A bet is a bet: Mayor Calgary dons Oilers colors after Battle of Alberta series loss

by


Sohi said the two city’s friendly wager garnered attention from across the province, and both councils are now calling on Albertans to support the Kids with Cancer Society

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is shown wearing an Edmonton Oilers jersey during council in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Gondek and councillors had to pay in their lost bet over the Battle of Alberta, which saw the Calgary Flames bow out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in their second-round series against the Oilers.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is shown wearing an Edmonton Oilers jersey during council in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Gondek and councillors had to pay in their lost bet over the Battle of Alberta, which saw the Calgary Flames bow out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in their second-round series against the Oilers. Photo by Jim Wells /post media

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek and city councilors donned Oilers blue and orange in Edmonton council chambers on Tuesday as a result of their losing wager in the Battle of Alberta.

In May, Gondek and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi agreed to the friendly challenge where the losing city would wear the victorious team’s jersey and the losing mayor would also have their face painted in the colors of the winner. A financial donation was also agreed to be made to the winning city’s children’s cancer charity.

Edmonton ultimately defeated Calgary in Game 5 of the series.

Both city councils celebrated the wager Tuesday morning, with Calgary city council appearing in Edmonton council chambers over a webcast. Calgary Coun. Jasmine Mian kicked the informal event off by taking a shot at Edmonton for being swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals, losing Monday night in Game 4 of the series.

“Should we start with a moment of silence for Edmonton’s early departure from the playoffs? Welcome to the losers club,” said Calgary Coun. Jasmine Mian.

But Sohi took the jab in stride, saying despite the loss, the city is doing phenomenal.

“We’re very proud of our team, they played so well, and yes losing is hard but they made us proud,” he said.

Gondek then appeared with the Oilers logo painted onto his face.

“I am so happy to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to embarrass myself in this way. I appreciate you taking a bet where I got very cocky and did not win,” Gondek said.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi leads a cheer during an Edmonton Oilers fan rally held at Sir Winston Churchill Square to cheer the Oilers' playoff journey in Edmonton on May 24, 2022.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi leads a cheer during an Edmonton Oilers fan rally held at Sir Winston Churchill Square to cheer the Oilers’ playoff journey in Edmonton on May 24, 2022. Photo by Ian Kucerak /post media

Sohi said the two city’s friendly wagers garnered attention from across the province, and both councils are now calling on Albertans to support the Kids with Cancer Society.

“We have launched a landing page that will allow you to donate directly to the Kids with Cancer Society in denominations of your favorite Oilers players’ numbers,” Sohi said.

“For example, you can donate $9.70 or $97 for Connor McDavid or $29 for (Leon) Draisaitl. I am matching Mayor Gondek’s donation of $500 and some of our council colleagues will be matching Calgary council’s donation of $100 as well.”

He said the bet was inspired by Ben Stelter, a six-year-old Edmonton boy living with brain cancer and a huge Oilers fan.

“The Edmonton Oilers may have won the Battle of Alberta, but which city will end up donating more to the worthy cause? That we have to wait and see,” Sohi said.

[email protected]

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user follows comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your e-mail settings.


Leave a Comment