Calgary Roller Derby upsets Montreal to win North America regional final

Calgary Roller Derby flipped the Ontario final in the closing stretch, turning a narrow bout into a 118-99 win over top-seeded Montreal and the New Skids on the Block at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex in Waterloo, Ontario. The No. 2 seed had already rolled past Orlando 323-65 and Queen City 313-116, but the championship bout was the one that changed Calgary’s postseason standing and sent the All-Stars to the 2026 WFTDA Championships in Malmö, Sweden.

The swing came in the final phase, when Calgary’s blockers came out of the box ready to push offense, manage the clock and deny Montreal the run it needed to claw back. Co-captain Ruthless Red framed the finish as a penalty-kill style battle, and that description fit the way Calgary protected the lead after taking control of the jam rotation and forcing Montreal to work against the scoreboard as much as the pack.

That mattered because Montreal arrived with the stronger seed and the more established reputation. The New Skids on the Block entered the Ontario bracket as No. 1 and had already posted a lopsided 339-37 semifinal win over SoCal before running into Calgary’s discipline and pace in the final. Calgary, which finished first, Montreal second and Queen City third, did more than spring an upset. It moved itself one step higher in the WFTDA hierarchy by beating a program that has long sat near the top of modern roller derby.

The result also carried the weight of a rivalry that has grown over years of repeated matchups. WFTDA stats show Montreal and Calgary have played each other more than any other opponent in Montreal history, which gave the final an added edge beyond the seed lines. Calgary’s path through the bracket only sharpened the statement: the All-Stars were efficient against Orlando, dominant against Queen City and steady when the title was on the line.

For Calgary, the victory also opened the door to a bigger stage. The team will head to Malmö for the WFTDA Championships on October 15-18, 2026, returning to the city where the All-Stars last skated at Division 1 playoffs in 2017. That earlier trip ended with Calgary’s highest point total there, 107 in a loss to Helsinki. This time, the All-Stars left Ontario with a title, the tournament’s MVP Jammer in Kris Myass, and a result that marks a real turn in the program’s postseason trajectory.