Both the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks enter the Stanley Cup finals with a lot of history to overcome. The Bruins are an original 6 team who haven't won the Cup since back to back season in '69/'70 and '71/'71, while the Canucks entered the NHL during the second expansion in 1970 and have never won a Cup. Vancouver and Boston are both worldly cities that have die hard hockey fans, but while the whole of Canada is behind Vancouver it is hard to believe anyone outside of New England is pulling for the Bruins.
For generations the Boston sports fan was the most tortured sports fan in the country, the curse of the Bambino hung over the Red Sox, the Celts became a joke after the Bird years and the Patriots were a laughingstock before the Tuna years. The landscape has changed dramatically for Boston sports fans 30 years of age and younger. The Red Sox have won 2 World Series' since 2000 and have been in the playoffs 6 of the last ten years. They have gone from scrappy underdog rivals of the Yankees to executing the same off-season game plan, no one seemed to blink when they spent half a billion dollars this past offseason and almost the entire '04 and '07 title teams have been linked to performance enhancing drugs. The mentality of the all Red Sox fans has changed so dramatically that a 3 game losing streak seems to elicit the same response on ESPN Boston that it did in the owner's box in the Bronx when George was in charge. Thanks to Kevin McHale handing Garnett to his friend Danny Ainge for 10 cents on the dollar the Celtics were able to dominate their division since '08 while winning one title and making it to last year's finals. That one move allowed the Celtics to quickly move back into the NBA's elite and gave their fans the opportunity to steal back the title of most arrogant NBA fans from LA. The Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls since 2000, 6 AFC titles and 11 AFC East divisions since '85. Now when the Patriots lose as favorites in the playoffs you would think New England was back under British rule as ESPN has turned Tom Brady's draft position into a national crisis along with the on camera tears, while sweeping "spygate" under a Jim Tressel size rug. It is not like Boston is led by US born stars, their one American on the roster is goaltender Tim Thomas, who has been terrific this year, but was MIA in last year's Olympics as Canucks center Ryan Kesler was vital for the US silver medal winning squad.
Meanwhile, the Cup hasn't been won by a team north of the border since the '93 Montreal Canadiens led by Patrick Roy and Kirk Muller beat the Gretzky led Kings coached by Barry Melrose in 5 games. The Flames and Oilers lost in 7 heartbreaking games to teams from the US sunbelt sandwiched around the lockout cancelled '05 season and the Senators were outclassed by Anaheim (another traditional hockey market) in 5 games during the '07 Cup finals. This year's Canucks is Canada's best chance to win the Cup since the Montreal teams of the 70's and doing it against a Boston team would be that much sweeter for the capital of BC and US sports fans south of Connecticut.
I think I speak for America outside of New England when I say, Let's go Vancouver you have two countries counting on you as now every Pat's and Celts writer has hopped on the Bruins bandwagon and if I have to hear one more "I had given up on the Bruins, but this team is different" angle to a story I might flip out Will Hunting style. Hopefully the return of Canuck's center Manny Malhotra will swing the tide for Vancouver and quickly turn the ESPN Boston and New England sports fans focus back to John Lackey's struggles, Rando's injuries, and the Pat's lack of pass rusher.
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