Among the 50 or so congratulatory texts received by Sam Bennett after scoring his first NHL playoff goal this past Sunday was one from Connor McDavid. Bennett, the Calgary Flames' rookie forward, and McDavid, the most talked-about prospect since Sidney Crosby, are childhood friends. Unbelievably, they played together for seven years growing up – five with the York-Simcoe Express and two more with the Toronto Marlboros.
Assuming McDavid lands in Edmonton as the first overall pick of the Oilers this June, they'll see a lot of each other in the years to come.
The Flames-Oilers rivalry has been mostly dormant for decades now. People still talk about the Battle of Alberta, but mostly, it's in the past tense. Despite their geographic proximity, the teams have done a good job of avoiding each other in the playoffs since 1991, when the Oilers – 20 points in arrears of Calgary – upset Calgary in the first round, after winning the Stanley Cup the year before.
That was really the end of the heyday; Wayne Gretzky was already gone, Mark Messier was going, and in Calgary, Doug Gilmour and Joe Nieuwendyk would soon head for the exits too.
Bennett has an appreciation for that era, thanks to Gilmour, who runs the Kingston Frontenacs, where he played his junior career.
After spending much of the year in Calgary recovering from shoulder surgery, Bennett went back to Kingston for the final month and playoffs.
Had the Frontenacs not lost in the first round, Bennett wouldn't be here now – poised to help the Flames advance to the second round for only the second time since 1989, when Gilmour, Nieuwendyk and Joel Otto gave the Flames unprecedented depth down the middle.
At 18 years 303 days on Sunday, Bennett became the youngest player in NHL history to score a game-winning goal in regulation – and he followed it up by scoring his second NHL goal Tuesday, going hard to the net, tipping a T.J. Brodie shot past Canucks goaltender Eddie Lack.
Calgary is brimming with youth – Johnny Gaudreau was is expected to be chosen a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, and among NHL sophomores, Sean Monahan outperformed every member of his draft class, including last year's rookie of the year, Nathan MacKinnon.
Bennett has an "it" factor the same way Gilmour once did. Gilmour was never the biggest, the fastest or the hardest shooter. If you broke down every individual part of Gilmour's game, it wouldn't excite you. But together, all those elements produced a Hall Of Fame career, partly because of the fire that burned within, a drive you can see in Bennett, too.
Bennett desperately wanted to play for the Flames this year and practically begged them to put him in the lineup after he'd recovered from his shoulder surgery. They played it smart and safe by not putting him in for his debut when everyone else was in midseason form. His time in Kingston helped him get some games under his belt and then serendipity and circumstance took over. He is not just a body in the lineup, but a presence – amazing, really, for someone who doesn't turn 19 until June.
"I don't love to make comparisons, but I watched Doug Gilmour – he was my favourite player growing up," Flames centre Matt Stajan said. "He was a scrappy player. He wasn't the biggest body, but he went after it. Obviously, Benny's had a chance to play for him in Kingston and get to talk to him. He definitely plays that scrappy style, but at the same time, he takes charge out there. He's got that energy and he goes after it. As an 18-year-old, at this level, that's special."
Bennett is focused on the present – Game 5 of the series is on Thursday night in Vancouver – but says playing against his childhood friend McDavid in the Battle of Alberta is something he's looking forward to down the road.
"It'll be pretty cool for me and Connor, who played hockey together since we were eight years old, to be part of that rivalry for sure," Bennett said. "He's an exceptional talent. He deserves all the hype he's getting because he is that good."
McDavid will likely play for the Oilers and contend for the Calder, but Bennett is serving notice he'll be a candidate too. The Battle may finally be heating up again.
Isn't it about time?