There's little argument that when it comes to professional sports, the world of hockey takes top spot in the hearts of many Canadians.
And, for many folks, which team you cheer for in the Stanley Cup Final comes down to where the two teams call home.
Darrin Nichol of Rankin Inlet said hockey allegiances run deep, making some folks' claim that they don't care who wins the Stanley Cup as long as it comes back to Canada far from a sure thing.
Nichol said it's been a long time since a Canadian team last won the cup in 1993 and, he added, during that era, Canadian teams won it frequently.
He said he doesn't think anyone ever envisioned there would be this kind of a national drought when it comes to a Canadian team capturing Lord Stanley.
“Also, in hockey, because we're so knowledgeable about the sport, and we follow it so closely, you have allegiances to players too,” said Nichol.
“I'd be hard pressed to name two players on the Toronto Blue Jays, even though I cheer for them, but I can name a lot of players on both the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.”
Nichol said another thing that percolates in the background that nobody wants to talk about is that every Canadian franchise wants to be the one that brings hockey's holy grail back to Canada.
And, he said, they're going to get their nose out of joint if some other franchise beats them to it.
“When it comes to allegiances, things are less clear with hockey than they are with baseball because the country only has the one team. It would be the same if we had an NFL franchise in Toronto.
“Even basketball; the basketball people cheer for the Raptors. That's Canada's basketball team. That's who we got, so we rally around them. When they won the championship, it was a national celebration.
“In hockey, my team is Winnipeg. Everybody knows that. The Oilers have beaten up my little Jets many times going back to the (former) Smythe Division, but I'm cheering for the Oilers against Florida because I would like to see the cup come back to Canada.
“That's not so much because I like the Oilers. I'd just like to see a Canadian team win it.”
