In the wake of the Edmonton Oilers securing their spot in the Stanley Cup Final, the inevitable question posed to Connor McDavid at the podium was expected.
Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Toronto also had hopes of winning the Stanley Cup this spring, but Edmonton stands as the lone Canadian team. Hence, the query to the Oilers superstar was somewhat foreseen, as Edmonton is close to ending a Canadian Stanley Cup drought lasting over three decades.
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“Can you talk about being Canada’s team?” a reporter asked McDavid on Sunday evening. “Everybody coast to coast is cheering for the Oilers. Any added pressure with that?”
McDavid adeptly responded to the question.
“We’re a Canadian team and we’ve got great Canadian fans,” McDavid replied. “And it feels good to maybe unite the country a little bit and bring people together.”
A hockey-obsessed nation starving for its championship trophy to return north of the border.
It’s a common narrative perpetuated by a Boston Pizza commercial that seems to air during every TV timeout and intermission in these playoffs. The commercial starts by recounting the heartbreak of several Canadian teams since Montreal’s Stanley Cup win in 1993.
Somebody has smashed drywall after Vancouver’s loss in Game 7 to the Rangers in 1994.
A Toronto fan has chucked a plate at their TV screen after losing to Carolina in the conference final.
An Oilers fan repeatedly runs over their flat-screen with a pickup truck following a second-round loss to Anaheim in 2017.
And a bitter Montreal fan tosses their AM radio to the ground after the Canadiens lost to Tampa in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
(Notably, the Flames’ and Senators’ runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 and 2007 were excluded from the commercial. But hey, there’s only so much Canadian misery that can fit into a 30-second spot.)
The commercial conveys the idea that Canadian NHL fans have only experienced disappointment in the last 30 years. It’s time for hockey fans in the country to put aside their historical rivalries and come together.
As the commercial ends, fans inside a Boston Pizza sports bar are shown in attire generic enough to evade NHL trademark infringement. A Canucks fan and a Flames fan high-five at the bar. A Senators fan and a Canadiens fan stand side by side. An Oilers fan and a Leafs fan clink full beer glasses together.
“A Canadian team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup in 30 years. Maybe it’s time to try something different,” the commercial urges. “This year, let’s team up with the fans we’ve always cheered against.”
This commercial and the reporter’s question to McDavid are rooted in fantasy, not reality.
Will some casual hockey fans in Canada support the Oilers over the Panthers? Absolutely. Will some avid NHL fans hope McDavid, the best player of his generation, earns a Stanley Cup ring? Certainly. But will most die-hard hockey fans in the country actively root for the Oilers as if they were their own team? Unlikely.
Most Canadians want the Stanley Cup drought to end, but only if it’s for their favorite team. Otherwise, it’s like watching your neighbor win the lottery — nice for them, but what does it do for you?
Consider a social media poll from Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver after the Stanley Cup Finalists were decided. Of the 1,531 voters, over 70 percent said they would cheer for the Panthers. Only 16.4 percent favored Edmonton, with almost the same number (12.9 percent) choosing to remain neutral.
And yes, Vancouver fans — who likely made up the bulk of the poll — may be resentful because Edmonton eliminated them in the second round. But that’s the crux.
You can’t expect a Vancouver fan to set aside their disdain for an Edmonton team that knocked them out of the playoffs. Similarly, you can’t ask a Flames fan to cast aside decades of animosity in the Battle of Alberta to suddenly support their provincial rival. Calgary fans could rightfully opt-out of the entire Stanley Cup Final.
The trio of Montreal-Toronto-Ottawa won’t root for each other, and while Winnipeg is perhaps the most likable Canadian team, they haven’t established a national identity.
It’s a foolish question that arises whenever a Canadian team advances post-Victoria Day. Should we back the last Canadian team for national pride? The answer is apparent.
Recall the uproar in Toronto when the CN Tower, the city’s iconic landmark, lit up in red, white, and blue in the summer of 2021 to celebrate the Montreal Canadiens making the Stanley Cup Final. It felt awkward and caused such controversy that a CN Tower spokesperson had to explain, “It is a federally owned and operated property that belongs to all Canadians.”
When the Canucks were the last Canadian team in the COVID-19 bubble in the summer of 2020, our James Mirtle and Sean McIndoe debated over the notion of Vancouver being Canada’s team. However, to resolve this dispute, we should compare the Oilers’ path to what the Toronto Raptors accomplished five years prior.
During the Raptors’ NBA title run in 2019, it felt like the entire country rallied behind them. Massive viewing parties were held nationwide.
In Abbotsford, B.C., over 1,500 fans gathered at the Abbotsford Centre to watch Game 5 of the Raptors-Warriors series. In the Maritimes, massive viewing parties took place for Raptors games in Halifax and Moncton.
That summer, Cineplex Odeon opened 33 theaters across the country to screen Raptors games.
“Canadian fans are invited to unite and rally behind the Raptors as they face-off against the Golden State Warriors, live on the big screen,” their press release stated.
One might expect a similar treatment for Canada’s team — the Edmonton Oilers — in 2024, right?
Unfortunately, a Cineplex Odeon spokesperson informed The Athletic this week, “Currently, we are not scheduled to show the Stanley Cup Final series in theaters as cinema rights haven’t been granted.”
While it may be a technicality on cinema rights, it appears the Oilers lack the nationwide appeal for viewing parties in major cities.
We reserve such festivities for Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and yes, the Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays, being the sole professional Canadian teams in their respective sports.
There don’t seem to be massive outdoor viewing parties planned for Oilers games in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Toronto this month, at least not widely publicized.
To our American friends who think we are fixated on reclaiming the trophy, know that we aren’t all waiting with bated breath for the Oilers to win. We’re not akin to England waiting for a FIFA World Cup.
We’re united when cheering for Team Canada in international competitions. The Olympics matter, and since 1993, we’ve achieved quite a bit here. Three Olympic gold medals for the men is a decent achievement during the prolonged Stanley Cup drought.
(No judgment, but a certain neighboring country hasn’t won a men’s gold medal since 1980. A good drought, FYI.)
An Oilers championship, while ending a 31-year drought for a Canadian team, doesn’t benefit other fan bases in the country. Ottawa, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, who never won a Stanley Cup, won’t get partial credit for an Oilers victory. If anything, an Edmonton title will only rile up Toronto fans, who are almost six decades without a championship.
But if there’s one reason to collectively support the Edmonton Oilers for a Stanley Cup this month, it’s to dispel the notion that we’re all waiting for the Cup to return home.
If the Oilers win in June, maybe we can finally retire the idea of Canada’s Team.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photo: Jeff Bottari / NHLI via Getty Images)