Edmonton, Sunrise mayors up the ante in bet over Stanley Cup rematch

If history repeats itself, Edmonton's mayor may soon declare an official Florida Panthers Day in Alberta's capital city.

Last year's bet between Amarjeet Sohi and Mike Ryan, the mayor of Sunrise, Fla., where the Panthers play, saw salt rubbed in the wounds of Edmontonians when their own mayor was forced to wear a Panthers jersey during a council meeting.

This time around, with the Edmonton Oilers set to take on the Panthers again in the Stanley Cup Final, the municipal pride of both respective cities is being put on the line.

The losing team's mayor will read a decree written by the victor in city hall and declare a certain day be set aside to honour the championship winner in the losing city.

"We both had a good laugh about how much fun this could be," Ryan said in an interview about this year's wager.

He joked that "when the city of Sunrise celebrates the Florida Panthers winning again" he plans to write a declaration that is bearable, but still a little bit embarrassing for Sohi to read.

"Mayor Sohi's a consummate professional and respectful, so I'm confident that if Edmonton was to win, he'll send me something that I won't be too embarrassed to read, too," Ryan said.

Sohi, in a video posted on social media Tuesday, was more than confident he wouldn't be making a declaration any time soon.

"Edmonton is more ready than ever," he said.

"The Oilers have the passion, the grit, and the talent to bring the cup home to Canada where it rightfully belongs."

Things have changed since the mayors made their bet last year.

The Panthers, of course, won their first Stanley Cup in team history — and there was also the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Since taking office again Trump has launched an ever-evolving trade war between the two countries while repeatedly saying Canada would be better off if it became part of the United States.

Statistics Canada recently reported that the number of Canadians flying to the U.S. was down by 12.5 per cent compared with 2019, and down nearly six per cent alone compared with April of last year.

Experts have said Trump's trade war and thinly veiled threats to Canadian sovereignty at least partially explain the drop, but Ryan said he thinks Canadians will flock to Sunrise to support the Oilers just as they did last year.

"I know we're ready to welcome the Edmonton fans and the Canadian fans," Ryan said. "I don't expect any changes."

"For hockey fans, this is a great distraction for whatever else is going on in the world."

Ryan said there might be an "undercurrent" of nation-to-nation tension that flows beneath the ice during the final, but he expects it to subside once the puck drops.

"I really do think that when the game begins, it's just about what's going on on the ice."

Moving up a level of government, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office confirmed that she wasn't renewing her own previous wager with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"We are following the lead of Captain Connor (McDavid) and are going to do things a bit differently this year," she said in a statement, referencing how McDavid did what many fans consider the unthinkable by touching the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl when they beat the Dallas Stars last week.

Touching that trophy, which is awarded to the NHL's Western Conference champion every year, is usually considered a bad omen by superstitious hockey fans and players alike

McDavid and the Oilers didn't touch the trophy last year en route to the Finals, and after touching it this year McDavid brushed off a question about it with a 'look where it got us last year' attitude.

Last year, Smith and DeSantis agreed to send a bottle of locally made liquor to the victor, meaning Smith sent DeSantis a bottle of Alberta whisky when the Panthers won.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette