Rookies help Blades steamroll Broncos in 60th home opener
8h ago
8,253 people filled the Sasktel Centre to watch and cheer on the Saskatoon Blades for their 60th home opener in franchis...
Earlier this week, head coach Jon Cooper received a contract extension for his work with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa has been stellar this season, winning 59 of 77 games. The Lightning has lost just six regular-season games on home ice. It was four years ago that Cooper took the Lightning to the Stanley Cup final.
The extension got me thinking about the advantages that non-traditional hockey markets may have versus hockey hotbeds when it comes to winning Stanley Cups. Two of the last three championship teams have been from Washington and Los Angeles.
Don’t get me wrong. There is pressure to win in every NHL centre, but Tampa’s success this season, in a market with little media scrutiny, has been remarkable.
The Flames and Jets are playing well this season, and it would be great to see either one of those teams win a Stanley Cup. However, I am left to wonder if this 26-year Canadian cup drought may be more than coincidence.