It may be easy to forget now that Canada is the new overlord of North American soccer, but hockey also maintains a reasonable degree of popularity up north as well.
So it comes as no surprise to learn that in addition to being quite good at soccer, Canada national team star Alphonso Davies is also a big hockey fan.
Davies was in the building on Sunday night as his hometown Edmonton Oilers took on the Calgary Flames in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals – a series that has been dubbed the Battle of Alberta.
Attending his first NHL playoff game, Davies earned a rousing reception from the crowd at Rogers Place as the Oilers defeated the Flames, taking a 2-1 series lead (they have since made it 3-1).
Fittingly, Bayern Munich defender/midfielder Davies wore the jersey of the Oilers’ German star Leon Draisaitl.
“You saw in November against Costa Rica and Mexico, Edmonton fans are amazing,” Davies said, referring to two wins that helped Canada reach its first World Cup since 1986.
“Hockey in this country is big, especially in this city,” he added. “The fans are truly amazing and I had to come see for myself.”
"The fans are truly amazing & I had to come see it for myself."
What a game to have @CanadaSoccerEN icon @AlphonsoDavies back in his hometown as he was in the house & treated to an electric 4-1 #Oilers playoff victory on Sunday night! @RogersPlace | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/jebF79OoN9
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 24, 2022
Davies and Adekugbe bet on Battle of Alberta
Davies and his Canada teammate Sam Adekugbe, who is from Calgary, have put down a $2000 bet on the series, with the loser donating the money to a charity of the winner’s team, as well as being forced to take a photo wearing their rival team’s jersey.
Loser has to donate $2,000 to the winning team’s charity foundation and take a photo in their jersey! 💪🏿 📸@NHLFlames @EdmontonOilers https://t.co/Oyxr8vBku3
— Sam Adekugbe (@SamAdekugbe) May 16, 2022
Unless the Flames pull off a three-game winning run, Adekugbe will be posing for photos wearing an Oilers jersey in the very near future.
Davies gets Canada recall
In addition to his favorite hockey team being on the brink of the NHL’s final four, Davies got some more good news on Wednesday when he got his first Canada call-up of 2022.
Davies missed Canada’s final six World Cup qualifiers after being diagnosed with a mild heart condition in January.
The 21-year-old missed three months of action before making his return for Bayern in April.
[lawrence-related id=1758,1675]