I don't think there is any one team that can clearly represent Canadian hockey fans as a whole. When it comes to hockey and especially in the NHL there's going to be rivalries and that means rivalries within provinces.
Ask any hometown hockey fan in Edmonton and Calgary and see how they feel as a majority about the Canucks winning it all this year. The same can be said about the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Ottawa Senators and the past rivalry between the infamous Quebec Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens.
Putting the "Canada's team" debate aside, there are a few reasons I refuse to cheer for Vancouver to win the Cup.
Sure the Canucks are the last "Canadian" team left in the play-offs and sure they have been the best chance for a "Canadian" team to bring Lord Stanley back to Canadian soil but really, when I look down the roster line-up there just isn't one player I want to see hoist the drink.
For starters- arguably of course, Vancouver's Raffe Torres doesn't deserve to be in the play-offs.
His penalized but unsuspended hit on the Chicago Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook (a day- nay shift back from a previous suspension) still makes me question where the leagues integrity is at and that honestly is reason enough to make me root for the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings to move onto the finals.
Then bring into factor that their all-star forwards in Henrik and Daniel Sedin aren't even Canadian (Swedish), Ryan Kesler (American) was the biggest whiner from the 2010 winter Olympics, Roberto Luongo is the most over-rated goaltender and now I'm thinking that the Cup can lay in the sands in either sunny Florida or California.
Why wouldn't I cheer for a team that is ripe with strong Canadian talent in the Sharks or the Tampa Bay Lightning (biased opinions aside).
The Tampa Bay team we see today was forged together not even a year ago by Steve Yzerman and is captained by a stand-up straight laced Canadian in Vincent Lecavalier, who has made these play-offs a chance to bring back his dominance in the NHL. Throw in Canadian great Martin St. Louis, fast-rising Canadian star Steven Stamkos and long-time veteran Dwayne Roloson (41) of Simcoe, Ont. and now I'm really excited to see these guys win hockey's most prestigious championship.
When the dust finally settles in early June and say the Canucks do end up winning the Stanley Cup then I will say congrats to them and I will most certainly oblige that it's good for the Cup to be back in Canada but I will also stay true to my words and will be able to say I did not jump on the Vancouver band-wagon, self-proclaimed as, "Canada's team."
