June 13, 2012 — “Oh Canada” the words come from the Canadian National Anthem. Today it might be more appropriate to sing “Oh Poor Canada.” You see hockey is Canada’s game and Lord
Stanley’s Cup is hockey’ biggest prize. Once again Canada was shut out when it came time to hosting the famous cup. Last night the Los Angeles Kings did it for the first time.
It marks the 20th straight year that an American team has won Canada’s most coveted prize. The last winner from north of the border was the Montreal Canadians They last won it In 1993 Since then it’s been a constant “God Bless America”. In the 127 years
of the cup, Canadian teams have won the Cup 54 times. Montreal has won it more than any one 24 times. Yet it has been a 20-year drought for the New York Yankees of hockey. This year the Habs never even made the playoffs. Neither did the Toronto Maple Leafs who have won the cup 13 times, the last being in 1966. Other current Canadian teams that have won the cup include Edmonton five times. They never made the playoffs either. The same goes for Calgary who won once. The best Canadian squad this year was Vancouver who won the Western Division title only to be beaten in the first round by the eventual champion Kings of Los Angeles. Vancouver has at least made it to the finals twice in the last 20 years losing to the Rangers in 1994 and the Bruins in 2011. Ottawa made it in 2007 to lose and Calgary in 2004. To make matters worse the first to raise the cup last night was Kings’ captain Dustin Brown, an American. He is only the second American to led his team to the Cup. So they are singing the blues all over the northland today. “Oh Canada” some day it will return, but right now it’s the American’s doing all the singing.