Habs players who won the Stanley Cup in 1993 watch Oilers have chance to end Canada’s drought
When the members of the 1993 group Montreal Canadiens Gathered for a reunion commemorating 30 years since their Stanley Cup victory, they told stories and reminisced about their championship run.
Vincent Damphousse, their top scorer in the playoffs, had a lot to share but also forgot a lot. After all, it’s been three decades since he and his teammates beat Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to win the Cup for a franchise-record 24th time in the NHL.
The Montreal Canadiens pose for a photo with the Stanley Cup after their 4-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings in Montreal, June 9, 1993. Left front Patrick Roy lying down.
PHOTO CP/Frank Gunn
Not only has Montreal not won since, but neither has any other Canadian-based team – a drought Edmonton Oilers can finish at 31 by winning Game 7 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night.
“It’s our sport and it’s important for a Canadian team to do well,” Damphousse said. The Associated Press by telephone on weekends. “Look at the city, look at the country. Everyone is watching, and it keeps everyone engaged and watching the games.
This is by far the longest streak between two Canadian Cup victories. Before that, there was a six-year stretch between the Montreal Maroons in 1935 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942, which the Oilers look to follow as the only teams to lose 3-0 in the Finals and come back all the way. at the end. .
“This series has been great for hockey,” said Brian Bellows, who was tied for third among Montreal scorers with 15 points in 20 games during the 1993 playoffs. “Everyone loves a Game 7.”
The 1972 Miami Dolphins, as the only NFL team to have a perfect season and win it all, have a tradition of popping bottles of sparkling wine to celebrate each year when the last undefeated team lost. Nothing like that happened for the 1993 Habs.
Damphousse, now an ambassador for the Canadiens, sympathizes with those north of the 49th parallel who didn’t drink at the Cup.
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“These are markets where it is difficult to succeed,” Damphousse said.
“It was hard. There have been rebuilds, good years and bad, and I certainly hope for success in Canada. I don’t wish bad luck on the Canadian teams.
It’s been a series of bad luck and many other things, including near misses. Four times since then a Canadian team has reached Game 7 and lost, including Vancouver the following year against the New York Rangers, followed by Calgary against Tampa Bay in 2004, Edmonton against Carolina in 2006 and the Canucks who rallied and fell short at home against Boston in 2011.
Kirk Muller, second in scoring behind Damphousse in the regular season and playoffs in 1993, would have been stunned at the time to think that no one in Canada would have won it all over the next 31 years.
“Obviously you’re living in the moment and all that, but everyone is certainly aware of how dry it’s been,” Muller said.
“You can see the enthusiasm in the country right now, and you can see how quickly it’s amplified through the enthusiasm and you can see it happening in Edmonton right now.”
The excitement is in anticipation of what would be the Oilers’ sixth Stanley Cup championship, but first since 1990, a run of five titles in seven years during which the trophy practically lived in Canada. Edmonton won in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990, Montreal in 1986 and Calgary in 1989.
At the time, Canada had seven of the NHL’s 21 teams. There are now seven out of 32, which, along with several other factors, explains the dry period. Damphousse pointed to the salary cap as an obstacle, including tax ramifications in relation to certain U.S. states that lead some players to ask for more money to compensate and manage the pressure of being in a Canadian market where hockey is a point central.
“Guys earn a little more to stay on these teams compared to Florida, Tampa, Dallas or even Vegas, where the tax rules are different,” he said. “I think that’s what makes it a little more difficult for the Canadian teams.”
The Oilers have so far managed to build a contender around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, even though the latter of their two cornerstones has just one year left on his contract and major questions await regardless of the outcome .
Until then, Muller enjoyed following everything remotely as Washington’s assistant coach.
“I watched a lot of playoffs this year,” Muller said. “You’re always looking to improve. Why are these two teams in the final and what are they doing right that can help your team? And then, as a fan, I think the series has been really exciting and the playoffs were really good.
It will be a storybook that will end one way or another. The Panthers will bring the Cup to South Florida for the first time in the organization’s history, which began a few months after Montreal’s victory. Or the Oilers will end the drought in the most unlikely of ways after losing the first three games of the Finals and rallying to make it an instant classic.
“It’s a great series to watch as a fan,” Damphousse said. “I’m rooting for Edmonton.”
You can listen to game 7 Monday night on 630 CHEDstarting with The Showdown Show at 4:00 p.m. MT. The actual game begins at 6 p.m. MT.
© 2024 The Associated Press
