A good read

[Kgoku4]

Ok Ive never understood the sentiment here in the US that when a canadian team makes the playoffs all of Canada is automatically rooting for it to win it all.....I mean, Im from florida....and even I know just how heated the rivalries are up there. Why would anyone in Toronto root for Ottawa? or...
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[Rusty27]

That's the one time rivalries go out the window. It becomes a Canadian team vs a US based team and a matter of national pride.

[russian sniper]

^^

I agree. Canadians vs Bettman + US teams. Ask how many Canadians love Bettman, besides leafs owner.

[klicks]

meh - there are more canadians playing for the Ducks than the Sens. This canuck is rooting for the ducks. This whole "canada's team" is just plain crazy, what do a bunch of swedes who are currently being mercenaries for team sens have to do with representing canada? Nothing. Face it - with a few exceptions, none of the players care what city their team is from (nor should they) or from what country and the owners only care that their team's current hometown pays for their rink gives them tax breaks and provides enough fan support. The players don't play for their city fans - they play for themselves and their teammates. Nothing wrong with that, it's the way it should be. This whole city/team relationship is just BS that the teams promote to keep the seats filled. Anyway - don't beleive everything you read in the ms media - canadian HOCKEY fans will root for the team they like for their own reasons, not the Sens because they are from a canadian city.
(Can't believe I rooting for a team with the stupidest name in sports, but 'quack quack go Ducks quack'.)

[Rusty27]

Sure seemed all of canada was behind Calgary when they played Tampa Bay.

[BtownBeers]

Don't canadians want the cup back in Canadia and the only way for that to happen is to root for Ottawa.

I don't think that all players only play for themselves and their teammates, seems to me that a lot of players love the city and fans that they play for and want to bring wins, playoffs and eventually the cup to their team city and fans.

[russian sniper]

When the flames played against the bolts, man, Canada was behind Calgary, except for Habs fans - they love Vinny no matter what.

Besides, I don't see a history of Sens rivalry in Canada like the flames/oilers . . . it's not like the leafs are in the SC finals where deep hatred can flare open like a festering sore.

[klicks]

Originally Posted by Rusty17

Sure seemed all of canada was behind Calgary when they played Tampa Bay.

litte bit of a generalization there Rusty - the canadian media was behind the phlegms, but actual hockey fans seemed to be about 60/40 for them. There was an undercurrent of not wanting to see the cup end up with a south east team I suppose.

[Rusty27]

Originally Posted by klicks

litte bit of a generalization there Rusty - the canadian media was behind the phlegms, but actual hockey fans seemed to be about 60/40 for them. There was an undercurrent of not wanting to see the cup end up with a south east team I suppose.

Wow!I had no idea there were so many people rooting for the Bolts.
Yeah,the media really played up the whole Canada's team thing at the time.

[klicks]

Originally Posted by BtownBeers

Don't canadians want the cup back in Canadia and the only way for that to happen is to root for Ottawa.

I don't think that all players only play for themselves and their teammates, seems to me that a lot of players love the city and fans that they play for and want to bring wins, playoffs and eventually the cup to their team city and fans.

True enough Beers, but its for whatever team they happen to be playing for. Case in point - Pronger; the guy almost carried the Oilers on his back to get them to the finals last year. Demands and gets traded and now is being a warrior for the Ducks - it's just the nature of pro sports. I wasn't being (or trying to be) negative about this. Whether a player likes it or not, no matter how much loyalty they have to certain city, they could end up playing for different one after the next phone call his team's manager takes. And the team ownership/management will do what they can for a city but if they are losing money, they'll pack up and move. None of this is necessarily bad, it's just business. And yeah, maybe 'most canadians' want Ottawa to win to bring the cup back to canada - but my point is that for me anyway, I will root for and support a team based on the team not on where it is from. The ducks are one of the few teams playing the good old canadian style of the game - talent, skill and speed but lot's of in your face toughness. I'd rather see a team with the most canadians playing win it then a team from a canadian city with less active canadian players. But that's just me.

[BtownBeers]

I think we were agreeing in a round about way...that is what I was saying in that the player does play for the city of which they are a part of at the time which especially in this new nhl will change often.

Physical hockey is my favorite kind, so last nights game was fun to watch for me, I can only imagine it will get more gritty as the series progresses.

[klicks]

Originally Posted by Rusty17

Wow!I had no idea there were so many people rooting for the Bolts.
Yeah,the media really played up the whole Canada's team thing at the time.

Well - that '60/40' split is purely unscientific! But it was definitely not everyone in canada pulling for the flames. I saw two camps of fans - the 'you have to cheer for a canadian team' group and the 'I'll pick the team whose style and/or players I like' group. Same as this year. There is whole other split too - fans from western canada pulling for the western conference team, fans from eastern canada pulling for the Sens (except MapleLaff fans, I think they look at Ottawa the way edmontonians look at the flames and visa versa). Regardless - I think it's more complicated than a blanket statement that canada is roorting for the Sens. Probably true for the casual fan, but diffierent I think for the hard core hockey fan (HOCKEY fan as opposed to team ABC fan).