Canadian NHL history was nearly made but the Canucks screwed it up
A Canadian team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1993. But on Tuesday night, all seven Canadian teams were on the verge of a much less significant accomplishment.
According to Sportsnet Stats, there’s never been a night in NHL history where all seven Canadian teams won on the same day.
On Tuesday, that nearly happened.
Out East, the underdog Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins in Massachusetts. The Montreal Canadiens fell down 2-0, but scored five unanswered goals to beat the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Ottawa Senators held on for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, getting back into a playoff spot for the first time since January.
Then, it was up to the West.
The Winnipeg Jets beat the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Calgary Flames held on for a shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings. Then, the Edmonton Oilers beat the Utah Mammoth on a night where Connor McDavid recorded his 400th career goal and 1,200th career point.
A historic Canadian sweep was nearly complete, but the Vancouver Canucks couldn’t make it happen.
The Canucks were knotted in a 3-3 tie with the Anaheim Ducks early in the third period before Mason McTavish ended his goal drought at the 5:45 mark.
Anaheim would hold on for a 5-3 win, and the Canucks defeat ended Canada’s chance at history.
Unlike some of the Canucks’ previous efforts, they at least entertained the paying fans at Rogers Arena. It was only the second time in Vancouver’s last 15 games that they registered at least 30 shots on goal.
A moral victory, perhaps, but not good enough to rewrite the record books.
On the surface, it’s hard to believe that there hasn’t been a single night in NHL history where all seven Canadian teams have emerged victorious.
There have been seven NHL teams in Canada since the Winnipeg Jets relocated there from Atlanta in 2011. Going back further, there were seven NHL teams in Canada from 1980 to 1992, with that expanding to eight in 1992 after the Ottawa Senators joined the league.
That number fell back down to six after the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets relocated in the mid-1990s.
Still, a lot has to go right for every Canadian team to win on the same day.
First off, they all have to play on the same night, and not against each other. This season, all seven Canadian teams have played on the same night six times. However, until last night, there was an all-Canadian matchup in each of those instances.
When all seven Canadian teams are in action against American opponents on the same night, with 50/50 odds, that means there’s a one in 128 chance of history occurring.
Those odds were so close on Tuesday night. But leave it to the Canucks to spoil the fun.