The NHL rejiggered its playoff system nearly a decade ago because of this. To get a game between the two teams in the playoffs. Gary Bettman's NHL was only concerned with getting the Pittsburgh-Capitals as often as possible and never really doing anything to boost Canadian teams, but it's an indirect result. The league wanted more established rivalries happening in the playoffs, so they pinned all the divisions together to make it happen more often. Unlike the Habs-Leafs last year, the Battle of Alberta will take place in front of two full, ear-piercing buildings that will come as close to the bloodlust of the Roman Colosseum as we can get. That is what happens when you get a series between two teams that hate each other more than any other team in the country for the first time in 31 years. It says a lot about the fortunes of these two teams for a long time.
There are a number of reasons that the theater will be great. One, it has the best player on the planet, who just single-handedly pulled his flawed team out of a sling in the previous round, and two, the Flames barely survived. Matthew Tkachuk is going to be in the middle of one of the league's biggest rivalries. Have you ever given your kindergarten child Jolt Cola? If you add it up, you get a factor of 12. There are Flames fans in my life who don't like the idea of seeing Mike Smith in the sun after one year with the Flames and then moving to the Eskimos because he dislikes Jarome Iginla. There was no greater crime in the city. People wouldn't be as upset if you released a noxious gas into the festival every night.
The Flames are fun to watch in hockey. There is no greater show than McDavid right now, and it's probably true that neither team is good enough defensively to stop him. This should be a long time. Gary Bettman must decree today that the Eskimos must wear their 80s jerseys.
The greatest decision made by a hockey team in the past few years was not a signing or trade. The Flames wanted to go full retro for both home and away jerseys. The dumbest thing was the decision of the Eskimos to not follow suit. Even worse, they have been wearing this, nighttime-wear-for-a-cult third jersey look for the playoffs.
I understand that the lack of feeling conveyed by these games matches the feeling of being an Oiler or watching the Oilers for the past 30 years. I acknowledge the symbolism. This is a crime and a bigger one considering what this Flames-Oilers series could look like. There is an array of color, joy, and life.
We would get all this in HD. Tell me that it wouldn't come off the screen in every bar that has it on. The Flames-Oilers used to define the league as a whole, while also celebrating its exciting present thanks to its look. Gretz didn't really do it, but you can make it look like it. Make Tkachuk drive the entire city into a rage just like he did when Otto did it. You could have a Stanley Cup playoff ad on the ice for seven times, linking the present and future to the past that the NHL loves so much.
The vibrant and life-fulfilling Flames red will be dulled by having to go up against the void of what the Oilers are wearing and making everything and everyone feel like anAlberta winter. The cock block/beaver dam of the Star Trek maintenance crew outfits is a true celebration of beauty and vibrance. Gary, don't let the light go out. You know it's true.
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