A poll by the Angus Reid Institute finds renewed hope that one of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, or Toronto will bring Canadians a desperately sought after Stanley Cup parade.Asked which team they believe represents Canada’s best opportunity, Canadian hockey fans are divided equally between the Toronto Maple Leafs (21%) and Edmonton Oilers (20%). Fewer, but (14%) say the Vancouver Canucks will be the team to break the drought, while just 5% believe the Winnipeg Jets have what it takes.For many Canadians, which team wins has become less important than whether it is their favourite. In 2016, 57% of Canadians said they didn’t care which team ended the drought. Now, almost two-thirds (64%) say they’ll cheer for any team that calls Canada home. The remainder say there are at least some Canadian teams they won't cheer for.Two-thirds of Albertans who follow the NHL (64%) will be pulling for last year’s league MVP Connor McDavid and the Oilers, though evidently Calgary fans hold back some of the enthusiasm for that province’s only representative in the tournament. A plurality (45%) back the Oilers in Saskatchewan, but 23% like the Jets, 19% the Leafs, and 14% the Canucks.In British Columbia, it’s largely Canucks or bust, with 83% of NHL followers in that province cheering for the odds-on Norris favourite Quinn Hughes and his team. The same story is true in Manitoba, where that province’s hockey fans hope the Jets can take flight and mount a run to the Cup final in June. Ontario east, the Leafs are easily the top choice for hockey fans, with three-quarters in Ontario (73%) and half in Atlantic Canada (52%) cheering for Auston Matthews and Co. In Quebec, 37% are cheering for the Leafs, 27% the Oilers, 24% the Canucks, and 12% the Jets. .Barely half of Canadians who follow hockey are "very" or "pretty" excited about the playoffs (51%). Enthusiasm is highest among men over age 55, where 45% are "pretty excited — looking forward to it" and 20% are "very excited - can't wait". The middle-aged (35-54) have the most interest among women with (34%) "pretty excited" and 10% ("very excited").The Montreal Canadiens won the cup in Gary Bettman's first year as commissioner (1992-93), and American teams have won ever since. He recently argued that game has never been better, with stars and talent abound, and expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle both accomplished in the past eight years.
