The top 5 Oilers moments at the Saddledome

In an interview with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Gretzky said that the OT goal was the most memorable of his career. Moreover, it was Gretzky’s final game as an Oiler in Calgary before being traded the following offseason, and the Oilers went on to sweep Calgary and eventually defeat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final to win their fourth Cup.

Craig MacTavish vs. Harvey the Hound

There have been significant mano-a-mano battles in the Battle of Alberta, like Dave Semenko versus Tim Hunter, Mark Messier against Jim Peplinski, and Zack Kassian versus Matthew Tkachuk, but probably the most lighthearted of them all was Craig MacTavish versus Harvey the Hound.

On Jan. 20, 2006, the Oilers took the trip down Highway 2 to the Saddledome, where tensions flared early in the game. Just five seconds in, former Oiler Shawn Horcoff dropped the gloves with Chris Clark, while Scott Ferguson fought Craig Berube.

The Flames jumped out to a 4-0 lead, and with a rowdy Calgary crowd, Flames mascot Harvey the Hound leaned over to mock the Oilers’ bench.

Oilers head coach at the time, MacTavish, reached over and ripped out the mascot’s tongue before tossing it into the crowd. Edmonton responded by rallying back with three goals of their own, but it wasn’t enough, as they still lost 4-3.

Nevertheless, MacTavish’s dustup with Mr. Hound was not only one of the most memorable Oilers moments at the Saddledome, but also became one of the most memorable off-ice moments in hockey history.

Matthew Tkachuk turtles against Zack Kassian

The Battle of Alberta has seen plenty of heated moments, and the saga involving Zack Kassian and Matthew Tkachuk during the 2019-20 season, which started at the Saddledome, reignited the rivalry for a couple of years.

It was a Saturday night in January 2020, and Tkachuk had his eyes set on Kassian, landing two early hits on the former Oilers tough guy, with one of them knocking Kassian’s helmet off. Zach Laing summarized the memorable incident at the Saddledome in 2020:

“For the second time that night, Tkachuk had caught Kassian with a big, questionable hit near the boards.

Kassian retaliated by grabbing Tkachuk and tried to initiate a fight. Tkachuk, who declined the invitation, proceeded to get ragdolled as Kassian threw upwards of 10 punches at the Flames forward. Kassian was assessed a 10-minute misconduct and a double-minor on the play, while Tkachuk did not receive a penalty.”

Kassian was suspended for two games for being an aggressor on the play, but it also sparked some fun for Oilers fans because of Tkachuk ‘turtling’ in the melee.

Memes were created, billboards of Tkachuk were put up, turtle chants started, and fans even wore costumes to games in honour of Tkachuk’s turtling, as the whole incident poured gasoline on the Battle of Alberta.

Goalie fight! Mike Smith fights Cam Talbot in 2020

With the Battle of Alberta heat cranked up during the 2019-20 season due to the Tkachuk-Kassian feud, the bad blood continued when the Oilers visited the Flames on Feb. 1, 2020.

Former Oiler Jujhar Khaira squared off with the 6-foot-6 Buddy Robinson in the first period, and chaos erupted in the second. Sam Gagner dug for a loose puck in Calgary’s crease, then Mark Giordano jumped him from behind, sparking a mad scramble. All five skaters from each team got tied up with a dance partner, as Ethan Bear and Tkachuk began throwing punches at one another.

But standing close to 70 feet away was the Oilers’ netminder, Mike Smith, patiently waiting to see if he could get in on the action. After a few seconds, Flames netminder Cam Talbot pulled off his mask, skated over to centre ice, signalling that the two goalies were about to tango.

They squared up, and Smith landed several punches before taking Talbot down to the ice, with HockeyFights.com showing 96 per cent of the votes heavily in favour of Smith for the win.

Despite their team’s goaltender losing the fight, the Saddledome was fired up, and rightfully so, as it was the first goalie fight in Battle of Alberta history.

Connor McDavid’s 2022 Game 5 series-winning OT goal

After nearly 30 years of waiting, hockey fans finally got to see the Oilers and Flames meet in the playoffs again, with the two teams facing off in the second round of the 2022 playoffs.

Both Alberta teams had just finished seven-game battles in the first round, and with all the drama between them over the previous couple of years, the Battle of Alberta was once again the biggest must-see matchup on TV.

The Flames finished first in the Pacific Division, giving them home-ice advantage, and Game 1 at the Saddledome certainly didn’t disappoint. Calgary won 9-6 in a wild game that saw them blow a four-goal lead, and the 15 goals scored made it the highest-scoring playoff game in Battle of Alberta history.

But the Oilers dialled it in afterward, winning the next three games and setting up a potential series-deciding Game 5 back at the Saddledome.

Both teams came ready to play in Game 5, with seven goals scored between them in the second period. Four of those goals came in just 71 seconds, setting an NHL record for the fastest four goals in a playoff game, with the teams coming out of the frame tied 4-4.

The third period was scoreless, but five minutes into overtime, the dynamic duo connected. Leon Draisaitl used his big body to protect the puck before sliding it over to the Oilers’ captain, and with a quick flick of his wrists, Connor McDavid beat Jacob Markstrom to win the game and the series, sending the Oilers to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2006.

Ultimately, McDavid’s 2022 Game 5 OT winner was the final dagger that broke up that core of star Flames players, and Calgary hasn’t been back to the playoffs since that night at the Saddledome.