Saturday night is the first installment of the fabled Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers for the 2020-21 season. There’s an awful lot of history between these two clubs, so we thought we’d provide a handy numerical primer for the occasion.
Here’s a decades-long rivalry, by the numbers.
Head-to-head
The Edmonton Oilers joined the NHL in 1979-80, merged into the league from the World Hockey Association. The following season, the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary. The Flames were in the Patrick Division (with natural rivals Philadelphia, Washington, the Rangers and the Islanders) for 1980-81 before joining the Oilers in the Smythe Division in 1981-82.