All bets are off: Premier Smith follows McDavid's lead and changes it up for 2025

National Post

2 days ago

After the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in the nail-biting seventh game of the 2024 Stanley Cup final, Premier Danielle Smith had to pay up.
Article content
She made good on her wager with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, sending him two bottles of Alberta-produced whiskey. The whiskies were sourced from the Highwood and Eau Claire distilleries, and DeSantis promised to serve the Alberta spirits at the governor's mansion.
Article content
Article content
Had the Oilers won, Smith would have received some Florida rum and a key lime pie.
Article content
This year, there will be no bet. It's not because the premier has lost confidence in the Oilers. Smith said she is following the lead set by Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
Article content
In 2024, when the Oilers won the Western Conference, McDavid and the team elected not to touch the Campbell Bowl. It's a given hockey tradition that players don't touch what they see as lesser trophies when there's still a Stanley Cup out there waiting to be won.
Article content
But this year, McDavid broke with tradition and touched it.
Article content
'Don't touch it last year, we don't win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win,' McDavid said after the Western Conference triumph.
Article content
Article content
Oilers 111, Flames 11
Article content
While Smith isn't placing any bets on the Oilers, the province is doing just fine when it comes to selling Oilers-themed licence plates. At least that's according to a sales sample from the Alberta Motor Association.
Article content
The AMA has sold 111 Oilers-themed plates across the province from April to Wednesday — that's a six per cent jump over last year's Oilers playoff run. The number of Calgary Flames -themed licence plates in the same time frame? Cough. Wheeze. Eleven.
Article content
Article content
That's right. Eleven. Wait, just for emphasis, there were just 11 plates sold. As in, fewer plates than the number of doughnuts you'd get in a box.
Article content
Well, it is 11 more plates sold than the number of playoff wins for the Flames this year, so there's that.
Article content
The licence plates aren't exclusive to AMA, and can be ordered directly from the province or various registration agencies. The province makes Oilers and Flames plates available for $84 each. They cannot be personalized, so sorry, no OLRS CUP. The majority of the funds raised from the hockey-themed plates go to the teams' respective community foundations.