• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Myth of “Canada’s Team”

By Ian C McLaren September 27th, 2012

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

With the recent passive-aggressive threats coming out of Edmonton in relation to a potential move of the Oilers to Seattle, one can’t help but think of the deep devotion that all Canadians have towards the game of hockey, and the absolute travesty that it would be for another team to move South of the border. As such, it’s high time that hockey fans from sea to shining sea don the blue, orange & white of the Oil & rally around this team in the hopes that their young core might grow together in Alberta and bring the Cup back to the true north, strong and free … right?

 

Nope. At least not entirely.

First of all, let me say that it’s entirely unobjectionable for Canadians to espouse the notion that there should be as many NHL teams as possible in this country; our hunger for hockey is largely unrivaled, and it would indeed be a travesty for a storied franchise such as the Oilers to pack up and head out of town.

Having said that, the idea that all Canadians must actively cheer for the success of all Canadian teams constitutes one of the great lies that we are sold as hockey fans. On top of that, the notion that the Cup “belongs in Canada” is also terribly misplaced. The reality is that there is absolutely no obligation for any fan of the NHL to support another team simply as a matter of geography, and, as it happens, the Cup often spends a large part of its summer in Canada as a result of the makeup of the team’s roster, not because it was won by a Canadian team.

Allow me to speak from personal experience for a moment. I grew up as a Bruins fan, largely in the context of the current divisional / conference format, so simply as a matter of rivalry, it would be incredibly difficult (if not entirely impossible) for me to bring myself to support the Canadiens or the Leafs (the former as a matter of long standing tradition, the latter more recently as a result of dealings between the two clubs). At the same time, the 2011 Cup Final against the Canucks would eliminate all probability of me supporting Vancouver in the future, as that rivalry has entered a domain that demands full club loyalty, at all times. So the simple fact that my team of choice is from an American city with rivalries with a few Canadian teams would preclude me from cheering for at least 3 of the 7, right off the bat.

Now, on the flip side, given the fact that I grew up in Ottawa, I will admit that I do have a spot for my hometown team, and did in fact get caught up in the excitement of their ’07 run, albeit while living in Manitoba. And hey, since I did live south of Winnipeg for 2 years, I was pumped about the return of the Jets, and would get behind them in the future, provided that it did not conflict with my first hockey love from Boston (same with the Sens on that point, in fact).

Personal preferences aside, one major question to consider is this: what makes a team more Canadian – where they play or how the roster is made up? Let’s use the Calgary Flames as an example of the difference between supporting a Canadian team (ie: city) and a Canadian roster. Jump back to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. The Flames, led by a good Canadian boy in Jarome Iginla, pushed the Lightning to 7 games, only to lose a Cup to a team based in Florida. What a sham, right? Again, nope. While this idea of “supporting Canada’s team” was running rampant, there were many who were very much supporting Tampa Bay based on the the fact that their roster was made up of several incredibly talented Canadian players, including Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis & Dan Boyle, among others. When the Senators made it to the Final against the Ducks, would it have been treason to support Anaheim? Not when their roster featured names like Pronger, Niedermayer, Getzlaf, Penner, Perry, McDonald, Kunitz, May, Thornton (et al).

To build on that, teams containing several Canadians will no doubt have folks from their respective hometowns rooting for them with all their hockey loving hearts, regardless of whether or not it will visit Parliament Hill as opposed to the White House (the good people of Flint, MI aside, thanks to Tim Thomas). Why? Because based on the tradition of every member of the team having the opportunity to spend one day with the Cup, chances are it could come to a town near you during any given summer. Again, to speak from personal experience, it was a thrill for me to be able to combine my joy over the Bruins winning the Cup with the ability to head down to the Sleeman Centre here in Guelph to get my picture taken with Rich Peverley & that beautiful silver mug. In fact, the place was packed with fans of the black ‘n’ gold, all thrilled to death that the Canucks had failed to “bring the Cup home.”

All this to say, let’s put any talk of “getting behind Canada’s team” to death, shall we? For one thing, being a serious fan negates any real fluidity in terms of backing a rival, and quite often a team’s makeup makes it more Canadian than the city in which it plays. But above and beyond all that, the real problem that needs to be eliminated here is the “us vs. them” mentality when it comes to hockey. We may possess the most recent Olympic Gold Medal, but Canada certainly doesn’t own the game of hockey. They are legitimate fans of this game all over North America & the world, all with a passion for seeing their favorite teams or homegrown talent succeed in the NHL.

To reiterate, Edmonton without the Oilers would be like peanut butter without some jelly; they truly, madly and deeply belong together.

Just don’t ask me to root for them on the ice.

  • Tags
  • Canada
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 25th 5:03 PM
Archives

Edmonton Oilers Jersey History

Jan 25th 4:25 PM
Column

NHL Players of the Week: Kopitar, Varlamov & More

Jan 25th 4:15 PM
Editor's Choice

A Look Back: Grading the Canes’ 2014 Draft Class

Jan 25th 3:45 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs Weekly: Injuries, Milestones and Armstrong

Jan 25th 3:25 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Weekly: Impressive Start for Many in Early Stages of 2020-21 Season

Jan 25th 2:55 PM
Column

Flyers Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: Elliott, JVR, Hart & More

Jan 25th 2:45 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, Campbell, Simmonds & More

Jan 25th 2:10 PM
Column

Penguins Weekly: Knocking Off the Early Season Rust

Jan 25th 2:00 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Ennis, Puljujarvi, Bouchard, More

Jan 25th 1:50 PM
Women's Hockey

Whitecaps, Riveters Tied Atop Standings After Day 2 of NWHL Season

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information