AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Why Canadians should cheer for the Oilers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2024 (315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is astonishing that so many Manitobans are not cheering for the Edmonton Oilers, even though a Canadian team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1993. Do you know how long ago 1993 was? Mrs. Doubtfire with the late great Robin Williams was the biggest movie of the year. The Blue Jays won their second World Series in a row. Crystal Pepsi – which was a clear drink – was a thing. Beanie Babies were popular. The Toronto Raptors became the first NBA team to be based outside of the U.S.

Typically people state one of two reasons they are not cheering for Edmonton — they are bitter that they beat the Jets all the time in the 80’s or they are jealous of all the Stanley Cups they have already won.

Both are valid, but there is one compelling reason all Canadians should be cheering for the Oilers: To stick it to Bettman and the Americans who STOLE our game.

The game used to be ours, but the Americans took it and made it a business like selling cars or hamburgers.

They moved the NHL head office from its rightful home in Canada to the U.S.

They have no sense of history, no deep emotional attachment to the game. They don’t “eat, drink and sleep hockey” like millions of Canadians do. They sell hockey for one reason only. To make money.

Sure, Gretzky made hockey popular in the deep South but let’s not kid ourselves. Those are mostly snowbirds attending games or watching on TV. In many American TV markets the NHL isn’t in the top 10 televised sports. In some markets professional bowling – yes bowling – gets higher ratings than the fastest team sport on earth.

Most of America does not care about hockey at all. Most of Canada does.

Bettman hates Winnipeg and Manitoba. He only tolerates them now because the Jets are owned by the 17th wealthiest person on earth. He only respects money, not the game nor its history.

The Americans refuse to give Quebec City a franchise, even though it has a state-of-the-art arena, a built-in rivalry with Montreal and owners with deep pockets. Still, Bettman refuses to move a team there, as we just saw when Quebec City wasn’t even an option when the league moved the Arizona Coyotes to Utah.

The Oilers are in a deep hole down two games and it would not be the worst thing in hockey if Paul Maurice would finally get his name on the Stanley Cup. If nothing else it would forever shut up deluded Jets fans who think Maurice was the reason the Jets underachieved during his tenure. He’s taken a team to the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row. That proves coaching was not the problem with the Jets.

But Edmonton winning Lord Stanley’s cup would drive the NHL head office brass nuts. They hate that it’s a small market. They hate the poor TV ratings in America and don’t give a hoot about the interest here in Canada.

Sure we’d all prefer the Jets were in the finals, but they aren’t. No other Canadian teams are, except for the Oilers.

It’s Canada’s game and Canada deserves a Canadian team to bring the cup back to where it belongs, to where it was created.

To quote Sportsnet’s catchy TV add, where it shows footage of the Oilers winning previous cups from generations ago, “Stanley, it’s time to come home.”