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Oilers flag still on legislature grounds but don't expect to see it in Calgary

It will be a cold day in April — or even May or June — when the Edmonton Oilers flag is seen flapping on the grounds of McDougall Centre in Calgary. Or perhaps it never will.

"Ooh, I don't know if that would go over too well," said Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci.

To mark the first time in more than a decade that both Alberta NHL teams advanced the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers flag was raised by Premier Rachel Notley on the legislature grounds near the Federal Building on April 12.

Ceci hoisted the Flames flag at McDougall Centre in Calgary. McDougall Centre is the southern office of the Alberta government.

But the Flames flag was taken down after the team was eliminated from the post-season on April 19th by the Anaheim Ducks in four straight games.

The Oilers flag, meanwhile, remains on Edmonton's legislature grounds, the team having advanced to the second round of playoffs after defeating the San Jose Sharks.

At the time the flags were hoisted, there was also a "friendly" wager made between Notley and Ceci for the playoff run.

Whoever's team outlasted the other had to buy the winning sponsor some craft beer, wear the other team's jersey in the legislature, and make a statement in the house extolling the virtues of the other team. But that, according to Ceci, is as far as it went.

"I know the beer's part of the deal, me wearing an Oilers jersey is part of the deal, I have to make a statement in the House about how great the Oilers are," Ceci said. "No, it wasn't part of the deal to put the Oilers flag up in Calgary."

'It wasn't a dream'

Edmonton NDP MLA Thomas Dang was also on hand for the raising of the Oilers flag at the start of the playoffs. As a fierce Oiler's fan, he stopped by to check out the flag at the legislature over the weekend.

"It wasn't a dream. I pinched myself a couple of times," said Dang.

At just 22 years old, Dang is quickly learning the art of politics when it comes to the Edmonton-Calgary sports rivalry.

But Dang hopes the whole province rallies behind the Oilers.

"I wouldn't want to get too far involved in the Oilers-Calgary politics, but I think that definitely as Albertans we should get behind the one Alberta team that's left in the playoffs."

Ceci will buy Premier Notley some beer from Polar Park Breweries, co-owned by former Oiler defenceman Andrew Ference.

But Ceci is still trying to figure out how much it will cost him.

It seems that when agreeing to that wager, there was ambiguity about just how much he would be on the hook for.

"She [the Premier] said it was [for] her and her colleagues. I thought it was just her," said Ceci, who now calculates the friendly wager could end up costing him a nasty sum of money.

"It might be all 55 members of our caucus, which is going to end up getting a little expensive." He added that it's worth it to celebrate an Alberta team in the second round of the playoffs.

But what about an Oilers flag? Might Ceci consider hoisting it in Calgary?

"Hahaha, that wasn't part of the deal," he said. "But I'll ask."