The Vancouver Canucks will be watching the playoffs from home for a third-straight year. So who should you be cheering for to win it all? We break down which bandwagon you should jump on throughout the big dance!
Vancouver Canucks fans remember the good ol’ days where they stuck the team flags on their vehicles to share support during the playoffs, and that’s something they were accustomed to every spring.
But times have changed, and the Canucks have missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Unfortunately, a number of this team’s arch-rivals have qualified, so Vancouver fans will have the right to feel envious and angry.
Now, just because your team isn’t in the playoffs (again), doesn’t mean there isn’t any fun to be had. Nobody said you’re not allowed to jump on a bandwagon, but it can be challenging to choose the right one.
So who should Canucks fans be cheering for to win the Stanley Cup? We’ll break down all 16 playoff teams and explain why you should/shouldn’t root for them.
Can’t go wrong
Nashville Predators: Easily the favourites to win it all. There’s nothing to really dislike about this Nashville team, and Canuck fans have to respect how crazily passionate this fan base is. It would be cool if Ryan Johansen got to bring the Stanley Cup back to his hometown of Vancouver, too.
Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning won the Atlantic Division, and they have to be considered the favourites to come out of the Eastern Conference. They don’t have any former Canucks standouts on the roster, but they may get the opportunity to eliminate either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs in round two. Cheer for Tampa if they beat one of those two to reach the final four, given how unpopular the Leafs and Bruins are on the west coast.
Philadelphia Flyers: From non-playoff team in 2017 to picking second in the draft (Nolan Patrick) to winning a Stanley Cup? They would totally provide inspiration to the Canucks!
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Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby has a large following across Canada, including in Vancouver. Wouldn’t it be cool to tell your kids and grandchildren that you saw the Pens pull off a three-peat in the salary cap era?
San Jose Sharks: They are a Pacific Division rival, but most Canucks fans can probably agree that the likes of Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski deserve a Stanley Cup championship. Plus, what if the Sharks eliminated one or two Canucks arch-rivals en route to a championship?
Washington Capitals: Wouldn’t it be nice for Alexander Ovechkin to finally win a Stanley Cup?
Not a good idea
Colorado Avalanche: This team was an arch-rival of the Canucks in the Northwest Division from 1998-2013. Colorado beat Vancouver in the 1996 and 2001 playoffs, en route to winning the Stanley Cup both years. No thanks
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Columbus Blue Jackets: John Tortorella was head coach of a very forgettable 2013-14 season. He benched Roberto Luongo during the 2014 Heritage Classic, which led to the latter getting traded back to the Florida Panthers. How dare he possibly think about leading the Jackets to a Stanley Cup?!
Minnesota Wild: Like the Avalanche, the Wild were a Northwest Division rival of the Canucks, and beat them in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals. We advise you to stay away from the Minnesota bandwagon.
New Jersey Devils: Some fans refuse to forget the Cory Schneider trade, even though it brought in a top centre in Bo Horvat. It would be frustrating for the Canuck faithful to see yet another former star win a Cup…elsewhere.
Stay away
Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Kesler went from superhero to ultimate super villain. The Canucks and Ducks have quite a heated rivalry. Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Miller are other former Canucks now on Anaheim. Oh, and don’t a large portion of Vancouver fans dislike Corey Perry?
Boston Bruins: Do I really need to explain this?
Los Angeles Kings: They eliminated the Canucks in the 2012 playoffs, and nobody can forget the shot their Twitter account took at our beautiful province:
To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you're welcome.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 12, 2012
Yeah, no thanks.
Cheer for…
Toronto Maple Leafs: Okay, okay. I know there’s the whole west vs. east rivalry here, but I’m sure most of us have some close friends and family members who are avid Leafs supporters. They’re also one of the only two Canadian teams who can end our 25-year Stanley Cup drought.
By the way, this team just began rebuilding three years ago. Now they could be Stanley Cup champions? That would bring plenty of inspiration to a frustrated Vancouver Canucks fan base.
Vegas Golden Knights: Hard to root against an epic underdog story. How awesome would it be if Vegas won the Stanley Cup in their first season of existence? There isn’t much of a reason to cheer against them.
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Winnipeg Jets: They’re a lovable Canadian team, with a group of tremendous stars centering around Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler. Hate the Leafs if you must, but how many Canuck fans would be angry about Winnipeg ending Canada’s Stanley Cup drought?