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The Flames being in Calgary for 20-straight days and playing just 5 games isn’t the only scheduling oddity.
When the Flames and Oilers hit the Saddledfome ice on Saturday night, it’ll be the 4th time in 4 nights that Calgary and Edmonton highest profile sports teams have matched up.
With all due respect to other Alberta communities, when the sports teams from the province’s largest cities meet in the sports arena its always a red letter Battle of Alberta event.
But this week has been more heavy-duty than normal.
On Wednesday, the Calgary Hitmen hosted and defeated the Oil Kings, 4-0. Thursday was dark for Calgary-Edmonton clashes.
On Friday, a doublebill. While the Hitmen beat the Oil Kings a 2nd time in a return game in the provincial capital, the CFL Stampeders and Eskimos battled at McMahon Stadium with the Stamps winning, 30-7.
Now,Saturday, the Flames-Oiler battle is the 3rd time in these rivals have meet in October with the Flames seeking a clean sweep of the 3 games and giving Calgary a clean sweep in all 4 games vs Edmonton this week.
The biggest storyline is the Flame-Oiler tussle. Neither mind that the Flames won the earlier 2 games, both in Edmonton. The last time out, on Oct. 8, Calgary captain Jarome Iginla and Edmonton veteran defensemen Sheldon Souray collided hard into the corner boards.
Souray suffered a concusion he still hasn’t recovered from. Iginla got a 2-minute penalty. Later Edmonton captain Ethan Moreau fought Iginla. Veteran, but first year Oiler coach, Pat Quinn, was all in a lather in the aftermath.
Quinn suggested, that in the 70′s, the restitution against Iginla would have been a stick over the head. The inference being that someone on the Oilers should have take the Flame captain to task in a more severe manner. Quinn was fined $10,000 by the NHL.
Since then the Flames and Oilers have gone their separate ways. They’ve done quite well. They both sport 6-2-1 records and 3 points out of first place in the NW Division. They are the two highest scoring teams in the league.
Will Saturday produce fireworks? Given the tough guys in both line-ups at least a couple of scraps seems inevitable. Given the scoring exploits of both clubs, the big fireworks could well be on the scoreboard.
