Battle of Alberta continues to divide married couple, daughter stuck in the middle

The dawn of a new NHL season is upon us. And for the Oilers, it started Wednesday with a classic Battle of Alberta against the Calgary Flames.

Both teams and fans fight back and forth. But this rivalry can go inside households, pitting husband, wife, and even children against each other.

Tessa and Payden Partaker are united on many things. They work together making beaded art on the Kikino Métis settlement near Lac la Biche. But one difference remains: their allegiance to NHL teams. Payden is team Flames, while Tessa reps the Oilers.

“It’s always loud. Especially from me lately with Calgary the way they’ve been going,” Payden says, describing their living room during games.

Wednesday night is their second Oilers game, thanks to tickets gifted by one of their groomsmen, but their first was more memorable.

In 2022, when the Oilers and Flames faced off during the playoffs, Payden proposed after the Oilers scored. It was all caught on camera.

While Rogers Place is familiar to them, it’s all new to their 7-year-old daughter, Eara, as Wednesday was her first hockey game.

While her allegiance is still up in the air, her parents make sure she knows who they favour.

“She cheers pretty loud for the Oilers. I call her every time they score when she’s not in the room with us,” Tessa explained.

Payden adds, “It’s a lot harder considering where I live. Because I’m way closer to the Oilers side. So all she sees is Oilers all the time. She knows she more or less chooses to love Calgary because I love Calgary.”

While they’ve gone to two Oilers games, the family has not set foot inside Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary to see the Flames. This is on their bucket list, hopefully to cross off soon.

“It would be nice to sit in red seats instead of always seeing blue,” said Payden.

Hockey aside, the Partakers still have lots of love for each other, now celebrating their second year anniversary with many more likely to come.

“Us getting married, it’s not just about how long you’ve been together, but it’s the memories you share. It’s memories like this that make you remember things she’s going to remember this forever, just like we are,” said Payden.

Tessa added, “We couldn’t be happier. Honestly, it’s been great.”