6 days ago
What the Puck: Many Habs fans are temporary Oilers fans
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Montrealers aren't hockey fans. They's Habs fans.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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'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.
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Moodie, by the way, is pulling for the Oilers.
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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.
