British Columbia

Canucks vs. Flames playoff has mayors settling on bet

The classic jersey exchange, a donation to the local food bank and a poem recital are all on the table for the mayors of Vancouver and Calgary as the Canucks take on the Flames on Wednesday night.

Gregor Robertson says he not sure what to expect, since the Canucks only see the Flames "every 10 years"

Some people have already suggested that the losing mayor keeps, or takes, Calgary's $470,000 "giant blue ring" public art installation. (Canadian Press/Brian Dell)

The classic jersey exchange, a donation to the local food bank and a poem recital are all on the table for the mayors of Vancouver and Calgary as the Canucks take on the Flames on Wednesday night.

After some trashtalking, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi announced their friendly three-part playoff bet for the Canucks vs. Flames playoff series on CBC Radio's The Early Edition and The Calgary Opener.

1. The jersey exchange

The losing mayor must wear the winning team's jersey at a council meeting. 

Friendly jabs were thrown as soon as that was announced, with Robertson saying how much he looks forward to seeing the winning city's jersey being worn at a council meeting.

"You can just use a mirror, you don't need a video tape," Nenshi retorted.

2. The Food Bank donation

Fin, the Vancouver Canucks mascot, bites Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson after the mayor declared Canucks Day during the teams playoff run in 2010. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
The losing mayor will also donate five pounds of food to the local Food Bank for each goal scored by the winning team during the entire series.

"We'll be happy to accept Mayor Nenshi's cheque to cover some food needs here on the West Coast," Robertson said.

Asked why he doesn't sound too enthusiastic about his team, Robertson shrugged. 

"It's tough to predict how the Canucks will do against the Flames — we only see you guys in the playoffs about once every 10 years when you actually make it," he said.

"It'll be a nice surprise to see you on the ice again."

3. The poem recital

April 25: Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi takes a selfie with people attending the city's Comic and Entertainment Expo. (@nenshi/Twitter)
Nenshi, who describes himself as an accomplished and published poet, says Robertson will recite at a council meeting a poem written by him if the Canucks lose.

Musing that "Canucks and sucks" might seem too obvious, Nenshi says he might try his hand at a Haiku.

"Guess what? The Sedin brothers — five syllables, good way to start," he said.

"You might write that anyway, just to acknowledge how quickly they can dispose of the Flames," Robertson shot back.

The Vancouver Canucks face the Calgary Flames at 7 p.m. PT on Wednesday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

To hear the friendly trash talk between the mayors of Vancouver and Calgary, listen to the audio labelled: Vancouver and Calgary mayors announce playoff bet