Matthew Tkachuk’s time in Calgary came with plenty of heat in Edmonton, and not just from the crowd.
The former Flames winger said on the Wingmen podcast that one visit to Edmonton got so tense that he had to be escorted around with security. He described a setup that included “our own security, and maybe a cop from Calgary up to stay with us.”
“The hotel in Edmonton is just across this little archway to the rink. Everybody just walks there before games,” Tkachuk explained on the Wingmen podcast. “They brought security, our own security, and maybe a cop from Calgary up to stay with us.
“Everybody walks to the rink for the games. They’re like, ‘Matthew, you have to take the bus.’
I’m like, ‘Alright, doesn’t really make much sense. Bus for one.’
It was just me and the security and cop.”
That reaction didn’t come out of nowhere. Oilers fans had already taken a strong dislike to Tkachuk after a series of hits on Zack Kassian, followed by his blunt line to reporters: “If he doesn’t want to get hit, then stay off the tracks.”
By Tkachuk’s telling, the reception at Rogers Place was every bit as hostile as expected. He laughed while recalling the scene in warmups.
“Warmups was f*cking insane,” Tkachuk said. “I had more signs and more hate stuff and just chirps. There was like turtle costumes in the crowd.”
The Battle of Alberta has cooled some in recent years because of the Flames’ struggles, but back when both teams were regular Western Conference heavyweights, the rivalry had real bite. Tkachuk was right in the middle of it.
He was eventually traded after the 2022-23 season, but not to Edmonton. The Panthers landed him, and he ended up beating the Oilers in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025.
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