The Ottawa Senators may be the only Canadian team left in the run for the Stanley Cup but that doesnât mean all Canadians are jumping on the Senatorsâ bandwagon.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that all Canadians would be getting behind the capital cityâs team in the hopes that they would bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada. The last time a Canadian team won the trophy was 24 years ago in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings.
The bowl of the Stanley Cup was created in England but the trophy was commissioned in Canada in 1892 and spends most of the season in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
âWeâre all happy to support Ottawa right now,â said Trudeau during a news conference in Brampton, Ont. âEven Torontonians and Montrealers can agree on this particular one.â
Turns out, that isnât quite the case. If Trudeau accomplished anything with his statement, it was a rare agreement between Toronto Maple Leafs fans and Montreal Canadiens fans that many would not be supporting the Senators.
J.M. Weightman, from Peterborough, Ont., said he wouldnât be supporting the Senators, instead cheering for the Nashville Predators whose blue line has featured ex-Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban.
âEverybody seemed to be behind the Leafs (during their run), but nobody wants to be behind Ottawa I guess,â Weightman told CTV Ottawa.
Some Canadian hockey fans have equated the lack of support to how young the organization is, with the modern Senators entering the NHL in 1992. Alternatively, the Maple Leafs celebrated their centennial this year while the Canadiens celebrated their own in 2009.
âMany Canadians have followed the Montreal Canadiens and the Leafs for many, many years,â said Dennis Lefebvre, a hockey fan.
Fans on Twitter were quick to pipe up with their reasons for not supporting the Senatorsâ run for the Cup, including one Leafs fan who said, âThere are two teams I cheer for; the Maple Leafs and whomever is playing against the SenatorsâŚ.â
No Trudeau .. nobody wants Ottawa to win
â PK! For The Cup (@DontBeMad76)
I'm sorry? Is kidding? I'd prefer the Golden State Warriors win the cup over that team from Ottawa.
â Jamie Artkin (@JamieArtkin)
There are two teams I cheer for; The and whomever is playing against the ....
â Kevin (@Frankenstein68)
But according to Chase Kell, a Yahoo sports editor, the Senators are facing a tough test with the Pittsburgh Penguins and have a lot to prove but thinks the team can pull through.
âThey are embracing this underdog role,â said Kell. âI donât think you can count them out just yet.â
And Senators fans arenât counting their team out either. Many have blasted social media with excitement as their team heads into the eastern conference finals.
Bringing the cup to Ontario "Go Sens Go"
â Sid Palumbo (@SidPalumbo)
I'm still staying true to my word, if win the cup, I will get a tattoo of them over my heart.
â Michael Nutt (@NuttMichael)
, , -
â Tom MacLean (@TomSocial)
Hey it's Canada 150 !!! Can we please bring home a Stanley Cup!! GO SENS GO!!