30 Years of Canadian Franchises Losing in the Cup Final

[The Panther]

1994
NY Rangers (1st overall) vs. Vancouver Canucks (14th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 7 games

2004
Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd overall) vs. Calgary Flames (12th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 7 games

2006
Carolina Hurricanes (3rd overall) vs. Edmonton Oilers (14th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 7 games

2007
Anaheim Ducks (3rd overall) vs. Ottawa Senators (8th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 5 games

2011
Vancouver Canucks (1st overall) vs. Boston Bruins (7th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 7 games

2021
Tampa Bay Lightning (8th overall) vs. Montreal Canadiens (18th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 5 games

2024
Florida Panthers (4th overall) vs. Edmonton Oilers (9th overall)
Result: US franchise wins in 7 games
____________________________________________

You'll notice a pattern here...

So, the past 7 times a Canadian franchise has made it to the Cup Finals, it lost. And in five of those seven times, it lost in game 7.

Maybe the case of 2021 Tampa - Montreal, you'd expect the stronger team to win... which it did, in 5 games. But I'd say in all the other six cases, the Canadian franchise had at least a good chance (obviously, as five of six went to 7 games). Yes, the Canadian franchise lost every single one. That's 7 in a row, people. SEVEN in a row.

Is this the inevitable result of bringing in an NBA guy to run a growing league that sells a Canadian-shaped sport as well as free-agent preference for warmer weather and lower taxes? Or, are all seven in a row somehow easily explicable?

Click to read more...

 

[DitchMarner]

The strange thing is five of those seven series went to a Game Seven. That's basically just bad luck for unrelated teams to have combined for a 0-5 record in that many winner-take-all games.

 

[The Panther]

The strange thing is five of those seven series went to a Game Seven. That's basically just bad luck for unrelated teams to have combined for a 0-5 record in that many winner-take-all games.

 

[MadLuke]

All of those game 7 except 2011 would have been on the road too (Canucks were 3-0 that serie at home so not a small deal), so even tough I am sure you need bad luck to go 0-5, they were almost all "underdog" in them.

And in 2011, Bruins had scored 19 goals to Nucks 8 before game 7

 

[sr edler]

Most of these teams, or hockey clubs, were Cinderella teams (or clubs). These type of teams, or hockey clubs, seldom or never win.

Vancouver in 2011 were favoured though, but I remember having a bad feeling before that series, as it seemed like a bad match-up.

 

[Overrated]

If the NHL weren't run like a cartel and instead had no salary cap and no draft and relegation Canadian teams would be winning all the time.

 

[gretzkyoilers]

OK so the Leafs are the richest NHL franchise (as of 2023) worth $2.8 billion with a huge fanbase. The Canadiens are 3rd and the Oilers are 7th.

You'd think the NHL would want the Leafs to win a cup?

FYI the Panthers are 4th LAST

NHL franchise value by team 2023 | Statista.

 

[The Panther]

OK so the Leafs are the richest NHL franchise (as of 2023) worth $2.8 billion with a huge fanbase. The Canadiens are 3rd and the Oilers are 7th.

You'd think the NHL would want the Leafs to win a cup?

FYI the Panthers are 4th LAST

NHL franchise value by team 2023 | Statista.

Right, but from a business perspective, the Leafs are the #1 richest franchise with the world's largest hockey fanbase... a veritable cash-cow... and they haven't won the Cup in 57 years.

So, there's no reason for the NHL to push them to do so!

 

[alko]

Next in the line - Winnipeg Jets.

Defense wins championships, many says. And this team is perfectly build for that. But they need a little Luck.

 

[Melrose Munch]

If the NHL weren't run like a cartel and instead had no salary cap and no draft and relegation Canadian teams would be winning all the time.

Half the Canadian teams would be gone.

But, all the people who said the cap would help Canadian teams...look at us now...

 

[Bear of Bad News]

How in the world did all of that lead to “Is this the inevitable result of bringing in an NBA guy to run a growing league that sells a Canadian-shaped sport as well as free-agent preference for warmer weather and lower taxes?”

 

[Idiot Stick]

took 30 years for the cats to lift the cup

hope jets are next

 

[Midnight Judges]

Just not a very clutch country I suppose.

Either that or this is an arbitrary observation.

 

[buffalowing88]

Maybe it's a tiny factor but the added pressure of bringing the Cup "home" is likely lurking in the minds of some of these players for Canadian teams. The longer the drought continues, the more the pressure builds.

 

[vikash1987]

Is this the inevitable result of bringing in an NBA guy to run a growing league that sells a Canadian-shaped sport as well as free-agent preference for warmer weather and lower taxes? Or, are all seven in a row somehow easily explicable?

I can explain the pattern: it’s a coincidence, plain and simple.

Each Finals appearance was independent and had nothing whatsoever to do with each other. And the fact that so many of them went 7—well, each series contained within it its own dynamics, its own storylines, its own swings of momentum.

The weight of the entire nation of Canada was never on these players’ shoulders. These were not the Olympics. Edmonton and Calgary are still bitter rivals. The world keeps spinning

And no: neither Gary Bettman, nor the league, nor the warmer weather south of the border, nor the currency/taxes, nor any other external factors can explain these string of losses when patched together.

Sometimes, the explanation is less than satisfactory. But that’s basically what it is.

 

[MadLuke]

I can explain the pattern: it’s a coincidence, plain and simple.

The pattern would be more about: why all but one did not had home ice advantage, one of them was Top 7 in the league...

 

[Overrated]

Half the Canadian teams would be gone.

But, all the people who said the cap would help Canadian teams...look at us now...

Both the cap and the draft help the poorer shittier teams. There are three Canadian teams in the top5 richest teams.

Ranked: Which NHL Team Takes Home the Most Revenue?

The Oilers are the second-highest earning team in the NHL and the Panthers are 26th. We show the top teams in the NHL by revenue in 2023.

www.visualcapitalist.com

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Right, but from a business perspective, the Leafs are the #1 richest franchise with the world's largest hockey fanbase... a veritable cash-cow... and they haven't won the Cup in 57 years.

So, there's no reason for the NHL to push them to do so!

Yeah and all Leafs fans have said that no matter how bad they are people buy tickets and merch. Wonder how this Cup will impact Florida (in absolute $$) and in these rankings

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Just not a very clutch country I suppose.

Either that or this is an arbitrary observation.

Huh? The teams that have won recent cups are mostly composed of Canadian players! The Canucks are anything but Canucks (mostly Americans with 3 Canadians).

 

[MadLuke]

Right, but from a business perspective, the Leafs are the #1 richest franchise with the world's largest hockey fanbase... a veritable cash-cow... and they haven't won the Cup in 57 years.

So, there's no reason for the NHL to push them to do so!

Not sure how-what the nhl pushing them to do so would look like, but the NHL let them take advantage of that money quite a bit.

Maybe they spend twice as much as many to the cap teams, impressive bonus structure to their contract, they seem to care a lot about winning the cup and for downstream reason the league would benefit from it.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Both the cap and the draft help the poorer shittier teams. There are three Canadian teams in the top5 richest teams.

Ranked: Which NHL Team Takes Home the Most Revenue?

The Oilers are the second-highest earning team in the NHL and the Panthers are 26th. We show the top teams in the NHL by revenue in 2023.

www.visualcapitalist.com

Edmonton is only there because of the arena. And they wouldn't spend if there was no cap either. The NTC's are the issue here.

 

[WarriorofTime]

To be honest, I think only Vancouver in 2011 was favored in any of those Series.

 

[reckoning]

From 1956 to 1979 there were 16 times when the Final was a Canadian team against an American team. The Canadian team won all 16.

7 in a row going to one side isn't that remarkable.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Huh? The teams that have won recent cups are mostly composed of Canadian players! The Canucks are anything but Canucks (mostly Americans with 3 Canadians).

Oh right good point. Canadians are totally clutchier than other humans.

Better?

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Oh right good point. Canadians are totally clutchier than other humans.

Better?

FACTS