Twenty-two years.
As hockey fans in Canada we hear about that number every spring. It signifies the length of time it has been since the last Canadian NHL team won a Stanley Cup when, in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens beat Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings.
Since that time the Kings and Colorado Avalanche have won two cups, the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils have won three, and the Detroit Red Wings have won four. That’s five teams that have combined to win fourteen championships in the last 21 seasons (the 2005 season was cancelled due to the lockout).
In that time Canadian teams have made it to five Stanley Cup finals and have forced four game sevens but have been unable to get over that hump.
Then last year Canada qualified five of the seven teams into the playoffs, which equaled nearly 33% of all participants but could not find their way past the second round.
Now here we sit roughly two months from the playoffs and Canadian team occupying seven of the twelve worst spots in the standings.
The Canadiens are Canada’s best bet right now and they currently sit three points out of a playoff spot thanks to a two game winning streak. Before that streak they were the worst team in the league since December.
The next closest team, the Ottawa Senators sit five points out but like the Habs they have been a sinking ship since December as they have been the second worst team, behind only Montreal.
To top if off, besides the uncharacteristic good game against another terrible Canadian team in Toronto on Feb. 6, the Senators give up the second most goals in the league and have been outscored 13-4 in the first period alone in their last six games.
The Vancouver Canucks are also five points back but they have lost four in a row and there’s only three teams worse in the Western Conference, all of which are Canadian.
The Edmonton Oilers appeared to be turning their season around after getting Connor McDavid back from injury but have since lost a combined score of 13-2 in a pair of lopsided losses and once again sit last in their conference.
The Leafs came into the season expecting to struggle and have not disappointed sitting second last in the Eastern Conference.
Calgary and Winnipeg looked to be on the rise after surprising playoff appearances last year but have both fallen back down to earth and sit second and third last in the conference.
Now admittedly most of the teams do have a positive outlook for the future. If the Canadiens get goalie Carey Price back that will help, the Senators, Leafs, Flames and Oilers need to be patient with some young talent.
Winnipeg is a much better hockey team than they’ve played like but are shackled in the hardest division in hockey and the Canucks are starting to get old but have some young players who can help in the future.
All told it looks like this year is going to be number 23 since the last Canadian team won a Stanley Cup and it doesn’t appear that any team is going to even make the playoffs let alone win the cup.
Would it not be nice to be excited thanks to a decent run by a Canadian team in the playoffs instead of let down by a Canadian team-less playoff?
