The buds appeared on the trees in Montreal over the weekend. Finally! After a long, tough winter, spring has arrived in Canada. That means plenty of raking, plenty of cleaning, plenty of dreams of a gorgeous sun tan. People are getting outside, taking deep breaths in celebration of renewed life and hope. There will be plenty of jogging, lots of tennis, gulping of coffee at outdoor cafes–all under the watchful eye of Mr. Sun.
The nights are another story. Spring is when Canadians head indoors, gathering around the television set. A great number will stay until mid-June when the crucible of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs finally ends.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, sixteen teams begin their quest to become Stanley Cup Champions. It won’t be easy.
To come out on top, the winning team must win four best-of-seven series. Luck and injuries will play their required roles. So will a hot goaltender. It’s a pretty heady—and beefy—competition. And at this point, it’s anybody’s—and everybody’s—guesses what will happen.
Nothing raises Canadian passions more than a hockey game. And, Olympics accepted, nothing elevates Canadian emotions more than the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Certainly, Pittsburgh and Chicago have to be favoured, given the success they had in the lockout shortened regular season. The good news for Pittsburgh and the bad news for the rest of the league is that the man generally considered the best player in the world, Sidney Crosby, has been cleared to play after breaking his jaw during the regular season. More than one Canadian is wondering, “Can Sid the Kid Do It?”
But what about the Montreal Canadians, who surprised everyone this season despite a 10-day swoon after they clinched a playoff, berth. The Habs have not won since ‘93. What about Toronto, who haven’t won a cup since 1967? How about Washington, where the enigmatic Alexander Ovechkin has finally snapped a slump that began back at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Speaking of Vancouver, can this be the year they finally break through? They may have to do it without their star goalie, Cory Schneider. But maybe the man he usurped, Robert Luongo, has one last hurrah in his fragile psyche. Time will tell. Ottawa appears a very long shot, but that’s the thing about sports: you never really know. A break here, a break there. All of a sudden love is in the air.
For the record: RCI predicts a Pittsburgh championship. That remains to be seen. And it will take two months for Canadians to find out–two months in front of the television set in the heart of spring. Who says Canadians aren’t crazy about hockey. Or are they just plain crazy? I mean, it was a heckuva long winter.
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