The final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Wednesday. It could be a great series. It could be a stinker. The matchup between the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning and the seasoned Chicago Blackhawks is–at the very least–enticing.
Tampa Bay is led by Tyler Johnson, a runt-of-the-litter sized forward who had to beg for a chance to play professionally. The kid who was never drafted leads the playoffs in scoring.
Chicago, which won the Cup two years and twice in the last five years, is led by Jonathan Toews, a captain with an uncanny ability to rise to virtually any occasion.
Both teams have already survived the physical and emotional crucible of three previous best-of-seven rounds. How much either team has left is anyone’s guess.
How much Canadians care is just as problematic.
Neither team (out of the 16 that began the playoffs) is Canadian-based. The last National Hockey League regular season game was played in mid-April. Interest–if your hometown team is not involved–tends to flag over six weeks.
(No Canadian team has played in the finals since Vancouver lost to Boston in 2011. No Canadian-based team has won the Cup since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens won their record 24th.)
Moreover, an NHL emphasis on parity has done away with anything resembling hockey dynasties–teams filled with recognizable players that casual Canadian fans could come to love or hate over two or three seasons.
Finally, let’s not ignore the weather factor.
The great Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler once remarked, “The last place any Canadian wants to find himself during the summer is indoors.”
So it remains to be seen how many Canadians feel like sitting around a television on a summer night watching teams for whom they have no rooting interest.
Still, for a true sports fan, the Stanley Cup finals can be a joy to behold.
This is the fourth round, remember. The players, on the brink of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, must play spotlessly. A crucial mistake can knock your team out of the tournament. This combination makes for some sterling competition.
All the hype occurs off the ice. On the ice, only the game–the essence of the game–remains, played by extraordinary athletes running on fumes. Not a one of them will be coasting.
Few Canadians, if any, know more about hockey–the game, the players and the business–than journalist, author and broadcaster Bruce Dowbiggin. He joined RCI by phone from his home in Calgary.
Listen
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.