Found this excerpt from the TSN site...
When the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated on Monday, it meant that the Stanley Cup would definitely be claimed by an American-based team for the 16th straight season.
For a few strange weeks prior to that, there had been no shortage of Toronto Maple Leafs fans who chose to ignore traditional rivalries and decided instead to cheer for the lone remaining Canadian team in the playoffs, in many cases despite their best judgment!
While hockey fans in this country may lament the fact that the Cup will not be coming "home," there will still be plenty of Canadian content in the final.
The Flyers dressed 14 players from the Great White North in their series-clinching victory over the Habs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference championship. All four of the team's goals were scored by Canuck snipers, and their netminder Michael Leighton, who made 25 saves in the encounter, calls Petrolia, Ontario home.
In addition, Chris Pronger and Mike Richards helped Canada capture gold at the Winter Olympic Games this past February in Vancouver.
On the flipside, there is no shortage of "maple syrup slurping hosers" on the Blackhawks' roster either. Chi-town's winning lineup against the Sharks starred 15 Canadian skaters including Olympians Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook.
Of the 40 players who touched the ice in the clinching game for either team, 29 of them stand on guard when they hear O Canada.
To further accentuate the ever-present Canadiana of the Finals, of the 11 players who do not carry a Canadian passport, five of them honed their skills for at least one season in the CHL, including key contributors such as Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Dustin Byfuglien.
In terms of key contributions, one only has to look as far as the playoff scoring leaders, where Toews and Richards are currently sitting No. 1 and 2. Both are their teams' respective captains, both are Olympic heroes and both were born North of the 49th parallel; Toews in Winnipeg, while Richards was raised in Kenora, Ontario.
With so much home-grown talent at both teams' disposal, what is a Canadian hockey fan to do?
By the way, nothing like taking both teams in your prediction. The way I see it, you can't lose.
) HNIC theme as my ringtone on my old cell phone..downloaded it for free somewhere, but can't find it again. I may have to go to the cell store and see if they can retrieve off the old sim card!
