Battle of Alberta

Lore & Background

Harvey Locke identifies a longstanding cultural divide in Alberta between the centre and north on one hand and the south on the other as a recurring theme in the province's history going back to pre-contact Aboriginal cultures. The peoples of the boreal forest, and to a lesser extent, the aspen parkland, led a subarctic lifestyle which involved trapping fur-bearing animals and travelling by canoe, which made the region a natural fit for the fur trade. By contrast the plains cultures on the prairie to the south relied on the buffalo. The predominant political force on the prairie during the fur trade, the Blackfoot Confederacy, would not allow the Hudson's Bay Company to establish itself within Blackfoot territory, preferring to ride to Edmonton House (established 1795) to trade. Around this time some Cree and allied peoples (the Iron Confederacy) pushed south onto the plains, and became rivals of the Blackfoot. By the 1810s, explorer Peter Fidler identified the Battle River as a disputed frontier between the two groups. Locke asserts that the lack of an HBC presence in the south set the stage for very different patterns of settlement in the different regions. Calgary was founded as a North-West Mounted Police fort and was not much of a settlement at all until the mid-1880s when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) suddenly shifted its planned route across Western Canada from a northern one (via Edmonton) to a more southerly path (via Calgary). Therefore, the economic and cultural origins of Calgary and its region, were created up by the NWMP and the CPR, not the HBC. Because of the CPR line, Calgary's agricultural hinterland was settled much sooner, mostly by people of British, and particularly Scottish, origins but it also has an American influence because of the ranching culture brought into the region by American cowboys. By contrast, Edmonton's hinterland is marked by a French Canadian and Métis presence, and was predominantly occupied by people of non-British European origins. In particular, the region just to the east of Edmonton, Kalyna Country, is Canada's oldest and largest area of Ukrainian settlement. Following the debate over the CPR, the next important contest between the two cities was to determine which would become Alberta's capital city when the province was created in 1905.

Reader's Guide

The rivalry also extends outside of team sports to international events. Both cities have hosted numerous national and international championships and other tournaments, often in a spirit of one-upmanship. The constant one-upmanship of the two cities in this field has receded in recent years, and they cooperated in a successful joint bid to host the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Events hosted in Calgary include the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 1996 International Rotarian Convention, the 1997 World Police and Fire Games, the World Skills competition in 2009, the 2015 World Handball Championships, and the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Calgary is also an annual stop for many winter sport organizations, and is home to the Calgary Stampede. Calgary was designated as 'Canada's Cultural Capital' in 2012. Social entrepreneurs and scholars convened in Calgary during October 2013 for the 6th Social Enterprise World Forum. Events hosted in Edmonton include the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983 World University Games, the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, the 2005 World Masters Games, the Edmonton Indy from 2005 to 2012, and hosting of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Edmonton also hosted two papal visits: Peace tours of John Paul II in 1984, and the reconciliation visit of Pope Francis in 2022. Edmonton annually hosts North America's largest fringe festival, the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, and K-Days. Edmonton hosted the Canadian Finals Rodeo from 1974 to 2017. In 2007, Edmonton started assessing the viability of hosting Expo 2017. The Edmonton City Council approved the building of a bid on April 15, 2009. Later in April, Calgary announced its coming bid to host Expo 2017, though it had not expressed any interest beforehand. In July of the same year, a disagreement occurred when Edmonton received provincial funding for its bid, while Calgary did not. Calgary withdrew its bid to host the event and Edmonton's bid also died when the federal government withdrew funding. In the end, Expo 2017 was hosted in Astana, Kazakhstan. In baseball, the rivalry between the Calgary Cannons and Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League existed from 1985 to 2002 and 1980 to 2004 respectively.

Did You Know?

• Calgary's Turner Valley oil deposits were discovered in 1914, decades before Edmonton's Leduc #1 field in 1947.
• Edmonton is known as Canada's Festival City due to the large number of festivals it hosts year-round.

Geographic Origins and Rivalry Foundation

The Battle of Alberta stands as one of the most intense regional rivalries in National Hockey League history, defined by a fierce competition between two neighboring cities within the same Canadian province. The conflict centers on Edmonton, the provincial capital, and Calgary, the province's largest city, creating a natural divide that fuels fan passion. The immediate question of which franchise would dominate Alberta became a central narrative for both organizations. In their inaugural season together, the Flames initially held the upper hand, securing a strong finish and reaching the Stanley Cup semifinals. However, the dynamic shifted rapidly the following year as the Oilers ascended to divisional dominance, propelled by the arrival of Wayne Gretzky, whose career began a historic trajectory of shattering records that would define an era for the franchise.

The Dynastic Era of the 1980s

During the second half of the 1980s, the rivalry reached its zenith as both teams emerged as the premier forces in the Campbell Conference and arguably the entire league. From 1983 to 1990, one of these Alberta franchises represented their conference in the Stanley Cup Final every single year, capturing six championships during that span. The Oilers constructed a legendary dynasty featuring Hall of Famers like Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Coffey under coach Glen Sather, winning five Cups while being voted the greatest team of all time by 2017 standards. The Flames countered with their own powerhouse lineup led by McDonald, Gilmour, and MacInnis to claim the title in 1989. Playoff structures at the time ensured frequent clashes, as both teams resided in the Smythe Division, often forcing them to battle for divisional supremacy before meeting again in conference finals. This era saw the Stanley Cup awarded in Alberta five times between 1984 and 1988, cementing the province's status as hockey royalty.

Defining Moments and Memorable Matchups

The history of this rivalry is punctuated by specific, high-stakes moments that have deepened the animosity between the fanbases. The Flames defeated the Oilers in the 1986 playoffs, a series decided by a controversial game seven where rookie Oiler defenseman Steve Smith accidentally scored an own goal to seal Calgary's victory. Conversely, the Oilers swept the heavily favored Flames in the 1988 playoffs despite Calgary holding the Presidents' Trophy, en route to another championship. The final playoff meeting of this initial era occurred in 1991, where the defending champion Oilers pushed the series to seven games against the previous year's Cup winners. In a stunning upset, Esa Tikkanen led Edmonton to an overtime victory with his third goal of the game. These encounters were not merely games but pivotal chapters that defined the competitive spirit of both franchises during their most successful decades.

Legacy of Dominance and Modern Challenges

The collective dominance of these two teams in the late 1980s created a phenomenon known as "Death Valley," where visiting teams faced a daunting challenge navigating through Alberta due to the sheer skill level on display. Between 1982 and 1990, the Flames and Oilers frequently finished joint first and second in their division and conference, with at least one team ranking in the top five of the entire NHL seven times during that period. However, structural changes to the league eventually altered this dynamic; schedule reductions limited regular-season meetings from eight games annually to just four by 2017, while playoff format shifts extended the gap between postseason encounters to over three decades following 1991. Additionally, as the NHL expanded into larger American markets, both Alberta franchises faced financial hardships relative to their smaller market sizes, restricting their ability to retain top-tier talent and diminishing the frequency of high-stakes battles that once defined the league.