Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
A Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup in 27 years. A generation ago. Before many of you were born. This is beyond mere coincidence. A blueprint has to account for this disadvantage.
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So what has handicapped Canadian teams? In the cases of Edmonton, Winnipeg, and to a lesser extent Ottawa and Calgary, these are not desirable destinations for star players and top free agents. On the other hand, lots of players seem to want to play in Toronto and Vancouver. So desirability of the city doesn't explain all of it.
Is it impatience? Looking at the way teams have been constructed, that seems part of it. Canadian owners don't have the patience for rebuilds. Maybe because they don't think the fans will tolerate rebuilds. But why would loyal fanbases in markets that routinely sell out be
more averse to rebuilds than American markets with much shallower and fragile support?