During Wednesday’s morning show on Sportsnet Radio the Fan 590, Greg Brady and I decided to do something different than the usual, "who do you think will win the Stanley Cup?"
We asked listeners a very simple question: "which team would you like to see fail in the first round?"
Now, Greg might be the only person I know who is cheering for both the Canucks and the Red Wings.
No self-respecting, card-carrying member of the Canucks Nation would ever admit to also cheering for the Red Wings; except for my wingman Greg.
The question spurned a flood of calls, e-mails and tweets from listeners who had very strong opinions about who they would like to see flame out in the opening round.
For the majority of hockey fans living in Southern Ontario, the very thought that the Montreal Canadiens might beat the Bruins is enough to make them gag.
If you don’t like the team, nothing infuriates people more than the sight of 20,000 Habs fans chanting "Ole…Ole, Ole, Ole…" at the Bell Centre.
At the same time, there are a lot of hockey fans in Calgary and Edmonton who would rather drive an electric car than cheer for the Canucks.
Greg quickly identified the Nashville Predators as the team he would love to see knocked out in the first round.
It is hard to argue with him.
The Preds are one of the most boring teams in the NHL and have the unique ability to take all the fun out of playoff hockey.
I really would like to see Canadian-based team in the NHL do well, but I simply can not and will not cheer for the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens are a great team filled with quality players and they have an amazing fan base. I just have no desire to be a member of the Habs Nation for the playoffs.
Let’s be honest, there is a large number of hockey fans all across Canada that can’t bring themselves to cheer for the Habs.
I will freely admit that I would love to see the Bruins knock the Canadiens out of the post-season and silence that annoying chant until October.
Hey, just because you are a proud Canadian, doesn’t mean you should ever be obligated to cheer for a Canadian-based team.
My Canada includes Quebec, just as long as the Habs don’t win the Stanley Cup.
Thanks to another disappointing Leafs season, I am a man without a team to cheer for in the playoffs.
That’s why I have decided to adopt the Vancouver Canucks as my team of choice this post-season.
The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times. The poor Canucks have never captured the most difficult trophy to win in professional sports.
If there ever was a year that the Canucks were going to get off the schneid and finally win a Stanley Cup, this is it.
I just hope that I haven’t cursed the Canucks by declaring my support for them during the post-season.
