 3, 1988 wearing Oilers garb. The Calgary Flames were swept by the Oilers 4-0 in the 1988 NHL Smythe Division championship playoff series. Klein had to publicly proclaim Edmonton as “Alberta’s only Flame-proof city, the hockey capital of Alberta, and the City of Champions.” Postmedia, file
Calgary Mayor Ralph Klein had to settle his playoff bet with Edmonton Mayor Laurence Decore. left, on May 3, 1988 wearing Oilers garb. The Calgary Flames were swept by the Oilers 4-0 in the 1988 NHL Smythe Division championship playoff series. Klein had to publicly proclaim Edmonton as “Alberta’s only Flame-proof city, the hockey capital of Alberta, and the City of Champions.” Postmedia, file Photo by Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency /Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

When it comes to Battle of Alberta matchups, Edmonton has the better record. The Oilers came out on top in four of the five NHL playoff series they’ve had against the Flames, with Calgary’s sole victory in 1986.

That year, former Edmonton mayor Lawrence Decore had to ascend what was then called the Petro-Canada Building — the tallest tower in Calgary at the time — in a Flames jersey.

Two years later, the Oilers swept the Flames 4-0 and then-Calgary mayor Ralph Klein was forced to proclaim Edmonton as “Alberta’s only Flame-proof city.”

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It remains to be seen what’s in store for Battle of Alberta No. 6.

The first game of the Oilers vs. Flames series will start at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome.

Playoff hockey an economic boon

Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston said Monday that while his city might be “the Switzerland of Alberta” in the province’s big hockey rivalry, having previously lived in Calgary, he’s more partial to the Flames.

Sitting almost equidistant between Alberta’s two biggest cities, hockey fans in Red Deer aren’t loyal to either by default.

“I said to myself today, our great city of Red Deer is is going to go through a little bit of a test of civility here over the next two weeks, because there’s just about a 50/50 split here between Calgary and Edmonton (fans),” Johnston said.

But he said he’s excited for the playoff buzz descending on Red Deer, too, giving a boost to local bars and restaurants.

“I fully expect Red Deer will be super, super ignited on this series.”

Edmonton Downtown Business Association executive director Puneeta McBryan said businesses in the city’s core are seeing the benefits of playoff season, with Downtown bars and restaurants consistently packed for game nights starting in the late afternoon, and hotel occupancy spiking far more than during the regular season.

“It’s the revenue, but then there’s also just the energy and the optimism that comes with having so many people back (Downtown),” she said.

“The whole city’s tone changes when the Oilers are in the playoffs.”

With files from Jason Herring and Lauren Boothby

masmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @meksmith

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