It’s been 32 years since a Canadian team last lifted the Stanley Cup.
The year was 1993. Jurassic Park dominated the box office. Janet Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” topped the charts. The Toronto Blue Jays were defending World Series champions. And most Canadians didn’t know what a PDF was — it had just been invented.
That June, the Montreal Canadiens beat Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings to win it all. It hasn’t happened since.
In three-plus decades, seven Canadian teams have reached the Final and all have lost. This includes the Vancouver Canucks (1994, 2011), Calgary Flames (2004), Edmonton Oilers (2006, 2024), Ottawa Senators (2007) and Montreal again (2021).
It’s been close. It’s been crushing. And it’s become a running joke — or worse, a wound — for Canadian hockey fans every spring.
But this year feels different.
After taking down the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the Western Conference Final, the Oilers are back. Connor McDavid is on a mission. And this team looks hungrier, deeper and more prepared than it did a year ago.
