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The Battle of Alberta

the Historic Rivalry Between the Edmonton Oilers & the Calgary Flames
Nov 21, 2015GlenAbbeyWarrior rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In baseball, you had the Yankees versus the Red Sox. But for hockey fans during the 1980s, the hottest rivalry was between the Oilers and the Flames - also known as the Battle of Alberta. With a plethora of hall-of-fame players that included Gretzky, Messier, McDonald, Coffey, etc.., anytime these two teams met, it was truly a must-see-event. And to think, they both built their respective dynasties not by opening up their wallets but through smart draft picks and by scouting the often overlooked NCAA. What I really liked about this book was that the author provided some much needed context for fans who didn't grow up in the pre-TSN, pre-Internet and pre-Center Ice era. Back when newspapers broke stories and some viewers only got one televised game a week, most people living outside Alberta unfortunately never got to see some of these memorable battles that were full of brilliant scoring and brutal hits long before the instigator rule was put into place. The author - who covered the Battle extensively - is clearly passionate about the subject and it shows.