Canadians and Hockey
With all due respect to hockey-mad Canadian fans going bonkers over having Calgary in the Stanley Cup Finals, I think that a blind allegiance to the Flames on the part of Canadian citizens vastly misses the entire point of the NHL's recent growth.
This is not an Olympics, World Cup, or similar type of event in which each nation puts its best and bravest lads out there to defend the national honor. It is an international professional league that has prospered mightily by the infusion of U.S. investment, both by owners and fans, over the past 15 years. And within this context, Calgary is no more Canadian than any other team.
In fact, the Tampa Bay Lightning (Calgary's final-round opponent) has 17 Canadian players on its active roster, more than Calgary's 15. The San Jose Sharks (Calgary's Western Conference final opponent) have 16, making them more Canadian than the Flames as well.
So our friends up north can be as provincial as they want to be during the finals and root for the "Canadian" team if they enjoy doing so. Sportswriters and other commentators can go ahead and get all soft and think that this is a good thing for the beleaguered tundra-dwellers.
Certainly the hockey fans in Calgary are more numerous, knowledgeable, and passionate about the game than those of many U.S. teams, in fact all U.S. teams outside of the Original Four in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Boston. And certainly they should go absolutely crazy during the finals.
But for the Prime Minister of Canada to make a fool of himself through some misplaced, puffed-up national pride shows how badly he and many others read this situation. The true glory for Canada is that their sport has become truly international and has been highly successful in importing itself into the big U.S. market south of its border.
All hockey fans should welcome the prospect of what should be a fast-paced, well-played final series. But having Calgary in the finals is not a victory for Canada, eh? Having Tampa Bay in there, heavily stocked with Canadian players, is.
10:10:38 AM 
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