A medical emergency in the crowd saw the Battle of Alberta brought to a halt inside two minutes, as Saturday’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames was suspended
22:29 ET, 29 Mar 2025Updated 01:05 ET, 30 Mar 2025
The Battle of Alberta was stopped in the first period due to a medical emergency in the stands(Image: Getty Images)
Saturday’s NHL clash between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames was suspended shortly after puck drop due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
With just 18:45 left on the clock at the start of the first period, the game was temporarily stopped after a fan needed assistance just a few rows up from the Oilers bench. The fan reportedly fell on the stairs inside Rogers Place, and an ambulance was called.
The Oilers medical team stepped in to offer immediate assistance, as the arena fell silent while the fan received treatment. Play between the two Canadian teams was later resumed, and Edmonton won an overtime thriller 3-2 as the returning Leon Draisaitl assisted Viktor Arvidsson before scoring a brace.
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It was a scary start to an intense game, with the rivalry between the Oilers and the Flames one of the fiercest in the NHL. The home crowd were fired up as alternate captain Draisaitl returned to the ice following an injury layoff, but Edmonton is still without Connor McDavid, Stuart Skinner and Mattias Ekholm.
The two teams from Alberta are both desperate to pick up points with the regular season drawing to a close, though, they are in different situations. With several players out for the Oilers, and perhaps the greatest player in the league in McDavid, it was a big opportunity for the Flames to pounce.
Heading into the game, the Oilers (41-26-5) were third in the Pacific Division, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings who lost 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the day. While Edmonton occupies a playoff spot currently, the Flames (34-26-11) are still hanging in the balance.
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Calgary is chasing the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and entered Saturday’s game eight points off the pace. The Blues won a crucial game against the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the day, worsening Calgary’s position.
The Battle of Alberta is always an intense occasion, but with so much on the line with little time remaining in the regular season, the stakes were even higher. There’s also bad blood lingering from the 2022-23 season, when the Oilers and the Flames met in the second round of the NHL Playoffs.
Edmonton needed just five games to win the best-of-seven, and now have a superior 2-1 record over the Flames this season. Former Calgary defenseman, Michael Stone, has since returned to the club and still gets the same level of excitement whenever the two hockey clubs faceoff on the ice.
Stone retired after that brief playoff run in the 22-23 season, and is now working in player development at the Flames. Ahead of Saturday’s clash, he described just how special the Battle of Alberta continues to be.
The Calgary Flames are running out of time to clinch a wild card spot(Image: 2025 NHLI)
“Anytime there’s a meaningful game between Calgary and Edmonton, there’s going to be a lot of juice there,” Stone told NHL.com. “It’s exciting all around and to be a part of it is so much fun.
“I hope there is more of that going forward and the only way to have that happen is to have both teams be relevant. To have both teams be relevant this late in the season is awesome.”
The Flames had a major overhaul in 2022, but still only has one Stanley Cup success which came back in 1988-89. Edmonton kept the Cup in Alberta after winning the following season, but the Oilers haven’t won since.
As of Sunday 1 a.m. ET, no update has been provided on the condition of the fan in question.