'If You Can't Get Fired Up...'

Twenty-four years ago, Hockey Day in Canada kicked off with plenty of skill – and Savvy – on display in the primetime billing.

“I remember it was a pretty big deal because it was the first time we ever did something like that,” recalled Assistant Coach Marc Savard, who scored twice in the inaugural nationwide celebration, including the OT winner that gave the Flames a 3-2 win over the Oilers in Edmonton.

"The puck rimmed around to Phil Housley, who moved it up to Iggy at the point, and he blasted a one-timer that I tipped past Tommy Salo.

“I remember it so (vividly), because there's a hockey card of it that I have. I remember the celebration and to have it captured like that was so perfect.”

Feb. 19, 2000.

The all-Canadian classic was officially born.

Today, Hockey Day remains a national institution. The 12-and-a-half-hour-long marathon, hosted by Ron MacLean and featuring stories from the pro ranks to the grassroots level, celebrates all this great game has to offer.

Even those more than two decades in the archives.

Iginla – now the Special Advisor to GM Craig Conroy – engineered both of Savard’s tallies, which helped the Flames win back-to-back games over the Oilers after thumping their Alberta rivals 4-2 the previous night at what was then the Canadian Airlines Saddledome.

It’s been over a calendar year now since the Oilers last visited the ‘Dome for a regular-season contest, but you could sense the ‘big-fight feel’ percolating over the city on the drive to the rink earlier on Saturday.

Drop everything, grab the kids and get to a TV.

You won’t want to miss this.

“If you can't get fired up, you don't really have a heartbeat,” Savard said. “It's going to be a fun night. We know they're on a great streak and obviously, who better to end it than us? We've been playing pretty good ourselves, so we're going to be at our best tonight and give them all they can handle and try to get the W.”

It’s a different game now than it was at the turn of the century, but here's the thing about the Battle of Alberta:

It always delivers.

“It was a lot rougher with more fisticuffs back then,” Savard notes, “but it’s still a physical game and if you’re not ready to play…

“That's why our guys need to be ready to bump and grind tonight. It's going to be one of those tight-checking games and the fans are going to be wild. It's going to be a lot of fun for the players and the staff to be involved with.”