POST BY MIKE CIUFFINI
Every year, Canadian hockey fans grow out
their beards and don their unwashed jerseys to watch their favourite team
compete in the NHL playoffs for a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
The Stanley Cup is the oldest existing
trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise and it’s inherently
Canadian. Governor-general Lord Stanley awarded it to Canada’s top-ranking amateur
team, originally in 1893. It became the official NHL championship prize in
1927. Little known fact, the Stanley Cup is not actually owned by the NHL, it
is entrusted to the NHL by the trustees of the cup.
Since the expansion of the NHL in 1967, the
Stanley Cup has become one of the hardest trophies to win in all of
professional sports and is often referred to as “The Holy Grail”. The ultimate
goal for all hockey players, coaches, owners and fans all around the world.
During the NHL playoffs from April to June,
Canadians consume more beer and potato chips than any other time of the year.
They tune into the CBC more than any other time of the year and Don Cherry buys
the most fabric for his ridiculous suits during the first intermission’s
“Coaches Corner”.
Fans and the hockey world follow along
closely with every goal, every missed call, every injury and every shot that
rings off the post. Fans, including some of us here at Real Man Travels, have
gone on playoff road trips to see some of our favourite teams compete in other
cities over the years. But, in the end, it’s the Hockey Gods that will determine
who wins the most coveted prize.
With only six Canadian teams in the NHL,
and the league expanding to Las Vegas in 2018, it’s getting harder for Canadian
teams to bring the trophy back to north of the border. The last Canadian team
to win the Stanley Cup was Montreal Canadians in 1993.
As the 2017 Stanley Cup was won yet again by
Pittsburgh Penguins, at least we know the main ingredient was a Canadian
himself. Sidney Crosby from Nova Scotia now has raised the Cup as captain of
the Penguins three times. They are also bookmarked by two Canadian goaltenders
in Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Quest for Stanley Cup during the NHL
playoffs is a magical time. So guys, when April rolls around again in 2018, get
ready to grow that facial hair, stock up on your favourite craft beers and buy
those poutine-flavoured chips we all seem to love so much.
What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here
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