Taking the spirit of competition to the political arena, Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have cooked up a friendly bet ahead of the NHL's second-round playoff series. With hometown pride on the line, the mayors will trade signature belt buckles depending on whether the Dallas Stars outshine the Colorado Avalanche, or vice-versa, reported the City of Dallas.
The stakes are simple yet symbolic: if the Stars take victory, Mayor Johnston will wrap up a Denver flag belt buckle, sending it to his Texan counterpart, while an Avalanche win means Mayor Johnson ships off a Lone Star State-style buckle north. Both mayors took to social media to publicly seal their wager in an exchange that began with Johnson's proposition, saying, "What do you say, @MikeJohnstonCO, to a friendly wager on the @NHL @StanleyCup Playoffs Western Conference second-round? If the @Avalanche win, a Texas-style belt buckle is yours, on me. State YOUR wager and let’s go all in! #TexasHockey @DallasStars", as per the City of Dallas.
Not one to skid out of the challenge, Mayor Johnston responded playfully with confidence, "Game on! WHEN the @Avalanche beat the @DallasStars, you send me a Texas belt to add to my collection. If there are any surprises, you get one of my own Denver belt buckles. Deal? #GoAvsGo," a statement that oozes the camaraderie that sportsmanship galvanizes, notwithstanding the rivalry brewing on ice, according to the City of Dallas.
Mayor Johnson couldn't resist a final jab, brimming with the assurance shared by the Dallas Stars' supporters, he remarked, "I’m especially excited to add a Denver flag belt buckle to my collection after the Stars beat the Avalanche!", per the City of Dallas. With both civic leaders relishing the friendly collision encapsulating the joy this game can bring to even those in the highest offices, theirs is a display of percolating buzz a span that reaches from the Mile-High City down to the Big D, as their respective teams gear up for a clash that's more than just a game – it's a spectacle of civic pride.
Puck drops for Game 1 became the battlefield for this light-hearted wager, this matchup kicking off on Tuesday, May 7, at the American Airlines Center, with the puck set to hit the ice at 8:30 p.m. CT, pitting the stout-hearted Stars against the valiant Avalanche in an epicstone of the perennial struggle for the coveted Stanley Cup, the fates of two belt buckles—and the bragging rights of two cities—hinging on the elusive dance of a rubber disk across a sheet of ice.
