Calgary Tower will light up in blue and orange but denies supporting Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are on the precipice of ending Canada’s Stanley Cup drought with their appearance in the 2024 Final, but that doesn’t mean the entire country is rallying in support alongside Oil Country.

Those in Calgary are doing quite the opposite, in fact.

With the Calgary Tower set to light up in blue and orange on Monday evening in support of Action Anxiety Day, the tourist attraction has assured residents of Alberta’s most populous city that they are not supporting their bitter Battle of Alberta rival.

“We’ve got love for our neighbours to the north and across this province, but no. Never,” Calgary Tower’s account wrote on X.

The two teams have been embroiled in their rivalry since the 1980’s, when both squads were prolific in the Campbell Conference (now known as the Western Conference). Though Calgary owns the better all-time regular-season record (130-109-18-6), Edmonton has won five of six playoff series between the two teams.

It’s no shock, then, that Flames fans aren’t ready to hop on the bandwagon yet, as the wounds of their 2004 Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning — including the no-goal call on the would-be tie-breaking marker in Game 6 — still sting.

As if historic rivalry isn’t enough for the C of Red to turn their nose up at their Northern neighbours, they can also cheer on former Flames Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett as their Florida Panthers hold a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final takes place Monday, June 10 in Sunrise, Fla. Catch all the action beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. MT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.