Now that it’s been about an hour or so since a Blackhawks game 6 win I’ve finally taken this ridiculous perma smile off my face. If you’re as big as a hockey fan as I am you would have to agree that both games this evening were nothing short of “spectacular”. Pens/Canucks fans can argue that I’m sure but even still a true fan of the game will agree that the sheer entertainment value for both games tonight was epic.
A huge Capitals overtime win to force game 7 in the Washington/Pittsburgh series is only fitting as it will easily be the best series the playoffs will see and an up and down high scoring game in Chicago just sealed the night. Of course everyone knows I’m pulling for the Hawks but much to my disbelief I still here from people (on Facebook, at the bar, on Twitter) that I’m a sellout for cheering for an American team.
Everyone cries “How can you not cheer for a Canadian team” or the classic line of “you should be cheering for the Canucks so the cup comes back to Canada”. To put it frank all you people saying this are
a:) Bandwagon fans
b:) You don’t care that much about hockey
c:) You dont care or have a favorite team
d:) Are oblivious to rivalries and believe everything the media says
e:) All of the above
Let’s examine this a little shall we? The Stanley Cup hasn’t been hoisted by a Canadian team since it was in fact won by the Montreal Canadians. Since that time we have had numerous Canadian teams reach the final only to lose. The Canucks, Flames, Oilers, and Sens have all reached the final round with the three Western Canadian teams all falling one game short.
Yet much to my dismay it’s the same thing every year in regards to some fans and the Canadian media. “The lone Canadian hope”, “the last Canadian hope”, and my favorite “Canada’s last chance at a cup”. Because I was so involved in the Vancouver/Chicago series this year I’ll use them as to why the whole notion is fruity.
First and probably the most important is Canadians on each roster. Most teams are comprised of Canadian hockey players to begin with but much like the Lightning/Flames final there are more Canadian hockey players on Chicago like there was Tampa Bay. That’s not a knock on Swedish/Russian/Fins etc, it is purely used to prove that while the team is based in Chicago every Canadian on that team is still proud to play for there country, with most spending there summers here. Does the media and these so called fans not realize that when Canadian players do win the cup they bring it back to the place where they grew up and crafted the game? Regardless of who wins the cup every summer it returns back to small and large communities throughout Canada.
Secondly we have this whole rivalry thing. Picture the Montreal Canadians one win away from winning their 25th Stanley Cup and the entire Air Canada Center is packed in Toronto cheering them on…doesn’t make much sense now does it? Same goes for 2004 and 2006 when both the Flames and Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final, I don’t know about the rest of you Oiler fans but I was about to send Lecavilier my jock for finishing the Flames off, much like Im sure most Flames fans thanked the Hurricanes for sealing our fate. Even Don Cherry, one of the most patriotic Canadian hockey fans out there is a hypocrite. He preaches that whole notion we need to back a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup yet you could clearly see his Boston Bruins homer ism in the first round.
Finally we always have the argument that American fans don’t appreciate it as much as us Canadians. While it’s true that hockey is Canada’s sport and most of us would give an arm and a leg for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup I think a lot of people would be pleasantly surprised at the support a lot of American teams get and our getting. Try to tell me the people in Minnesota, Dallas, New York, Chicago, San Jose, etc don’t care about hockey. We all know hockey isn’t as popular in the States as it is in Canada but what else do we as fans have? Most major cities in the U.S have more then two major sports franchises, in Canada unless you’re Toronto you have one. Teams like Florida, Phoenix, Atlanta are an exception at this point but give those teams any margin of consistent success and fans will come.
Hockey in Canada will always be popular but how is it not exciting to see original six teams like Boston and Chicago back in the hockey world and there cities feeding off the game. Both teams are laced with tons of Canadian hockey talent, some of which ALL you Canadian fans will be watching and cheering for in 2010.
All you people can grind the gears about needing to bring the Cup back to Canada but the only real win true Canadian hockey need is in 2010, with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jonathon Toews, Duncan Keith, Marc Savard, Eric Staal, Cam Ward, Mike Green, etc all playing for American teams at the moment, come 2010 they could all be playing for Canada…not for money, not for the Stanley Cup, but for a gold medal and to represent their country because they’re proud to be from Canada, proud to spend time in Canada, and most certainly always proud to be Canadian.
That my friends is Canadian hockey and that’s why this non-sense of bringing the cup home needs to stop.