Sutter calls playoff Battle of Alberta 'Great for the league'
Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter sees nothing but positives ahead of his club's second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
It's the first playoff clash between the Albertan rivals since 1991, and Sutter is relishing the moment.
"What brings our province together always? No. 1, sports. No. 2, church. No. 3, music," Sutter said, per TSN. "Think about it. So what's this doing to Alberta right now? It's bringing people together. They might cheer for the Oilers, they might cheer for the Flames ... big deal. It's a sport, it's what it's about. It's the best thing ever."
He continued: "The NHL, what more could you ask for? You go from 32, to 16, now we're to eight. What more could you ask for? You got the two teams in Florida, you got the two teams in Alberta. You got the last two to win Stanley Cups in Tampa and St. Louis. You got the Presidents' (Trophy) Cup champion for the regular season. You got the conference champion from our side still in it. It's perfect. It's great for the league. It's great for Alberta."
The Flames and Oilers advanced to Round 2 with respective Game 7 wins over the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings.
Calgary and Edmonton's regular-season matchups were neck and neck. Each team won two games but Sutter's squad had a slight edge in goals at 17-16.
Game 1 of the highly anticipated series goes Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET from Calgary.