The Battle of Alberta is officially on.
With the longstanding north-south provincial rivalry between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers ignited for the 2014-15 NHL season, the battle lines have been drawn.
The Sept. 21 north-south split squad games were held at both the Saddledome and Rexall Place with stands mostly full of enthusiastic fans adorned in jerseys now out of mothballs. With two locations for pre-season play, each squad was not created equal. Edmonton kept their scoring lines home and sent their Neil Yapukov-led squad looking to impress in enemy territory.
Calgary, on the other hand, seemingly sent an equal number of experienced scorers and rookie players north to the capital, based on game results with a split win-loss record. By the numbers, the Oilers outscored the Flames three goals to two, with neither game overly thrilling, but the Oilers' Todd Nelson did note the game was, “to give players ice time” and, “to evaluate skills, playing lines and make hard decisions.”
By the beginning of the regular season, rosters will be decided, cuts made and players reassigned to farm teams within the organization, but prospective players will have had their NHL debut and hit the ice professionally.
On the scoresheet, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Justin Schultz, Marco Roy, TJ Brodie and Curtis Glencross notched their sticks in the two games. Local Central Alberta product Kris Russell assisted on the lone goal in the Flames' 3-1 loss in Edmonton.
My son and I were privileged to be part of the media crew on behalf of the Innisfail Province and enjoyed the game from the stands. We then later joined members of national media from TSN, CJAY 92, and Sun Media for some post-game interviews. I was the reporter; he was the junior photographer whose responsibility was recording our adventure.
If going to a Battle of Alberta was not enough for a young Oilers fan, going to a game and then walking the stairwell down to the Ed Whalen media room, and rubbing shoulders with media professionals blogging, reporting online, and readying themselves for the inevitable question-and-answer period, post-game was nearly heavenly.
“Dad, that's the guy from TSN,” my son whispered in my ear as he gazed at the pictures of famous Flames players adorning the walls.
As the last seconds ticked down on the game, the newshounds gathered their microphones and cameras, and sprinted out the door towards the far Flames dressing room entrance.
A large red Flames insignia decorated the dressing room floor, and around the room players answered media questions for hockey hungry news fans to be disseminated nationwide.
Jonas Hiller and TJ Brodie spoke to reporters then headed off after their work for the evening.
Coach Nelson held court in the visitors' dressing room and addressed waiting reporters before Flames coach Bob Hartley talked about the game in the Ed Whalen media lounge.
For a sports reporter, the process of taking the game experience to the daily papers and sports websites worldwide is their job. For a young man, to be part of the process first-hand, was amazing.
He may never be a sports reporter or photographer, but to be afforded the opportunity to see the “magic” is priceless and a moment he will never forget.
