SHOTS FIRED: Milan Lucic Will Avenge Matthew Tkachuk

Edmonton Oilers' Zack Kassian has publicly threatened Calgary Flames' Matthew Tkachuk and has called him derogatory names. He has vowed to 'make him pay' for his questionable hits, which resulted in Kassian ragdolling Tkachuk in the dubbed 'turtle-gate'. However, former Oiler and current Flame tough guy, Milan Lucic, is not going to let this happen.

Kassian and Lucic were teammates for 3 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. Lucic was sent to the Flames during the offseason in exchange for James Neal. Now, it seems their friendly ways are taking a backseat to the current tensions between interprovincial rivalry.

"When push comes to shove, Matt is my teammate and I'll do what I have to do to stand up for him. - Milan Lucic

Another Flames tough guy, Zac Rinaldo, weighed in on the situation.

We've got Chucky's back (Tkachuk). We've got everybody's back. We love each other in here.

Whether you believe Kassian was right to pummel Tkachuk, there is a dissenting opinion that believes Kassian must also be held accountable for his actions. Mark your calendars for January 29th folks; the Battle of Alberta is back and we can expect an extremely physical game.