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Evander Kane on Canada’s Stanley Cup drought
Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane shares his thoughts on Canada’s Stanley Cup drought.
Sports Seriously
Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought is perplexing considering what preceded it.
Three years before the 1993 Montreal Canadiens‘ title, a Canadian team won seven consecutive seasons (Edmonton Oilers five times and Canadiens and Calgary Flames once each) from 1984-90. A Canadian team reached the Stanley Cup Final every year from 1982-90, including all-Canada finals in 1986 and 1989. The Vancouver Canucks lost in the 1994 Final.
The drought started that year and continues to this day. The 2024 Oilers are the latest Canadian team to try to end it.
“It feels good to maybe unite the country a little bit and have something to bring people together,” Oilers star Connor McDavid said after his team clinched its first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2006. “That’s what sports is all about, bringing people together and hopefully we’re doing that for Canadians across the country.”
Explaining Canada’s Stanley Cup drought:
The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup
The 1993 Canadiens won behind goalie Patrick Roy, 10 consecutive overtime victories and a successful stick measurement challenge against the Los Angeles Kings’ Marty McSorley in the Final.
“The two teams had their sticks in the hallway, so we saw it there and we saw it on the ice,” then-coach Jacques Demers told USA TODAY Sports years later. “We also knew that McSorley wouldn’t change his stick at the end of the period.”
The Canadiens didn’t do anything about it in a Game 1 loss. But when they trailed 2-1 late in the third period of Game 2, Demers challenged the curve on McSorley’s stick. Canadiens defenseman Eric Desjardins scored on the ensuing power play and also in overtime and Montreal went on to win the series in five games.
“We had some players with illegal sticks,” Demers said. “They had some players with illegal sticks. We just happened to pick on McSorley.”
What led to Canada’s Stanley Cup drought?
The poor value of the Canadian dollar, compared with the U.S. dollar, hurt teams north of the border because their revenue was in Canadian dollars but they paid players in U.S. dollars. It made it harder for Canadian teams to hang on to their stars until a salary cap and revenue sharing helped the smaller markets.
Arena issues led the Quebec Nordiques to move to Denver in 1995. They won a Stanley Cup in their first season as the Colorado Avalanche after trading for Roy. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Arizona in 1996 and became the Coyotes. Canada got a team back in 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the current Jets.
Still, the numbers work against Canadian teams. Only one team can win the Stanley Cup and the United States has 25 teams to Canada’s seven.
Which Canadian teams have reach the Stanley Cup Final since 1993?
1994: The Canucks rallied to tie the Final after trailing three games to one, but the New York Rangers won Game 7 at home.
2004: The Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. The Flames had a chance to clinch in Game 6, but a would-be go-ahead goal by Martin Gelinas was (seemingly) missed. The Lightning won in double overtime and captured Game 7 at home.
2006: The Oilers tied the series after trailing 3-1 but the Carolina Hurricanes won Game 7 at home.
2007: The Ottawa Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.
2011: The Canucks blew 2-0 and 3-2 series leads against the Boston Bruins and lost Game 7 at home.
2021: The Canadiens, who advanced to the third round out of an all-Canada division, fell to the Lightning in five games in the Final.
