This weekend, the Oilers and Connor McDavid watched Jonathan Marchessault and the Golden Knights print their ticket to the National Hockey League playoff conference final.
Before them, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers in five games. Even if Toronto put an end to a 19-year drought without reaching the second round of the playoffs, the disappointment remains strong since the formation of Ontario aspired to much more than a short journey in the playoffs with its expensive quartet of forwards formed by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander.
The four big guns of the Leafs were very discreet against the resilient Panthers with the result that we know: golf in May instead of a Stanley Cup in June.
A few weeks ago, the road to the Stanley Cup began with three Canadian teams: the Oilers, the Maple Leafs and the Jets. Two of the three teams met the indomitable Golden Knights of Las Vegas. With the elimination of the Oilers and the Maple Leafs, a sad observation is needed north of the American border. Once again, the Stanley Cup will slip through the fingers of Canada’s seven NHL teams.
30 years without the Stanley Cup
With the Oilers now eliminated – it has now been 30 years since the last team from Canada won the Stanley Cup. pic.twitter.com/Nt9Q4Ke4Dl
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo)
May 15, 2023
We have to go back to June 9, 1993 to highlight the last triumph of a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup final.
Montreal fans remember it as Patrick Roy and the Canadiens won against Wayne Gretzky’s Kings. The Habs’ 24th Stanley Cup is, to this day, the last time a Canadian team finished the season atop the NHL mountain.
Since that glorious summer season, the Stanley Cup has visited Florida three times with Tampa Bay triumphs in 2021, 2020 and 2004. Ironically, the Stanley Cup has also been lifted three times in California in the Anaheim Ducks victory in 2007 and the Kings in 2014 and 2012.
From the Rangers in 1994 to the Avalanche in 2022, 14 different teams have added a Stanley Cup to their history. Although no team from Canada has won this list, the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs still sit at the top of history with 24 and 13 wins respectively. The Red Wings close the podium with 11 Stanley Cups.
This 30-year shortage underlines that hockey is no longer necessarily a Canadian specialty, while the globalization of the sport has favored the development of several talent pools in addition to benefiting from the impressive financial infrastructures in the United States. The teams south of the border are investing in sports and Gary Bettman has concretely succeeded in his mission to democratize the NHL in the United States even if the league is still lagging behind in terms of ratings.
Of the teams still in contention this spring, the Kraken, Golden Knights and Panthers could win the Stanley Cup for the first time. Vegas, we recall, reached the Grand Finals in its first NHL campaign in 2018. The Panthers also have an unsuccessful Finals under their belt when they were on the wrong side of history against the powerhouse roster. ‘Avalanche in 1996. The Kraken, in their second season in the NHL, would surprise all pundits by lifting the Cup this summer.
Will Canada have to wait much longer before seeing the Stanley Cup again?
At the time of the 1993 Canadiens, the NHL had 26 teams with the recent additions of the Panthers and Ducks. Now, with 32 rosters and increasingly fierce parity, the competition is fiercer than ever and even teams with generational talent like Connor McDavid must return to the drawing board season after season in the face of failure. repeated during spring hockey.
For the record, the 2004 Flames almost turned the tide when we were only one goal away from lifting the Stanley Cup against Tampa Bay. All that without mentioning a phantom goal from Martin Gélinas in Game 6 that could have changed the course of history.
In numbers, here is the history of Canadian teams in the playoffs since 1993
2023: 3 teams
WPG eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 2e round
EDM eliminated in 2e round
2022: 3 teams
TOR eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 2e round
EDM eliminated in 3e round
2021: 4 teams
TOR eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 1D round
WPG eliminated in 2e round
MTL eliminated in the final in 5 games by TBL
2020: 6 teams, including the qualifying round
TOR eliminated in qualifying round
EDM eliminated in qualifying round
WPG eliminated in qualifying round
MTL eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 2e round
2019: 3 teams
TOR eliminated in 1D round
WPG eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
2018: 2 teams
TOR eliminated in 1D round
WPG eliminated in 3e round
2017: 5 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 2e round
OTT eliminated in 3e round
2016: 0 team
2015: 5 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
WPG eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
MTL eliminated in 2e round
CAL eliminated in 2e round
2014: 1 team
MTL eliminated in 3e round
2013: 4 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
OTT eliminated in 2e round
2012: 2 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
2011: 2 teams
MTL: eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in the Stanley Cup final by BOS in 7
2010: 3 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 2e round
MTL eliminated in 3e round
2009: 3 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 2e round
2008: 3 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
MTL eliminated in 2e round
2007: 3 teams
CAL eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
OTT eliminated in the final in 5 games by ANA
2006: 4 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
OTT eliminated in 2e round
EDM eliminated in the final in 7 games by CAR
2005: Lockout
2004: 5 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
MTL eliminated in 2e round
TOR eliminated in 2e round
CAL eliminated in the final in 7 games by TBL
2003: 4 teams
TOR eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 2e round
OTT eliminated in 3e round
2002: 4 teams
VAN eliminated in 1st round
MTL eliminated in 2e round
OTT eliminated in 2e round
TOR eliminated in 3e round
2001: 4 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 2e round
2000: 3 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 2e round
1999: 3 teams
OTT eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 3e round
1998: 3 teams
OTT eliminated in 2e round
MTL eliminated in 2e round
EDM eliminated in 2e round
1997: 3 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
OTT eliminated in 1D round
EDM eliminated in 2e round
1996: 5 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
WPG eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 1D round
1995: 4 teams
QUE eliminated in 1D round
CAL knocked out in round 1
TOR eliminated in 1D round
VAN eliminated in 2e round
1994: 4 teams
MTL eliminated in 1D round
CAL eliminated in 1D round
TOR eliminated in 2e round
VAN eliminated in Stanley Cup final by NYR in 7
(With the collaboration of Christian D’Aoust in research)
