It\u2019ll be yet another year without a Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n
The Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, the last team from Canada left in the NHL playoffs, fell to the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> in the Eastern Conference finals on Friday. The 6-1 loss<\/a> eliminates Montreal from the playoffs, and ensures that the Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams extends to 33 years.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Hurricanes took control of the game from the start, scoring three goals in the first period and adding two more in the second. The crowd in Carolina didn\u2019t hold back with the disrespect as the Canes kept piling it on, yelling Montreal\u2019s \u201col\u00e9\u201d chant in the second period.<\/p>\n Cole Caufield<\/a> finally scored one for the Habs in the third period, but by then it was too little and too late. An empty netter from Seth Jarvis<\/a> then proved to be a cherry on top for Carolina\u2019s dominant 6-1 win, which sends the Hurricanes back to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006.<\/p>\n Montreal\u2019s 4-1 series loss to the Hurricanes comes after the Habs survived two straight Game 7s. In the first round, the Canadiens stayed alive against the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>, after Tampa Bay<\/a> forced a Game 7 in an incredibly tight series. All seven games between the Canadiens and the Lightning were decided by one point, with four games decided by overtime.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Next was another high-intensity series against the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. The Sabres also forced a deciding Game 7 after stunning the Habs at home, scoring seven unanswered goals. But Montreal came out on top in Buffalo after a thrilling overtime winner<\/a> from Alex Newhook<\/a>, securing the series\u2019 reputation for having no sense of home-ice advantage<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the loss to Carolina, the Habs become the last Canadian team to be eliminated from the playoffs, though they made it much further than their countrymen. The Ottawa Senators<\/a> fell first after getting swept<\/a> by the Hurricanes. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> \u2014 who were a favorite to make it far in the postseason \u2014 lost the first-round series<\/a> to the Anaheim Ducks<\/a>.<\/p>\n The other teams from Canada \u2014 the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, Winnipeg Jets<\/a>, Vancouver Canucks<\/a> and Calgary Flames<\/a> \u2014 all failed to make the playoffs after a series of bleak seasons. The Canucks finished the year with the worst record in the entire league, while the Maple Leafs and Jets performed well below expectations and the Flames put up a largely forgettable season.<\/p>\n The now-33-year Stanley Cup drought has been a major source of embarrassment for Canada-based teams, who continue to falter in the postseason despite playing the nation\u2019s sport. Historically, the Montreal Canadiens have appeared in and won more Stanley Cups than any other team in the modern era. The Maple Leafs have won their fair share of titles as well, though they haven\u2019t appeared in the Stanley Cup final since 1967.<\/p>\n Over the past three decades, the Oilers have come closer to winning it all than any other Canadian team: Edmonton made the final in 2024 and 2025, but ultimately fell both times<\/a> to the Florida Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n