The Battle of Alberta: A Century of Hockey's Greatest RivalryAlberta has long been a big part of the frantic Canadian hockey scene, and even before Alberta became a province in 1905, the intense hockey rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton was in full swing. Long before the glory days of the '80s, teams from Edmonton and Calgary worked each other over with relish and passion, all the while creating a hockey rivalry unequalled anywhere. In The Battle of Albertathe rough-and-tumble relationship between two hockey hotbeds is presented in all its colourful glory. The century-long tussle got its start in 1895 when an all-star team from Calgary journeyed to Edmonton to take on the mighty Thistles and a team of North West Mounted Police pucksters. Calgary came away victorious, Edmonton vowed revenge, and thus began a long procession of battling teams in both cities: the Edmonton Eskimos (the hockey Eskimos featuring the renowned Eddie Shore), the Calgary Tigers, the Edmonton Superiors, the Calgary Bronks, the Edmonton Flyers (with Glenn Hall between the pipes), the Calgary Stampeders, the briefly named Alberta Oilers, the short-lived Calgary Cowboys, the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. Great teams, exciting games, masterful players—hockey at its best. |
Contents
The Rivalry Begins1 | 1 |
Capital Battles to the Great Default13 | 13 |
The Big FourShamateur Hockey21 | 21 |
Esks and TigersOne Last Dance37 | 37 |
The Goal That Didnt Count45 | 45 |
The Rivalry That | 92 |
Let the Battle Begin117 | 117 |
The Slashing of the Jersey131 | 131 |
1991Esas in Seventh Heaven172 | 172 |
The Battle of Alberta Transformed178 | 178 |
Endnotes197 | 197 |
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Common terms and phrases
AAHA Allan Cup Amateur Hockey Battle of Alberta beat the Oilers Berezan Big Four Bronks Calgarians Calgary and Edmonton Calgary Flames Calgary Herald Calgary Stampede Calgary's Canada Canadian Canucks champions championship coach Corral defenceman Doug dressing room Edmonton Bulletin Edmonton Flyers Edmonton Gardens Edmonton Journal Edmonton Oilers Edmontonians Eskimos Esks finished Flames and Oilers Flames fans Flyers franchise Glenn Hall goal goalie goaltender Grant Fuhr Gretzky Grimson Hall of Fame Hockey Association Hockey Club hockey fans Hockey League home ice Keats knew MacTavish Maple Leafs Mark Messier McClelland McDonald McSorley Mike Montreal Oilers fans overtime Peplinski play players playoff series province puck recalls Red Wings referee regular season remember rink Risebrough rivalry Saddledome Sather says scored Semenko shot skated Soops Stamps Stanley Cup Stanley Cup final star team's Thistles Tigers Tim Hunter tough guy Vancouver WCHL WCSHL winner Winnipeg