Canada's Game
Could it be? With only a handful of games left before this years playoffs it appears as though all six Canadian team could compete for Lord Stanley’s prize.As of this morning, Toronto and Ottawa have clinched playoff berths in the east, while Montreal must lose all of their remaining games while Buffalo wins every game left in order to be eliminated.
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The only Canadian team that MIGHT miss the playoffs is Edmonton, but I think thats unlikely with the way they’ve been playing lately. They’re the hottest team in the NHL right now so I think they’re ok.
Calgary is fine, they’re in 6th so unless they have a total melt down they’re ok. I think Vancouver clinched a playoff spot lastnight with their win over Dallas, so they’re ok until the playoffs actually start, at which time they’ll go to shit as usual.
Like you said, it’s pretty locked up in the East right now for the Canadian teams, so I think it’s safe to say they all make it.
As for an all Canadian final?? In the West, it’ll be Edmonton if anyone. Calgary work hard and have a hot goalie, but I just can’t seem them beating any of the top teams. They’re just not good enough. The Canucks have no chance to make the finals, because they A) Don’t have Bertuzzi B) Have Cloutier in the playoffs C) Choke in the playoffs. I really think Edmonton could have a chance if they make it, because they’re riding a hot streak right now, and if they get past the first round (ie, don’t play Dallas) I think they could keep the roll going. Their goaltending isn’t really well known, but seems solid, and they’re a young, fast team that could be the Tampa Bay of the West in years to come.
In the East, it’s either Ottawa or Montreal, most likely Ottawa. Try to follow this…I think Montreal can beat Ottawa, and but I think Ottawa will do better against other teams than Montreal…So I think Ottawa is the most likely Canadian team to make the finals in the East, followed by an underdog, riding Theodore to the finals run by Montreal, and then a hell freezes over Tampa/Ottawa/Boston/Montreal/New Jersey killed in a plane crash run by Toronto.
That’s the stupidest *****ing think I’ve ever heard. Don’t talk like a moron.
i agree, someone should break his hands
If it’s Canada’s game, then there should be more than just 6 Canadian teams. If the NHL goes into a lockout, why not start an entire Canadian pro league like the NHL?
It’s our game- we should have more teams in a league.
Anybody like the idea?
like it..wont happen
it would be nice to see a team on the east coast in Halifax. I think a team in Halifax would do really good. they would though have to build a new rink cause I think the Metro Centre only holds about 10,000.
First off it’s not “your game”. Without all the other countries that have a players in the game, hockey wouldn’t be anything. It’s a sport for everyone, everywhere to enjoy.
AND
Yes, there should be more canadian teams in the NHL and I hope it happens after the CBA. If we’re lucky the southeastern and southwestern divisions will be dissolved and some of the teams in the previously mentioned divisions will be relocated to Canada. I think that would be a good thing, but it most likely won’t happen.
The Coyotes and the Avalanche are proof to some extent that Canada is where it should be in terms of number of teams in the NHL. What the NHL has not done well in any way is identify markets that can support a team immediately so that the cities they go into are not dragging down the economics of the game.
I’m not saying there aren’t cities in Canada that can monetarily support a team moving into it, but from afar I get the impression that one problem in Canada is that there is so much hockey, and very close ties to the lower levels. Which is great for the game itself, but not great for the NHL in terms of a team surviving. A classic example is when the Avalanche arrived in Colorado I saw a thing that basically said one of the major reasons they moved was that the Junior teams in Quebec were so popular they were eating at the Nordique ticket sales.
All this being said, the NHL needs to get out of certain places. Islanders(23rd), Jersey(26th), and Nashville(27th) are all in the playoffs with horrible attendance compared to the rest of the league. Nashville is a situation where you can look at it and think that they lack attendance because they haven’t had time to build up the game… However, when we look at Jersey and the Islanders what is the excuse? And now they are committing to put Jersey in Newark. For those that don’t know about, and have never been to Newark, it is NOT going to help their attendance to be there.
Should some of those teams, maybe one of the Florida teams move to Canada, or at the very least a northern city where Hockey is actually played by the populace? I would love to see that, but you need to find cities that are viable for supporting a team moving there. The problem with the league isn’t that it has expanded too much, it’s problem is that these teams are simply in horrible places for immediate results… and since they get no TV money the franchises that don’t draw in money are an anchor.
So the question to more Canadian teams comes down to one simple thing, are there markets that can truly support a franchise RIGHT now. Cuz that’s what we really need.
Teams that SHOULD move:
Carolina(64.4%) – go back to Hartford… preferably not in a mall.
Jersey(78.4%) – 3 cups in recent memory and they still can’t draw a crowd?
Florida/Tampa – 2 teams in Florida? Seriously…
Other than that it is hard to justify moving teams… at least right now. Teams in the bottom of attendance right now like Chicago, Pittsburgh, the Islanders, and Buffalo have all had tough years of late, as well proven hockey pasts… Chicago NEEDS a new owner. The league should force a sale of the team immediately cuz they are ruining a great hockey city out there. The fact that wirtz said something along the lines, “don’t expect a cup, they cost too much,” sums it up.
A lot of people are thinking that contraction is going to occur in the lockout, but really don’t see it happening. The point that teams are losing money as is, pretty much means they are going to stay strong in trying to force a deal that allows them to at the very least break even. The big teams will be able to survive regardless(toronto, nyr, philly…).
The best observation concerning some of these struggling new teams that I’ve heard came from John Buccigross. His point was give these teams in new markets 20 years and you’ll have large hockey following spring up around them… it just takes time. For anyone in the philly area it is incredible how strongly hockey has taken root. When the flyers won the cups back in the 70’s, 2 million people came to each parade. When the Phils won the series… 500,000 came. Rinks are opening up everywhere around here, kids are getting the chance to play hockey on a regular basis. And Mark Eaton is the first hockey player from Delaware… In 20 years you will have multiple NHL’ers from the philadelphia area… and if the growth trend you see in this area from people watching to people playing begins to occur elsewhere you will see a much stronger presence of American born players in the NHL. Just takes time.
nevermind the bullox,
chris
only Montreal is a Canadian team. The others are wanna-be American.
It’s not really worth dealing with the “your game, our game” argument because people either feel that way or don’t and you can’t really change their opinion. Similar to americans that feel that baseball is “our game,” ignoring the fact that we can’t even get in the olympics…
Are Canadians passionate about hockey? Obviously. Are they any more passionate about Hockey than the people of Minnesota, I don’t think so. Are they anymore passionate than the season ticket holders and faithful in philly and any other american city, i don’t think so. There just happen to be more people in canada that are fans, but that doesn’t mean if you took me and some random canadian fan that guy would be anymore passionate for his team and the game than me.
The aspect of any sport that people fail to understand is that no one ‘owns’ a sport except for the guy playing it. Inherint in that is that ‘guy’ could be anywhere in the world and has as much claim to the sport as anyone else in the world. But as i said, it’s not worth getting into it with people that don’t understand that.
nevermind the bullox,
chris
huh?
what do you mean. cuz they’re french? the reason that there are not many canadian teams is cuz there is no money up there. the guys all want to be paid in american. move teams to manitoba, quebec, hamilton, nova scotia. get rid of florida, nashville, columbus, dallas, pho, anehiem, carolina back to the whale, atlanta
Ever heard of The Jets? How about the Nordiques? There were other teams besides the 6 now but they failed. What are you like 10?
Don’t even respond to this moron. He’s just like 90% of the losers here that get a kick out of trashing the leafs.
If you crazy Canucks can find a way to make your monopoly money stronger (j/k), then I’m all for it. But calling it your game is a little too much with all of the Europeans coming in and becoming superstars. It’s a worldwide game, sadly it’s just not to the level of football or baseball in America, so we don’t get the coverage. Any way I can subscribe to TSN?
a typical moronic habs fan.
Oh come on, can’t you take a joke?? When you guys are reminding us over and over that Toronto is somehow the best team in the world, thats fine, but when someone doesnt think they have a chance they’re a moron??
Sorry but not liking the Leafs doesnt make me a moron or a loser….So talk to me when the Leafs actually win something, because its sort of silly to be going on year after year like your team is somehow the best and the team to beat when they havent won anything since like 1967…
Then how come Toronto is consistently the first team written off by everyone who’s not a Leafs fan?
There’s a difference between not liking the Leafs and just plain HATING the Leafs. Saying with all the talent they have this year, that they have no chance at all is just stupid. I’m sorry, but it is. That’s like saying New Jersey and Detroit have no chance.
I’d pick New Jersey or Detroit over Toronto any day……any reasonable fan would
Hockey certainly is a sport for everyone everywhere to enjor but no other country holds this sports as dearly as Canadians do. It is religious up here and countless people have grown up spending their weekends on frozen ponds, skating back and forth, shooting pucks or just playing a massive game with all the neighborhood, only to come in after dark to enjoy a hot super and Hockey Night in Canada. This ritualistic behavior has stuck with us for GENERATIONS before any European ever came into the NHL and before any American as well. I am all for a Canadian pro league in the event of a lockout. Cities like Hamilton, Quebec and Winnipeg could get franchises and players would be paid in Canadian bills with a salary cap. Then we would enjoy real hockey played by pros who haven’t been poisonned by owners who simply can’t manage a club and give away ridiculous amounts of money, thus giving players too much power and control over the club and coaches. No player would have a swelled head and would play for the love and joy of the game. Simply put, players would compete to win rather than compete for a paycheck.
oh they have a chance, but they don’t have the kind of chance that Leaf fans think they have. What kills Leaf fans credibility is that the Leafs could finish 8th and they’d still go on about how they’re the team to beat. They have a chance, but the East is stronger this year than it has been in years and I don’t see Toronto being the team to come out of the East at all.
I think Tampa could take Toronto, depending on what style of game the series turns into. Clutch, grab, rough series goes to Toronto, but a series based on actual skill, speed and hockey talent goes to Tampa. The only team in the East that I think the Leafs would be a sure bet against are the Islanders, anyone else can take them.
Isles been coming on some of late… I don’t think anyone in the east is a sure bet this year. First Round in particular is going to be VERY scary to get through for the big boys that have loaded up… Obviously one of Boston/Toronto/Ottawa won’t be there in the 2nd round.
Owen Nolan is a wimp eh. WHo gets injured on a play like that. Serves him right! Anybody to throw on that ugly leafs jersey should be injured. Owen Nolan should have dyed those ugly grey hairs in his gotee. It makes him look as old as the rest of the leafs but really at 32 he’s the youth on the team. HAHAHAHAHA NOLAN EH. What a goofball. LEAFS DONE IN 5 IN FIRST ROUND!!! They’re just pittiful. Expect more leafs to go down from now and during the playoffs. WHo’s next? Befour? Sundin? Nolan? Leetch? Ronny Franchise? Take your pick. It’s not just because they get injured because of their age. It’s because their team is cursed. I’m telling ya. They’re cursed because of the way the fans act and how they have the *****iest organization. I bet Sundin breaks his wrist again in perfect time for the playoffs. I love it.
In their only meeting this year, Detroit beat New Jersey 5-2.
But also look at how the Nordiques left. They had the fans, they just didn’t have the arena. If the government had given out money then there probably would still be a team in Quebec. They spent years building that team with #1 overall pick after #1 overall pick. Then Colorado got the team just when it was about to become what it has been for so long now. Yes with new ownership they were able to spend more money, but perhaps if the team remained in Quebec for a few more years, the success of the franchise would have given better opportunities for a new arena.
Don’t get me wrong though. Moving the team to Colorado has been a great success as they have great fans, but I am still wary of this market. They have had success since the team arrived in Colorado and they really haven’t had a bad season yet. I doubt that the fan support will fall, but we just don’t know at this point.
In my opinion the NHL jumped the gun on allowing Quebec to move. They could have held onto the sale for a few more years to see what would have arised.
Look no further than teams like Pittsburgh who for almost 10 years now have been near the bottom of the attendance list year in and year out. Other teams have been moved far before this, but nothing. I think that it would be great to keep the franchise in Pittsburgh, but you have a small millionaire as the owner. You can have a gun with Lemieux’s resources as an owner in this league. He just does not have enough. It is a feel good story, but feel good stories don’t put fans in the seats.
Carolina was a failed experiment. Why they moved them here I don’t know. You could have moved a team back to Canada, or how about Portland. They have only wanted a franchise for at least 15 years, but they keep on being shut out. Why. Oh I get it, it makes more sense to put hockey in an area with no prior hockey background than a place where hockey thrives in the minor levels.
One of the main problems with the game is marketability and public awareness. Please tell me how an all-Canadian match-up is any good. Everyone in Canada wil be watching no matter who is in the finals. How many people from LA/NY are gonna watch the Flames and Senators go at it?
I’m 11 but who cares I’m actually smart.
Pittsburgh was doing fine until very recently in terms of people going to games. Their problem is that they make no money off of their stadium even if it is filled to capacity… And now the team is crappy so no one goes to games. But that was still a very popular team as recent as a couple of years ago before they started shipping bodies. They just have the worst stadium deal i’ve ever heard of in sports.
Carolina should go back to Hartford and play in an actual stadium, not a mall.
nevermind the bullox,
chris
And why is it still called the NATIONAL Hockey League? There have been teams from USA and Canada for the last 80 years. How about renaming the league the NAHL (North American Hockey League). With that name we could even expand into Mexico!
if you wanna help market the game and this website take off Bryan McCabe from the top. The guy’s a joke.
I will.
And I live in buffalo.
canadian hockey is great. I love canada and thier sport. Playoff hockey is great, almost no matter who is playing.
May i remind everybody that Only about 50% of the players are canadian. Players change teams all the time also. So it’s really the city/town or the group of guys wearing the jersey that represents your town that you want to win. When “your team” wins, What have you done? If my team makes it into the playoffs, it doest make me a better fan than a fan who team he likes doesnt.
I would like to see southern hockey go back where it belongs. Too bad the money sucks up there, thats whats holding it from happening. Florida has no business with a pro hockey team. Carolina too. Mabey phoenix. There are a few true hockey fans sprinkeled all over the south, but hockey belongs in canada.
I wish I was Canadian. America sucks. Wayyy too much emphasis on football, the worst of all sports. The Steelers get a new stadium, which can be used for basically nothing other than 16-18 football games a year (And the occasional concert), while the Penguins get diddly squat, and their arena is used for everything.
I don’t think it would matter if it’s an all-canadian final. It’s hockey. You either love the game, or you don’t.
Are you done yet? This deserves a “GO LEAFS GO”.
It is our game.
But I say just because it is “our game” doesn’t mean that no American likes it more than anyone in Canada the only thing it means is that we get our Hockey day every year and 60% of the league (in players 20% of the teams). And on the last note Ya more teams up here would be great
wowwwww it really is ignorant pricks like you that ruin this game. owen nolan is a wimp??? for christ sakes the guy blew out his knee and hes a wimp??? why dont you step up and give me your favorite team because i can guarantee you that someone on that team has had knee problems which in your little f’d up world would make that guy a wimp to. if you ass clowns are going to bash the leafs, step up and put your team out there. back your comments up b/c it really pisses me off when guys like this write comments like this. you tell me your team and i’ll get back to you. go leafs go
peace
Well let me tell you this. Had it been the Canucks and the Senators in the finals last year, the ratings in the States I guarentee you would have been higher. If people are flipping through chanels and they see an end to end game with lots of hits, great saves, and great plays, they’re going to stay there and continue to tune in no matter who is playing. If it’s two “major market” teams like supposedly we had last year, they’ll tune in, see the terrible, awful brand of hockey that’s being played, and turn it off, never to watch the remainder of the series. So, if the finals this year are New Jersey vs Nashville, expect lower ratings. If the finals happen to be Edmonton vs Montreal, expect the ratings to go up. This is a promise.
You are a *****ing peice of shit penis sucker you should die just for what you said about Nolan.
Trash such as furlong are to be ignored and thrown out in the trash.
OH CANADA!!
Ah, nothing like a whining leafs fan to get a few laughs! Keep up the good work!
Admit it, Nolan’s been a bust since he came to Toronto, sure he scores a couple goals in bunches but in the clutch he’s too damn fragile….the Leafs lost out huge in that deal, and the fans are just too proud to admit it.
Darn, so close. I say darn because there are children present.
hahahaha I love pissing leaf fans off! I’m obviously half serious here folks. I just love your reactions. To be honest with ya I feel bad for Nolan. Comes to Toronto and is pretty much a waste. Done for this playoffs and last year he played injured. I really actually wish that Nolan didn’t get injured so when you leafs lose there’s no excuses. Now You guys have at least one excuse lined up. Although if you can’t win without Nolan you shouldn’t win period. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. And for your guys sake hopefully the leafs have the depth.
But realistically I wrote that just to get a reaction. Like I always get on this site. I love pissing the leaf fans off. It’s so fun.
MY HOME AND NATIVE LAND!!
TRUE PATRIOT LOVE IN ALL THY SONS COMMAND!!
ya it sucks cuz people don’t care about hockey but look at detroit. hockey is number one out of the four major sports. the steelers have an awesome fan base in pitt. you either love the game or you don’t. i agree. i like watching all sports. hockey is the best. people just don’t understand it. it is frustrating to be an american hockey fan outside of detroit.
NOW IN FRENCH!!
Wait, cancel that. Probably best if it stops here.
How are NJ and Anaheim “major” markets? They’re two of the smallest markets in the league. And Game Seven was the highest rated game in 20 years (which probably turned everyone who watched off hockey, as it was also the worst hockey game I’ve ever seen).
Dont the Habs have an American owner as far as I know all the other Canadian teams are owned by Canadians.
MORON
u might be right about the all canadian final not drawing in as many viewers but i dont think it will be the case.
A) last i checked the NFL doesnt have any canadian teams yet we still sit down and watch the games
B) if a canadian team beats every other team then the fans of the teams beaten will be curious to see how far they go
C) Do canadians stop watching the playoffs when all canadian teams are out? NO….as someone mentioned you watch hockey cause you love it…
As Far as bringing back some canadian teams…
Hamilton is out of the questions you have 3 teams in that area…detroit leafs and buffalo
Somebody should really do something about pitsburg considering they’re one of the oldest teams in the nhl and also with chicago for the same reasons…
Whats up with all these teams in place that get no snow???
get rid of half of them move them up north
Believe me quebec wants it’s team back…imagine the revialr between habs and the nordiques…that would mean strong attendance lots of beer sold (we all know how quebecers love their beer) and believe me ppl will watch cause they’ll be awsome games.
Why not one in an Atlantic province too…they tried to experiment in Raleigh why not an atlantic province.
Winnipeg should get their team back…flight the Yotes buck up north
and now for a stupider comment give Laval a team we all know the fierce competition between laval and montreal kids…if they’re can be 2 new york teams then we can have 3 quebec teams hehe kidding