Whenever Eric Desjardins reunites with his 1993 Montreal Canadiens teammates, the topic of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ongoing Stanley Cup drought doesnB次元官网网址檛 come up in conversation.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 see it that way. Canadian team, American team, itB次元官网网址檚 just that we were part of the NHL,B次元官网网址� the former star defenceman said. B次元官网网址淪ure, itB次元官网网址檚 been a while in Montreal, but we donB次元官网网址檛 really talk about the 26 years.B次元官网网址�
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ThatB次元官网网址檚 right. With the NHL playoffs set to open Wednesday, it will be going on 26 years since the Canadiens B次元官网网址� or any other Canadian team B次元官网网址� brought home the Cup.
Desjardins, who enjoyed a 17-year career split between Montreal and Philadelphia, chalks up the drought to NHL expansion across the United States and league-wide parity ushered in with the introduction of the salary cap in 2005.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 supposed to be our national sport, and weB次元官网网址檙e supposed to be the best at it,B次元官网网址� said Desjardins, whoB次元官网网址檚 from Montreal. B次元官网网址淏ut now, the way the leagueB次元官网网址檚 structured I think it could go anywhere. B次元官网网址� I think anybody can win it now. And I think it makes it more interesting.B次元官网网址�
Still, the 49-year-old acknowledged a quarter century between Cups in Canada is far too long, and Desjardins can see himself rooting for any Canadian team making it to this yearB次元官网网址檚 Final.
B次元官网网址淚f the FinalB次元官网网址檚 between Pittsburgh and Winnipeg, yeah I would root, even though I like Pittsburgh,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut yeah, against Calgary, Winnipeg, I would cheer for the Canadian team.B次元官网网址�
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Cup hopes this spring rest on three teams B次元官网网址� Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto B次元官网网址� to end the drought. Of course, most current Canadian-born NHL players werenB次元官网网址檛 alive to see Desjardins and Co. celebrate their five-game series win over the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings.
Sabres forward Jason Pominville is among the exceptions.
He was 10 when his hometown Habs won, and Pominville still vividly recalls Game 2 of the series in which Desjardins scored all three goals in MontrealB次元官网网址檚 3-2 overtime win after the Canadiens lost the opener.
B次元官网网址淚 remember watching that and celebrating in my living room, and fist-pumping when he scored,B次元官网网址� Pominville said. B次元官网网址淚 was a big fan of Gretzky, too. But when youB次元官网网址檙e in Montreal, itB次元官网网址檚 tough not to root for that team when youB次元官网网址檙e growing up.B次元官网网址�
In Montreal, there was a time when winning the Cup was considered a birthright. The Canadiens still top the list with 24 championships, 23 coming after the NHL was founded in 1917.
And yet, Montreal hasnB次元官网网址檛 reached the Final since B次元官网网址�93, while only five Canadian teams have done so; Vancouver is the only one to make two appearances during the drought, in 1994 and 2011.
Then there are the Maple Leafs, who havenB次元官网网址檛 reached the Final since winning the Cup in 1967, the last year of the NHLB次元官网网址檚 Original Six era.
The low point might have been the 2016 playoffs, the first since 1970 to not feature a Canadian team
This was not always the case. From 1927 to 1995, the lengthiest stretch for a Canadian team not appearing in the Final was two years. It last happened in 1991-92, when Pittsburgh won consecutive championships by beating Minnesota and Chicago.
As for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 lengthiest Cup drought before the B次元官网网址�93 Habs, it was a six-year span from 1936-41.
The current drought has gone on for so long, former executive-turned broadcaster Brian Burke said the math simply doesnB次元官网网址檛 add up.
B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 make sense. ThereB次元官网网址檚 31 teams, so seven out of 31 teams, a Canadian team should win every four-and-a-half years,B次元官网网址� said Burke, who has worked in the front offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary.
The problem, Burke said, is Canadian teams are at a disadvantage because many players donB次元官网网址檛 want to play north of the border for several reasons.
The first, he said, is a lack of privacy and the amount of pressure placed on players to win north of the border. Burke said a large number of players, including Canadians, often list all seven Canadian teams on the no-trade clauses of their contracts.
B次元官网网址淓ven in Calgary, we had our lists where players got to put 10 teams on a no-trade list, and all the Canadian teams were on those lists,B次元官网网址� he said.
The second issue is CanadaB次元官网网址檚 taxation rate.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no privacy. Horrible personal criticisms on social media, and then you take home way less money, so itB次元官网网址檚 pretty easy,B次元官网网址� Burke said.
He can only imagine how much national attention will be paid to the next Canadian team to win it all.
B次元官网网址淭he next GM that wins a Cup in Canada, theyB次元官网网址檒l be naming schools after him, and streets,B次元官网网址� Burke said.
DonB次元官网网址檛 think Flames GM Brad Treliving hasnB次元官网网址檛 given ending the drought some thought.
B次元官网网址淗ey, thatB次元官网网址檚 all you dream about,B次元官网网址� he said, while attempting to keep the pressures of winning in Canada in perspective.
B次元官网网址淵ou got to bed at night and itB次元官网网址檚 no different than any other manager or any other person involved in the game: ThatB次元官网网址檚 what you want to accomplishB次元官网网址� Treliving said. B次元官网网址淚f you really put the energy and the effort into doing the right things, the results will come.B次元官网网址�
Having lost in the Final twice, Desjardins canB次元官网网址檛 remember a sweeter moment than winning the Cup.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a reward thatB次元官网网址檚 indescribable,B次元官网网址� Desjardins said. B次元官网网址淲hen you win, you can share it. You share it with your teammates, you share it with the coaching staff.B次元官网网址�
In Canada, it will be shared with an entire nation.
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
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