Throw in the fact that Corey Perry plays for the Lightning and it gets really hard to convince Canadians to cheer for them. Throw in the fact that their top forward Nikita Kucherov is from Russia, their starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is from Russia, and their top defenceman in Victor Hedman is from Sweden, and the Lightning might just not have the representation they need. With only nine Canadians on the roster, the Lightning aren’t starting out on the best of feet. The Lightning are trying to make history, and it would be truly phenomenal to see a team hoist the Cup in three straight years in not only the salary cap era, but the flat cap era. It’s another team that was built by one of the best Canadians to ever play the game in former GM Steve Yzerman and current GM Julien Brisebois, who did all the right things to construct one of the most dominant teams in decades. The Lightning may have fewer Canadian roster players, but when they’re captained by a player like Stamkos and complemented by Point and Cirelli, it’s a pretty even comparison across the board in terms of Canadian talent, at best. It’s a bit of a consolation prize when you see the team that eliminated you go on to win the Stanley Cup, but at the same time it’s hard to cheer for that team to win. The Avalanche have had a recent history of embarrassing Canadian teams in the playoffs the Flames were blown out in 2019 and the Oilers were swept this year. There’s always a bit of Canada remaining in the history of the Avalanche.

The Nordiques were in the NHL from 1979–95, and relocated to Denver for the 1995–96 season. And of course, the Avalanche did come from an actual Canadian team-the Quebec Nordiques. The Avalanche bench boss, Jared Bednar, is also Canadian.ĭenver, where the Avalanche are based, is also one of the most famous cities nestled near the Rocky Mountains, an iconic North American mountain range. The Avs are also managed by one of the best Canadian hockey players to ever lace up a pair of skates in Joe Sakic, who is showing he belongs in the elite category of managers as well.

2004 tampa bay lightning roster