If Edmonton and Calgary meet in round 2, that will be my Stanley Cup. Everything after that will be anticlimactic.
I was a kid during the classic Battles of Alberta, and they were absolute lunacy. The games, the gatherings, the rivalries and fights are all burned into my brain.
I remember being in restaurants and the waitress announcing the score to the whole room every few minutes(no internet) and everyone in the room reacting.
I remember hearing about a local bush party where a (literally) mentally ill guy would ask what team you supported. If you said the Flames he would try to throw you in the fire "You wanna be a fuckin' Flame???"
I remember the bar in Red Deer with the stripe that ran down the wall(and down the middle of the face of a Moose head mounted on the wall), across the floor and up the other wall. The bouncers would toss anyone who tried crossing to the other team's side, since it always ended in scraps.
I assume today's version will be tamer, but still should be good for some ol' fashioned crazy.