After eliminating the Dallas Stars on Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers were crowned kings of the Western Conference.
And so, for just the sixth time in the past quarter century, a Canadian team has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Now that the Oilers have punched their ticket to the fourth round, they can become the first team to bring the Cup back to Canada in over 30 years.
With that in mind, plenty of folks from around the country are jumping on the Oilers bandwagon, including the prime minister.
“What a game. Time to bring the Cup home,” wrote Justin Trudeau late Sunday night, announcing his support of Edmonton with the inclusion of the Oilers’ official hashtag.
What a game. Time to bring the Cup home. #LetsGoOilers
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 3, 2024
To be fair, had any Canadian team achieved the same feat, Trudeau, a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, would probably be backing them. Luckily for him, the Maple Leafs have long been eliminated.
While it sure would be nice for Canada to break its three-decade-long championship drought, many fans don’t want to see a parade in the Great White North, unless it’s in their market.
A new Offside X poll shows the overwhelming majority of respondents disagreeing with the Oilers being “Canada’s team” for the rest of the postseason.
However, it’s fair to assume that many of the voters were either Flames or Canucks fans, which, for obvious reasons, are not thrilled to see Edmonton go all the way.
@OffsideDH/X
No matter how hockey fans north of the border feel, Oilers captain Connor McDavid hopes his team’s run can “unite” the country to some degree.
“It feels good to maybe unite the country a little bit and have something to bring people together,” McDavid said after his team eliminated Dallas on home ice. “Hopefully we’re doing that for Canadians across the country.”