Most fans in Alberta? Oilers or Flames?

[bzoo02]

Medicine Hat is definitely more of an Oilers town. I'd say 70/30. I almost feel they believe identifying as an Oilers fan also identifies them as being more redneck/oilfieldy and it's something they take pride in.

I can with near 100% certainty say that a jacked up truck with truck nutz will have an Oilers sticker not a Flames.

[Stud_McCool]

Overwhelmingly more Oilers fans in Alberta as evidenced by the number of jerseys thrown on the ice.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Calgary was a deeply Oilers town until 2004

What the hell is this. I don't even.

[The Yen Man]

I mean, just look at the difference in 50/50 turnout. I know it's since become a competition thing where Edmontonian's are buying a ton of 50/50, but I'd have imagine part of the reason for the sizeable difference is also people outside of Edmonton who are Oiler fans.

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I have met a surprising number of Flames fans here in my town of residence. I am not sure why that is.

the answer to your question good sir is....

e=ng!
v=ng!

these are universal truths that transcend both time and space

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

the answer to your question good sir is....

e=ng!
v=ng!

these are universal truths that transcend both time and space

You may have broken math.

Because we can now say that:

eng = (e = ng!)
eng = ng!

vng = (v = ng1)
vng = ng!

But both the following statements are true:

eng > vng
vng > eng

[Monahammer]

Strange, I spent a good deal of time in Medicine Hat over the last 4 years, and nearly everyone I met was a flames fan.

[Mass_nerder]

I see more Oilers gear in the Okanagan than I see Canucks gear, and certainly much more than flames gear.
I'm not sure if that proves the numbers of Oilers fans, or proves how fair weather Canucks fans are.

[stamps]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

What part of town do you frequent?

Flames plates definitely dominate the SW (I'd also reckon many season tickets holders around here).

I also live in the southwest and agree with you .... I see a lot of Flames plates and Flames gear and not much Edmonton at all ... anything Oiler definitely sticks out ... maybe they are here and are scared to show their faces ....

[GioforPM]

I have more Maple Leaf fans as friends and acquaintances. Also Jets, and a few Bruins. The only Oilers fans I know are from Saskatoon.

I have never met someone born in Calgary who was an Oilers fan.

[CASe333]

I think its a lot closer than most of you think but I have no data to support my claim so who knows.

Anecdotally I grew up 2hrs south of Edmonton and about 3.5hrs from Calgary so middle of Alberta but closer to Edmonton by good margin. There were more Oilers fan in our area but not by a huge margin at all. Probably about 2/3rds I'd guess.

North of Edmonton is definitely Oilers territory but I'd think south of Calgary is Flames country by a good margin. I thought more people lived in the south region but Southern Alberta (272K in 2004) is actually less populated then the bigger North region (386K but from 2011. *note I couldn't find populations from same year though so its probably a bit closer).

Also remember Calgary (1.55m) is a bit bigger than Edmonton (1.46m). Red Deer and Sylvan Lake area is more slanted Oilers but I'd guess there are pockets of Flames fans in places like Viking or Hanna.

My guess from my 24 years living in Alberta is south of Red Deer or Olds starts favoring Flames and the further south you go the more its slanted in favor of the Flames. Vice versa North of Red Deer is favored by Oilers fans and again becomes more favored the more North you go in the province. Banff favors the Flames and Rocky Mountain favors the Oilers.

Anecdotally I think there's more Flames fans in BC than Oilers fans but could be wrong about that too.

[Dienasty]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Yes it was.. I didn't know a single Flames fan which is what brought me to Calgarypuck in 2001.

Like real Flames fan, not a single one. The dome was a library and the team was on the verge of moving. Oilers fans were everywhere and outnumbered Flames fans at the Saddledome and around the city.

I agree with you, in grade 9 (2001) I was the only Flames fan on my AA Bantam hockey team half were Oilers fans, some Canucks, Avalanche, Detroit, Canadiens and Leafs fans.

Oilers had Weight, Guerin, Arnott, Cujo, ripped off the Islanders in every trade, had wild first round battles with Dallas every year. People must really forget the "young guns," basically no playoffs in the 90's, not getting out of the first round from 89 to 2004. Moving MacInnis, Suter, Mullen, Roberts, and finally Nieuwendyk was the ultimate decline in fan support. After Nieuwendyk was traded my grandpa went back to cheering for the Rangers his team as a kid.

Even in 2004, there were more Canucks fans going into that 1st round series at my high school.

Iggy and the cup run really turned around the teams popularity.

[Kiran403]

Oilers fans definitely outnumber Flames fans, both in AB and nationwide. Unfortunately, for as bad as the oilers have been over the past few years, they have a generational player now and had the greatest player of all time before.

I remember growing up in SK and every kid that liked hockey was an oilers fan with a few Leafs and Habs fans mixed in mainly because their parents liked them. The one or two Flames fans were always mocked beyond belief. How are you even comparing Gretzky and Messier to Fleury and Lanny Macdonald? Unless you're 5'5 or shorter, Theo's little-guy-who-made-it story is a non factor. I didn't even become a Flames fan until I moved here in 2000 and it still took 2-3 years to convince me. Even to this day, I don't like any of the Flames teams pre 2003 or so.

[_Q_]

Most Albertans that don't live within the Calgary CMA despise anything that has to do with Calgary (except maybe Banff and Canmore).

Edmonton is seen as more of a blue collar, grass roots Albertan town as opposed to Calgary's white collar elitism. Because of that, I believe most Albertans identify with most things Edmontonian and the Oilers.

Who cares though, Calgary is a vastly better place.

[Psytic]

Everyone I know is a Leafs / Habs fans (I work for a government org though). I dont know any other Flames fans. Some friends bandwagoned back in 2004 and that was it. Id say there's more people that dont give a crap about hockey and follow the NFL then there is hockey fans that follow the Oil or Flames at this point in AB.

Even when I was a kid (being an ethnic person) people I knew followed soccer and basketball. I didn't get into hockey until a bud sat down over beers and explained it all to me around 94. I liked the physicality.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Stud_McCool

Overwhelmingly more Oilers fans in Alberta as evidenced by the number of jerseys thrown on the ice.

Every time I leave a rink I swear there's an oiler rag on the ice.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by _Q_

Most Albertans that don't live within the Calgary CMA despise anything that has to do with Calgary (except maybe Banff and Canmore).

Edmonton is seen as more of a blue collar, grass roots Albertan town as opposed to Calgary's white collar elitism. Because of that, I believe most Albertans identify with most things Edmontonian and the Oilers.

Who cares though, Calgary is a vastly better place.

Common folk will always hate the kings in the castle. Just the natural way of things.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by Kiran403

Oilers fans definitely outnumber Flames fans, both in AB and nationwide. Unfortunately, for as bad as the oilers have been over the past few years, they have a generational player now and had the greatest player of all time before.

I remember growing up in SK and every kid that liked hockey was an oilers fan with a few Leafs and Habs fans mixed in mainly because their parents liked them. The one or two Flames fans were always mocked beyond belief. How are you even comparing Gretzky and Messier to Fleury and Lanny Macdonald? Unless you're 5'5 or shorter, Theo's little-guy-who-made-it story is a non factor. I didn't even become a Flames fan until I moved here in 2000 and it still took 2-3 years to convince me. Even to this day, I don't like any of the Flames teams pre 2003 or so.

fair enough i suppose and I know I'm old but the 89 Flames team didn't have a Gretzky or Messier but it did have 5 hall of famers and a large number of other star players- this was not a mockable bunch

[Scroopy Noopers]

It’s funny, I see random Flames gear in Ontario pretty consistently. But almost never Oilers.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Calgary was a deeply Oilers town until 2004

So incredibly wrong. In 1980, most Calgarians were Leafs or Habs fans (and maybe a couple of Van fans, as they used to air the Nucks on 2&7 back in the day). Edmonton was an afterthought, although lots of hype with Gretzky, for good reason.

I was part of a Leafs family. I thought it would take me a couple of years before I could switch allegiances. Nope. One game.

Seeing that awesome Flaming C, knowing this was an actual NHL team in Calgary, I could hardly believe it.

One game of Willie Plett's glorious flow was enough for me, and pretty much every young hockey fan that I knew. I am 54.