The way I've come to view the Edmonton Oilers anthem singer Robert Clark and his performances of "O Canada" ahead of the team's home playoff games, they've arguably acted as a symbol of Canadian unity in recent times.
Typically, Clark will start singing the national anthem before raising his microphone and allowing the Rogers Place crowd to join in. It's a gesture that allows Edmontonians and Canadians of all walks of life and, sometimes, of all hockey fandoms to come together and provide vocal support for their country.
You could arguably make the same argument for any other Canadian team that makes a run to the later rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But even with the Montreal Canadiens' ongoing playoff run in mind, the fun would get dampened to some capacity. A Habs watch party that was planned to take place at Centre Slush Puppie, the home arena of the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques, was cancelled 15 minutes after the tickets went on sale. The reason being for the cancellation was that the NHL designates an 80 kilometre radius for "exclusive marketing rights" for each of their 32 franchises. By definition, Gatineau falls under the marketing rights zone belonging to the Ottawa Senators, who play just across the Ontario-Quebec border and happen to be one of Montreal's biggest rivals.
This came even with TVA Sports, one of two French-language sports broadcasters in Canada (RDS is the other), getting the permission required to host the event.
This was the NHL stepping in to enforce the marketing rights, but the Senators organization allegedly told the organizer of the event that they would not run any event for the Habs.
To that, I'll say that the Senators have far larger problems than just Gatineau; the national capital region-based city is a hub for Canadiens support, though no official estimate of the breakdown of support exists for the city.
Why collective support matters as Canada's Cup drought approaches 34 years
I get that the rules are rules and that the diehards will always remain dedicated to their teams. But people can cheer for who they want to cheer for, right?
In that case, it's fair to assume that there are Habs fans not just in Ottawa, but also Toronto. Just as there are Oilers fans in Vancouver, there will also be Calgary Flames fans in Edmonton.
That's a geographical breakdown that is more or less reflected in a Sportsnet poll conducted nine years ago. Despite the lengthy period of time and handful of postseason runs from Canadian teams since the time the poll was conducted, it holds true here. No amount of league rules can control the concentration of rival fans in a given market, whose respective teams have more than likely been around far longer than the franchise in question.
But can fans of teams back other franchises, some of whom can be their biggest rivals?
Back in 2017, Habs and Toronto Maple Leafs fans living in Ottawa backed the Senators as they made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost in double overtime. Both the Leafs and Habs made it to the playoffs that season, while the Oilers and Flames got in through the Western Conference. That said, only the Senators and Oilers got past the second round; the Leafs lost in six to the Capitals in their first postseason appearance since 2017, the Habs lost in six to the Rangers after winning the Atlantic Division, while the Flames were swept by the Anaheim Ducks.
A CBC News article documented the switch-up through the perspectives of several fans of the two opposing franchises. One Leafs fan split support between the Original Six franchise and the Senators, while another cited location as a reason behind supporting both Highway 417/Autoroute 40 rivals.
While that Senators run took place nine years ago (I write this segment on the ninth anniversary of the Chris Kunitz goal that sent Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Final and ended Ottawa's run), there is recent precedence to support the idea of a "Canadian hockey collective."
When the Oilers went on their two runs to the Stanley Cup Final, fans once again backed the Oilers despite some opposition. CBC News was once again on the case, documenting the backing of the Oilers with the example of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Oasis, a bar in Nova Scotia's most populous city, typically welcomes fans of the Leafs and Canadiens, but 150 people came out to back Edmonton when the Oilers played the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their first Stanley Cup Final encounter, a 2-1 loss for the Oilers.
Not only did the bar create a brand new logo to honor the Oilers' success, but even more people in the city pulled for Edmonton to bring the Cup back to Edmonton.
The Habs might be natural rivals with most Canadian teams, but unity is still important
While the Habs are down 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, they are still seven wins away from the Stanley Cup.
That's a distance teams like the Flames and Winnipeg Jets don't regularly reach and might not for some time. The Senators and Leafs almost certainly can't dream of such a gap in recent times.
That said, Canadian teams have had some luck at going on deep postseason runs in recent years; five of the last six Conference Finals have featured at least one Canadian team. If you look back to 2017, you have a stretch where seven of the 10 Conference Finals to have been played have featured at least one Canadian NHL franchise.
Of the five Canadian-based rosters to make it to the Conference Finals since 2021, three went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal made it to the Cup Final back in 2021, while Edmonton pulled off the feat twice in 2024 and then in 2025. Before Montreal, Vancouver was the last Canadian team to get to the final round of the playoffs, doing so 10 years prior.
It remains to be seen if Montreal can make a final push for the Stanley Cup, but fans have gotten behind other Canadian teams before and in recent times. And those teams have consistently rewarded temporary fans with at least a Conference Finals berth, with some getting within two wins of a Stanley Cup.
If the third time to the Final is truly to be the charm, then the best thing for Canadian hockey fans to do is to help bring the Cup home. Together.
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