But how sad is it when the city that wins the Stanley Cup has a parade for it, and nobody in the city even knows what the parade is for?
The CanaDoper Café (2012 edition of The great, ongoing Canadian current events and politics thread.)
Amen.
I don’t see the Stanley Cup playoffs as a “Canada vs. USA” thing; I see them as a “Team X vs. Team Y” thing. Ultimately, I’m a hockey fan; if I want to see Team X win, then I don’t care which country it, or Team Y for that matter, comes from.
Sad enough, for sure, but there are plenty of American cities with a decent hockey culture - and I cheer for the team, not the city it’s from (though I admit my loathing of Kanata affects my opinion of the Sens!)
When I hear “Canada’s Team” I think mostly of insecure Leaf fans who want everyone else to cheer for the Leafs in an attempt to avoid the unavoidable fact that the team has been terrible for years and shows no sign of improving. I just met a lot of these types of people when I lived in Hamilton, and so the mental image has stuck. I don’t cheer for the Habs because of the number of Habs fans in the world - I cheer for them because I genuinely like the team, I like their history, I like their role in my city’s culture, I like their uniforms and logos (superficial? sure, why not? It’s just hockey), etc. Which is part of why I mock the Senators - fans spend more time booing opposing teams than they do cheering their own; it’s pathetic.
I’m a proud Habs fan because I’m a proud Habs fan, not because some stranger in Moose Jaw might also cheer for them.
I think maybe Tampa Bay, perhaps Anaheim might have been less-than-sparkling hockey markets, but Carolina has by all accounts become pretty fervent about their hockey. Incidentally, all 3 are golfing this Sunday. After those teams (recent Stanley Cup winners), we’ve seen Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Boston; all pretty good hockey towns.
That might very well be a part of the reasoning, right there.
Not sure if you’re suggesting that Leaf fans change their support to another team with this remark. Especially in light of a following remark:
You could say the same about Leaf fans. They like their team, they like their history, they like the Leafs’ role in Toronto’s (and Canada’s) culture, and they like the uniforms.
Sure, the Leafs have been terrible for years, but just as with the Canadiens, you’ve got generations of people who have grown up with the team, and you’ll find Leaf fans all across the country. The Leafs were the only hockey that most of English-speaking Canada got on Saturday nights, first on radio and then on TV. Heck, I remember watching Leaf games on TV from Maple Leaf Gardens, when I was a child in Calgary in the 1960s; and I saw the Leafs win a few Cups. (Guess I’m showing my age. :)) And when I actually got to attend my first game at Maple Leaf Gardens when I was six or seven–well! Now I know what a Muslim feels when he makes the pilgrimage to Mecca. In short, when you grow up following a team, as you and I did, it’s really difficult to change. Or, let’s put it another way: if the Montreal Canadians had gone over 40 years without a Cup, would you give up on them in favour of another team? I doubt that you would; you grew up with them in your home every Saturday, just as I grew up with the Leafs.
Of course, thanks to expansion and increased TV coverage of all kinds of games, the Leafs’ grip is slipping on areas outside southern Ontario, and here in a city without a team, there are fans of a number of other teams: Calgary and Edmonton, naturally; but also Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa. But still, there are a few Leafs fans here who refuse to give up on their team because they have always liked the team, its history, its uniforms, etc.
Given the traditional rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, I can certainly understand your point-of-view: the Habs are frequent Cup winners through their history so it is natural that they have a lot of fans, but the Leafs suck and have for years, so why are there still Leaf fans? But I would suggest that it ultimately comes down to the same reason that Habs fans are Habs fans–because they always have been; and if the Cup is out of reach this year, well, there’s always next year.
:: sobs from the general direction of Toronto ::
A sports team celebrating a victory by parading down Yonge Street? Must be the Blue Jays! 
No, it could be the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No, I wasn’t suggesting that at all. I understand, due to the same reasons you’ve written out. I love watching the Leafs fail, though I do think it’s a shame too - the fans actually deserve a better team.
The context that I was refering to was, basically, people asking me what team I supported, being surprised when I said “Habs”, since I lived in the Hammer, and then saying shit like 'why would you cheer for them, you should cheer for Canada’s Team - everyone knows that the Leafs are Canada’s team, they have the most fans!"
This was during the first few years after the lockout and of the now seven-years-and-counting failure to make the playoffs. It was like the sheer number of fans turned the Leafs into ‘Canada’s Team’ regardless of the results on the ice. I almost understand why Canucks fans were trying it last year - they were succeeding and got to game 7 of the Finals. I just thought it was rather sad to have people using the ‘Canada’s Team’ meme during losing campagins based on the NUMBER OF FANS they think a team has, and that’s what I think about when I hear the phrase.
Does that make sense? Be a Leafs fan if you insist, I can’t stop you. But don’t use bullshit like ‘Canada’s Team’ because it’s just ridiculous.
That isn’t reflected in their attendance figures, which have been consistently mediocre for pretty much the team’s entire run in Raleigh. It’s never been TERRIBLE the way it has been for the Islanders, but the best they have ever done in terms of capacity sold is 18th in a 30-team league. Most years they’re well into the bottom third. (By way of comparison, Canadian teams are never poorly attended; most will always sell all tickets, except Ottawa, which sells 98-99% of tickets in a mediocre year.)
The really successful “southern” teams are San Jose, where available hockey tickets are simply not to be had, and Nashville, which isn’t a sellout every night but pretty close.
Wait a second, there are people in Canada who think the Toronto Maple Leafs are Canada’s team? I thought you guys were talking about Canada’s team being any Canadian team left in the play-offs.
I have never in life heard that particular argument for being a Leafs fan.
I always assumed, being Torontonian, that the only reason to be a Leafs fan was sheer perversity in the face of their continued awfulness - sort of why Charlie Brown keeps attempting to kick the football held by Lucy.
The argument shows up more when another team’s fans starts using it, though; at least, that’s when I’ve heard it most the past few years.
Canucks fans last season wanting - for some reason - all of Canada to cheer for their team start saying “Canucks are Canada’s team! (because they are in the playoffs!)” and Toronto fans/media respond with “yeah, right, we have more fans than you! Leafs are Canada’s team, and always will be, duh!”
Pay attention to hockey stories, commentary and blogs - first we’ll start hearing about the Nucks and Sens being “Canada’s Team” and then someone in Leafs Nation will pipe up with “yeah, but we always will REALLY be Canada’s Team!” as if that’s something that matters. It just seems to often be used in a very defensive manner - because if this ‘title’ is taken away from them, then all they have is…well…the Toronto Maple Leafs and there’s only so much pride in that at this point. 
ETA: By no means do I think all Leaf fans are like this; I’ve met some very nice Leaf fans and I’m even friends with at least one I just mentally associate the phrase with particular people I’ve encountered, and I’ve seen this attitude show up when the phrase starts being used.
My wife is very confused that I wouldn’t automatically cheer for a Canadian team over an American one, but she’s not one for rivalries. I’d sooner drink bleach than cheer for the Flames, Leafs or Habs. Besides, which ever team wins the Cup is almost certain to be filled with Canadian players. “Bring the Cup home”? It spends most of the year here.
Yeah, that’s about right. Some day, Charlie Brown will manage to kick the football, and the Coyote will catch the Road Runner, and Batman will put the Joker away permanently. And the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup.
Who knows? Maybe the same year, the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series. Hey, it could happen!
For what it’s worth, Vancouver’s “Canucks are Canada’s Team” argument out here was met with approval by local Vancouver fans; but the rest of us met it with such phrases as “The hell they are!” and “Flames/Oilers rule!” and even the occasional “You wish, Vancouver; I’m cheering for Boston!” There was no mention made of the Leafs being anything other than losers for another year.
[check list] Yep, they’re all final portents of the Apocalypse [/cl]
And maybe the horse will learn to sing!
Well, shucks. Thanks for mentioning me. 
Some of us are just, ya know, regular old sports fans who have been following a certain team for a long time and can’t switch allegiances.
We’re not all obnoxious and condescending. Like other fans.
Someone in a Habs blog was saying that at last night’s Anaheim-Oilers game, two assholes got kicked out of the arena for being boorish, cursing, giving the finger to other fans and generally being little shits to everyone whenever Anaheim scored.
Those two fans were wearing a Felix Potvin and a Bobby Orr jersey.
I’ll just leave it at that…