The battle of Alberta seems to know no borders.
The last time the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley cup Playoffs was in 1991, and while either of them may not be the favourite on Vancouver Island, they are sure drawing a crowd out to watch.
What was a quiet mid-afternoon at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill will turn into a very hectic night. The general manager says during the series, the pub has been packed with fans from each side coming out.
“We’re home of the Leafs here, I’m definitely a Leafs fan at heart but I’m just really excited there’s still two Canadian teams left in the playoffs,” says Chantal Bouchard, the general manager at Fifth Street. “To be honest with you, I’m voting for the Flames to win, I want to keep this going, it’s been lots of fun.”
Meanwhile, over at The Strathcona their team is also getting ready, and with what are possibly the biggest TV screens in town, there’s not a bad seat in the house.
“It’s great to see the uniforms come out and people cheering and egging each other on. You know, the tables have a little bit of banter back and forth,” says Grant Olson, one of the co-owners of The Strathcona Hotel.
Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final, Calgary is facing elimination tonight at home.
Tonight, Langford native Tyson Barrie will also look to capitalize off his assist in Game 4 which gave the Oilers a 4-3 lead in the third.
“I’d love to see a seven game series, I’m a publican and seven games is just much more fun, but you know what, I actually like both teams,” adds Olson.
Game 5 starts at 6:30 p.m. PDT.
Hannah Lepine
