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TheBattle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between theCanadian cities ofCalgary, the province's most populous city (since 1976), andEdmonton, the capital of the province ofAlberta (since 1905). Most often it is used to describe sporting events between the two cities, although this is not exclusive as the rivalry predatesorganized sports in Alberta.[1]
Harvey Locke identifies a longstanding cultural divide in Alberta between the centre and north on one hand and the south on the other as a recurring theme in the province's history going back to pre-contact Aboriginal cultures.[2] The peoples of theboreal forest, and to a lesser extent, theaspen parkland, led asubarctic lifestyle which involved trapping fur-bearing animals and travelling by canoe, which made the region a natural fit for thefur trade. By contrast theplains cultures on theprairie to the south relied on thebuffalo. The predominant political force on the prairie during the fur trade, theBlackfoot Confederacy, would not allow theHudson's Bay Company to establish itself within Blackfoot territory, preferring to ride to Edmonton House (established 1795) to trade. Around this time some Cree and allied peoples (theIron Confederacy) pushed south onto the plains, and became rivals of the Blackfoot. By the 1810s, explorerPeter Fidler identified theBattle River as a disputed frontier between the two groups.[3] Locke asserts that the lack of an HBC presence in the south set the stage for very different patterns of settlement in the different regions. Calgary was founded as aNorth-West Mounted Police fort and was not much of a settlement at all until the mid-1880s when theCanadian Pacific Railway (CPR) suddenly shifted its planned route across Western Canada from a northern one (via Edmonton) to a more southerly path (via Calgary).[4] Therefore, the economic and cultural origins of Calgary and its region, were created up by the NWMP and the CPR, not the HBC. Because of the CPR line, Calgary's agricultural hinterland was settled much sooner, mostly by people ofBritish, and particularlyScottish, origins but it also has anAmerican influence because of the ranching culture brought into the region by Americancowboys. By contrast, Edmonton's hinterland is marked by aFrench Canadian andMétis presence, and was predominantly occupied by people of non-British European origins. In particular, the region just to the east of Edmonton,Kalyna Country, is Canada's oldest and largest area ofUkrainian settlement.[2]
Following the debate over the CPR, the next important contest between the two cities was to determine which would become Alberta'scapital city when the province was created in 1905. By this time, two new transcontinental railways had been built, both via Edmonton, under the guidance of afederal Liberal government that had replaced theConservative government which had overseen construction of the CPR. Equally important, the Liberals overhauled Canada's immigration system. Whereas the Conservatives had endeavoured to restrict Western settlement to British immigrants, the Liberals had encouraged immigration from other parts of Europe, such as theAustro-Hungarian Empire. The result was that Edmonton and northern Alberta became much more ethnically diverse than Calgary and southern Alberta, occurring at a time when prejudice against non-British ethnic groups (in particular,Slavic peoples) was commonplace among those of British extraction, adding yet another layer of ill will between north and south.
Thus by the turn of the century, the differing political leanings of Calgary and Edmonton that persist to this day (that is, Calgary being quite conservative by Canadian standards and Edmonton tending to be more progressive) were already well established. Not surprisingly then, when the federal Liberal government admitted Alberta to Confederation in 1905, they named Edmonton the capital. However, the Calgary elite were even more infuriated when Edmonton's neighbour, the then-separate city ofStrathcona, won the right to host theUniversity of Alberta (see below).
The final important rivalry between the cities during Alberta's early years was over economic leadership, especially in theOil patch. Calgary's nearbyTurner Valley deposits were discovered in 1914, decades before Edmonton'sLeduc #1 field in 1947. In part this accounts for the much larger concentration of head offices of large corporations in Calgary. Edmonton's business community contains more private corporations working in oil and gas, consulting and smaller operations. Edmonton is also the research and manufacturing centre of the Canadian petroleum industry, and roughly 80% of Canada's oil production is refined and sent to market throughRefinery Row, located just east of the city inStrathcona County.
Today, although the rivalry is generally expressed only during sporting events, there remains an 'unspoken' friendly rivalry between residents that remains on a subtle level.
The rivalry also extends outside of team sports to international events. Both cities have hosted numerous national and international championships and other tournaments, often in a spirit ofone-upmanship: there is constant need for local politicians to prove that their city is "world class" or at least better than the other.
The constant one-upmanship of the two cities in this field has receded in recent years, and they cooperated in a successful joint bid to host the2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (WJIHC).
Calgary hosted the1988 Winter Olympics, the 1996 International Rotarian Convention,[5] and the 1997World Police and Fire Games as well as the World Skills competition in 2009. Calgary is also an annual stop for many winter sport organizations, includingInternational Skating Union (speed skating),International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation,International Luge Federation, and someInternational Ski Federation events. Calgary is also home to the world-famousCalgary Stampede.
Calgary was designated as "Canada's Cultural Capital" in 2012 for the inaugural year of the program. The federal government granted $1.6 million to develop and renovate the city's cultural institutions and promote the arts.[6][7]
Social entrepreneurs and scholars convened in Calgary during October 2013 for the 6th Social Enterprise World Forum to discuss solutions for global problems.[8]
In the summer of 2015, Calgary hosted the 2015 World Handball Championships. The ten-day tournament hosted athletes from 30 nations.[9]
Calgary was named the host the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.[10]
Edmonton hosted the1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983 World University Games (Universiade), the2001 World Championships in Athletics,[11] and the 2005World Masters Games.[12] The city also had a circuit on theIndyCar Series, theEdmonton Indy, from 2005 to 2012. Edmonton was designated as one of the host cities of the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
As of 2022, theArchdiocese of Edmonton hosted two papal visits: Peace tours ofJohn Paul II in 1984, and thereconciliation visit ofPope Francis in 2022.[13]
Edmonton annually hosts North America's largestfringe festival, theEdmonton International Fringe Festival, every August; the same month also sees theEdmonton Folk Music Festival. Edmonton also hosted theCanadian Finals Rodeo during the second week of November from 1974 to 2017. TheEdmonton International Street Performers Festival takes place every June. The city also plays host toK-Days every July. Edmonton is widely known as Canada's Festival City due to the large number of festivals it hosts year-round.[14]
In 2007, Edmonton started assessing the viability of hostingExpo 2017. TheEdmonton City Council approved the building of a bid on April 15, 2009. Later in April, Calgary announced its coming bid to host Expo 2017, though it had not expressed any interest beforehand. In July of the same year, a disagreement occurred when Edmonton received provincial funding for its bid, while Calgary did not. Calgary withdrew its bid to host the event.
Alberta's most prominent baseball rivalry existed between theCalgary Cannons andEdmonton Trappers of thePacific Coast League. The Cannons existed from 1985 to 2002 while the Trappers existed from 1980 to 2004. The rivalry never reached the same level as it did in other sports, however, and ultimately both teams relocated to the United States (the Trappers toRound Rock, Texas, and the Cannons toAlbuquerque, New Mexico). The Trappers captured four PCL championships during their existence, while the Cannons won none.
In 2011, the two cities competed in theNorth American League as theCalgary Vipers andEdmonton Capitals. The two teams met in the Northern Division playoffs in 2011; the Capitals won the series in six games.[15] The Vipers folded after the season, and the Capitals suspended operations in February 2012, leaving the province with no professional baseball.
The rivalry between the cities' professionalCanadian football teams is equally intense, and even predates the hockey rivalries, as the first football games in Alberta history took place in the 1890s. A team from Edmonton made history as they played in the first football game in Alberta, playing to a scoreless tie against Clover Bar.[16] The first game played between teams from Edmonton and Calgary took place in 1891 when Edmonton beat Calgary 6–5 in a total point challenge series.[16]
The rivalry had been diminished for a number of years until theCalgary City Rugby Football Club and theEdmonton Rugby Football Club were formed in1906 and1907 respectively where the two teams competed in theAlberta Rugby Football Union.[17] In1908, the teams were re-organized as the Calgary Tigers and Edmonton Esquimaux where the Esquimaux won the ARFU title that year.[17][18] From then on, the two cities had multiple teams represent them in the Alberta Union, but instability led to a lack of consistent rivalry battle between the two. Teams named the Calgary Canucks, Calgary 50th Battalion, Calgary-Altomah Tigers, Edmonton Elks, Edmonton Eskimos, and Edmonton Boosters all took turns playing in the ARFU.[18][19] It was not until the creation of theWestern Interprovincial Football Union that a truly sustained rivalry could take place between two teams representing the two cities.
Today, the primary football team rivalry consists of theEdmonton Elks and theCalgary Stampeders.
| Teams |
|
|---|---|
| First meeting | 1949 |
| Latest meeting | September 6, 2025 |
| Next meeting | October 24, 2025 |
| Statistics | |
| Regular season series | 132–109–3 (EDM) |
| Postseason results | 14–13 (EDM) |
| Current win streak | One (Elks) |
In1921, a team from Edmonton called theEdmonton Eskimos won theAlberta Rugby Football Union (ARFU) league title. They made it past the winners of theManitoba Rugby Football Union (MRFU) andSaskatchewan Rugby Football Union (SRFU), becoming the first Alberta team (and the first Western Canadian team) to ever compete for theGrey Cup, losing in the9th Grey Cup game, then advancing again the next year (as the Edmonton Elks) to a loss in the10th Grey Cup.[20] The team's name goes back to the dawn of the Battle of Alberta when, at the end of the 19th century, a "rugby football" game between Edmonton and Calgary saw the Calgary media make reference to Edmonton's more northern latitude by calling the city's residents "Esquimeaux" (an archaic spelling of "Eskimos"). This Eskimos team folded in 1924, but the Edmonton Eskimos football name reappeared in the ARFU with a different team in 1929, moving to theWestern Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) in 1938 before folding again in 1940.[21]
A similarCalgary Rugby Football Club formed in 1907, competing in the AFRU under various names until – while operating as theCalgary Bronks – joining theRegina Roughriders (from the SRFU) andWinnipeg Blue Bombers (from the MRFU) to form the higher-level WIFU in1936. The Bronks folded after the 1941 season, the year after the Eskimos had folded. A subsequent Calgary team, theCalgary Stampeders, was formed and joined the WIFU in1948. This Stampeders team advanced to that year's36th Grey Cup, becoming the first Calgary team to compete for the Grey Cup and the first Alberta team to win that championship.[22]
The next season, in1949, the current incarnation of the Edmonton Eskimos – now known asEdmonton Elks, was founded and immediately joined the WIFU – this time, for good. This Eskimos team's first ever game was onLabour Day against the defending Grey Cup Stampeders, who defeated the Eskimos 20–6 in the restart of the currently ongoing version of the football Battle of Alberta.[23] Since 1949, the Elks and Stampeders have played on Labour Day every year with the exception of eleven seasons, having an unbroken run since the1982 season. This has been one of theCanadian Football League's marquee match-ups, with the MondayLabour Day Classic in Calgary followed by the Friday night (Saturday, since2014) rematch in Edmonton, resulting in a very short turnaround for both teams. As of the2024 CFL season, the all-time record favours Edmonton, as the Elks have a record of 131–108–3 against their provincial rivals.
In terms of the post-season, the two teams have played each other 27 times, with Edmonton holding a slight edge with 14 victories. The two teams also frequently met in the West Final. Between1990 and2003, the two teams clashed nine times to decide who would represent the West in theGrey Cup, and at least one Alberta team was in the game each year. Calgary has won six out of the last nine playoff match-ups, the most recent one in the2017 West Final.[24][25] Calgary has also won the most recent championship by an Albertan team, in2018 with the106th Grey Cup game.[26] While the Stampeders may have won the Grey Cup first and the most recent, the Elks have won the most, with 14 titles compared to the Stampeders' eight as of 2021.
Currently, the Calgary and Edmonton franchises play each other two to three times during the regular season and have played each other at least three times in every regular season but2004 between1996 and2017. The Stampeders qualified for the playoffs in every season from2005 to2023, while the Elks have missed the playoffs eight times in that same time frame. Both teams have enjoyed much success in their histories as both franchises had never missed the playoffs at the same time until the2024 season.[27] The Elks have made the playoffs in all but seven years since 1966, including 34 years in a row from1972 to2005 – a streak unmatched in North American major league sports. The Stampeders have only missed the playoffs seven times since1978.
During the first week of March, 1895 a team of Calgarians mostly from theCalgary Fire Brigade's hockey club, travelled to Edmonton to play against a Mounted Police team from Fort Saskatchewan and theEdmonton Thistles shutting out both. It was the first recorded game between any Calgary and Edmonton teams.[28]
The first professionalhockey rivalry between the two cities dates to the founding of theWestern Canada Hockey League in 1921. Both cities received teams, Calgary theTigers, and Edmonton theEskimos. The Eskimos won the WCHL title in 1923, but lost theStanley Cup to the rivalNational Hockey League'sOttawa Senators. Calgary also appeared in a Stanley Cup championship series in 1924, but lost to theMontreal Canadiens of the NHL. After the demise of the WCHL in 1926, Alberta hockey fans turned to junior hockey. Both cities had teams in theWestern Hockey League andAlberta Junior Hockey League.
Pro hockey did not return until theWorld Hockey Association arrived in 1972. Both cities received teams, but Calgary'sBroncos folded without playing a game. The newEdmonton Oilers, then were left without an intra-provincial rival until a new WHA team, theCalgary Cowboys arrived in 1975, but they folded in 1977. The short and sporadic nature of the Calgary WHA franchises made building meaningful rivalries more difficult. The WHA itself was unstable andmerged with the NHL in 1979.
The Battle of Alberta is one of the fiercest and most famous rivalries in Alberta, between theCalgary Flames andEdmonton Oilers.[29] The rivalry peaked during the mid-late 1980s, as from 1983 to 1990 the Western Conference only had two different champions, both being Calgary and Edmonton. They frequently played each other in the playoffs, with three series going seven games. Edmonton won the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Calgary won the Stanley Cup in 1989. Calgary leads the all-time series with a 141–129–18–6 record, however, Edmonton leads in postseason victories with a 23–12 record.
| Teams |
|
|---|---|
| First meeting | 2007 |
| Next meeting | April 10, 2022 |
| Statistics | |
| Postseason results | 5–5 |
| Postseason history | |
| |
Although not nearly as intense, theWestern Hockey League intends to develop one for theCalgary Hitmen andEdmonton Oil Kings. The junior clubs are owned by the Flames and Oilers respectively. Both cities have had several franchises throughout the WHL's history. Theoriginal Oil Kings franchise faced theCalgary Centennials from the league's founding in 1966 until the Oil Kings relocation to Portland in 1976. TheCalgary Hitmen were formed in 1995, followed a year later by theEdmonton Ice. The Ice never gained a foothold in Edmonton, and left forthe Kootenays after two years. The Hitmen survived their initial struggles to grow into one of junior hockey's biggest drawing teams. The modern Oil Kings joined the WHL as an expansion franchise in 2007.
There are currently five Alberta-based WHL teams. In addition to Calgary and Edmonton, there are also theMedicine Hat Tigers,Lethbridge Hurricanes, andRed Deer Rebels and they all play together in one division, making for many intense intra-provincial battles.
| Teams |
|
|---|---|
| First meeting | 2006 |
| Latest meeting | 2015 |
| Statistics | |
| Regular season series | 26–10 |
| Postseason results | 3–1 (total games) |
| Postseason history | |
| |
Box Lacrosse has seen significant growth in Alberta in recent years, with theCalgary Roughnecks joining theNational Lacrosse League in 2001, followed by theEdmonton Rush in 2005. The two teams were poised to form another Alberta rivalry as the two cities have in many other sports. The Rush took out ads in Calgary newspapers before their first ever meeting saying the Rush would "open a can" on the Roughnecks. This backfired as the Roughnecks defeated the Rush. The Roughnecks tried this tactic against Edmonton before the April 5, 2008 game by placing an ad in theEdmonton Sun saying that Edmonton was a "City of Losers" instead of a "City of Champions". Just as it had for the Rush, the plan backfired as the Rush won 11–9. Calgary won theChampion's Cup in 2004 and 2009. Edmonton won the Champion's Cup in May 2015, before moving toSaskatoon that July.
A rivalry existed betweenCavalry FC andFC Edmonton of theCanadian Premier League. It had been nicknamed theAl Classico.[30] As per the fashion in rivalries inAssociation football around the world, the Wildrose Cup was created and was awarded annually to the team that wins the most points from theAl Classico in league play.[31]
Another prominent rivalry exists between the major universities in each city, notably theUniversity of Alberta, in Edmonton, and theUniversity of Calgary, dating back to the creation of the province of Alberta in 1905.
Heated wrangling took place between the cities of Calgary and Edmonton over the location of the new provincial capital and of the new provincial university. The neighbouring province ofSaskatchewan had been formed on the same day as Alberta, settling a similar dispute between its own two major cities by makingRegina the provincial capital andSaskatoon the site of theUniversity of Saskatchewan. Alberta's firstPremier,Alexander Rutherford, offered a similar solution by stating that the Alberta capital would be north of theNorth Saskatchewan River and that the provincial university would be in a city south of the river.[32] The city of Edmonton, on the north bank of the river, became the capital while the city ofStrathcona, on the south bank of the river (and the location of Rutherford's home), was granted the university. When the two cities wereamalgamated in 1912, Edmonton became both the political and academic capital.
Calgary was not granted a university until 1966.
Sports competitions between the two universities have taken place over who has possession of a painted rock. Meanwhile, the University of Alberta has consistently ranked much higher than the University of Calgary in majornational and international rankings of universities.
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