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The majority of neutral hockey fans in Canada are rooting for the Edmonton Oilers to potentially break the country's long 31-year Stanley Cup drought. However, in Calgary, things are a bit different.
The Calgary Tower is scheduled to light up in blue and orange on Monday in solidarity with Action Anxiety Day. Even though this gesture is being made, the famous landmark has explicitly stated to Calgary residents that the display is not intended to support their fierce rival in the intense Battle of Alberta.
"Just to be totally clear, the Calgary Tower will be lit Blue & Orange on Monday, June 10 for Action Anxiety Day – and for no other reason whatsoever. We’ve got love for our neighbours to the north and all across this province, but no. Never," Calgary Tower posted on X.
Fans were left in splits and didn't waste any time to chime in with their thoughts on the announcement. One on X (formerly Twitter) said:
"Gawd, it better not be for the Oilers. That would be wrong on so many levels"
Another fan chimed in with their opinion and posted:
"So people are gonna look at the tower lit up in blue and orange while the Oilers play in the Cup Finals and think "oh hey it must be Action Anxiety Day" ??? lol yeah good luck with that"
"Too funny. I love this post. Growing up in #Calgary all these years, I had no idea our tower had such a fun sense of humor," another said.
Here are some of the other top reactions to the post on X. One fan humorously said:
"Don’t lie Calgary tower, it’s because the oilers"
"Thank you for the clarification. Once a Flames fan, never an Oilers fan," one X user posted.
"Nice thought, but there is zero chance people seeing the Tower will believe it is for any reason other than the @EdmontonOilers," another voiced their opinion.
"Action anxiety day? Let me guess the anxiety comes from lit Blue and Orange colours," a fan said.
"Yep. Okay. If that's the story you wanna go with..." another fan added.
The rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton, also referred to as the "Battle of Alberta," is one of the most intense in the NHL. These two teams have been fierce competitors since the 1980s, especially during their time in the Campbell Conference, now known as the Western Conference.
The Flames boast a better regular-season record of 130-109-18-9, while the Oilers have the upper hand in the playoffs, winning five out of six playoff series between the two teams.
Edmonton Oilers confident of facing any challenges before Game 2
Edmonton suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Florida in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday. Edmonton outshot the Panthers 32-18 in the contest. Despite that, they failed to beat Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 32 saves for the Panthers on the night.
Forward Leon Draisaitl expressed confidence in the team's ability to handle any challenges in Game 2.
He said (via NHL.com):
“We’re ready for any team’s push, that’s why we’re in the situation that we’re in right now,” forward Leon Draisaitl said Sunday. “We’re a really good hockey team that, believe it or not, can play better than last night. We have more, we know that we can play better. They’re going to be better and I expect us to be better as well.”
Game 2 returns to Amerant Arena on Monday, with the puck scheduled to drop at 8 p.m. ET.
