30 years without a cup for Canadian teams: why?

[Machinehead]

I voted for "bad luck" because that's the closest option to "it is what it is."

There's a lot less of them than American teams. That's probably the #1 factor.

Beyond that, it's not like they haven't been close a few times. A bounce here and a bounce there and we're not having this conversation. That's hockey.

 

[Rowlet]

To say that the Canucks were the only elite Canadian team in 30 years is a falsehood.

I disagree. I think the 03 Sens were a clear step down, but if you want to argue the grey area of what "elite" means, I'm not interested.

They didn't score the most, allow the least, have the best PP and the 10th best PK, they were a very good team but I'd have them just outside the elite grouping if the 2010-11 Canucks are the gold standard for an elite team.

They're closer to the 02-03 Canucks than the 10-11 Canucks, heck the 02-03 Canucks scored more goals than the Senators while having nearly identical special teams stats.

 

[End on a Hinote]

Just bad luck.

Case in point, the NBA just had a Western Conference team not from California or Texas win their championship for the first time since 1979. That's a group of eight teams not winning for over forty years.

Sometimes, flukes just happen, and this one is just noticeable due to the droughts being Canadian.

I didn't know that. That's actually insane!

 

[NyQuil]

They're closer to the 02-03 Canucks than the 10-11 Canucks, heck the 02-03 Canucks scored more goals than the Senators while having nearly identical special teams stats.

Yeah, closer except in wins, points, position in the standings.

Even the 2006-2007 Senators were better than the 2002-2003 Canucks.

It is true what they say about Western Conference fans and their level of awareness of what happens back East.

 

[End on a Hinote]

Bad management and some of it is bad luck.

Four Canadian teams have been in a game 7 of Cup Finals since 1993.

The interesting thing is in four game 7s the Canadian has never had the lead. Not even once, not even for 1 second of play.

That's a really bizarre statistical aberration, even in the NHL if you had the worst team in the league play the best team in the league 4 times, at some point the worst team would at least have a lead most likely.

For whatever reason Canadian teams get no bounce, no "lucky deflection goal" or anything like that in a game 7 of a SCF.

Also, the Oilers in last years game 7 final were the only team of all the game 7s played with Canadian teams since 1987 (last Canadian team to win SC in game 7) to even tie the game back.

They were the only game 7 Canadian team since 1987 to not let their first goal against be the eventual GWG!

 

[robertmac43]

Choosing bad luck - but honestly I don't really think this narrative means anything to anyone?

As a Canadian I don't want to see any of the other 6 teams win a Stanley Cup anyways. I don't find any pride or reason to celebrate seeing another City/Team win and break the streak.

 

[NyQuil]

Choosing bad luck - but honestly I don't really think this narrative means anything to anyone?

As a Canadian I don't want to see any of the other 6 teams win a Stanley Cup anyways. I don't find any pride or reason to celebrate seeing another City/Team win and break the streak.

Yeah, it comes up as a weird flex sometimes by Americans when we really don't give a crap if it isn't your own team.

24 American teams lose every year too.

Club hockey is club hockey and international hockey is international hockey.

 

[robertmac43]

Yeah, it comes up as a weird flex sometimes by Americans when we really don't give a crap if it isn't your own team.

24 American teams lose every year too.

Club hockey is club hockey and international hockey is international hockey.

Exactly. I'm a Leafs fan, my guess is if we won you wouldn't be too pleased haha. Heck - I know i'd rather see a US based team over the Sens.

 

[LaCarriere]

I voted for "bad luck" because that's the closest option to "it is what it is."

There's a lot less of them than American teams. That's probably the #1 factor.

Beyond that, it's not like they haven't been close a few times. A bounce here and a bounce there and we're not having this conversation. That's hockey.

They make up roughly 22% of the league (obviously that's changed over the years since '93.) Realistically it's quite a statistical anomaly. It took MTL a long time to recover from losing Roy. Ottawa had a dreadful start. If they came into the league in slightly better draft years, and drafted better (I know 20/20) that franchise could have been completely different. Vancouver is just hard to wrap my head around.

 

[CaptBrannigan]

Give me a break.

Ottawa in 2003 had fewer goals against and more goals for when they also won the President's Trophy.

That year, they didn't blow a lead for the entire regular season.

For real, they never lost a game they led in? That’s an astounding stat, honestly one of the craziest I’ve heard in a while that I don’t already know.

 

[NyQuil]

Ottawa had a dreadful start. If they came into the league in slightly better draft years, and drafted better (I know 20/20) that franchise could have been completely different.

Well the expansion draft rules were much more punitive to new teams back then.

For Las Vegas alone, existing NHL teams were allowed to protect 7 forwards, 3 defenceman, and 1 goaltender, or 1 goaltender and 8 skaters of any position.

For BOTH Ottawa and Tampa Bay who had to draft together, existing NHL teams were allowed to protect 2 goaltenders and 14 position players.

For real, they never lost a game they led in? That’s an astounding stat, honestly one of the craziest I’ve heard in a while that I don’t already know.

You know what, I checked it out (because I'd heard it a few times) and it's actually wrong.

My bad!

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

 

[Mrfenn92]

Bad luck and in some cases as it is for any team bad management

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

Players don't want to play here and the ones that do can't handle the pressure.

Simple.

I think this is it, lots of smaller market teams in Canada, and the bigger markets like TO and Montreal come with huge pressure. Why play under the spotlight when you could go somewhere warmer and maintain some level of anonymity.

 

[vancityluongo]

if we look at a random 7 team cluster that hasn't won over that time period (minus 1 year) - the rangers, isles, flyers, buffalo, columbus, nashville, minny - wonder which drought runs longer

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I didn't know that. That's actually insane!

Not to mention that any talking point that gets brought up for why the NHL doesn't care about Canada could absolutely be brought up for the non-Texas/California western teams, given that they're all smaller and more ancillary markets whereas I don't think anyone would call Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver small market in the NHL.

In a 30 to 32 team league, chunks of the teams are just going to have droughts at any given moment, and sometimes odd patterns emerge. So just as the NHL has a 7-team Canadian drought lasting 30 years the NBA had an 8-team 40 year drought on their hands also in a relatively neat geographic grouping.

I get why it comes off as a big deal in the NHL, as Canada is the backbone of the talent supply and for the league's financials, but sometimes flukey streaks happen.

Not pointing anyone out, but folks that lean back into rigging claims are merely just excusing away unferperforming players or numbskulled management.

A Canadian team will win again, and when it happens truth be told I'm expecting the folks most disappointed with that will be fans of the six other teams once that "Canada's team" narrative gets pushed nationwide up north until another Canadian team wins again. Heck, watch three different Canadian teams win in a four year span in the 2030s just to really confound folks.

 

[Rowlet]

Yeah, closer except in wins, points, position in the standings.

Even the 2006-2007 Senators were better than the 2002-2003 Canucks.

It is true what they say about Western Conference fans and their level of awareness of what happens back East.

Complete lack of self awareness, you've got it the opposite. Western fans of hockey (not just one team) get to watch Eastern games every day, while Eastern fans go to bed before Western teams play.

Eastern bias is a very real thing.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Sure, the Senators scored one goal more, but still didn't lead the league in scoring, and they allowed 3 less, but again didn't lead the league.

Senators also won the presidents trophy and were +81 on goal differential and the nucks were +77.
I’d say they were both contenders like other poster said.

 

[Rowlet]

Senators also won the presidents trophy and were +81 on goal differential and the nucks were +77.
I’d say they were both contenders like other poster said.

I didn't say anything about being contenders, I said the Canucks were the only elite team. There has been plenty of Canadian contenders over the past 30 years, but only one truly elite team.

 

[RedHawkDown]

There’s just way fewer teams. That’s it.

 

[Train]

What are the reasons, what is preventing Canadian teams from winning?

The reason is American teams can play better hockey than Canada.

Regardless of how Canada domineer the national teams.

American teams play better in the NHL besides occur more American players in the world.

I estimate so.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I didn't say anything about being contenders, I said the Canucks were the only elite team. There has been plenty of Canadian contenders over the past 30 years, but only one truly elite team.

lol they were both elite as pointed out, both won the Presidents trophy, sorry but the truth hurts.
If the Sens weren’t elite than neither were the nucks.

 

[NyQuil]

Complete lack of self awareness, you've got it the opposite.

You would think so except for what I'm reading in this thread.

It's no wonder everyone was cheering for Boston.

 

[GRob83]

Every time a Canadian team has a good goalie they have a crap team in front of him. Every time they have a good team, the goalie sucks.

 

[jbeck5]

Pretty sure the Canucks didn't either, they also had the #1 PP, #2 PK, they won the Jennings trophy for least goals allowed, and scored the most goals in the league.

Sure, the Senators scored one goal more, but still didn't lead the league in scoring, and they allowed 3 less, but again didn't lead the league.

You are describing two very similar teams...as opposed to one elite and one not elite that you claimed to be....

 

[End on a Hinote]

Not to mention that any talking point that gets brought up for why the NHL doesn't care about Canada could absolutely be brought up for the non-Texas/California western teams, given that they're all smaller and more ancillary markets whereas I don't think anyone would call Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver small market in the NHL.

In a 30 to 32 team league, chunks of the teams are just going to have droughts at any given moment, and sometimes odd patterns emerge. So just as the NHL has a 7-team Canadian drought lasting 30 years the NBA had an 8-team 40 year drought on their hands also in a relatively neat geographic grouping.

I get why it comes off as a big deal in the NHL, as Canada is the backbone of the talent supply and for the league's financials, but sometimes flukey streaks happen.

Not pointing anyone out, but folks that lean back into rigging claims are merely just excusing away unferperforming players or numbskulled management.

A Canadian team will win again, and when it happens truth be told I'm expecting the folks most disappointed with that will be fans of the six other teams once that "Canada's team" narrative gets pushed nationwide up north until another Canadian team wins again. Heck, watch three different Canadian teams win in a four year span in the 2030s just to really confound folks.

Thats what I found so interesting as well. A big excuse here is that players can't perform under such pressure in Canada. I dont know much about basketball culture in many of the western US states but its interesting that the two states that have won championships for the west have come from, I assume, the most pressure filled markets in that area of the US.