Provincial Pride on the Line as Alberta, BC Premiers Make Hockey Playoff Wager

Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson and Edmonton Oilers' Sam Carrick battle for the puck during third period NHL action in Edmonton on April 13, 2024. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson

The premiers of Alberta and British Columbia are at odds again—but this time it’s over a hockey game, and the loser will be wearing the winner’s team jersey.

It started with a message on social media from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tagging B.C. Premier David Eby.

“Here we go Premier @Dave Eby,” Ms. Smith said in a May 3 post on X, formerly Twitter.

“Vancouver vs Edmonton. Let’s make a bet: loser has to deliver a statement in the Legislature written by the winner while wearing the other’s jersey. Deal?”

Mr. Eby responded the next day.

“In this vast democracy called Canada, we must often set aside our differences to come together. But over the coming weeks, British Columbians & Edmontonians will have to set aside what we have in common (hating the Calgary Flames) for hockey glory,” Mr. Eby wrote on X on May 4. “Bet’s on!”

The Edmonton Oilers are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The teams will face off in the second round, after the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators in a game on May 3.

Edmonton has a 7–2–0 record against Vancouver, having beaten the Canucks in their first round of playoffs in 1986. The Oilers also defeated Vancouver in the 1992 division final.

No dates have yet been set for the match.

The tone of the competition between the two premiers is lighter after they clashed over illegal drugs from B.C.’s decriminalization trial ending up in Alberta.

In March, RCMP in Prince George said they saw a trend over the last year in drug-trafficking investigations where prescription drugs were being used “as a form of currency” for people to pay for illicit street drugs.

“Organized crime groups are actively involved in the redistribution of safe supply and prescription drugs, some of which are then moved out of British Columbia and resold,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP.

Ms. Smith quickly responded, noting that her province has been warning for years about the diversion of drugs from B.C.’s decriminalization program.

“Alberta has been warning for years that diversion of high-potency opioids from these programs could be diverted and trafficked across Canada, potentially causing irreparable harm and death in communities across the country,” she said in a March 8 statement.

“With the serious concern of diversion becoming evident and the reality that these drugs may be ending up for resale in Alberta, I have asked Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, and Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams, to request an emergency meeting with their counterparts in British Columbia to stop the flow of these high-potency opioids to Alberta.”

However, Mr. Eby downplayed the concerns, saying that those who administer safe supply drugs “do everything possible to minimize the risk of diversion.”

“If there is a gap in that process we want to address it right away,” he said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.