How to Bring the Cup Back to Canada

Canadian fans put too much pressure on their teams to win, leading to quick fixes instead of long-term player development.

In the mid-1990s many Canadian NHL franchises were struggling, with two teams eventually relocating to U.S. markets. Fans of the remaining teams in Canada were forced to dig deep into their pockets as ticket prices rose to keep clubs financially viable. Meanwhile, large-market teams in Detroit, New York, and Toronto continued to pay outlandish salaries to chase Stanley Cups and drive revenues.

However, in the past five seasons, circumstances have changed dramatically for Canadian-based teams and their fans. First, a salary cap has constrained the ability of teams to buy their way to success and, in theory, created a more level playing field. Second, the Canadian dollar has become much stronger and no longer puts Canadian teams on an unequal footing with their U.S. counterparts. Finally, interest and support for teams in Canada returned in earnest following the league imposed lockout of 2004-05. Even with the recent recession, Canadian teams are in a much stronger financial position than many American clubs.

But even with these changes, this spring represents yet another season where Canadian hockey fans will not witness a local team hoist the Stanley Cup.

Today, Canadian teams are the financial “haves” of the league and, with sound personnel decisions, should be able to parlay their revenues into more competitive squads. Meanwhile, fans are more informed about the business of the NHL – they know that Canadian teams generate a disproportionate amount of league revenues, and that local ticket prices are higher than the league average. As a result, their expectations for the performance of their respective teams are higher than ever.

This has led to more pressure on Canadian-based teams to put a winning squad on the ice. Thus, management has been more likely to try quick fixes to improve the immediate fortunes of their teams, through coaching changes and free agent signings, rather than follow a longer-term approach to player development. For some franchises, this has resulted in a perpetual rebuilding phase where Canadian teams are competitive enough to challenge for a playoff spot, but not weak enough to “earn” high draft positions and acquire the rights to highly skilled players. In this scenario, only teams with exceptional scouting and management will remain competitive in the long run.

The solution is for fans to be patient with their clubs as management attempts to assemble the right players and other personnel to ice a championship team. But fans must understand that all of the other teams in the league are trying to do the same thing and that, all else being equal, teams will qualify for the playoffs barely half the time.