[dwd5150]

Can we please, please, please stop buying into this 'Canada's Game' 'Bring The Cup Home' political-business marketing strategy that Rogers Communications, Canadian NHL franchises, Canadian advertisers, legacy & online influencer-pundits, and grubby politicians at all levels in Canada have been milking for decades?

As a Flames fan, I'm relieved the Oilers did not win. As a hockey fan, I am glad the best team, Florida, won. I couldn't give a rats ass (there are none to be had in Alberta) if any team other than the Flames in Canada EVER won a Cup again!

Canadians need to grow up and realize that their beloved hockey is a world game and a business. It's not Canada's game. Not for a long , long time.

That includes the recent 4 Nations tournament, by the way, though the players certainly bought into the nationalist pride and delivered a spectacle that surprised even the NHL's marketing gurus. I enjoyed it myself, and was thrilled when Canada won. Remember though, it could have easily gone to the USA if not for our goalie. Would we feel worse as a nation of we had lost that tournament? If we actually are a grown-up, mature country (something I often doubt based on available evidence) then a nationalist marketing strategy disguised as a hockey tournament should not cause us all to lose our collective minds and national pride if our team happens to lose. The 4 Nations tournament was sold as a best on best tournament based on nationalities - except that major nations of the hockey world we're not invited because of the politics of war. So it wasn't even best on best. It was still fun, because the level of play was elite, and of course we all cheered for the Canadians, but speaking for myself I'd not have lost a wisp of national pride had our team lost.

For the millionth time...the NHL is a quite lucrative business. The teams are business franchises owned by billionaires and the game is played by millionaire players from around the hockey world on each team. Where the team happens to be based in North America DOES NOT MATTER! Cheer for your team of mercenaries. I cheer for the Flames, and not because they are based in Canada.

Canadians need to reject the social-political agitation propaganda peddled by Rogers, the NHL's Canadian teams, its Canadian advertisers, self-interested Canadian legacy and online media pundits, and opportunistic politicians. Cheer for your NHL team, and against other NHL teams, like an adult that is smart enough to recognize that their sense of national pride should not be wrapped up in the NHL team being geographically located in Canada.