The morning coffee hits different when you live in a city with two legitimate championship contenders.
The Edmonton Oilers are a top five choice to win the Stanley Cup at +950 odds at FanDuel.
Connor McDavid is producing at a level that the NHL hasn’t witnessed in a generation.
Evan Bouchard just matched Bobby Orr for the second-fewest games (17) needed to hit the 30-point mark by a defenceman in a season.
McDavid, Bouchard, and Leon Draisaitl have combined to make Edmonton just the third team in the last 50 years to have the league’s first three players to reach the 30-point mark in a season.
The Oilers are 11-3-3 and will be a heavy favourite to get back in the win column at FanDuel when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
Across town, the Elks are preparing to host their first home playoff game since 2015 – the same year they last won the Grey Cup.
What are the odds the city of Edmonton celebrates a Grey Cup and a Stanley Cup over the next eight months?
Let’s revisit the Oilers hot start, the Elks unexpected run, and the odds both teams win a title this season in this Morning Coffee column for Friday November 6th, 2026.
Elks Return To Playoffs, Oilers Historic Start Has Edmonton In Rare Contender Window
Nobody expects McDavid to continue to produce at a pace that rivals Wayne Gretzky in 2026-27, right?
Regression is inevitable, but that’s not the point.
McDavid is up to 44 points in 17 games following another four-point game against the Anaheim Ducks, with at least one point in all 17 games.
He’s registered two or more points in all but five games.
The Oilers captain has averaged 2.59 points per game.
For context, Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov led the NHL with 1.71 points per game last season, and McDavid finished a close second with 1.68 points per game.
As if McDavid’s production isn’t remarkable enough on its own, Draisaitl and Bouchard are both on a pace that would have led the entire NHL last season.
Draisaitl has averaged a team-high 0.82 goals and 1.82 points per game this season.
Bouchard is right behind him with 1.76 points per game.
No other NHL defenceman has averaged more than 1.29.
Edmonton is -115 to win the Pacific Division at FanDuel.
Next up, the Oilers will host a Canucks side that has allowed a league-high 4.61 goals per game this season.
Sure, we all expected Edmonton to be a Stanley Cup contender this season.
Nobody could have imagined the Oilers stars producing offence at a level that has hockey fans revisiting the record books for historical context.
On the topic of expectations, the Elks have completely blown them away.
When the road to the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary kicked off, nobody expected it would be Edmonton that would host the CFL Western Final.
The Elks had the longest odds to win the Grey Cup of any CFL team at +1900.
Their regular season win total was 7.5 and it was juiced to the under at -128.
Edmonton clinched the over in Week 12, finished 13-5 to lock up first place in the West Division, and will host the BC Lions in Saturday’s Western Final after a playoff bye.
Cody Fajardo delivered a career year with 4,788 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes.
Justin Rankin finished second in the CFL with 1,170 rushing yards and registered another 640 receiving yards with 10 total touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Elks defence held opponents to a league-low 24.3 points per game.
After missing the playoffs every year since 2019 and going 7-11 last season, Edmonton’s turnaround has been one of the stories of the year in the CFL.
General manager Ed Hervey and head coach Mark Kilam deserve a ton of credit.
Saturday’s Western Final will be the Elks first playoff game in 2,547 days.
It will also be Edmonton’s first home playoff game in 4,003 days since a win over the rival Calgary Stampeders in the 2015 Western Final on the road to a Grey Cup.
The Elks are two wins away from completing one of the most improbable Grey Cup runs in recent memory.
They’ll resume the underdog role again this weekend at +104 to beat the visiting Lions at FanDuel.
Which team is a better bet to bring a championship to the city of Edmonton?
The Elks at +340 or the Oilers at +950?
The city of Edmonton is in rare territory with a Stanley Cup contender forcing historical comparisons and a Grey Cup contender set to host a playoff game for the first time since they last won it all in 2015.
One city.
Two teams in a championship window.
That doesn’t happen very often.
Best of luck this weekend, Edmonton.
The rest of the country will be watching!