Three Things Copper & Blue Likes About The Flames (And Our Rebuttal)

With it being Rivalry Week we decided to reach out to our friends at Copper & Blue to talk about what we like about the Flames and Oilers. Here's what they had to say about our Calgary Flames and our thoughts on our rivals to the North.

THREE THINGS I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE CALGARY FLAMES

I had to think long and hard about three things that I like about our provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames. After much thought, I barely came up with the required amount of three. In no particular order, here they are.

1. They Love a Good Deal

I don’t need any reminders about our brass handing out deals that are questionable in nature. Who could forget when Steve Tambellini handed a four year deal to Nikoali Khabibulin, or when Ben Eager got a three year deal? Not so fast. Turns out the Calgary Flames like a good deal as much as the Oilers, if not a little bit more. You will remember Edmonton’s appetite for size and scoring, or at least...size. The Oilers handed out a tidy seven year deal worth 42 million dollars to Milan Lucic in 2016, a deal that included a no-movement clause. After the first year, the shine wore off that deal pretty quick. Who’s there to score? It’s our friends from Calgary. It did cost James Neal in return, but James Neal is probably going to get bought out at the end of the year and it won’t cost nearly as much as Milan Lucic. Thanks, Calgary.

2. Jarome Iginla!

One of the things I really hate about sports clichés is that they’re all overused and have become tired. “Classy” is one of the most overused terms I’ve ever heard, but the term “classy” is an excellent descriptor for an excellent man from Edmonton, Jarome Iginla. He’s like Joe Sakic or Steve Yzerman, you can’t go around hating Jarome Iginla. Since his Flames debut in the spring of 1996 until his departure at the 2013 trade deadline, Iginla wore the flaming C on both his sweater and his heart. He played four more years after being dealt from Calgary, but the Saddledome was always his home at heart.

3. The Rivalry

As much as I do not like the Calgary Flames, I’ve forged a friendship with many of their ardent supporters. Though the OIlers were very bad for many years, the rivalry between both clubs never really went away. Now that the Oilers and Flames are competitive again, the rivalry has gotten spicier over the years. I don’t even have anything snarky to say. They’re all good people, even if they have terrible taste.

What We Like About The Oilers

Well, I polled the staff and there were crickets, so I figured I'd handle this. So here's three things I like about the Oilers.

1. Past Winning Tradition

As hard as it is to say sometimes, you have to admire Edmonton's winning tradition in the 1980's. The Oilers were a dominant force during the decade, winning 5 Stanley Cups and amassing an all time roster in doing so. What's more impressive is that they traded Wayne Gretzky and still managed to win a Cup without him. Like them or not, that's a run of dominance that has to be respected.

2. Slick Goalie Trade

Edmonton pulled off a fantastic goalie trade in 1988 that would help them hoist the Stanley Cup for the last time during the 1989-90 season. On March 8, 1988 the Oilers would send backup goalie Andy Moog to the Bruins for Geoff Courtnall and Bruins goalie Bill Ranford. Fast forward to the 1989-90 Stanley Cup Finals where Bill Ranford would defeat Andy Moog and the Bruins in five games. Ranford took over for Grant Fuhr, who was injured and played his way into the top goaltender spot. Clearly the Oilers got the better end of that deal, even it was the end of their run of dominance.

3. Hatchet Burying...Sort Of

After all of the fun between Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Kassian, last season's All Star Game looked like it was going to be a mess. Kings players openly complained, but Edmonton star Connor McDavid stepped up and put that stuff behind him and embraced the chance to play with Tkachuk. Love 'em or hate them both, Tkachuk and McDavid are going to be linked for a while in this rivalry and it's going to be fun to watch. So kudo's to McDavid for being able to put stuff behind him and just play with someone who probably should have been his teammate on the Oilers. Oops just had to let that slip in.