Watching Canadian hockey fans in the playoffs conjures up the emotion of a sport built on moments. From perennial challenger Montreal Canadians to Cinderella hopeful Calgary Flames (who have not been to the playoffs since 2009) there is a ton of storylines to follow over the next two months. While all of these franchises have their own unique histories, there’s one thing that actually unites all of them; fan. You hear it from the wave of action from shots on goal with incredible saves, jaw-dropping streaks that made them roar into moments of glee when some unsung heroes took their chance for post-season infamy with overtime play. -win goal.
This post-season the league was blessed with two opening round matches which pitted two sets of Canadian franchises against one another. While each fan base has their own unique style of supporting their team, they share the same mindset about how important this is. They feel it in their bones, adore the sport from the moment they stepped onto the ice as little kids or watched their team for the first time on Hockey Night in Canada. These true believers realize that while Winters may be cold in the frozen north, Spring will at all times thaw the pool they play 3 on 3 in and they’ll have the ability to relax and watch as their franchise fights for the ultimate goal of lifting the Stanley Cup. . This is something that American sports fans, die-hard fans, have a hard time understanding. Why do their arenas sound so much louder than ours? Why did this fan go to their barber shop to carve the Habs logo on their head? Why do not I head out early on playoff hockey days from the office to go pre-game? There’s only one state that can possibly match the intensity of the average Canadian fan and that is obviously The State of Hockey, Minnesota. Regardless, Minnesota might as well be a part of Canada when you compare the Winters, the love for their team the Wild, and the widely enjoyable speak about them. The answer to all those questions is easy; it’s their responsibility to love their team, carry on their traditions and make the world understand that while we may enjoy the sport, Canadians own the sport.
Since the early days of the NHL, there have been Canadian franchises starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canada Montreal. There are great teams that come and go like the Quebec Nordiques, moving south towards a hotter climate and a stronger American dollar. There was even a dynasty, the Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, that would live on in infamy as probably the most dominant teams in any professional sport in history. What is shared between all of them is that their fans haven’t only supported them in moments of triumph but instead they’ve bled with their team through the trials and tribulations they’ve faced. These fans believe they’re a driving force for their players, that they owe their wins and championships to their years of trust and understanding. So it is understandable that while watching the Ottawa Senators take on Montreal Canada last night, it was difficult to hear the announcer of the ebb and flow of the game coming from the arena. Therefore when Alex Galchenyuk, a Russian-born skater who plays for the Montreal Canadians, scored the game-winning overtime game, the building exploded because Bill Pullman had just delivered his Independence Day speech before going to take down the aliens.
This is where I do a little petition to the National Hockey League, NBC Sports, and CBC. Please have the second broadcast of the hockey Playoffs ready, even just in Canada, without all the broadcasters. You can still put up your flashy stats and lay out the replays that became prerequisites for general audiences, but let’s really hear the game play. I wanted to listen as the crowd took their collective breath as the visitors rolled down the ice 3-to-1. I wanted to hear their reactions to the punches that sent the top players reeling, the ferocity in their screams that pushed other skaters away. There’s so much to be gleaned from listening to just one average Canadian hockey fan, imagine what the arena diehards must say about how the game in fact pans out.
If you are going to be watching playoff hockey this year, and that I hope you are, there are two series you should try to focus on. The first was the Ottawa-Montreal series where excited Senators came to the Bell Center in Montreal only to leave two games scoreless and return to Ottawa in despair. The other is in the west, where the young and energetic Calgary Flames face off against a pair of Swedish twins in the form of Daniel and Henrik Sedin and their club the Vancouver Canucks. Each team has one game in that series and as they head to Calgary for their third and fourth games, the emotions of the fans will only increase. Of course, there are six other fights happening in the NHL that showcase more star power, brilliance, and incredible play, but what none of them lack is the joy of watching two Canadian franchises battle one another for a shot at the Stanley Cup. We must not forget the Winnipeg Jets because their fans are the noisiest of any hockey club out there. They face the Anaheim Ducks tonight in Anaheim before returning to Winnipeg to participate in a playoff game for the first time since they returned to the city from Atlanta.
Perhaps this will be the first year that a Canadian franchise has lifted the Stanley Cup since 1993 when the Montreal Canadians accomplished the feat. Personally I will support my club, the New York Rangers, but in my mind I will support Canada, and most significantly their fans, to know the taste of victory. They breathe hockey, their parents breathe hockey, their grandparents breathe hockey. It is their patriotic duty not to care about anything aside from the sport they hold dear and for that, I thank all of them. Even if they’re Canadian Montreal fans.
You can watch this Canadian game and more on NBC and its family of networks this April-June. Go to http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebymonth.htm for a list.
