Give me some explanations, why Canadian hockey fans are reacting so strange

[OWI]

I am a hockey-fan from Austria. And I know, my country is no big deal in hockey. But a t least in this years world cup we could go into overtime against Canada. And beat Finland. An in my part of our land (Carinthia) hockey plays an important role...

I've been following the NHL for about 25 years now. And to be honest: I was always cheering for the Canada based teams. IMHO Canada is ice-hockeys homeland. So I was always sad, when Canadian teams lost in the Stanley-Cup-finals.

What I do not understand: In all these finals - when I was going through the forums afterwards - it was strange to see, that most Canadian fans were happy, that the Canadian team lost, no matter if it was Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Edmonton.

Look, it is now more than 30 years, that the cup is away from Canada. For me that is a shame. So why do Canadian fans give the impression, that they are happy with it? Is there nothing like patriotism? No national pride? And don't tell me, that this is of no importance, because the majority of players in US-based franchises are Canadians!

I simply don't understand that inter-Canadian-hate, that self-humilitang attitude. And can anyone tell me, why there are so few Canada based franchises? Is no one in Canada, who has money interested in hockey. Who needs another team in the US? Who needs for example a Utah-hockey-club?

Back in 1987, while travelling through AUstralia, I met a Canadian guy, a huge hockey fan. I remember him telling me: "We hate the Russians, cause the beat us so often." It seems to me, there a change: Now Canadians hate themselves and love the United States.

For my part: I prefer Canada...

SO: Can anyone give me some explanations.

Greetings from Austria!

Karl-Heinz

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[WarriorOfGandhi]

Canadians never really cared about hockey in the first place

 

[Dead Meat]

It's all bs - they care.

 

[Machinehead]

I never understood the notion that Canadian fans should root for another team that isn't their team, that also happens to play in Canada.

I don't like other American teams.

I don't like anybody. I don't like my own team.

 

[oXo Cube]

The biggest rivals for Canadian teams are other Canadian teams.

It's not that deep.

 

[Nucker101]

I mean for Canucks/Flames fans it's pretty obvious, why should we cheer for Edmonton? Would Philly fans cheer for Pitt against the Oilers? Hell no.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

The country is freaking huge what patriotism do I share with a guy that lives across the globe from me lol. I'm a fan of hockey and my team , would a guy from New York cheer for a team from California because they are in the same country?

Personally I hope no canadian teams ever wins aside from mine.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I never understood the notion that Canadian fans should root for another team that isn't their team, that also happens to play in Canada.

I don't like other American teams.

I don't like anybody. I don't like my own team.

f*** yes, this all the way. This should be my signature (albeit, it's....long].

 

[OWI]

The biggest rivals for Canadian teams are other Canadian teams.

It's not that deep.

Well, if it comes to two teams from Alberta like Edmonton and Calgary, I can slightly understand ist. But why couldn't a Toronto fan cheer for - let us say - the Canucks in a final against a US team?

 

[ponder719]

This isn't really a country vs. country matter. It's a club level competition, no different from the Premier League or Bundesliga in football, or the NFL in football. I wouldn't expect an FC Augsburg fan to be happy when Bayern wins the Bundesliga just because they're both in Bavaria. I live in Pennsylvania, but does that mean I'm happy to see the Penguins do well, because they also represent Pennsylvania? No, not remotely. I'm more miserable when they win than when any other team does.

Sure, Canadians are (broadly) happy when Canada does well in international competitions, but the NHL is every club for itself, and always has been.

 

[AssaultPK]

I want any Canadian team to win first. Everyone around me was cheering on the oilers even though we aren’t oiler fans!!

 

[um]

I never understood the notion that Canadian fans should root for another team that isn't their team, that also happens to play in Canada.

I don't like other American teams.

I don't like anybody. I don't like my own team.

This guy hockeys

 

[innitfam]

Pro sports is about cities, regions and TEAM fandom. This isn't the WJC or Olympics.

Do you think Kings and Sharks fans were rooting for the Ducks in 2007 because the Ducks were playing a Canadian team?

 

[Kranix]

"Canada's team" is a media creation. It's why Jesse Pollock was bandwagonning so hard and frothing at the mouth hyping up Edmonton to the point he was in hysterics. More clicks, more views.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I never understood the notion that Canadian fans should root for another team that isn't their team, that also happens to play in Canada.

I don't like other American teams.

I don't like anybody. I don't like my own team.

This. It makes absolutely no sense to me to root for a rival team just because they're from the same provence/state/country. I barely like my own team half the time.

f*** the other side of Pennsylvania with a pitchfork.

 

[GOilers88]

I am a hockey-fan from Austria. And I know, my country is no big deal in hockey. But a t least in this years world cup we could go into overtime against Canada. And beat Finland. An in my part of our land (Carinthia) hockey plays an important role...

I've been following the NHL for about 25 years now. And to be honest: I was always cheering for the Canada based teams. IMHO Canada is ice-hockeys homeland. So I was always sad, when Canadian teams lost in the Stanley-Cup-finals.

What I do not understand: In all these finals - when I was going through the forums afterwards - it was strange to see, that most Canadian fans were happy, that the Canadian team lost, no matter if it was Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Edmonton.

Look, it is now more than 30 years, that the cup is away from Canada. For me that is a shame. So why do Canadian fans give the impression, that they are happy with it? Is there nothing like patriotism? No national pride? And don't tell me, that this is of no importance, because the majority of players in US-based franchises are Canadians!

I simply don't understand that inter-Canadian-hate, that self-humilitang attitude. And can anyone tell me, why there are so few Canada based franchises? Is no one in Canada, who has money interested in hockey. Who needs another team in the US? Who needs for example a Utah-hockey-club?

Back in 1987, while travelling through AUstralia, I met a Canadian guy, a huge hockey fan. I remember him telling me: "We hate the Russians, cause the beat us so often." It seems to me, there a change: Now Canadians hate themselves and love the United States.

For my part: I prefer Canada...

SO: Can anyone give me some explanations.

Greetings from Austria!

Karl-Heinz

This is probably an entirely different conversation that we can't have here, but in my opinion there really isn't a lot of national pride in Canada anymore, for a multitude of reasons that go so far beyond hockey.

Edit: No, this isn't me saying that all of you who don't cheer for Canadian teams don't care about Canada.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I don't think that people should be expected to root for teams that aren't their team. I wouldn't root for Philly if they made the finals just because they're from my home state.

I didn't root for Florida just because they're the American team. I wouldn't expect anyone to cheer for a team that isn't their own.

It feels very inauthentic for people to talk about rooting for "Canada's team" or whatever. In baseball or basketball where there's only 1 Canadian team I could see this, maybe because it's kind of an "Us vs. The League" mentality, but the NHL really is a regional thing.

 

[M88K]

I am a hockey-fan from Austria. And I know, my country is no big deal in hockey. But a t least in this years world cup we could go into overtime against Canada. And beat Finland. An in my part of our land (Carinthia) hockey plays an important role...

I've been following the NHL for about 25 years now. And to be honest: I was always cheering for the Canada based teams. IMHO Canada is ice-hockeys homeland. So I was always sad, when Canadian teams lost in the Stanley-Cup-finals.

What I do not understand: In all these finals - when I was going through the forums afterwards - it was strange to see, that most Canadian fans were happy, that the Canadian team lost, no matter if it was Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Edmonton.

Look, it is now more than 30 years, that the cup is away from Canada. For me that is a shame. So why do Canadian fans give the impression, that they are happy with it? Is there nothing like patriotism? No national pride? And don't tell me, that this is of no importance, because the majority of players in US-based franchises are Canadians!

I simply don't understand that inter-Canadian-hate, that self-humilitang attitude. And can anyone tell me, why there are so few Canada based franchises? Is no one in Canada, who has money interested in hockey. Who needs another team in the US? Who needs for example a Utah-hockey-club?

Back in 1987, while travelling through AUstralia, I met a Canadian guy, a huge hockey fan. I remember him telling me: "We hate the Russians, cause the beat us so often." It seems to me, there a change: Now Canadians hate themselves and love the United States.

For my part: I prefer Canada...

SO: Can anyone give me some explanations.

Greetings from Austria!

Karl-Heinz

You're equating the location of the team with the nationality of the players.
the Edmonton Oilers aren't "Canadas team" just because the franchise is located north of the border. Them winning the cup doesn't mean shit for Toronto fans, Sens fans, Calgary fans, etc.
Both teams have Canadian players so either team winning, is seeing the cup return to Canada at some point anyway.
If it was some boring international tournament, you would see the fans, that want the oilers to fail, and they're an unlikeable team, be pro-Team Canada.

 

[Warden of the North]

I cheer for the Leafs. The other Canadian markets are not the Leafs. They also aren't all Canadian players.

The Leafs biggest rivals are Canadian markets.

 

[ponder719]

On the subject of why there are only 7 Canadian teams, well, it comes down to money, and where the NHL feels they can make money. The US is a financial powerhouse several times stronger than Canada, with a vastly larger population, and many more underserved population centers. Sure, you may have a lot of hockey fans in Regina, but you also have a metropolitan population of roughly 250,000 people. To fill a 15,000 seat arena 41 times a year, every man, woman, and child in the Regina metro would have to buy tickets to 2.5 games. To fill that same arena that same number of times in the 6.3 million population Atlanta metro area, you would need only one in 10 people to buy a single ticket. It's much, much harder to maintain a financial balance in a small location than a large one, so you don't see a lot of teams in smaller cities. Frankly, all the largest cities in Canada are already served, and with the possible exceptions of a second team in the Greater Toronto Area and a team in Quebec City, you're fresh out of options that are large enough to work, until and unless another major population center has an overwhelming boom period.

 

[CanadienShark]

I never understood the notion that Canadian fans should root for another team that isn't their team, that also happens to play in Canada.

I don't like other American teams.

I don't like anybody. I don't like my own team.

My point has always been (if no other favourites for other reasons) is to cheer for the team with the most Canadian players, not the location of the team.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Pure idiocy from Canadian sports media, as per usual.

Every year they trot out the "Canada's Team" bullshit, or another "it's been ___ years since...." sob story and why we should all jump on the bandwagon.

It never works.

Ever.

 

[Spybot]

Contrary to what the name may imply, the National Hockey League doesn't have nations competing. Canada cannot ever win the cup. There is nothing for all Canadians to cheer for together.

 

[Community]

Coming from a Leafs fan that didnt really care who won this year:

I never got the notion of cheering for a team simply because they were Canadian... I already have the Olympics and World Jrs for cheering on Canada. In the NHL, my team is the Leafs... full stop.

If my team doesn't win, I don't personally enjoy falling back on another Canadian team and (unfortunately) largely loose interst in the playoffs once they are out. I actually watch more non-Leaf games before my team is eliminated than after. Most Canadian teams feel like rivals anyways given the heightened media publicity and constant comparisons they receive.

I cheered for Vancouver during their 2011 run because I liked the team at the time and probably would've cheered for them this year if they made it to the finals because I have friends that are Canucks fans and therefore follow them more than a random team and also like a fair number of their players... NOT because they are a Canadian team. I also wouldn't experience anywhere close to the same satisfaction with a win.

I think i also like the selfish idea of having the Leafs be the ones to break the "Canadian cup drought" at this point.

 

[ViD]

it’s not their team, buddy

It’s not their fight, pal