Last year, only one of the NHL’s seven Canadian franchises made the play-offs – the Montreal Canadiens.
This year, Canada’s NHL teams are not so lousy. Through Monday’s games, five northern franchises were in a play-off position and a sixth, the Ottawa Senators, wwere not far off (only the Edmonton Oilers are hopeless).
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Making the play-offs is a start. Winning the Stanley Cup is the end. Incredibly, no Canadian team has hoisted the cup since Montreal beat Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in the thrilling 1993 final. The question is, can a Canadian team win it this year?
The Canadiens are the leading candidate. They have four essential ingredients: a top goalie in Carey Price, a fine defender in PK Subban, team speed and a healthy dose of play-off experience, having played four rounds in the past two post-seasons.
The Habs are good enough to win the Eastern Conference, but that is true of about seven teams from Detroit to Long Island. The east has no dominant team, all the best teams are in the west.
If the Habs reach the cup final, they are unlikely to beat the western champions. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings are all a cut above. Montreal’s sole game against one of the west’s big three this season saw them lose 5-0 to Chicago.
The best hope for a Canadian winner? It might be the Calgary Flames in a couple of years. They are this season’s early surprise and feel like one of those groups where all the pieces are coming together.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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