2004 Stanley Cup - Calgary, Tampa Bay, or Neutral?
Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 4:40 pm
In the Football Forum, there are at least three polls and several other discussion threads dealing with which team you want to win the Grey Cup on Sunday. The general consensus that I see on the polls and discussions is that more of you want the Montreal Alouettes to win. It seems like it all comes down to the fact that Edmonton knocked BC out in the western final, preventing the Lions from winning the Grey Cup at home and therefore, you are finding it very hard to change your allegiances to support a team that you were booing just a few days earlier. As Lions_Fan_4_Life stated in his poll: ?Montreal, can't cheer for the Esks.?
But what I?m trying to figure out is how easy is it to shift your allegiances to support a team that defeated your team, and that?s why I?m creating this poll. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, were you supporting the Calgary Flames or the Tampa Bay Lightning?
I was personally indifferent to which finalist team won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Since neither the Flames nor the Lightning were based out of the CITY of Vancouver, then I didn't really care about who won. Despite the fact that the Canadian media made such a big deal about the fact that the Calgary Flames almost became the first Canadian-based team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, I see the NHL as a league featuring competition between CITIES and not COUNTRIES. Since neither the Flames nor the Lightning were based out of the CITY of Vancouver, then both teams were opponents to Vancouver. Unlike most people, the fact that the Flames were based out of a Canadian city didn?t mean anything to me as the NHL is not Canada vs. USA but rather, city vs. city.
But my impression was that most people in Vancouver were very supportive of Calgary and hoped that they would win the Stanley Cup ? despite the fact that Calgary knocked Vancouver out in the first round of the playoffs in the close seven game series. It was the first time in 11 years since 1993 that the Canucks finished first in their division and they were in good shape to reach the Stanley Cup finals again for the first time since 1994. But then along comes the Calgary Flames and dashes those hopes and dreams with their upset win. So how come most people in Vancouver were able to shift their allegiances for the Flames and cheer for them, unlike what they are unable to do for the Eskimos now?
I already mentioned some of this stuff in the CFL vs. NFL thread, but I?ll repeat it here. I have some questions regarding the issue of patriotism for Canada. What if the Canadian CITY comes into conflict with the COUNTRY? Then who do you cheer for? I assume your favourite NHL team is the Vancouver Canucks and in international competitions, you support Team Canada. Then what if:
#1.
Let's say Swede Markus Naslund captains the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup in 2006. But at the same time in the 2006 Winter Olympics, he captains Team Sweden over Team Canada in the gold medal game. So what do you think about Naslund - love him or hate him? On the one hand, he helped your Vancouver Canucks win the championship, but on the other hand he helped also an opponent defeat your Team Canada for the championship.
#2.
As a real-life example, Canadian Joe Sakic was the tournament MVP in the 2002 Winter Olympics as he led Team Canada to their first gold medal in 50 years. But at the same time, he led the Colorado Avalanche over the Vancouver Canucks on their way to the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. So Joe Sakic - love him or hate him as he helped your team win but also helped an opponent defeat your team as well.
During their amazing drive to the Stanley Cup finals in 1994, the Canucks drew the Toronto Maple Leafs as the semi-final opponents. During this time, the people in Vancouver clearly showed their animosity towards Toronto and the local media held contests to see who would be the most creative about naming things to hate about Toronto. And I suppose the fact that the Argos defeated the Lions in the 1983 and 2004 Grey Cups didn't improve Vancouver's vision of Toronto. But despite all that, why did Vancouver get so excited then when the Toronto Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993? This love-hate relationship disgusts me.
My personal observation is that the people in Vancouver care more about their local teams than the national teams. The atmosphere in Vancouver when Team Canada made it to the Olympic Gold Medal games in 1992 and 1994 and winning it in 2002 wasn't nearly as excited and celebratory as when the Vancouver Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1982 and 1994.
But what I?m trying to figure out is how easy is it to shift your allegiances to support a team that defeated your team, and that?s why I?m creating this poll. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, were you supporting the Calgary Flames or the Tampa Bay Lightning?
I was personally indifferent to which finalist team won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Since neither the Flames nor the Lightning were based out of the CITY of Vancouver, then I didn't really care about who won. Despite the fact that the Canadian media made such a big deal about the fact that the Calgary Flames almost became the first Canadian-based team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, I see the NHL as a league featuring competition between CITIES and not COUNTRIES. Since neither the Flames nor the Lightning were based out of the CITY of Vancouver, then both teams were opponents to Vancouver. Unlike most people, the fact that the Flames were based out of a Canadian city didn?t mean anything to me as the NHL is not Canada vs. USA but rather, city vs. city.
But my impression was that most people in Vancouver were very supportive of Calgary and hoped that they would win the Stanley Cup ? despite the fact that Calgary knocked Vancouver out in the first round of the playoffs in the close seven game series. It was the first time in 11 years since 1993 that the Canucks finished first in their division and they were in good shape to reach the Stanley Cup finals again for the first time since 1994. But then along comes the Calgary Flames and dashes those hopes and dreams with their upset win. So how come most people in Vancouver were able to shift their allegiances for the Flames and cheer for them, unlike what they are unable to do for the Eskimos now?
I already mentioned some of this stuff in the CFL vs. NFL thread, but I?ll repeat it here. I have some questions regarding the issue of patriotism for Canada. What if the Canadian CITY comes into conflict with the COUNTRY? Then who do you cheer for? I assume your favourite NHL team is the Vancouver Canucks and in international competitions, you support Team Canada. Then what if:
#1.
Let's say Swede Markus Naslund captains the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup in 2006. But at the same time in the 2006 Winter Olympics, he captains Team Sweden over Team Canada in the gold medal game. So what do you think about Naslund - love him or hate him? On the one hand, he helped your Vancouver Canucks win the championship, but on the other hand he helped also an opponent defeat your Team Canada for the championship.
#2.
As a real-life example, Canadian Joe Sakic was the tournament MVP in the 2002 Winter Olympics as he led Team Canada to their first gold medal in 50 years. But at the same time, he led the Colorado Avalanche over the Vancouver Canucks on their way to the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. So Joe Sakic - love him or hate him as he helped your team win but also helped an opponent defeat your team as well.
During their amazing drive to the Stanley Cup finals in 1994, the Canucks drew the Toronto Maple Leafs as the semi-final opponents. During this time, the people in Vancouver clearly showed their animosity towards Toronto and the local media held contests to see who would be the most creative about naming things to hate about Toronto. And I suppose the fact that the Argos defeated the Lions in the 1983 and 2004 Grey Cups didn't improve Vancouver's vision of Toronto. But despite all that, why did Vancouver get so excited then when the Toronto Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993? This love-hate relationship disgusts me.
My personal observation is that the people in Vancouver care more about their local teams than the national teams. The atmosphere in Vancouver when Team Canada made it to the Olympic Gold Medal games in 1992 and 1994 and winning it in 2002 wasn't nearly as excited and celebratory as when the Vancouver Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1982 and 1994.