First of all, I'm not bitter about my team Not winning, it's how they lost. They were swept by a bitter rival, when everyone thought it would be a cake walk. When Ron Maclean asked Pat Burns if Toronto could sweep Ottawa he said there was no chance in hell. What i'm frustrated (and in case of you haven't realized this yet) is that Canadian teams are at a considerable disadvantage vs their american counterparts. Low Can. dollar, property taxes, municipal taxes, etc., all make it very difficult for every canadian team to remain competitive. Canadians don't believe in taxpayer-supported stadiums, most fans do not understand the full business of professional sport franchises. Every year Ottawa has to "trade down" players to cut costs, whether it's a super-star center like Alexei Yashin, or a solid 3rd Defenceman in Jason York (who is a fan favorite, native to the city of Ottawa and wants to play here).
So what happens when the young players are become too expensive to be kept? Are they traded for picks too?
It's because of some of these reasons noted above that Canadian teams haven't been dominating the stanley cups like in the past. Montreal had 7 in the 70s alone.
But at least we can take solace in knowing we'll make it count at the upcoming Olympics.
And no this isn't a case of the mondays (yesterday was a holiday), this is how every die-hard fan up here feels.
|