Originally Posted by Manhattanboy
From today's Athletic - in an article about who fans in all the other NHL cities should cheer for:
"And that brings us to the Flames, a team that the more alphabetically astute readers will have noticed we skipped along the way. I’ve saved them for last, because I don’t think there’s a tougher call in the league.
First things first: Rooting for Edmonton is never, ever an option. The Battle of Alberta is by far the Flames’ greatest rivalry, and has been for multiple generations. It’s one of the great rivalries in the sport, period, and it’s one that’s absolutely coated with bad blood. No self-respecting Flames fan would ever cheer for the Oilers to win a free coffee in Roll Up The Rim, let alone the Stanley Cup. It’s not even up for discussion.
That said, the other option is Matthew Tkachuk, who quit on the Flames in 2022. He forced his way out of town, pushing the Flames into making a blockbuster trade that they now regret. He didn’t want to play in Calgary, then immediately took a discounted deal to commit to Florida, of all places. And, by the way, he did all that after being an absolute bust of a playoff performer in Calgary, a detail that gets skipped over now that we’ve all anointed him as the league’s next great postseason stud. As a Flame, he was supposed to be the franchise, but he never lived up to it. Then he quit, using his leverage to mess up his ex-team on the way out. Now, Calgary fans have to watch the hockey world throw flowers at this guy?
Mix in Sam Bennett doing a discount version of the same act, and how do you root for the Panthers, even knowing that their win would make Edmonton fans sad?
We have to pick one. Those are the rules. I’ve been doing this column for years, hundreds of picks in all, and it’s always one of the two teams. It would take something cataclysmic for me to ditch that longstanding rule. But from a Calgary fan’s perspective … you know what, I think this qualifies.
Pick: For the first time in the history of this column, I’m refusing to make a pick and instead suggesting that Flames fans just sit this one out entirely"
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