Intentional or not, a Boston Pizza restaurant in Penticton has stirred up some playoff hockey controversy.
As the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers gear up to battle in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the B.C. location appeared to take the side of Alberta.
A sign that reads “Bring the Cup Home, Let’s Go Oilers” was seen on the restaurant’s billboard in the parking lot last weekend. It has since been removed.
The image went viral on social media, with Canucks fans voicing their displeasure over the restaurant showing apparent favouritism to Edmonton.
Some Oilers fans, meanwhile, have had a different reaction to the Penticton controversy.
As of Tuesday, May 7, however, the restaurant’s billboard no longer displays the words “Let’s Go Oilers.” Instead, both the Canucks and Oilers’ logo can be seen with the words “Who Will Bring Home the Cup.”
The manager declined to comment on the matter.
Boston Pizza launched a national ad campaign ahead of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, encouraging fans of all Canadian teams to come together in the name of wanting the Cup to return north of the border.
Penticton, coincidently, was mentioned twice during Sportsnet and CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast last Saturday.
Before the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins battled in overtime of Game 7, host Ron MacLean shared the story of how the Canadian restaurant came to be, with Penticton serving as one of its first locations. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, who was born in the South Okanagan city, is the son of Boston Pizza co-owner Jim Treliving.
The Canucks and Oilers play Game 1 of the second-round series on Wednesday, May 8, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
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