It was a shot that bounced off a pad, sailing past Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Vernon, that brought the 1991 dream to an end.
It was, of course, impossible to know it would end that way. A little more than a month prior, on March 4, 1991, Vernon was in the middle of outdueling Montreal Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.
That same night, a still relatively unknown grunge trio known as Nirvana (possibly undersold on the poster only as being “from Seattle”) would play its first show in Calgary at the Westward Club, months before they would release Smells Like Teen Spiritand reach superstardom.
At that time, Catherine Ford was a columnist based at the Calgary Herald, trying to kick her smoking habit and consequently running into serious nicotine withdrawals.
“Let me put it this way,” Ford said. “Not that I remember a lot of the 1990s, but 1991 was a particularly, shall we say, efficacious year.”
Efficacious — productive and constructive — not just because Ford would eventually go on to dump her cigarettes, but also because she began to see the signs of a city in transition.
She watched as the city became one that was more culturally diverse, one that saw booms (and busts) and transformations in its downtown, a city that saw its homogenous political landscape begin to gradually evolve into something more complicated.
An aerial view of the city of Calgary in 1991. (Glenbow Museum)
Still, headlines from the Calgary Herald from that year demonstrate that while some things change, others seem more familiar to the Calgary of today.
Take Ald. Barb Scott’s efforts in the Jan. 21, 1991, edition to convert empty buildings in downtown Calgary to housing in order to serve the city’s needy.
Or, a story from the Feb. 1 edition, which reported on high prices at the pump brought on by an ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf.
In June 1991, Al Duerr was the mayor of the city, pushing back against a “fat cat” image of Calgary and worried about the spectre of federal cuts.
WATCH | Legendary Calgary goaltender Mike Vernon on the Battle of Alberta
Legendary Calgary goaltender Mike Vernon on the Battle of Alberta
51 minutes ago
Duration 5:26
Advice from a pro! Veteran Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Vernon says players from the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers in Wednesday’s Stanley Cup playoff game need to keep their heads level and take one step at a time in the first Battle of Alberta in decades.
The city had seen more than 4,300 Calgarians laid off in the previous six months, with NovAtel, Canada Packers and other energy companies among those axing positions.
However, Calgary’s unemployment rate was well below the national average. It had gained hundreds of new residents after TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. relocated to the city.
The concern, in Duerr’s eyes, was the federal government eyeing Calgary for cuts based on its “resilient spirit,” bouncing back even though the peak of the oil boom in the late 1970s appeared to be only in the rear-view mirror.
Al Duerr served as the 34th mayor of Calgary, from 1989 to 2001, before being succeeded by Dave Bronconnier. (James Young/CBC)
Today, Duerr sees many similarities between that period of time and the Calgary of today — and where the Battle of Alberta fits into it.
“Back in 1991, we were struggling. We’re struggling now, we’re coming out of a very difficult period,” Duerr said. “The Battle of Alberta gave us that opportunity to refocus.”
‘They choked’
It was in that context that Alberta’s two hockey teams were set to clash in the first round, both organizations fresh off recent championship wins: the Calgary Flames in 1989, the Edmonton Oilers the very next year.
Doug Dirks, the former host of CBC’s The Homestretch, was in Calgary in 1991 doing a daily nationally-syndicated radio feature called the Faceoff Circle.
“There was so much excitement in the city. They were coming off of the 1989 Stanley Cup win and everybody thought that it was going to be a dynasty for the ages,” said Dirks, who became a full-time sports anchor and reporter for CBC in 1993.
Two young unidentified hockey fans, cheering for opposing teams, secured their Game 7 tickets prior to a matchup between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers at the Olympic Saddledome on April 16, 1991. ‘Grant Fuhr, best pressure goaltender in the league,’ said the Oilers fan. ‘[Mike] Vernon’s gonna get the Conn Smythe [Trophy],’ the Flames fan insisted. (CBC Archives)
The day before the puck dropped for Game 7 in Calgary at what was then called the Olympic Saddledome, 2,100 tickets went on sale in the morning, selling out in 50 minutes.
That Battle of Alberta went a full seven games and ended in heartbreak for the Flames faithful courtesy of the stick of Esa Tikkanen. He found the back of the net three times, with his overtime goal sealing the series for Oil Country, four games to three.
“There is no way to soft-pedal the Flames’ 5-4 loss. They choked, plain and simple,” wrote Calgary Heraldsportswriter Eric Duhatschek in a post-mortem.
Four days later, at precisely 3 p.m., Ford put out her last cigarette. The Flames would go on to see a playoff drought, not winning another series until 2004.
At the Westward
Though fans went home dejected that night, Calgary’s future at that time seemed bright in other ways, especially if you weren’t a member of the Flames faithful.
To non-sports fans like Arif Ansari, who likely was at the Westward Club or the Republik Nightclub the night the team got the boot, 1991 was a time when the alternative music scene started to blossom, when there was excitement in the air.
Movie listings from the Calgary Herald on April 16, 1991, the day the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers faced off for Game 7 at the Olympic Saddledome. The Steven Seagal action vehicle Out for Justice topped the box office, having dethroned the previous titleholder, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. (CBC News)
Some early 1990s nights reached legendary status for Ansari, like when American heavy metal band GWAR played at the Westward Club and fans experienced first-hand the band’s schtick of spraying fake blood all over the audience.
“So there’s great stories of people coming home after that show, covered in all this fake blood and walking like a horde of zombies down 17th Avenue,” said Ansari, who runs the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society and is a local music archivist.
Some believed at that time that culturally Calgary could have become the next Seattle, said Mike Bell, the publisher of the Calgary-based monthly arts and culture publication The Scene.
A 1991 poster from the Westward Club, a popular music venue in downtown Calgary that hosted acts like the Flaming Lips, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lenny Kravitz. (Submitted by Arif Ansari)
“There was an excitement about music, about arts,” Bell said.
“People were spending money, people were going to theatre. People were wanting to get out, and artists here didn’t feel like they had to leave. Things were actually happening in Calgary.”
The intangibles
Tonight, the Flames and the Oilers will meet again in a renewed Battle of Alberta. Instead of Theoren Fleury and Tikkanen, this year’s matchup will be headlined by young superstars Johnny Gaudreau and Connor McDavid.
Since the 1991 matchup, Calgary has gone from Duerr, to Dave Bronconnier, to Naheed Nenshi, to Jyoti Gondek.
It’s gone from oil boom, to oil bust, to oil boom again, though this time with heightened urgency as to what comes next — both for the economy and for the climate.
It’s now home to more than 1.3 million residents, up from 750,000 in 1991 (and that’s not to mention bedroom communities like Chestermere, Alta., which has grown to more than 20,000, compared with 900 in 1991).
Former Calgary Flames player Jamie Macoun, who won a Stanley Cup with the team in 1989, says he quickly realized how important the Battle of Alberta was after arriving in Calgary in 1983. (James Young/CBC)
Ford, who has written thousands of columns about Calgary and Alberta, said she’ll continue to defend the place she calls home, no matter what comes next, even if talking about what makes it home can seem cliché — the big, blue wide sky, the mountains, the unpredictable weather that keeps residents on their toes.
“It’s all those intangibles that make you love something. That’s like asking me why I love my husband. Do I love him because he’s tall and handsome and good looking?” she said.
“No, none of those things. I love him because of who he is. I love this city because of what it is, and what it represents to all of us.”
Game 1 of the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Flames and the Oilers kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
L’ÎLE-BIZARD–SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE, Que. – The United States has recaptured the lead at the Presidents Cup after a 3-1 third round of four-ball play at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
That put the overall score at 8-6 heading into Saturday afternoon’s fourth round, scheduled to be alternate shot foursome format.
The Americans’ solid third round came after the International team tied the tournament 5-5 after a resounding five-match shutout in Friday’s foursome round.
The elite biennial tournament sees 12 Americans face 12 golfers from around the world, excluding Europe.
Each match is worth a point and a score of 15 1/2 is needed to win the tournament.
The Internationals have lost nine Presidents Cups in a row.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa had back-to-back birdies on their match’s final two holes for a 2&1 win over Australia’s Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont.
South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim picked up the lone point for the Internationals in the morning session with a 4&3 victory over Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark in the day’s third match.
Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele then dispatched the all-Canadian duo of Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 3&2.
Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns earned the Americans’ third point of the day with a 2&1 win over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South Korea’s Sungjae Im.
Pendrith and Scott were back out on the first tee for their afternoon match with Max Homa and Brian Harman as Cantlay and Burns completed their victory over Matsuyama and Im.
The other afternoon matches were delayed by 30 minutes to allow the golfers time to refresh themselves after playing all morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.
TORONTO – Dane Myers hit a three-run homer and Xzavion Curry pitched five strong innings to lead the Miami Marlins to an 8-1 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at Rogers Centre.
Myers also had a two-run double while Griffin Conine chipped in with three of Miami’s 11 hits. Darren McCaughan pitched four shutout innings for his second save.
Nathan Lukes hit his first career home run for the Blue Jays, who were held to four hits on the afternoon.
Miami (61-100) can wrap up a three-game sweep in the regular-season finale Sunday. The Marlins are in the National League East basement while the Blue Jays are last in the American League East.
Toronto (74-87) has lost nine of its last 14 games.
Slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remained one hit away from the 200 mark on the season. It’s the highest total for a Blue Jay since Vernon Wells had 215 hits in 2003.
Two first-inning walks proved costly for Toronto starter Yariel Rodriguez (1-8).
Leadoff man Xavier Edwards reached on a free pass and scored on a Jonah Bride single. Jesus Sanchez also walked and came across when Conine doubled.
Lukes scored Toronto’s lone run in the bottom of the frame when he pulled a slider from Curry (2-2) just over the wall near the right-field foul screen.
Rodriguez was in some discomfort in the fourth inning, drawing a visit from manager John Schneider and a trainer. He stayed in the game and retired the next three batters in order.
The right-hander came out in the sixth inning after giving up a leadoff single to Jake Burger.
The Marlins would load the bases against southpaw Brendon Little and added to the lead when Myers missed a grand slam by a few inches.
Burger and Sanchez scored on the double and Conine made it 5-1 after an RBI single from Jhonny Pereda. Lukes delivered a strong throw from left field on the play to get Myers at the plate to end the inning.
Myers iced the victory with his homer in the eighth inning off Genesis Cabrera. His third home run of the year was confirmed after a video review.
Rodriguez gave up three earned runs, four hits and two walks while striking out five.
Curry allowed one earned run and two hits. He issued one walk and had one strikeout.
The retractable roof was closed for the matinee. An announced crowd of 35,733 was in attendance.
The game took two hours 33 minutes to play.
JIMENEZ DAY TO DAY
Blue Jays infielder Leo Jimenez was not available due to right knee inflammation.
An MRI scan confirmed there were no structural concerns, Schneider said before the game.
Jimenez jammed his leg when he landed after catching a liner in a 15-5 loss to Florida on Friday night.
SCHUMAKER AWAY
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is away from the team this weekend. He’s at home in California due to a health issue in the family.
Bench coach Luis (Pipe) Urueta is serving as acting manager.
ROSTER MOVES
Before the game, the Blue Jays recalled right-hander Nick Robertson from Triple-A Buffalo.
Left-hander Easton Lucas was optioned to the team’s spring training complex.
COMING UP
The Marlins will send left-hander Ryan Weathers to the mound on Sunday. The Blue Jays did not immediately name a starter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.
DETROIT (AP) — Riley Greene hit an RBI double and the Detroit Tigers scored two runs on wild pitches in a 4-1 win over the record-breaking Chicago White Sox on Friday night, clinching a spot in the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
“Belief is a big thing,” Greene said. “We never stopped believing, and that’s what did it for us.”
Detroit completed a late-season surge to grab an American League wild card, and the White Sox earned an unwanted place in baseball history by setting a modern major league mark with 121 losses this season.
“They were still playing for something,” Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson said.
The Tigers will play at Baltimore or AL Central champion Houston next week in a best-of-three Wild Card Series. They have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 during a stunning run into the playoffs.
The White Sox broke the post-1900 record of 120 losses set by the New York Mets in 1962 during their first season. The overall record was set in 1899 by the Cleveland Spiders with a 20-134 record.
“I think the frustration began long before the number got here,” Chicago interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “This was one of those things: You aren’t happy, but I don’t know if that would feel any different at 115 or 110.”
Taking advantage of playing a historically bad team, Detroit broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning on Jake Rogers’ run when Jared Shuster was charged with a wild pitch even though the ball didn’t hit the dirt just below catcher Korey Lee’s glove. Matt Vierling followed with a sacrifice fly.
White Sox rookie Zach DeLoach hit his first homer in the sixth to pull his lowly team within a run.
Greene restored Detroit’s two-run lead with a double in the seventh and Chicago helped the home team’s cause again later in the inning when Fraser Ellard threw his club’s third wild pitch of the night.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch relied on his bullpen for the entire game, as he often has late in the season, and it worked again.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy because I get to watch a team grow up right in front of my eyes and now I get to watch this team play in October,” Hinch said.
Brenan Hanifee kept the White Sox scoreless for the first two innings, and Brant Hurter (6-1) allowed a run over four innings.
Will Vest and Tyler Holton combined to hold Chicago scoreless for 2 2/3 innings. Jason Foley got one out for his 28th save to the delight of fired-up fans, who stood and cheered for much of the night.
Shuster (2-5) allowed two runs in two innings. Ellard gave up as many runs (two) as he got outs.
After the final out, the White Sox quietly went to their clubhouse while the Tigers swarmed the field, hugging each other and posing for photos.
“It is tough watching them celebrate,” Chicago starting pitcher Garrett Crochet said after throwing four scoreless innings. “That was us just a couple years ago.”
UP NEXT
Detroit had not announced a pitching plan for Saturday’s game. RHP Sean Burke (1-0, 1.93 ERA) is scheduled to start for Chicago.
