What the Puck: Many Habs fans are temporary Oilers fans
Hockey Inside Out
Montrealers aren't hockey fans. They's Habs fans.
I've always said that and there's a lot of truth to that statement. We watch the playoffs with great intensity when the Canadiens are still in the hunt, which, sadly, hasn't been the case nearly often enough in recent years.
But when they're bounced early or even worse don't make the post-season, our interest dips big time. That's exactly what happened this year after Nos Canadiens went out in five games against the not-so-mighty Washington Capitals, who in turn were easily handled by the Carolina Hurricanes.
But there is something different going on in these playoffs. All of a sudden a lot of Habs fans have become — for the moment — Oilers fans. When you take a step back, it makes a lot of sense.
First-off, Edmonton is the last Canadian team standing and as we all know, no team from Canada has won the Cup since the Habs' last win way back in 1993. Hopefully Montreal does indeed get that 25th Stanley Cup in the coming years as the kids reach their peak years, but let's be honest. If it does happen, it'll take a couple of years. And it's time for Canada to take back what it rightfully deserves.
It's also political. Maybe not as political as the Canada versus the U.S. Bataille Royale in the 4 Nations tourney, but there's no denying there's a renewed pride in Canadian hockey sparked by this new wave of Canadian nationalism that's arrived in the wake of Donald Trump's bellicose anti-Canadian attitude.
Oh and it turns out the other team in the final comes from Florida of all places, a red state that happens also to be home to MAGA's ground zero, Trump playpen Mar-a-Lago. Not to mention that the Tampa Bay Lightning have already won three Cups and the Florida Panthers took the championship last year. Teams from the Sunshine State winning the Stanley Cup is just wrong. End of story.
'Hockey should only be available where there is ice naturally,' said Ken Moodie, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan who I met in Dorchester Square just off Peel St. on Monday.
Moodie, by the way, is pulling for the Oilers.
'They're the Canadian team and the Florida Panthers, worst team in the league,' said Moodie.
And he's right. The Panthers are the team that benefits the most from the dumb NHL policy that has the officials turning a blind eye in the playoffs to all kinds of dirty play that would get automatically called during the regular season.
Hockey fan Peter Bisaillion riffed on that issue when he messaged me on X Tuesday.
'We are seeing in this Stanley Cup Final a recreation of the 1976 Stanley Cup Final. The 1976 final saw the Montreal Canadiens sweep the Philadelphia Flyers in four games that were all close. The consequence of that series was a return to skilled and elite hockey instead of cloning the Broad Street Bullies. Subsequent winners of the Stanley Cup after the Montreal Canadiens (New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers) were both skilled elite teams. That same confrontation is now evident in this upcoming series. We can only hope that the on-ice officiating is up to par.'
My feeling is you can pretty well be guaranteed the officiating will be just as idiotic as it's been in all the other series. This is the league that thinks it's perfectly okay to have Brendan Gallagher cross-checked right on the teeth just inches from the officials. D-U-M-B. And the Panthers thrive on that crap.
Then there's the Connor McDavid factor. He is hands down the greatest hockey player in the world at this exact second and most of us think it would be cool for him to nab the one trophy he's never gotten. Since losing in Game 7 last year to the Florida Panthers, McDavid and the Oilers have been on a mission. He's never been the biggest talker but he's almost been in a rage in a few of his post-game interviews this playoff, and I love that passion.
So yeah, most of us are down with a 'Let's Go Oilers' sign on the Champlain Bridge, though I think lighting up the entire bridge in the blue and orange colours of Edmonton's hockey team is a tad over the top.
'Seeing McDavid having another chance at it is definitely something that would be great to see,' said fan Gabriel Hamelin, having a brew at McLean's Pub. 'He has a redemption shot this year.'
For Habs fans, there's no real conflict supporting the Oilers, said Lucas Peters, also at McLean's.
'It's not like the Leafs made the Stanley Cup Final,' said Peters. 'So yeah I think you can switch to being an Oilers fan. It'd be nice to see the Cup back in Canada.'
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