Just because the seven Canadian NHL franchises didn't qualify for the playoffs doesn’t mean their fans don't have their hearts in the game.
“Part of our patriotism is living and breathing everything that is hockey,” said Ottawa resident Travis Flieler.
Flieler said it’s a “low blow” that no Canadian team advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for first time since the 1969-70 season. “But at the end of the day, the NHL is still the best league in the world, and as a Canadian, it’s hard not to watch,” Flieler told USA TODAY Sports, via email.
Tim Sorge, an Edmonton Oilers fan, hasn't seen his team in the playoffs since 2006. “(My) country plays no role in who I watch,” he said. “I watch games that have stories. The Penguins playing their third-string goalie. Jonathan Drouin back from the abyss (in Tampa Bay) and (Jaromir) Jagr leading the Panthers.”
Satiar Shah, a morning show producer for TSN 1040 in Vancouver, said “hockey still dominates talk radio” in his market.
“Fans in Vancouver have mostly been flocking to the Panthers bandwagon because of Luongo’s prominent ties to the Canucks and to a lesser extent Jagr,” Shah said. “Luongo is more well-liked in Vancouver now than he was when he played for the Canucks.”
Bob McKenzie, 59, has been an analyst at TSN since 1987 and is a lifelong resident of Canada. He believes there has been “less buzz” in the first round.
“But to be honest,” McKenzie said, “if say, Montreal or Vancouver, had made the playoffs, it’s not like the hockey fans all across the country would be a lot more engaged. Obviously fans in those markets would be invested. But I’m not sure there has ever been the mass ‘Canadian hockey fan base’ or collective mindset that others think exists, except of course, during the Olympics or world juniors. So for a Leaf fan in Toronto, it is pretty much business as usual and they wouldn’t feel any differently if a couple of Canadian teams made it.”
McKenzie doesn’t sense that Canadians have “adopted” any specific American team. “Seems to be all over the map,” McKenzie said. “Some cheer for individuals, like Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews, and their teams. Many Canadian fans already have a favorite team that isn’t Canadian-based.”
What hasn’t changed: Offseason transactions from non-playoff teams generate more intrigue for fans from non-playoff cities. That’s true in Edmonton.
“Frankly there is far more discussion and interest in the upcoming draft lottery than there is in the playoffs,” said Bob Stauffer, the Oilers’ radio analyst.
Canadian television ratings will eventually reveal what kind of impact the lack of Canadian teams had.
Bruce Cadieux, an Ottawa Senators fan, is bothered when Canadians root for another Canadian team after their team is knocked out.
“I think that is ridiculous,” he said. “If you have a favorite club, you support only them. You would never see Manchester United supporters cheering for City in the Champions League just because they want their town to do well."
But national pride has always been intertwined in Canada’s hockey fandom. For example, the world junior championships draws little attention in America over the Christmas. But in Canada, it’s a major television event.
Canadians have long held a reputation for showing up in large numbers at international tournaments.
“Playoff hockey is playoff hockey, and being a hockey lover, it will always get my attention,” said Lewis Brandman, 14, from Montreal.
The first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs also features 141 Canadian players, 48.4% of the field, according to the NHL. There are only 66 American players in the playoffs.
Brad Hunt is a Calgary Flames’ season ticket holder, and he’s planning to watch games every night.
“The whole idea that if there is a Canadian team in the playoffs I should cheer for them is asinine,” Hunt said. “I’m a Flames fan. I could care less about the other Canadian teams and whether they make it. I hope Edmonton and Vancouver never make (the playoffs) again.”
