Close but without cigarillos is the nickname that best describes the Canadian hockey teams, who have yet to take home the Stanley Cup championship. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the two teams that have been in the NHL the longest without winning a Stanley Cup. Both teams joined the NHL in the 1970 season, but neither team has been able to bring home the coveted trophy.When the league opened up to Soviet stars for the first time in the early 90s, it wasn't the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens that benefited. Instead, it was the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils who welcomed the new players and strategies and, as a result, won the Stanley Cup.
And when the game shifted from “Slapshot” style play to having more skill and speed, some of the Canadian teams were always one step behind. In a league with so much parity and such small margins, being even slightly behind can be costly.Montreal is credited with being the birthplace of hockey and they back it up with a long tradition of success. The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful franchise in the NHL, having won 24 Stanley Cups throughout their illustrious history. They won the first Stanley Cup in history in 1916, when they took the National Hockey Association title and faced off against the Portland Rosebuds, who won the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
The series lasted all five games, but it was the Canadians who first etched their name into the Cup.Whether welcoming Russian and European stars in the early 90s or embracing skill over toughness today, Canada wants to see good Canadian boys play hockey like they used to. We've heard that other players prefer playing in the United States or that they have Canadian teams on their list of teams without redemption, but we've also seen players like John Tavares accept large amounts of money to move north, and players like Connor McDavid and Carey Price didn't hesitate to sign long-term extensions with Canadian teams.
