Unbelievable!!! A large number of Habs fans are actually short-term supporters of the Oilers.

Hockey isn’t really a thing in Montreal. Fans of the Habs. This is something I’ve said for a long time, and it’s mostly true. When the Canadiens are still in the playoff race, we follow the games with great fervor.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened nearly enough recently. Our attention wanes significantly, though, when they are eliminated early or, worse, do not advance to the playoffs.
That’s precisely what transpired this season following the Nos Canadiens’ five game sweep of the weak Washington Capitals, who were themselves coasted to victory by the Carolina Hurricanes.
The playoffs this year, though, are different. I can’t believe how many Habs supporters have switched allegiances to the Oilers, at least for the time being. From a distance, it all makes perfect sense. First of all, no Canadian club has won the Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, and Edmonton is the only Canadian team standing.
Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of time before the next generation of Canadiens reaches their full potential and Montreal wins its 25th Stanley Cup. that might be a few years before that happens.

The moment has come for Canada to reclaim its due. And it has a political dimension as well. While the match between Canada and the United States in the Four Nations tournament may have been more politically charged, the recent surge of Canadian nationalism in response to Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-Canadian rhetoric has undoubtedly revived Canadian pride in hockey.
Oh, and it turns out that the other team in the final is from Florida, which is a red state that is also home to Trump’s safe haven, MAGA. In Mar-a-Lago. Besides, the Florida Panthers won the title last year, and the Tampa Bay Lightning have already won three Cups. It’s not fair that teams from Florida win the Stanley Cup.
Ken Moodie, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan I met in Dorchester Square, just off Peel St. on Monday, said, “Hockey should only be played where there is naturally ice.” By the way, Moodie wants the Oilers to win.
He said, “They’re the worst team in the league, along with the Florida Panthers and the Canadian team.” He’s right.

The Carolina Panthers are the ones who gain the most from the stupid NHL rule that lets dirty play happen in the playoffs even though it would be called during the regular season. Peter Bisaillion, a hockey fan, talked about that problem in his message to me on Tuesday. It looks like the 1976 Stanley Cup Final is being played out again in this year’s final. In 1976, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Philadelphia Flyers in a series of four close games.

Instead of making copies of the Broad Street Bullies, that series led to a return to skilled and top hockey. The New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers were both very skilled and won the Stanley Cup after the Montreal Canadiens.
The conflict from before is clear in this new series. We can only hope that the refs are good out on the ice.
The referees will probably be just as stupid as they have been in all the other games. This is the league where Brendan Gallagher can be cross-checked right in the teeth, inches from the officials. That’s not okay, and the Panthers love it.

Then there’s Connor McDavid. He is without a doubt the best hockey player in the world right now, and most of us think it would be cool for him to win the one trophy he hasn’t yet. Since the Oilers lost Game 7 to the Florida Panthers last year, he and his team have been on a mission.

He hasn’t been the biggest talker, but he’s been almost angry in a few of his post-game interviews this playoffs, and I love that.
The idea of putting up a “Let’s Go Oilers” sign on the Champlain Bridge is pretty much universally supported, though I believe that lighting up the whole bridge in the blue and orange colors of Edmonton’s hockey team would be a bit excessive.

“Seeing McDavid having another chance at it is definitely something that would be great to see,” said fan Gabriel Hamelin while enjoying a beer at McLean’s Pub. “He has a redemption shot this year.” Lucas Peters, also at McLean’s, agreed, saying, “For Habs fans, there’s no real conflict supporting the Oilers. It’d be nice to see the Cup back in Canada.”