Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 season schedule will kick off with major rivalry game
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Edmonton Oilers will begin the 2025-26 NHL season by jumping right into in the heat of battle and facing-off against their Battle of Alberta rivals, in Edmonton on October 8.
Starting a season on such an intense note is a treat for players and fans alike, both of whom have experienced the fierce rivalry from differing perspectives, though both exciting to be part of.
Battle of Alberta is set to rekindle in the 2025-26 NHL season, with 4 games being played
The second game in Edmonton will take place on December 23, while the two Calgary home games will be played on December 27, and February 4, 2026.
The BOA became prominent following the Atlanta Flames moving to Calgary in the 1980's, though it began well before that, in March of 1895, in fact, when the Calgary Fire Brigade Hockey Club beat the Edmonton Thistles, according to The Hockey News.
In 1979-80, Edmonton joined the NHL from the WHL, and when the Calgary Flames entered the picture, BOA was rekindled in earnest. Think back to players like Jeff Beukeboom breaking sticks over Joe Nieuwendyk's back, and you have an idea of the Battle's fierce competition.
«The Battle of Alberta is like a set of tires you haven't had air in for a long time,» said veteran journalist Mark Spector, who literally wrote the book on the rivalry when he penned The Battle of Alberta in 2015. «You can keep running on those tires for a while, but at some point you need to pull up to the pump and put some air in them. There are kids here who don't even know what it's all about.»
Off the ice, however, the BOA has used its popularity for good, charitable works. The alumni associations for the Oilers and Flames work together to raise money for charities in Alberta.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 23 | 219 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 season schedule will kick off with major rivalry game Do you find the Battle of Alberta games are more intense than other games? | ||
TRENDING NOW
