'Won’t open them until we win': Flames fan hopes to pop Champagne bottles meant for '04 Stanley Cup run
It was almost exactly 18 years ago when Calgary Flames fan Shane Byciuk managed to sneak two bottles of Champagne into the Saddledome for Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals.
He had hoped to pop them if the Flames hoisted the Cup that evening, but those same bottles still remain in his fridge to this day.
“I won’t open them until we win the Stanley Cup and hopefully it’s this year,” Byciuk said.
“I still remember that night, we brought those mini bottles fully expecting to crack them. I cracked off the top of the bottles when the game went into overtime just waiting for that goal, but it never came.”
June 4, 2004 is a night many Flames fans will never forget thanks to a controversial call on a play where it appeared the Calgary forward Martin Gelinas was able to sneak the puck past the goal-line.
That goal was called off by the referee, much to the dismay of Calgary fans who watched as their team lost that game and fell in a devastating Game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Everybody thought it was in,” said Byciuk.
“You know, that’s like a huge circumstance and when that goal was called back, everybody was disheartened, it was just complete silence and anger, right? Even to this day, people are still saying that that goal was in.”
Byciuk says the 2004 playoff run was one of the most exciting memories he has of the team he’s been cheering for his entire life.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the Battle of Alberta has now amplified that excitement in the hopes that those Champagne bottles can get one step closer to being opened with a victory in this playoff series.
“If we don’t win, they're going back into my beer fridge, but I can’t wait to open them up,” said Byciuk.
“I don't know what the Champagne would taste like after all those years and I wouldn't want to find out. I won’t drink it, but I’ll spray it outdoors if they win the Cup or maybe on some Oiler fans,” he joked.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad?
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader of the insurgency in Syria, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing to ties to al-Qaida.
A timeline of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the search for his killer
The search for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's has stretched beyond New York City and continues. Here's what we know so far.
Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a U.S. withdrawal from NATO is possible
Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as U.S. president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office.
Suspect wanted after victim forcibly confined, assaulted, and threatened with death in Scarborough
Police have released images of an individual who allegedly forcibly confined, and assaulted and threatened to kill another person in southwest Scarborough over the weekend.
Baby found dead in south Edmonton parking lot: police
Police are investigating the death of an infant in south Edmonton.
Do you recognize these men? RCMP seek Metro Vancouver grandparent scam suspects
Mounties in Metro Vancouver have released photos of two men alleged to have been involved in “numerous” so-called grandparent scams earlier this year, hoping the public can help identify them.
Pantone names its colour of the year for 2025
Pantone has named an 'evocative soft brown' its colour of the year for 2025, continuing a tradition that has now run for more than a quarter of a century.
Quebec Premier meets with Trump, Zelenskyy and Musk during Paris trip
Quebec Premier François Legault met up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk while visiting Paris this weekend.
Trudeau says fall of Assad 'ends decades of brutal oppression' for Syria
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new chapter for Syria can begin that's free of terrorism and suffering for its people.