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Wow, Canada Posted: Tuesday April 09, 2002 4:45 PM
I have it on good authority that sports editors at major Canadian newspapers have written the headline Woe, Canada somewhere between 234,987,543 and 234,987,558 times in the past decade. Hey, exaggerate the death of Canadian hockey long enough and we'll start to believe it. For so long we kept hearing how Canada's NHL teams weren't rich, pretty or talented enough to compete. We saw a Czech come over and win the Vezina Trophy. We saw Russians come over and lead the league in goals. We saw Canadian national teams get squashed repeatedly on international ice. For a while it looked as though only Canadians named Mario were worthy of our attention. Well, folks how do you like the nation now? Let's see, first Canada stormed through the medal round at the Salt Lake City Olympics to win its long-awaited gold. That alone led to a national holiday. Now, six weeks later, we look up and see the Montreal Canadiens about to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in four years! Up in Quebec City a fellow named Rene Levesque keeps digging up the streets trying to find Champlain's coffin and revive some Quebecois pride. Take a breather Rene, all is right in the province and in the world. Les Habs are in! The Canadiens are winning behind the play of home-grown goalie Jose Theodore. There's a Canada native who could win the win the Vezina and the Hart Trophies. And if Theodore doesn't win one or both awards, Quebec City's Patrick Roy almost certainly will. Think these are heady times in the old cities? Canadiens center Saku Koivu is coming back after battling stomach cancer. If that weren't enough, it's mid-April and the Expos -- remember them? -- are in first place. But back to hockey. This is some good news in Canada, eh? It's not just in Montreal, either. The Senators and Maple Leafs have clinched playoff spots and one of these teams will have home-ice advantage in the first round. That's three-for-three in the Eastern Conference. In the West, both Edmonton and Vancouver might reach the playoffs. No matter what, when this season ends, these two clubs will have followed their Canadian-born coaches to excellent winning records. From B.C. to Alberta to Ontario, these are high times. OK, so the Calgary Flames aren't going to make the postseason. Might we mention that the Flames do, however, employ the NHL's only 50-goal scorer in Jarome Iginla. Need I tell you which nation Iginla hails from? (I'll give you a hint. He was born in Edmonton.) I mean, talk about bye bye Miss American Pie: Down in the American Hockey League a player named Donald MacLean out of Sydney, Nova Scotia, just wrapped up the scoring title. Must I mention that MacLean plays for the St. John's Maple Leafs? (Yes, I must.) Hockey in Canada is alive and well. The NHL's eight lousiest teams play in U.S. cities. Meantime, five of the top six point-getters in the NHL -- Iginla, Todd Bertuzzi, Joe Sakic, Ron Francis and Adam Oates -- are Canadian born. What a phenomenon. Shortly after Canada had won its Olympic gold in February, Theo Fleury stood to his full height and said, "You give me a team of Canadians and we'll go out and win the Stanley Cup." I'm starting to think Fleury was right. Sure, there are still some competitive issues to deal with. The Canadian dollar, after Canadian taxes, is about fit for a penny loafer in the States. It's going to be hard for some Canadian teams (such as Calgary) to keep their star players (such as Iginla) over the long-term. But don't start thinking about tomorrow. Right now, lift up your mugs of hopped-up lager and cheer, for these are the happiest of hockey times in Canada. Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides every Tuesday at
CNNSI.com.
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