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

[Caroline Says ll]

I am a Canadian born in Scarborough, raised in the Niagara region. My favourite team is the Sabres. I want no Canadian team to ever win the the cup. In fact the only one that would not cause me too much distress would be the Leafs because than I know that every other province is writhing in agony dealing with that concept which brings a morbid happiness to me.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Just for the record: I am not the Canadian sports media. Just a fan from Austria.

To be fair it makes a ton more sense for you to hold this kind of view than the Canadian media. Country size really matters in a thing like this IMO.

If Sturm Graz does well in a UEFA tournament, that probably makes a Rapid Wien fan feel better. If Edmonton wins...why should Montreal care? They're thousands of miles away...many of which speak a different language. Bringing the Cup 'back' to Canada is a largely media-driven narrative.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I would never root for a team other than my own to win the Stanley Cup.

Fans of other canadian teams doing so - glomming onto ex players, some of whom gave their city and franchise the finger on the way out of the door - is very strange behaviour to me.

 

[swiftwin]

Not the Barcelona fans. But for other cities in Spain, I am sure they wanted a Spanish club to win. But okay: Fans in North America are apparently different...

Maybe casual fans in Spain would cheer for Real Madrid, but a hardcore Atletico Madrid fan? Unlikely.

Same thing in North America. Casual fans were cheering for Edmonton. Hardcore fans of their teams didn't, especially those from rivals like Calgary and Vancouver. Those without a rivalry were more of a 50/50 mixed bag.

 

[Metroid]

I want more Canadian teams in the NHL, but I only want MY Canadian team to win the cup, or atleast to be the first since 93', then the others could win it after, don't give a shit.

 

[Siludin]

Half of the league is Canadian. It's impossible for a team to win and not bring it home to Canada. Anytime the cup is awarded, it's essentially a victory lap for Canadian hockey.

Nobody cares when Goku doesn't make it to the World Martial Arts Tournament.
They care when he's MIA during a a world-ending threat.
That's why NHLers belong in the Olympics.

 

[ponder719]

I buy that. But if i am a Austria Klagenfurt fan (which is in carinthia, where I live), I would cheer for both Rapid and Austria Wien, if the would have the chance for an international title. Which is by the way highly improbalbel.

And that's the thing, the bolded bit. The NHL isn't an international competition in that sense; it's a single entity, where some of the members exist on the other side of an imaginary line. Not materially different from when Swansea or Cardiff City are in the Prem.

The NHL's more akin to the Bundesliga (either one, really) than it is to the UCL or UEL. There isn't a best-on-best club competition higher than the Stanley Cup. If there was, if the Cup champion faced the winners of the KHL, SM Liiga, DEL, and a few other international hockey leagues, maybe NHL fans would get behind the Cup champion in that, but that just doesn't exist.

 

[JadedLeaf]

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.

I honestly blame social media in my case. Used to watch with my great grandmother all the time. Our attitude was always if the Leafs are out pick another Canadian team. That was about 20 years ago now. My attitude has changed and I think it coincides almost entirely with with me becoming active on social media and sites like these where there's generally more negative interactions with fans of other teams than there are in person to person interactions.

 

[Xirik]

Saskatchewan doesn't have a team and Jets only appeared again in 2011. I have no loyalties to any Canadian team.

 

[lettuceAA]

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.

I was saying this last night after a fellow Canadian gave me shit for hoping to see Florida win. Are Ranger fans cheering for Florida because they are the last American team.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Most teams that win the cup, are mostly Canadian players.
Canada hasn't won a cup in so long and Candian teams have mostly sucked for so long it has caused us to all mostly hate eachother (Ottawa and Winnipeg mostly get forgotten about though).
Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary all hate eachother. Toronto and Montreal hate eachother. Toronto and Edmonton both think the other fan base is the worst one and Toronto is still bitter that Edmonton got McDavid.

 

[mr figgles]

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.

I would cheer for Pittsburgh in the first round against Toronto for the hilarity, but otherwise I want them to go bankrupt again and move to Atlanta.

 

[Muffin]

Because there's no such thing as Canada's team in the NHL. The only team Canada to me is when they're in an international tournament. On top of that most Canadian teams are rivals with each other if anything.

 

[FerrisRox]

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?

They certainly could, but the real question is: Why would they?

The notion that simply being based in Canada suddenly makes them Canada's team is kind of silly.

Over the top blind "patriotism" is much more common south of the border.

 

[Sypher04]

If I am not a fan of the team then I’m not cheering for them. In the case of fights between 2 clubs I don’t like, my feelings about each specific team will determine outcome I desire. From there I will derive my enjoyment from rooting against the less acceptable winner. I’m not going to bandwagon cheer for a team I don’t like just because I happen to be from the same country. I don’t see this as a reflection on patriotism at all. More than ready to throw my support again behind our WJC and Olympic teams and any other international play. Team Canada is Canada’s team. The rest is media noise.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

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?

It's just the way it is. I was born in Winnipeg moved to Vancouver at 3. Went back every Christmas and stayed a loyal Jets fan, hated Vancouver. When the jets moved I became a nucks fan and now hate the jets 2.0 as much as every other Canadian team.
No rhyme or reason for it except national bragging rights but I will always cheer for the American team over any Canadian team.

I will say the fans themselves make it easy to hate them, look at the oilers fans five minutes after losing had the nerve to blame the refs.
The only team despite having the worst fans I might be a bit happy for is the Habs and that's only because of the French/Metis on my Dad's side of the family.

 

[tmurfin]

Nothing to do with National pride. There’s an Oilers logo on the front of their jersey, not a RED maple leaf.

I barely like the team I cheer for, why tf would I cheer for someone else.

 

[Monkey D Luffy]

Always wondered if the majority of Canadians root for the Blue Jays in baseball (particularly Expos fans) and the Raptors in basketball considering they are Toronto teams? I assume they would follow the US team nearest their city rather than support a Toronto team.

Because they're Canada's team. If Vancouver or Montreal got a team I'd assume those fans would not be cheering for the Jays.

 

[thegazelle]

It is amazing what certain events can do to bring people together, regionally and geographically. It's akin to people putting aside differences at weddings, funerals, etc., even if it put aside only temporarily.

Canada is so cup starved that from what I have seen in 30 years, people will put aside their differences and even hatred of certain teams to cheer for them as they are from Canada. For me, I hate the Leafs with a passion, BUT if it was the Leafs vs Dallas in the Stanley Cup Finals, you can be sure I would be rooting for the Leafs. Would not have a Leafs flag in front of my house like an Oilers one, but aside from stupid Boston Pizza commercials suggesting people get together and cheer on the Canadian team, I think many people were doing that. I know so many people at work and in my neighbourhood who are Habs and Leafs fans but Oilers gear because regardless of other differences during the season, the Oilers were Canada's team in these playoffs. If the sample size was the microcosm of online comments, that is not representative of what I saw in real life with a concerted solid support for the Oilers. I even have colleagues in Quebec who were wearing Oilers jerseys and rooting for the Canadian team.

 

[Strangle]

It doesn’t make any sense to cheer for a team jsut because it’s located in Canada. The players on most NHL teams are like half Canadians. Should we cheer for those teams with the highest proportion of Canadians? That would actually make more sense.

You don’t see Americans cheering for other American teams jsut because they’re American. Why should Canadians do so? Seems like a weird idea all around.

You’ve never heard bruins fans chant “USA! USA! USA!” When they’re playing the leafs in the playoffs?

 

[RedHawkDown]

But…they’re bruins fans. I’m pretty sure bruins fans aren’t going to Panthers games and chanting “USA”

You’ve never heard bruins fans chant “USA! USA! USA!” When they’re playing the leafs in the playoffs?

…

 

[613Leafer]

I think there are two things:
(1) Canadian teams generally have big fanbases across the country and a large presence online, so even if they're not in your division, there's more of a rivalry with other Canadian teams and their fans than there is with say Florida. I honestly don't think I've ever met a Florida fan in real life, but have known dozens of Oilers fans.
(2) Now that the Canada drought has gone on for so long, to the point of absurdity, we all want OUR team to be the one to break it. Don't want Oiler fans (for example) hanging it over our heads that they broke the drought.

In saying that, I did want McDavid to win, to help cement his legacy.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I dont care about the Canadian aspect at all. It's greatly overrated by the media. Half of the American teams are made up of Canadian players anyway.


I dont want to see any of my favorite teams rival teams win the cup. If it was Ottawa in the finals, I'd be happy to see them win.

 

[Rcknrollkillnmachine]

Because they're Canada's team. If Vancouver or Montreal got a team I'd assume those fans would not be cheering for the Jays.

If I'm a Habs fan I would assume I'm not cheering a Toronto team especially after the Blue Jays contributed to the demise of the Expos for example.

 

[Monkey D Luffy]

Most teams that win the cup, are mostly Canadian players.
Canada hasn't won a cup in so long and Candian teams have mostly sucked for so long it has caused us to all mostly hate eachother (Ottawa and Winnipeg mostly get forgotten about though).
Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary all hate eachother. Toronto and Montreal hate eachother. Toronto and Edmonton both think the other fan base is the worst one and Toronto is still bitter that Edmonton got McDavid.

Hey screw you man. We hate all of you as well.