The Edmonton Oilers are now seen as Canada’s team, with Canadians from coast to coast rallying behind them as the Stanley Cup finals kick off.
Among those who back the Oilers, 68 percent said they see the team as “Canada’s team,” which includes 72 percent of fans from rival Canadian teams.
However, the support is not the same among rival team fans. Those who usually cheer for the Winnipeg Jets have the largest amount of support for the Oilers, at 78 percent. Seventy-four percent of Calgary Flames fans will be cheering for Edmonton, along with 72 percent of Ottawa Senators fans and 71 percent of Toronto Maple Leaf fans.
Support for Edmonton is lowest among Vancouver Canucks fans, at 62 percent. The Oilers beat out the Canucks in the Western Hockey Finals. In contrast, 23 percent of Canucks fans said they were now cheering on the Panthers.
Montreal Canadiens fans showed the second-lowest level of support for the Oilers at 64 percent.
The online poll was conducted between June 4 and 5 with 1,001 Canadians responding. The results are accurate plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Even provincial premiers are cheering for the Oilers.
Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault appeared in question period in Ottawa wearing an Oilers jersey and lapel pin.
Finals Kickoff
The Stanley Cup Finals begin June 8 in Florida and offer an opportunity for a Canadian team to bring the cup home. It has been 31 years since that happened, but it won’t be an easy road.In December and January, the Oilers won 16 straight games, finishing the season with 49 wins, 27 regulation losses, and six overtime losses for 104 points.
However, Florida’s coach Paul Marice has the second-most wins in NHL history (1,848), including experience with Hartford, Caroline, Toronto, and Winnipeg.
The Panthers have not won a Stanley Cup before and have been part of the league since 1993. Edmonton has won the finals five times, but not since 1990. They played in the finals in 2006 against the Caroline Hurricanes but lost that match.