Question for Canadians about the Stanley Cup final

[Mudcat]

Just curious if you're cheering for Ottawa so the Cup gets back with a Canadian team. I believe it hasn't happened since the Habs of '93.

I am. (Mind you if I saw a good bet on Anaheim I would still grab it and cheer for them so I'm not fanatical about it).

I am particularly wondering how Leafs fans feel. There has been some bitterness to that Tor/Ott rivalry.

[betbetter]

Just curious if you're cheering for Ottawa so the Cup gets back with a Canadian team. I believe it hasn't happened since the Habs of '93.

I am. (Mind you if I saw a good bet on Anaheim I would still grab it and cheer for them so I'm not fanatical about it).

I am particularly wondering how Leafs fans feel. There has been some bitterness to that Tor/Ott rivalry.

No bitterness, Toronto always won...can you say Lalime?

[BigBollocks]

I'll answer for Quebec and tell you they couldn't give a damn less. I'd say all but one or two of my friends from there hate being part of Canada, and if it wasn't for the anglophones that have chosen to remain in the Montreal area Quebec would long since have seceded.

If the Canadiens aren't in the finals the province of Quebec could care less, and they'd (we'd) root for anyone over the Maple Leafs...

[Mudcat]

No bitterness, Toronto always won...can you say Lalime?

Okay but as these pissing matches go, I believe the Ottawa response at this point would be something like:

Maple Leafs haven't been to the finals in 40 years and can only dream of ever being in the position the Sens are in now. If you're good, maybe we'll let you touch the Cup when we bring it back to Ontario.

Leaf fans are jealous LOOOOOOSERS!


(That's not me saying it. I am just imitating the back-and-forth text messages that are printed as a crawl during Prime Time Sports.)

[betbetter]

Okay but as these pissing matches go, I believe the Ottawa response at this point would be something like:

Maple Leafs haven't been to the finals in 40 years and can only dream of ever being in the position the Sens are in now. If you're good, maybe we'll let you touch the Cup when we bring it back to Ontario.

Leaf fans are jealous LOOOOOOSERS!


(That's not me saying it. I am just imitating the back-and-forth text messages that are printed as a crawl during Prime Time Sports.)

Naahhh...I'm not. Nobody supports a loser like a Torontonian. As my 11-year old would say(mind you he stole it form a book)
" you either love the Leafs or you don't understand ..." We take victories in small doses, like knocking out the scabs this year, that was our Stanley Cup. I'm not a big JFJ fan but I think he's on the right track. I'm very excited about Justin Pogge, which nobody talks about, he has the potential to be another Brodeur, build a franchise around him. It is unfortunate that the Leafs are controlled by a corporate entity and not a hockey fan. Although Harold Ballard was a hockey fan and look what he did to the franchise! Still recovering from that.
Go Leafs Go!!

Anaheim in 5. They HIT...unlike the Tonawanda Sabres
And every body knows what Alfie and Spezza do when the hitting comes out....ttttuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrtttttttllllll eeeee....

[betbetter]

I'll answer for Quebec and tell you they couldn't give a damn less. I'd say all but one or two of my friends from there hate being part of Canada, and if it wasn't for the anglophones that have chosen to remain in the Montreal area Quebec would long since have seceded.

You obviously don't live in the same Quebec I do then. As if...

si nous avons le " referendum " aujourd'hui...

Non - 65%
Oui - 35%

Personne ne concerne - 80%

Tu comprends ce que je te dis?

[Al Masters]

Being from Montreal i can tell you that i personally, don't give a rats ass weather it be Ottawa or Anaheim who wins,and this thing bout cheering for a team cause there from Canada, I don't subscribe to that theory, unless of course its the olympics or international play where your countries honor is also being represented.

...... I JUST WANT MY EXPOS BACK........

[Mudcat]

Well I just feel like it would be nice for the Holy Grail to return to the Cradle of all That is Sacred. I got let down by Edmonton last year, Calgary the year before.

Instead the Cup goes to Tampa, then Raleigh . . . then Anaheim???

No sir, that's too much. Bring the Cup to where it will be loved.

Go Sens!

[BigBollocks]

You obviously don't live in the same Quebec I do then. As if...

si nous avons le " referendum " aujourd'hui...

Non - 65%
Oui - 35%

Personne ne concerne - 80%

Tu comprends ce que je te dis?

Bien sûr je comprends. Où avez-vous entendu cette?

Although I don't come back to Montreal as often as I'd like (I went for about six weeks last summer), I still remain pretty informed on Québecois affairs. I think Gilles Duceppe is a moron, and I can certainly understand individual financial reasons forcing some in Québec to wish to remain part of Canada. I don't know if you remember the referendum about a decade ago, but Québec came damn close (almost 50/50) to seceding then. If Jean Chrétien weren't PM at the time and Lucien Bouchard hadn't ****ed up so badly Québec would be its own country right now. The polls I've seen show that the younger generation in Québec overwhelmingly supports sovereignty, and I have no doubt Québec will be independent within the next 20 years.

I'm not sure how old you are, but Western Canada once had legs on seceding too not all that long ago. The province of Ontario has ****ed so many people in so many ways it is ridiculous. Of all the US states and all the Canadian provinces I hate Ontario by far and away more than any of them. I worked in Regina, SK for awhile and enjoyed it there fine. The Ontario-based politicians have historically robbed the country blind (no place more than Québec, who sees nothing back on its tax dollars), and have such an arrogance and good old boy network established it is sickening....

[BigBollocks]

Being from Montreal i can tell you that i personally, don't give a rats ass weather it be Ottawa or Anaheim who wins,and this thing bout cheering for a team cause there from Canada, I don't subscribe to that theory, unless of course its the olympics or international play where your countries honor is also being represented.

...... I JUST WANT MY EXPOS BACK........

My God I am ever with you! I miss the Expos so bad I can't even begin to say. My bathroom is filled with old Expos programs and media guides that I still look through. I really miss going to games in the summer at Stade Olympique too.

What people don't realize is that the MLB just ****ed Montreal out of the franchise. The city had always supported the team well (20K averages since '69) despite their poor play, and the one year we finally have a team poised for the championship MLB goes on strike. The ownership then traded off all our talent, and it was like the first 25 years of building were all for nothing. Not to mention the French Canadian fans just didn't understand the labor strike in the first place. I don't think there ever has been and ever will be a franchise more screwed over than the Montreal Expos.

[Hulu]

The province of Ontario has ****ed so many people in so many ways it is ridiculous. Of all the US states and all the Canadian provinces I hate Ontario by far and away more than any of them. I worked in Regina, SK for awhile and enjoyed it there fine. The Ontario-based politicians have historically robbed the country blind (no place more than Québec, who sees nothing back on its tax dollars), and have such an arrogance and good old boy network established it is sickening....

If you have to hate a geographic jurisdiction (as ridiculous as that sounds) I would think your anger would be more appropriately directed towards Toronto rather than Ontario. It is the real seat of power in Canada and as such gets the disproportionate amount of EVERYTHING in this country. Live 2 hours away from Toronto and you might as well be in Quebec, BC or the maritimes. And yet they wine like no other group of people you will ever hear. Believe me...even the rest on Ontario can't stand Toronto.

As for hockey, I can't understand the Nationalism. Its a group of players from various locations and backgrounds united only by the fact that they have been contracted to play for the same franchise. They just happen to play in Ottawa and could just as easily play in any city. When the Blue Jays won (bought) back to back world series victories in the 90s, it was actually embarrassing to hear how sanctimonious many Canadians were toward Americans despite the fact that only one Canadian was even on the team.

For the record...I like Anaheim for the series but hockey is not my strong suit.

[Willie Bee]

I don't think there ever has been and ever will be a franchise more screwed over than the Montreal Expos.

I know of a few Houston Oilers fans who would argue that.

[betbetter]

Bien sûr je comprends. Où avez-vous entendu cette?

Although I don't come back to Montreal as often as I'd like (I went for about six weeks last summer), I still remain pretty informed on Québecois affairs. I think Gilles Duceppe is a moron, and I can certainly understand individual financial reasons forcing some in Québec to wish to remain part of Canada. I don't know if you remember the referendum about a decade ago, but Québec came damn close (almost 50/50) to seceding then. If Jean Chrétien weren't PM at the time and Lucien Bouchard hadn't ****ed up so badly Québec would be its own country right now. The polls I've seen show that the younger generation in Québec overwhelmingly supports sovereignty, and I have no doubt Québec will be independent within the next 20 years.

I'm not sure how old you are, but Western Canada once had legs on seceding too not all that long ago. The province of Ontario has ****ed so many people in so many ways it is ridiculous. Of all the US states and all the Canadian provinces I hate Ontario by far and away more than any of them. I worked in Regina, SK for awhile and enjoyed it there fine. The Ontario-based politicians have historically robbed the country blind (no place more than Québec, who sees nothing back on its tax dollars), and have such an arrogance and good old boy network established it is sickening....

I was here in '96, you have it backwards...until Bouchard joined the campaign the Yes side was waaaaaayyyy behind almost 30-70 he came in spewing Quebecois fire and brimstone with an attractive American wife at his side and the unwashed masses ate it up. Despite Parizeaus senile bumbling. And Chretien completely fumbled the ball, he had nothing to with the NO winning. In the end enough Ferench Quebecers let common sense prevail. There is no appetite for sovriegnty in the least with anybody here under the age of 50. That generation is slowly dieing out. The rest of the world is globalizing, and 8 million strong Quebec is going to isolate itself on a continent of 400 million people? C'mon...for what because a saleslady in Sears in downtown Montreal could'nt speak French 40 years ago?
Ridiculous.

Leafs will finish 6th in the East next year

[BigBollocks]

If you have to hate a geographic jurisdiction (as ridiculous as that sounds) I would think your anger would be more appropriately directed towards Toronto rather than Ontario. It is the real seat of power in Canada and as such gets the disproportionate amount of EVERYTHING in this country. Live 2 hours away from Toronto and you might as well be in Quebec, BC or the maritimes. And yet they wine like no other group of people you will ever hear. Believe me...even the rest on Ontario can't stand Toronto.

As for hockey, I can't understand the Nationalism. Its a group of players from various locations and backgrounds united only by the fact that they have been contracted to play for the same franchise. They just happen to play in Ottawa and could just as easily play in any city. When the Blue Jays won (bought) back to back world series victories in the 90s, it was actually embarrassing to hear how sanctimonious many Canadians were toward Americans despite the fact that only one Canadian was even on the team.

For the record...I like Anaheim for the series but hockey is not my strong suit.

You're 100% accurate as usual Hulu. I really like your style and hope to read more from you in the future. I actually like the rest of Ontario fine, and specifically despise Toronto. I actually have some friends from Ottawa who say exactly what you say above in terms of how the rest of Ontario feels about Toronto, and they had always rooted for the Canadiens prior to getting the Sens. I think the people from Toronto are the biggest assholes on the face of the planet, and that the city has always held entirely too much political power in arrogantly snubbing the rest of the country. I can't wish enough bad things on the Toronto sports teams. I can't believe the biggest jerk city in North America is in Canada, as virtually every other Canadian city save Toronto is a quality, educated, polite city. Toronto is just like the asshole American cities right below it, only worse.

Toronto

[Mudcat]

As for hockey, I can't understand the Nationalism. Its a group of players from various locations and backgrounds united only by the fact that they have been contracted to play for the same franchise. They just happen to play in Ottawa and could just as easily play in any city.

It's actually fairly simple. It has nothing to do with the players - it's about the fans. It's those Canadian butts in the seats that made the team possible, and it's Canadians who have the big emotional investment.

Even though I am obviously a horrible human - being as I'm from Toronto and everything - I love Canada and our hockey heritage and I would like to see a big group of Canadians celebrating the Stanley Cup.

[buztah]

Ontario here and couldn't care less.