Ex-Calgary mayor trying to make Oilers bandwagon a thing Alberta-wide
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is trying to get all of Alberta onto the Edmonton Oilers bandwagon, but it doesn’t make much sense.
After Edmonton eliminated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 last night, Nenshi took to social media to proclaim that he was officially on the Edmonton bandwagon and that beating the Canucks was a surefire way to unite Albertans.
But, is it?
What a game – congrats @EdmontonOilers! Iām fully on the bandwagon now. Nothing brings Albertans together quite like beating the Canucks.
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) May 21, 2024
There is a mutual hate of the Canucks between Oilers and Calgary Flames fans, but it’s hard to believe that either fanbase would willingly root for the other in a playoff series. Rather, it would be more likely that Flames fans were actively cheering for the Canucks to eliminate their provincial rivals.
A few Calgary fans said as much in the replies to the post.
True Flames fans will never root for the Oilers so no…this does not “unite” Albertans
ā Chris (@schwet11) May 21, 2024
I was actually cheering for VAN, but Oilers deserved the win.
ā Henry W (@HenryW37551784) May 21, 2024
Yikes. No.
ā Roble (@chmelle) May 21, 2024
This is just the latest development in Nenshi’s transformation into an Oilers fan this postseason. The former Calgary mayor decided to announce that he was cheering for the Oilers before Game 5 of the series, which is an odd place to suddenly declare support for a team.
As a Calgarian, I'm not gonna lie, this hurts a bit. But…here goes nothing. GO OILERS! It's bound to be an exciting Game 5. Good luck @edmontonoilers! pic.twitter.com/PdFZjGPtk1
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) May 16, 2024
It’s also a vastly different tune than what he was singing when he was in the Calgary mayor’s office. If you go far enough back into Nenshi’s profile, you’ll find a few posts poking fun at the Oilers.
… Though listening to people in the Saddledome chanting "let's go Oilers!" when we stayed to watch the end of that game was disconcerting.
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) April 8, 2015
Tom is an Oilers fan (boo!) but New Brighton is the epitome of #yycneighbourday. Everyone hauled out their own BBQ. pic.twitter.com/fGIVF1CZAP
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) June 20, 2015
In the end, it’s a harmless post, but one that does raise a few eyebrows if you’re an Alberta sports fan. Did the Oilers beating the Canucks in the playoffs really unite Flames fans with the Edmonton faithful?
Maybe for some, but probably not the majority.
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