Canadian Drought Ending? Who? When?

[ihabs1993]

     Every once in a while, I put on my dad's 1993 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Champions t-shirt and feel proud, but also somewhat sad. The years just seem to fly by, don't they? If a Canadian team doesn't win the cup this year, which is highly likely, the drought will extend to 21 years since the last Canadian team has won the cup. This is a far cry from the days of old where the Canadiens used to win the cup or at least be in contention for it just about every year. Of course, then you could just buy the best players in the world instead of todays draft era which has made the game very interesting. 

     

     So who is going to liberate Canada from years of mediocrity? It would be different if a Canadian franchise came close every year but that's not the case as only four Canadian teams have made it to the final since Patrick Roy and the Habs last hoisted the cup (Canucks 2x, Oilers and Senators). I guess what I'm asking is when is this drought going to end and who is going to win it? 

 

Will the Oilers' rebuild lead them to a cup as their youth turns to experience?

Will the Flames find a championship general manager who can build the team through the draft?

Will the Canucks be able to thrive in the post Luongo era?

Will the Jets be able to move outside of the mediocrity that forced them to leave Atlanta?

Will the Leafs be able to find more consistency in their players, present and future?

Will the Senators be able to find an identity in the post Alfie era?

And will the Canadiens be able to restore glory to the Great White North with the likes of Price, Subban and Pacioretty?

 

I know one thing's for sure.... It won't be this year.

 

Ian

ihabs1993 

[jammer2]

So who is going to liberate Canada from years of mediocrity?

 

 As a Flyers fan living in Ontario, I hope a Canadian team never wins the cup again. Just because these cities exist in Canada does not mean the are distinctly Canadian. There are more Canadians on the Flyers than the Canucks. Is it ok for a Canadian team with a distinct European flavour to win the cup, I say no....I want Canadians printed on the cup, and hopefully, ones that play for Philadelphia.

 

 I have no allegiance to these fan bases of these Canadian teams. The Habs fans (not you, just say'in) and their sickening arrogance, the misguided Leaf Nation, the Oiler fans who have experienced enough joy for 5 lifetimes, the Flames who have won in recent history, the Nucks whose fans disgraced the league...none of these fan bases mean a single thing to me. I hope they all rot in hell in fact.

[yave1964]

Great write up!!

 

  I picked the Kings two years ago and the Black Hawks last year so I felt pretty cocky and confident as a prognosticator. This year I went out on a limb and picked the Senators to win it all in the East.

  Well.

  I still think they are much better than they have played, a post Alfie hangover possibly, a defense that likes to play offense, Craig Anderson turning back into Craig Anderson instead of playing like George Vezina. I really felt they would be better. MUCH better.

 

  I love watching the Leafs, a bunch of cheap shot hard hitting nasty players a throw back team, they get outshot almost every game not by a little but by a lot but more often than not they find a way. They dress two goons most nights, three on others. Love the club but they aren't there.

 

  The Flames waited too long to trade Iggie and Bouwmeester and the rest, it is going to be several long lean years before they compete.

 

  The Oilers? I love what they did with their goaltending this year, they at least now have NHL netminders and got rid of Hemsky but the defense is sooooo bad.

 

  The Canucks are done. Stick a fork in them and good riddance.

 

  The Jets are on the rise, Sheifelle getting hurt likely killed them but he and Trouba are part of a bright future. If they had traded for Miller instead of the Blues they might have made the playoffs and maybe even made some noise.

 

  Which brings us to your Habs.

 

  My favorite non Red Wing, or at least on the short list is Brendan Gallagher. I don't care if he is a little guy, he plays like he is seven foot tall, he is fearless and rushes the net, sets up just outside the crease and plays a big mans game. Thomas Vanek coming on board is huge, if Price comes back healthy and peaks he showed in the Olympics what he can do when hot, anything can happen in the post season.

  Other than the Bruins and Penguins I believe they can beat anyone in the East. Tampa is fading, Toronto is all over the board, the Rangers maybe could stop them, but that is a maybe.

  So the Canadiens are the best bet for this year and going forward as well. The Jets get a goalie then maybe they are there but that is about it. But what the hell do I know? I picked the Senators in the East.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  You were not alone, I thought the Sens would be a powerhouse in the East this year as well. They gave the Pens a great battle in the playoffs, and how could you get any better goaltending than what Anderson gave them down the stretch and in the playoffs? His fall from grace has been the biggest surprise, just did not see that coming at all.

[yave1964]

 As a Flyers fan living in Ontario, I hope a Canadian team never wins the cup again. Just because these cities exist in Canada does not mean the are distinctly Canadian. There are more Canadians on the Flyers than the Canucks. Is it ok for a Canadian team with a distinct European flavour to win the cup, I say no....I want Canadians printed on the cup, and hopefully, ones that play for Philadelphia.

 

 I have no allegiance to these fan bases of these Canadian teams. The Habs fans (not you, just say'in) and their sickening arrogance, the misguided Leaf Nation, the Oiler fans who have experienced enough joy for 5 lifetimes, the Flames who have won in recent history, the Nucks whose fans disgraced the league...none of these fan bases mean a single thing to me. I hope they all rot in hell in fact.

  I always thought you Canadians were more passive. Confused about the difference between bacon and ham but mostly passive.

To me as a Wing fan I do not care if we have ten Swedes and only two players from the States, whoever is wearing a Red Wing jersey is a Detroiter pure and simple. The fact that I couldn't understand two of very ten words out of Holmstrom's mouth didn't make him any less a Detroiter in my mind. The fact that Datsyuk is Russian makes no never mind to me, he is a Detroit hero pure and simple. The old saying about rooting for the name on the front of the jersey not the back applies to me. But I know what you mean, as a Flyer fan you shouldn't care if anyone wins from Canada.

  If the Wings cannot win I always root for the team that knocked us out, I still enjoy every minute of playoff hockey but not as much. I root for original six clubs and teams that I like but after the Wings are out for the most part other than rooting for teams I hate to lose I don't get as much out of the playoffs. I am not like some though who turn it off the minute their team is out of it.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  I will cheer for any Euro wearing the Flyers logo, but would prefer them to be Canadian, if I had the choice, especially the stars.

[ihabs1993]

 As a Flyers fan living in Ontario, I hope a Canadian team never wins the cup again. Just because these cities exist in Canada does not mean the are distinctly Canadian. There are more Canadians on the Flyers than the Canucks. Is it ok for a Canadian team with a distinct European flavour to win the cup, I say no....I want Canadians printed on the cup, and hopefully, ones that play for Philadelphia.

 

 I have no allegiance to these fan bases of these Canadian teams. The Habs fans (not you, just say'in) and their sickening arrogance, the misguided Leaf Nation, the Oiler fans who have experienced enough joy for 5 lifetimes, the Flames who have won in recent history, the Nucks whose fans disgraced the league...none of these fan bases mean a single thing to me. I hope they all rot in hell in fact.

I completely agree with what you're saying about the players on Canadian teams not being from Canada. I think it's much more than that though. It's never about the name on the back of the sweater, it's all about the logo on the front and how men of all nations come together to win. As a Habs fan, I don't care if the captain, coach or GM can speak French. All I care about is winning and the want to compete. Unfortunately, a good portion of the Habs' fan base does not agree with me, but I digress. The fact of the matter is that the Canadian franchises, especially the older ones, feel an entitlement to the game. By this I mean that they feel like they should be in the running for the cup every year. 

Thanks for the read!

[ihabs1993]

Great write up!!

 

  I picked the Kings two years ago and the Black Hawks last year so I felt pretty cocky and confident as a prognosticator. This year I went out on a limb and picked the Senators to win it all in the East.

  Well.

  I still think they are much better than they have played, a post Alfie hangover possibly, a defense that likes to play offense, Craig Anderson turning back into Craig Anderson instead of playing like George Vezina. I really felt they would be better. MUCH better.

 

  I love watching the Leafs, a bunch of cheap shot hard hitting nasty players a throw back team, they get outshot almost every game not by a little but by a lot but more often than not they find a way. They dress two goons most nights, three on others. Love the club but they aren't there.

 

  The Flames waited too long to trade Iggie and Bouwmeester and the rest, it is going to be several long lean years before they compete.

 

  The Oilers? I love what they did with their goaltending this year, they at least now have NHL netminders and got rid of Hemsky but the defense is sooooo bad.

 

  The Canucks are done. Stick a fork in them and good riddance.

 

  The Jets are on the rise, Sheifelle getting hurt likely killed them but he and Trouba are part of a bright future. If they had traded for Miller instead of the Blues they might have made the playoffs and maybe even made some noise.

 

  Which brings us to your Habs.

 

  My favorite non Red Wing, or at least on the short list is Brendan Gallagher. I don't care if he is a little guy, he plays like he is seven foot tall, he is fearless and rushes the net, sets up just outside the crease and plays a big mans game. Thomas Vanek coming on board is huge, if Price comes back healthy and peaks he showed in the Olympics what he can do when hot, anything can happen in the post season.

  Other than the Bruins and Penguins I believe they can beat anyone in the East. Tampa is fading, Toronto is all over the board, the Rangers maybe could stop them, but that is a maybe.

  So the Canadiens are the best bet for this year and going forward as well. The Jets get a goalie then maybe they are there but that is about it. But what the hell do I know? I picked the Senators in the East.

Good points.

I'm always hesitant to count out the Senators, at least in the short term, due to the amount of times that they've burned teams, including my Habs, in situations that they've had no business being in. But I believe you posted something earlier about the Senators pissing away a few incredible rosters in such a short time which makes me nervous to declare them a contender for the years to come. 

As for the Flames, I feel like they've been in a rebuild since they went to the finals (which I forgot to mention in the original post lol). They've got a long way to go.

The Oilers are the most promising Canadian teams in the middle of a rebuild, but I'm afraid that if they don't make the playoffs next year, they might have to restart the rebuild.

The Jets have had such a bad time getting rid of the Thrashers' stink that they haven't been able to create their own identity. Paul Maurice helps for sure and their youth is impressive.

I don't want to talk about Vancouver.

Toronto is having a hard time differentiating between truculence and goonery.

Montreal has a good core of players, but there are players on the team that are not pulling their weight (Murray, Bourque etc). Not to mention that the coach doesn't want to use his players properly. Montreal isn't going anywhere until that coach is gone.

[Polaris922]

I don't really think of it as a Canadian vs American thing.  Honestly, and I know this offends some Canadians sometimes, but Canada is so intermingled with the US in so many ways, from government to economy to sport so what have you..  I just always think of Canada as the 51st state anyway.  

 

As for the Cup..  I don't really think it's about nation so much as about team.  I'm like Yave in that I don't care what country someone's from if they're on my team.  

[flyercanuck]

 As a Flyers fan living in Ontario, I hope a Canadian team never wins the cup again. Just because these cities exist in Canada does not mean the are distinctly Canadian. There are more Canadians on the Flyers than the Canucks. Is it ok for a Canadian team with a distinct European flavour to win the cup, I say no....I want Canadians printed on the cup, and hopefully, ones that play for Philadelphia.

 

 I have no allegiance to these fan bases of these Canadian teams. The Habs fans (not you, just say'in) and their sickening arrogance, the misguided Leaf Nation, the Oiler fans who have experienced enough joy for 5 lifetimes, the Flames who have won in recent history, the Nucks whose fans disgraced the league...none of these fan bases mean a single thing to me. I hope they all rot in hell in fact.

 

 I've found the Leaf and Hab arrogance has toned down quite a bit. Now that the Habs are on a level playing field, they never win. The Leafs have become a punchline more than a concern by most fanbases. I know the teams all have Canadians on them, and don't really look at it as a US vs Canada thing. That only happens when the teams are 100%.

 

 One of my biggest chuckles watching NHL hockey came a few years ago watching the Flyers/Leafs. Burke was in his full blown build American mode with the Leafs. The Flyers may have had the most Canadians of any team in the league at the time (16?) Anyway, the game was in Philly and they were kicking the Leafs butts. And of course up come the "USA!USA! chants. I'm shaking my head as a bunch of Canucks are taking it to a team that's half American while the fans cheer USA!.

[Commander Clueless]

Good points.

I'm always hesitant to count out the Senators, at least in the short term, due to the amount of times that they've burned teams, including my Habs, in situations that they've had no business being in. But I believe you posted something earlier about the Senators pissing away a few incredible rosters in such a short time which makes me nervous to declare them a contender for the years to come. 

As for the Flames, I feel like they've been in a rebuild since they went to the finals (which I forgot to mention in the original post lol). They've got a long way to go.

The Oilers are the most promising Canadian teams in the middle of a rebuild, but I'm afraid that if they don't make the playoffs next year, they might have to restart the rebuild.

The Jets have had such a bad time getting rid of the Thrashers' stink that they haven't been able to create their own identity. Paul Maurice helps for sure and their youth is impressive.

I don't want to talk about Vancouver.

Toronto is having a hard time differentiating between truculence and goonery.

Montreal has a good core of players, but there are players on the team that are not pulling their weight (Murray, Bourque etc). Not to mention that the coach doesn't want to use his players properly. Montreal isn't going anywhere until that coach is gone.

 

The Leafs have lost a lot of their "truculence/goonery" this year compared to last year. The ineffectiveness and consequent trade of Mark Fraser, combined with the loss of Leo Komarov and the relative ineffectiveness of Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren has made the team a fair amount "softer" than last year.

 

Carlyle has been running 11 forwards and 7 defense on a fairly regular basis instead of opting for even a single enforcer, which shows you the difference from the glory days of yesteryear running 3 of them. The enforcer only comes in with teams with enforcers (i.e. playing McLaren against Philly). Also, their penalty kill has gone from one of the best in the league to one of the worst (but that's another story).

 

  I always thought you Canadians were more passive. Confused about the difference between bacon and ham but mostly passive.

To me as a Wing fan I do not care if we have ten Swedes and only two players from the States, whoever is wearing a Red Wing jersey is a Detroiter pure and simple. The fact that I couldn't understand two of very ten words out of Holmstrom's mouth didn't make him any less a Detroiter in my mind. The fact that Datsyuk is Russian makes no never mind to me, he is a Detroit hero pure and simple. The old saying about rooting for the name on the front of the jersey not the back applies to me. But I know what you mean, as a Flyer fan you shouldn't care if anyone wins from Canada.

  If the Wings cannot win I always root for the team that knocked us out, I still enjoy every minute of playoff hockey but not as much. I root for original six clubs and teams that I like but after the Wings are out for the most part other than rooting for teams I hate to lose I don't get as much out of the playoffs. I am not like some though who turn it off the minute their team is out of it.

 

Passive, sure....but when it comes to hockey, we are "passionate" - which is really just another way of saying we aren't very nice.

 

 

 

As far as the Canadian team drought goes, you are right...it's not looking good this year. With Vancouver's apparent collapse, the Canadian teams with the best chances are the Leafs and Habs...which is a little sad. I mean they are pretty high in the East right now, but I don't think either team is ready on paper for cup contention. Could always be surprised, though.

 

Currently I'd be impressed if the Leafs make it into the playoffs with a bottom 5 goals against stat, but so far so good.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Commander Clueless

[DaGreatGazoo]

 As a Flyers fan living in Ontario, I hope a Canadian team never wins the cup again. Just because these cities exist in Canada does not mean the are distinctly Canadian. There are more Canadians on the Flyers than the Canucks. Is it ok for a Canadian team with a distinct European flavour to win the cup, I say no....I want Canadians printed on the cup, and hopefully, ones that play for Philadelphia.

 

 I have no allegiance to these fan bases of these Canadian teams. The Habs fans (not you, just say'in) and their sickening arrogance, the misguided Leaf Nation, the Oiler fans who have experienced enough joy for 5 lifetimes, the Flames who have won in recent history, the Nucks whose fans disgraced the league...none of these fan bases mean a single thing to me. I hope they all rot in hell in fact.

 

So-how do you REALLLLY feel?  LMAO!!!!      

[jammer2]

@ihabs1993  A writer for the Toronto Sun had the exact same idea as you. This article is interesting because it goes on to give Canadian content on NHL teams. It lists the top 5, of which the Flyers are part of....usually a lot of Canadians on the Flyers.

 

 http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/13/who-canadian-hockey-fans-can-root-for-if-their-team-is-not-nhl-playoff-bound

[ihabs1993]

@jammer2 Good Stuff! Although I'll probably be pulling for the ducks or the blues when Montreal is out lol

[Vanflyer]

This is a far cry from the days of old where the Canadiens used to win the cup or at least be in contention for it just about every year.

 

I like the topic, but always get a little irked by the insinuation that NHL / Hockey is Canada's game. 

 

The reality is this: 

 

1) A Canadian team has won the cup less than 50% of the time in the history of the NHL. 

 

2) Of those cups, 70% of them were won pre-expansion (1967). 

 

3) If not for the Canadien / Edmonton dynasties, the numbers would be far worse. 

 

4) Of the original 6 NHL teams, only two were Canadian teams. 

 

5) To your point about the Canadiens being in contention nearly every year, if not for Roy, it would be 35 years of drought for Montreal, and while some of those teams were good (since '79), by and large Montreal has been run into the ground by ownership / management. Particularly the last 15 years. 

 

I hate to say this, but only Toronto seems the most poised to take a run at the cup. Montreal is having a good year, but only because of Price. As usual, their offense is nowhere to be seen. Calgary, not. Ottawa, not. Vancouver, not (thanks Gillis). Edmonton, not. Winnipeg, not. 

[flyercanuck]

I like the topic, but always get a little irked by the insinuation that NHL / Hockey is Canada's game. 

 

The reality is this: 

 

1) A Canadian team has won the cup less than 50% of the time in the history of the NHL. 

 

2) Of those cups, 70% of them were won pre-expansion (1967). 

 

3) If not for the Canadien / Edmonton dynasties, the numbers would be far worse. 

 

4) Of the original 6 NHL teams, only two were Canadian teams. 

 

5) To your point about the Canadiens being in contention nearly every year, if not for Roy, it would be 35 years of drought for Montreal, and while some of those teams were good (since '79), by and large Montreal has been run into the ground by ownership / management. Particularly the last 15 years. 

 

I hate to say this, but only Toronto seems the most poised to take a run at the cup. Montreal is having a good year, but only because of Price. As usual, their offense is nowhere to be seen. Calgary, not. Ottawa, not. Vancouver, not (thanks Gillis). Edmonton, not. Winnipeg, not. 

 

 

Well it IS Canadas game. There isn't another country in the world, and it';s not even close, where hockey is that much a part of your culture. And I don't have a problem saying baseball is the US' game, even though other countries play it. If you grow up in this country and haven't played hockey...it's weird. You know that, you've lived here.. The NHL isn't Canada game, it's North Americas. It's also become something of Europes too. But still, there's more Canadians in the NHL than all other countries combined.

 

 As for the % of Canadian teams winning, well, consider the % of Canadian teams in the league. And as a Flyers fan,  I could give a rats arse if a team from Canada wins a cup. As long as the Rangers don't. And Pens. And Devils. Caps.

[Lightning fan]

Honestly, I'd like to see the Flames win the Cup but that's just my pure preference. While I don't dislike any of the Canadian teams in the East (heck, I'm fine with all the Canadian teams) I'd rather see a team out West win a Cup - just because my team is in the East. So that leaves the Oil, Canucks, Jets and Flames. Canucks had their window, it didn't work out for them. Oilers' front office makes it hard for me to cheer for them to go anywhere in the playoffs, let alone win the Stanley Cup. That leaves Flames and Jets. I'm indifferent between the two, I guess I like Calgary just a bit more for some reason. ^_^

[ihabs1993]

I like the topic, but always get a little irked by the insinuation that NHL / Hockey is Canada's game. 

 

The reality is this: 

 

1) A Canadian team has won the cup less than 50% of the time in the history of the NHL. 

 

2) Of those cups, 70% of them were won pre-expansion (1967). 

 

3) If not for the Canadien / Edmonton dynasties, the numbers would be far worse. 

 

4) Of the original 6 NHL teams, only two were Canadian teams. 

 

5) To your point about the Canadiens being in contention nearly every year, if not for Roy, it would be 35 years of drought for Montreal, and while some of those teams were good (since '79), by and large Montreal has been run into the ground by ownership / management. Particularly the last 15 years. 

 

I hate to say this, but only Toronto seems the most poised to take a run at the cup. Montreal is having a good year, but only because of Price. As usual, their offense is nowhere to be seen. Calgary, not. Ottawa, not. Vancouver, not (thanks Gillis). Edmonton, not. Winnipeg, not. 

I guess that's fair, but the reason why a majority of the cups go to American Teams is because a majority of the league is in America. Why are there franchises in Florida? Phoenix? And possibly soon to be one in Seattle? There are incredible markets in Canada to expand the game like Quebec City and Markham Ontario, who are begging the league for franchises! If there were 27 teams in Mexico, you would expect them to have a majority of the championships as well.  

Canada is the epicenter for hockey in the world, and I'll tell you why:

If you turn on ESPN late at night after every major sport has finished, what do you see?

I can almost guarantee that unless Ovechkin or Crosby have hat tricks, it's going to be LeBron James talking about why he wants to wear the black face mask instead of the white one. 

Canada breathes hockey. Free agent day, July 1st, falls on Canada day and most Canadian hockey fans spend the day partying but still keeping a close eye on which players sign with which teams.

Finally, I have no idea what Maple Leaf team you've been watching. They're as wildly inconsistent as any other non-playoff team. They're being carried by a somewhat solid goaltending tandem and Phil Kessel's remarkable year. 

[Vanflyer]

I guess that's fair, but the reason why a majority of the cups go to American Teams is because a majority of the league is in America. Why are there franchises in Florida? Phoenix? And possibly soon to be one in Seattle? There are incredible markets in Canada to expand the game like Quebec City and Markham Ontario, who are begging the league for franchises! If there were 27 teams in Mexico, you would expect them to have a majority of the championships as well.  

Canada is the epicenter for hockey in the world, and I'll tell you why:

If you turn on ESPN late at night after every major sport has finished, what do you see?

I can almost guarantee that unless Ovechkin or Crosby have hat tricks, it's going to be LeBron James talking about why he wants to wear the black face mask instead of the white one. 

Canada breathes hockey. Free agent day, July 1st, falls on Canada day and most Canadian hockey fans spend the day partying but still keeping a close eye on which players sign with which teams.

Finally, I have no idea what Maple Leaf team you've been watching. They're as wildly inconsistent as any other non-playoff team. They're being carried by a somewhat solid goaltending tandem and Phil Kessel's remarkable year. 

 

 

1) On the team count thing, I was thinking that too. General mathmatics would predicate that and so truthfully its not a fair argument. 

 

2) I agree that there are viable markets in Canada (though I do snicker a bit at Quebec City, only because of what happened to the Nordiques). I agree 100% that there should not be NHL teams in non-hockey climates. But there are exceptions to that rule. I think Nashville, Dallas and San Jose are good examples of how it can work. The success of those franchises are in larch part due to owners willing to spend and proper management put in place. Teams like Tampa (despite their cup win), Florida, Phoenix are the counter example. 

 

As a side note, I think Seattle is a great location for expansion- that is not to diminish your ideas, but to put another team on that corridor would be great. But it would have to be a relocation (ie. Phoenix), not a new team. 

 

One of the biggest reasons (which not applicable currently) of the majority teams being in the US is twofold: 

 

a) The value of the USD. While the Canadian / USD are currently on par, in the past there has been a significant disparity. 

 

b) TV contracts. I love CBC / Rogers, etc., but they do not pay the billions of dollars that Comcast / NBC does. 

 

3) Canada does breathe hockey- no doubt about it. But so do many US regions. Despite the geographical size, Canada consists of 33M+ in population. I could easily argue that proportionately the US supports / breathes hockey equally as much as Canada. 

 

4) Maple Leafs- I was talking a bit out my ass there, but I just think of all the Canadian teams, they are the ones that have the best chance to succeed (currently). The Bernier deal and rise of JVR / Kessel solidifies this in my mind. They are still erratic and sloppy at times,  but on any given night, can beat any team in the league. 

 

Cheers

 

VF

Edited March 18, 2014 by Vanflyer

[jammer2]

3) Canada does breathe hockey- no doubt about it. But so do many US regions. Despite the geographical size, Canada consists of 33M+ in population. I could easily argue that proportionately the US supports / breathes hockey equally as much as Canada.

 

 Not to take anything away from US fans, but 80% of Canadian tv's were tuned into the Gold Medal game in Vancouver. I just don't think the USA could ever attain that sort of all encompassing interest. There is just to many NASCAR fans who could not give a crap.

[Vanflyer]

Not to take anything away from US fans, but 80% of Canadian tv's were tuned into the Gold Medal game in Vancouver. I just don't think the USA could ever attain that sort of all encompassing interest. There is just to many NASCAR fans who could not give a crap.

 

I get that, but my point was about volume. While I don't have any statistical proof / evidence, I would argue that the SAME amount of people in US watch hockey as in Canada. The current census has Canada at 35M in population, while US is 350 million. So, I could argue that if even 10% of USA follows hockey, that would be equal to the entire Canadian nation watching hockey. 

 

And on the gold medal game, 80% of the USA tvs were turned on to USA v. Russia in 1980. Just saying. 

 

You know I am half / half (canadian / american), so I am not trying to diss Canada. 

 

Not to completely derail the topic (okay, perhaps I am trying), but go to the NHL leader board for all categories. You will see its nearly a 50 / 50 split between USA and Canada on the best players in the NHL. 

 

Lastly (I just can not resist), Canada's national sport is Lacrosse, not ice hockey. 

 

Cheers my friend. 

 

VF

[jammer2]

@Vanflyer  I have read that about Canada's national sport....Lacrosse, really....I mean, who came up with that. On the bright side, Lacrosse is a brutal game, vicious and physical, so you can have worse things hung on you. I used to watch the Windsor Warlocks, it was wicked fun and a lot of fights. Any sport where cross checking is legal, is ok in my books. 

 

 I don't know if using the Lake Placid games is a fair way to characterize the USA's interest in the sport, that was once in a lifetime event/upset, you'd have to be dead to not tune in. In theory, if the US interest was going to suddenly explode, it should have done so after the 1980 Olympics, but it never really happened, except for in little pockets etc. I do think the USA interest is trending upwards and heading in the right direction, which is very nice to see.

[Vanflyer]

@Vanflyer  I have read that about Canada's national sport....Lacrosse, really....I mean, who came up with that. On the bright side, Lacrosse is a brutal game, vicious and physical, so you can have worse things hung on you. I used to watch the Windsor Warlocks, it was wicked fun and a lot of fights. Any sport where cross checking is legal, is ok in my books. 

 

 I don't know if using the Lake Placid games is a fair way to characterize the USA's interest in the sport, that was once in a lifetime event/upset, you'd have to be dead to not tune in. In theory, if the US interest was going to suddenly explode, it should have done so after the 1980 Olympics, but it never really happened, except for in little pockets etc. I do think the USA interest is trending upwards and heading in the right direction, which is very nice to see.

 

 

Hi Jammer- 

 

I love lacrosse. It is a brutal sport and played with less pads than American football / ice hockey. I am too lazy to go look up how it became Canada's national sport. 

 

On the Lake Placid game, I think its a perfect characterization. You can't say that 80% of Canadas tv's were turned on for the Vancouver gold medal game without allowing that 80% of USA tv's were turned on for the USA / Russia game. Certainly there were enormous political implications, but it was also a david / goliath situation. 

[jammer2]

@Vanflyer  I dunno, Lake Placid was a once in a life time thing....it was special...and the hype between games was something I've still not seen duplicated today. Not trying to come off as cocky, that is not my intention, but Vancouver was just another gold, sandwiched between a few other gold medals in ice hockey. They did not win in 4 straight in the Games, but there was enough winning that there was a aura of expecting it, not at all like the unprecedented run the US went on with Erizione and the boys. Who can *ever* forget how great Jim Craig was in those Olympics....and Cristoff was a really nice sniper, he went on to a respectable career with the North Stars.

[Vanflyer]

I dunno, Lake Placid was a once in a life time thing....it was special...and the hype between games was something I've still not seen duplicated today.

 

Agreed and fair enough. I am still sad about Brooks death. While there are many great coaches, what he did was amazing. I put him and Bowman as my two favorite- even if Brooks did catch lightning in a bottle.