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It was 2013-14 and the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames were both in a terrible place.

The Oilers had missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season since losing Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final.

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The Flames had missed the playoffs five years in a row and hadn’t won a playoff series since losing in Game 7 of the Cup final in 2004.

Fast-forward five years later and the Flames are first in the Western Conference with 107 points and are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Their city is red with excitement as they prepare for a playoff run.

The Oilers fired their coach and their general manager in mid-season, missed the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years, and aren’t sure who their head coach or GM will be next year.

They are in salary-cap trouble with the third-highest payroll in the league. The players are getting frustrated. The fans are getting mad.

Simple question: What the hell happened? How did Calgary right its ship so effectively, creating a deep, balanced and entertaining powerhouse, while the Oilers, who were given a massive head start with four draft-lottery wins in six years, are still wandering the desert?