Town Councillor Morgan Nagel knows the idea of an Edmonton Oilers flag flying high in a municipality deep in Flames Country is a hard pill for some to swallow.
But he’s succeeded in getting approval to raise it once again at the Cochrane Crossing Civic Plaza, next to The Station on Railway Street, for a second consecutive year.
Residents are invited to participate in the flag raising at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4.
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Let’s face it: the rivalry between Alberta’s two major centres runs deep—especially when it comes to sports. When the Oilers come to the Saddledome, it’s one of the hottest tickets in the NHL, regardless of how well either team is doing at the time.
But with the Flames narrowly missing the playoffs and the Oilers challenging an American team for the Stanley Cup, it’s become a matter of national pride.
“I’m a Flames fan myself, but I really feel that right now, our rival isn’t Edmonton—it’s the USA,” said Nagel. “I believe we should stand together.”
The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Cup, way back in 1993. Several teams have made a run at it since—including the Flames in 2004—but Canada has now gone 32 years without the Cup.