Fans must wait about a week for the next round in the “Battle of Alberta,” but if they need a reminder, the “Matthew Tkachuk Friendship Tour” billboard began showing up in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Calgary radio station CJAY 92 made it happen, and also helped to make this Tkachuk-centric trolling effort turn into a boon for charities. The billboards hype up the next meeting between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, which happens in Edmonton on Jan. 29. Deliciously enough, the two teams then meet again in Calgary on Feb. 1. Think of all of the opportunities for friendship.
Take a look at the Tkachuk billboard in Edmonton
CJAY 92 shared photos of the billboards that began sprouting up:
The Matthew Tkachuk Friendship Tour Billboards are alive and well in Edmonton Alberta.
— CJAY 92 (@CJAY92) January 23, 2020
- @jessemodz and @JDfromCJAY #CJAY92 #JesseAndJD
CC: @Moe_Saghir pic.twitter.com/TvQFSXctoZ
You may, however, notice an omission. The final version includes Tkachuk’s name, the amusing “friendship tour,” and his jersey number. It does not, however, feature Tkachuk making a face like he smelled something rancid, or really didn’t appreciate that pun.
Look for these in Edmonton SOON!
— CJAY 92 (@CJAY92) January 17, 2020
The battle of Alberta is on!
- @jessemodz and @JDfromCJAY #JesseAndJD #CJAY92 #ChuckyBillboard
CC: @Moe_Saghir pic.twitter.com/DqB7MxBKLs
Yeah, that bitter beer face plus the heart background did kind of tie the billboard together.
That said, there’s the real fear of Oilers fans defacing the image in Edmonton. Heck, there’s the risk of someone getting injured trying to vandalize a billboard with Tkachuk’s actual face on it. Maybe it was also a rights issue with getting that picture?
So ... yes, it’s a very, very mild letdown. Nonetheless, this adds another wrinkle to this fun, silly rivalry within a rivalry.
Recap of feud with Kassian
As a reminder, the ball got rolling as a feud formed between Tkachuk and Zack Kassian. Tkachuk delivered multiple hits -- ones that Kassian found dirty -- and then Kassian ragdolled the pesty winger. You could say that Tkachuk got the last laugh, as the Flames scored the game-winning goal during power-play opportunities stemming from Kassian’s penalties. The two also traded trash talk after the game.
After letting the two-game suspension sink in, Kassian warned that Tkachuk “messed with the wrong guy.” Kassian implied that the previous outing was merely a skirmish in a larger war (or, you know, “Battle of Alberta”).
This feud would rank as one of the most glorious in hockey if it stayed onto the ice. Yet, off ice moving and shaking really brings this to another trolly, splendid level.
Tkachuk billboard becomes a boon for charities in Edmonton and Calgary
Once CJAY 92 took care of the more fun aspects of the Tkachuk billboard, Mohamed Elsaghir’s Go Fund Me drive instead focused on raising money for ALS. Between that drive and a $10K donation by entrepreneur W. Brett Wilson helped bump the total contributions above $20K.
While that charitable run came via Flames fans, Oilers devotees made waves for a good cause, too. What started with a fun tweet and $25 donation from Oilers fan Samantha Costa ended up being a boon, too.
Brown Bagging It, one of the benefiting charities, summed everything up nicely:
So this week was unexpected 😳!
— BB4CK-Brown Bagging (@BrownBaggingIt) January 18, 2020
It started off with a $25 donation from @SaminYEG and ended with donations of over $37,000 from 560 people, including $10,000 from @WBrettWilson, and $2,500 from @atbfinancial.
PLUS: $20,000 raised for ALS AND $5,000 donation to @YESSorg !!!
***
Overall, great stuff. It makes you wonder: could enterprising Oilers fans come up with a billboard idea for the next game on Feb.1? Maybe something along the lines of, “Thanks for James Neal?”
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.