ANDREW CYR
<Sports Editor>
A few issues ago, I made predictions as to the fortunes of the NHL’s Canadian franchises this season. As is to be expected when predicting sports outcomes, I was almost entirely wrong. While I predicted that Winnipeg and Edmonton would each take considerable leaps forward and become playoff teams, only the Jets remains in the hunt, while the Oilers have stumbled down the stretch and appear to need another year or two of seasoning before they become contenders. Meanwhile, while I projected that neither Toronto nor Montreal had the right ingredients to make the postseason, both are currently in the thick of the playoff race, with the Canadiens holding onto the Northeast Division lead. Ottawa and Vancouver are also in the playoff mix with less than a month remaining in the NHL’s regular season.
While I may not be the best in the world at forecasting sports success, there is some upside to my failure. For much of the past few seasons, the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens have been Canada’s only consistent representatives in the postseason. While a lot can happen in the next month, it appears, for now, that this is about to change.
If the season ended today, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver would all qualify for the postseason. The last time that five Canadian franchises qualified for the NHL playoffs was in 2003-04 – before the old lockout, and coincidentally the last time the Leafs made the playoffs. This represents an exciting time for the Canadian hockey fan, as the possibility of an all-Canadian playoff series, or even an all-Canadian Stanley Cup final looms larger than it has in decades. It also represents an exciting time for the NHL as a whole, as the increased television audiences and inflated ticket prices that will accompany any Canadian team’s playoff run will serve to increase league revenue.
That’s just the good news. The even better news is that this scenario is likely to continue for years to come. The Jets and Senators have two of the most promising young rosters in the NHL, and appear to be playoff mainstays for years to come (although the Jets path is going to become much more difficult once they leave the Southeast Division next season). Similarly, unlike past incarnations of their teams, which were filled with overpaid free agent signings and ill-considered trade acquisitions, the current Leafs and Canadiens rosters are dotted with young, home-grown talent.
Two issues ago, my fellow sports writer, Dan Styler, asked incredulously: “are the Toronto Maple Leafs good?” He concluded that yes, in fact, they are. And as much as it pains me as a long-time Leafs nay-sayer, I’m inclined to agree. While their defense can be shaky, their goaltending has held up, and their offense has emerged as one of the league’s most potent. The Canadiens meanwhile boast one of the NHL’s best netminders in Carey Price, and a very strong defense corps, anchored by the finally healthy Andrei Markov. Both teams appear to have bright futures ahead of them. In addition, it won’t be too long before Edmonton’s young guns progress to the level where they can carry their team to the postseason.
In fact, it is the perennial powerhouse Vancouver Canucks that have the most uncertain future of the Canadian teams, with the Sedin twins aging and no heir apparent to their spots on the Canucks’ top line. As for the Calgary Flames, trading away their captain in Jarome Iginla may have been hard, but it was long overdue and it is a positive sign that Flames’ management is finally committing to a rebuild.
Not only are Canada’s teams experiencing a newfound level of success, so are Canadian players. While failing to win gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships for four consecutive years has some Canadian fans wringing their hands about the state of the game in Canada, the truth is that Canadian players are as dominant as ever on the game’s biggest stage. As of the time of writing, 4 out of the NHL’s top 5 scorers are Canadian. A healthy Sidney Crosby (assuming he recovers from his recent encounter with a puck) and the continued emergence of Steven Stamkos should ensure that the world’s best hockey players remain Canadian for the foreseeable future. These two players will form the core of a Canadian team that will look to defend the gold at the Olympics in Sochi in 2014.