For The 30th Year In A Row, Canada Has Lost The Stanley Cup
The day was March 1, 1994.
We were just over a month out from the start of the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens were the reigning Stanley Cup Champions looking to do what the Pittsburgh Penguins had just done prior--win back to back Cups. The Toronto Maple Leafs were also in the playoffs that year as the 3rd best team in the newly formed Western Conference (previously known as the Clarence Campbell Conference). Calgary would square off against Vancouver in the first round. At the very least, Lord Stanley's Cup had a 25% chance of remaining in Canada for the year.
And then Justin Bieber was born.
The Western Conference Finals that year was between Toronto and Vancouver. The Canucks would advance to the Stanley Cup Final where they would lose in game 7 to Mark Messier and the New York Rangers. Ever since the moment Justin Bieber came into this world, no Canadian-based team has won the Stanley Cup.
There was a legitimate shot this year, no doubt about it. The Maple Leafs advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. The Avalanche were bounced in the first round by Seattle, thus opening the door for Edmonton to run the table in the West. But for the 29th season and 30th year in a row…
The Stanley Cup will be remaining in the good ol' US of A.
Vegas. Carolina. Florida. And one of either Dallas or Seattle. I'm really pulling for Dallas here because I think getting a Cup Final between 4 teams that rarely ever even get snow would be the perfect way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Canada winning the Cup.
And yes, I know those goofy maple syrup guzzling bastards all say the same thing every year. "Half the roster for every Stanley Cup winning team is from Canada" this, and "Olympic gold medals" that. Guess what, bozos? I don't care. You guys love hockey more than anything in the world and your teams stink at it. That would be like if America hadn't won an SEC Championship in 30 years. Maybe Canada should focus on being a basketball country from now on.