Bandwagon or 'mental anguish': Calgarians say they'll root for Edmonton in NHL playoffs

The Battle of Alberta ended with the Calgary Flames getting knocked out of the series on Thursday — making Edmonton the sole Canadian team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers emerged victorious in the NHL's first playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years. It was a tough loss for Calgarians who were rooting for their home team, but some say they'll get over the rivalry and root for the Oilers in the fight for the Stanley Cup.

For Flames fan Austin Hill, it comes down to Canadians cheering for their own teams.

"Definitely have to get behind the Oilers," he said. "When your local team gets eliminated, you have to put your support behind the next Canadian team. It's the right thing to do."

It's bittersweet, though, as the Red Mile on 17th Avenue — the centre for a lot of cheering from bars and restaurants — was quiet Friday morning.

"I really wanted to feel the energy of Calgary, be down here, 17th, feel the Red Mile," Hill said.

"I would love to see the Oilers and [Connor] McDavid do a playoff run. That would be amazing. That would be a great time for the Oilers and Alberta as well."

Diehard fans like Brian Baker, who watched the game at the Saddledome, had to take the day off to recover from the loss.

"It was a great game until overtime, and then I didn't like the ending at all. I had to take today off to recover from the mental anguish of seeing the Oilers go on," he said.

"They [the Flames] had a good season. Nothing to complain about there. It would have been nice to see them go further.… I would like to see a Canadian team continue on."

Some might call it jumping on the bandwagon, but others call it being a part of a community.

Australian Thomas Stefoulis, who previously lived in Calgary for a few years, says he thinks Albertans can get past their rivalry, albeit begrudgingly.

"It just leads to feeling that sort of a sense of community, which I think is very valuable. So even if people want to be bandwagon fans, that's totally fine. Get involved for the day, get involved in the game. It's just important for keeping community alive," he said.

Other Calgarians won't be rooting for the Oilers, or anyone else, for that matter.

"I feel like because it's kind of done in the city with the Flames being out, I will probably stop watching," said Kate James-Loth, who is new to the city but got swept up in the playoff excitement and tuned in to the games.

"I have to be loyal now that I live in Calgary."

With an early end to the series, in Game 5, it's still unclear who the Oilers will face next, the Colorado Avalanche or St. Louis Blues.