Red Mile

The Red Mile is the name given to a stretch of 17th Avenue S.W. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada during the Calgary Flames 2004 Stanley Cup playoff run, which ended in defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It gained worldwide notoriety both for the relative lack of violence while upwards of 55 000 fans celebrated their team's success, as well as for the Mardi Gras-like atmosphere as societal norms were routinely flouted, particularly by women flashing their breasts. The 'Red' originates from the home team colour of the Calgary Flames' jerseys, red, similarly characterized by the 'Sea of Red' seen at many home games in the Saddledome; 'Sea of Red' and 'C of Red' (for the Flames' flaming C) is a play on words.Electric AvenueThe predecessor to the Red Mile was a bar strip on 11th Avenue S.W. known as Electric Avenue, where thousands of Flames fans celebrated during the 1986 and 1989 playoff runs. Concerns by the City about the violence encouraged by having so many bars in such close proximity ultimately led to the shut down of Electric Avenue in the early 1990s.