'Canada's Team': Why do we all hate each other?

[HerrDrFunk]

2 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

From what I've heard from people in Seattle, they were cheering for us. You might be surprised with the fans that come on board.

I think that's probably geography related. They don't have an NHL, we do. It's the same reason why so many people in Vancouver jumped on the Seahawks bandwagon.

[\/ijay]

Well I don't care for the oilers but I would love for Burrows or Bieksa to win a cup.

[-DLC-]

1 hour ago, S'all Good Man said:

Its annoying because no one city represents the entire country. And because it gets thrust upon the rest of us, usually out of Toronto. 

 

Personally I don't care much about other Canadian teams, for me its more about individual players and who bled for us here. I'd love to see Bieksa get a ring before Toronto gets a parade. 

This.

 

And what is "Canada's team" anyhow?  Canadians play on different teams and rosters are comprised of a variety of players from all over the map.  

 

Bieksa is true blue "Canadian" to me...I cheer for him.

 

I "cheer" for a team based on a number of reasons....number one being that I like and throw my support behind individuals on that team.  

 

I don't ever recall large numbers of "Canadians" outside this province getting behind my team.   So I feel no loyalty toward them (either).   Many ARE rivals, so of course I don't cheer for them.  I want them to lose, badly.

[mephnick]

I've been to Toronto many times and I may as well have been in a different country. Why should I cheer for Toronto? I might as well cheer for Tampa Bay. I have no reason to care about either city.

[ice orca]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Agreed.  My intense dislike for other Canadian teams comes from posters here, who live in those cities, but post on our Canuck's forum as if they are Canuck's fans, when CLEARLY they are not.  

Alf Jong un with the hate

[Alflives]

Just now, ice orca said:

Alf Jong un with the hate

I'm out of pluses (again) but you deserve several!  Too funny!!!  Alf really doesn't want to see another Canadian city celebrate a Cup before us.  

[Toews]

There is only one "Canada's team" and that team is playing France right now.

[-DLC-]

Quote

If you were to hate a team based on their fanbase, then the Canucks would be hated all the time and I don't think our Team (players, coaches, management) deserves that. Our fanbase sucks. We whine about everything, we're impatient, we dwell on the negatives, and run players and coaches out of town. As much as we hate other fanbases for bringing up the riot, we still bring up Mike Milbury and his shoe. As much as we hate the Sedins being called sisters, we still saw 'Cindy' Crosby a lot on the boards around 2011. Our fanbase is as bad as any and hating a team for their fans is unfair to the team.

But we ARE hated a great deal of the time (read comments on FB, etc. to see that).  And those things you gave as reasons FOR people to hate us?  All fans have their moments and we are no different.  I know some of most loyal, knowledgeable hockey fans around....so "we" don't suck.   Some people do.

 

There is no obligation to appease anyone but ourselves in this deal.  I do hockey FOR ME.   I don't give a flying frisbee about the rest of the country, and won't apologize for it.  This is my deal...I am passionate about it.  And, by way of that, I decide how I feel about other teams. 

 

Hate:  Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.   Not sorry.

 

Love:  Bieksa (go Ducks) and Burrows (go Sens).  

 

[PhillipBlunt]

1 hour ago, Where's Wellwood said:

Every year in the playoffs, but especially this year given it's Canada's 150th birthday and CBC's marketing revolves around it, the issue of 'Canada's Team' arises. For me personally, I'll cheer for any Canadian team over any American team almost all of the time.

 

This year seems to have been especially divisive with Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto all making the playoffs.

 

1) Some people hate these teams because of prior rivalries from decades past. I wasn't alive for those so I don't feel the hate but I understand this. I doubt even 30 years from now that I'll ever want Chicago, LA, or Boston to win anything.

 

2a) Others though, have indicated that they refuse to cheer for other Canadian teams because they didn't cheer for us in 2011. However, as much as we found Boston the dirtiest POS team, a lot of the league would have seen the Canucks through a lens built by a reputation we earned that season and in the recent past. We had Burrows, Kesler, Bieksa, Torres, and Lapierre. Those are some players which people could understandably dislike because of arrogance, play style, or personality.

 

2b) On Reddit, I found this tidbit from someone who lived in Edmonton for a period of time. (Taken out due to language)

 

 

Now obviously, this won't be the case for every Edmonton fan, but some portion of the Edmonton fanbase hates the Canucks Team because apparently CBC showed some fans cheering for the Hurricanes in 2006. Thus, those fans hated the Canucks from then on including our Cup run in 2011. Because those fans didn't cheer for our team in 2011, some of our fans didn't cheer for Edmonton in 2017, and the cycle continues. From the whole Reddit post above, I found one person that agreed with me.

 

 

3) If you were to hate a team based on their fanbase, then the Canucks would be hated all the time and I don't think our Team (players, coaches, management) deserves that. Our fanbase sucks. We whine about everything, we're impatient, we dwell on the negatives, and run players and coaches out of town. As much as we hate other fanbases for bringing up the riot, we still bring up Mike Milbury and his shoe. As much as we hate the Sedins being called sisters, we still saw 'Cindy' Crosby a lot on the boards around 2011. Our fanbase is as bad as any and hating a team for their fans is unfair to the team.

 

4) Others hate Edmonton for lucking into so many first overall picks or Toronto for tanking for Matthews. Well, isn't that exactly what we wanted to do? Kinda hypocritical ain't it? Besides, the reason Edmonton is good/will be great isn't because of all those number 1 picks. It's because of McDavid, and a great #3 pick in Draisaitl. Because of good trades like Hall for Larson. Because of a capable coach like McLellan and GM like Chiarelli. It isn't because of RNH or Yakupov (who they don't have anymore, and who hasn't lit the world on fire in St. Louis). 

The reason Toronto is good/will be great isn't just because of Matthews. It's because of a great 4th overall pick in Marner, and a great 8th overall pick in Nylander. Trading Kessel for Kapanen . A coach like Bobcock. 

The Canucks are on their way to similarly improving if trades and drafts work out but hating other teams for doing what you wanted to do, when they started rebuilding earlier isn't fair.

 

5) The media's constant focus on McJesus, Matthews, and 18 19 20 year old Sam Bennett. The media is the media. We know they're $&!# and a city's media shouldn't be reason to hate the team. Hell, we hate our own media.

 

6) Edmonton changed the rules! Except they didn't. Their ineptitude caused the NHL to change the rules which I'm pretty sure is something we all wanted while the Oilers were in the middle of sucking. It's only now that we suck, that our desire for change is backfiring. Teams don't choose to tank for a decade. They just sucked which is something we should be able to sympathize with.

 

7) You don't necessarily hate the other teams (or maybe you do) but you want the Canucks to be the first to bring the Cup back to Canada. Noble thoughts but we'll be waiting a while and I don't want to see St. Louis, Washington, and Nashville or other Cupless teams win the Cup in the meantime. Go for Canada instead.

 

In conclusion, we do all hate each other. We probably shouldn't because the reason for the hatred is all outdated, petty, or misplaced but that's what drives sports. Not all of these reasons will apply to everyone. Several might apply to you. But I hope that for a period of a couple months every spring/summer we can put that to the side and unite in cheering for Canada and bringing the Cup up North. Because that's what Bettman wouldn't want.

Generalizations like this are annoying and simplistic, and serve no point but to weaken your argument.

[Fan since 82]

18 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

But we ARE hated a great deal of the time (read comments on FB, etc. to see that).  And those things you gave as reasons FOR people to hate us?  All fans have their moments and we are no different.  I know some of most loyal, knowledgeable hockey fans around....so "we" don't suck.   Some people do.

 

I think every other team is hated by portions of other fan bases. According to comments I have seen on various other platforms every team is a bunch of divers, every team plays dirty and whine to the refs, refs are always against their teams (we don't have the monopoly on fans wearing foil hats thinking there's a league conspiracy). 

 

I know that Canadians are sprinkled throughout the league but I would love to see a Stanley Cup parade in a Canadian city, but obviously Vancouver first!

[Rob_Zepp]

2 hours ago, Where's Wellwood said:

Every year in the playoffs, but especially this year given it's Canada's 150th birthday and CBC's marketing revolves around it, the issue of 'Canada's Team' arises. For me personally, I'll cheer for any Canadian team over any American team almost all of the time.

 

This year seems to have been especially divisive with Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto all making the playoffs.

 

1) Some people hate these teams because of prior rivalries from decades past. I wasn't alive for those so I don't feel the hate but I understand this. I doubt even 30 years from now that I'll ever want Chicago, LA, or Boston to win anything.

 

2a) Others though, have indicated that they refuse to cheer for other Canadian teams because they didn't cheer for us in 2011. However, as much as we found Boston the dirtiest POS team, a lot of the league would have seen the Canucks through a lens built by a reputation we earned that season and in the recent past. We had Burrows, Kesler, Bieksa, Torres, and Lapierre. Those are some players which people could understandably dislike because of arrogance, play style, or personality.

 

2b) On Reddit, I found this tidbit from someone who lived in Edmonton for a period of time. (Taken out due to language)

 

 

Now obviously, this won't be the case for every Edmonton fan, but some portion of the Edmonton fanbase hates the Canucks Team because apparently CBC showed some fans cheering for the Hurricanes in 2006. Thus, those fans hated the Canucks from then on including our Cup run in 2011. Because those fans didn't cheer for our team in 2011, some of our fans didn't cheer for Edmonton in 2017, and the cycle continues. From the whole Reddit post above, I found one person that agreed with me.

 

 

3) If you were to hate a team based on their fanbase, then the Canucks would be hated all the time and I don't think our Team (players, coaches, management) deserves that. Our fanbase sucks. We whine about everything, we're impatient, we dwell on the negatives, and run players and coaches out of town. As much as we hate other fanbases for bringing up the riot, we still bring up Mike Milbury and his shoe. As much as we hate the Sedins being called sisters, we still saw 'Cindy' Crosby a lot on the boards around 2011. Our fanbase is as bad as any and hating a team for their fans is unfair to the team.

 

4) Others hate Edmonton for lucking into so many first overall picks or Toronto for tanking for Matthews. Well, isn't that exactly what we wanted to do? Kinda hypocritical ain't it? Besides, the reason Edmonton is good/will be great isn't because of all those number 1 picks. It's because of McDavid, and a great #3 pick in Draisaitl. Because of good trades like Hall for Larson. Because of a capable coach like McLellan and GM like Chiarelli. It isn't because of RNH or Yakupov (who they don't have anymore, and who hasn't lit the world on fire in St. Louis). 

The reason Toronto is good/will be great isn't just because of Matthews. It's because of a great 4th overall pick in Marner, and a great 8th overall pick in Nylander. Trading Kessel for Kapanen . A coach like Bobcock. 

The Canucks are on their way to similarly improving if trades and drafts work out but hating other teams for doing what you wanted to do, when they started rebuilding earlier isn't fair.

 

5) The media's constant focus on McJesus, Matthews, and 18 19 20 year old Sam Bennett. The media is the media. We know they're $&!# and a city's media shouldn't be reason to hate the team. Hell, we hate our own media.

 

6) Edmonton changed the rules! Except they didn't. Their ineptitude caused the NHL to change the rules which I'm pretty sure is something we all wanted while the Oilers were in the middle of sucking. It's only now that we suck, that our desire for change is backfiring. Teams don't choose to tank for a decade. They just sucked which is something we should be able to sympathize with.

 

7) You don't necessarily hate the other teams (or maybe you do) but you want the Canucks to be the first to bring the Cup back to Canada. Noble thoughts but we'll be waiting a while and I don't want to see St. Louis, Washington, and Nashville or other Cupless teams win the Cup in the meantime. Go for Canada instead.

 

In conclusion, we do all hate each other. We probably shouldn't because the reason for the hatred is all outdated, petty, or misplaced but that's what drives sports. Not all of these reasons will apply to everyone. Several might apply to you. But I hope that for a period of a couple months every spring/summer we can put that to the side and unite in cheering for Canada and bringing the Cup up North. Because that's what Bettman wouldn't want.

It's not hatred, it is insecurity.   Same insecurity that has Flames or Oiler fans pointing to cups won before they were born as making their failed franchises for the past decade more relevant.  Now that their fortunes have turned, Canuck fans are being insecure about it.

 

If you are a hockey fan you can have favourite teams and still appreciate the success of others without any need for hate.   It is a more mature and enjoyable way to be but clearly it isn't for everyone.

[JM_]

2 hours ago, Alflives said:

Agreed.  My intense dislike for other Canadian teams comes from posters here, who live in those cities, but post on our Canuck's forum as if they are Canuck's fans, when CLEARLY they are not.  

...and even wear Hawks jersey's to Rogers Arena and cheer against us on those nights. They're the worst ones imo and the big drivers of the negativity in our own market. 

 

[JM_]

I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me before, but "Canada's team" is the Olympic team, period. The world juniors are the (relatively) non-pro version. 

 

Everything else has some TO slant or NHL "fixiness" to it, even the worlds are a giant meh since its not really that high quality. 

 

[Rocky Balboa]

It sure is funny (and annoying) reading Tweets and posts from Coilers fans bringing the Canucks into the conversation about losing to the Ducks. 

 

Good to see we're still hated, we must be doing something right.  

 

 

[Where's Wellwood]

33 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

It's not hatred, it is insecurity.   Same insecurity that has Flames or Oiler fans pointing to cups won before they were born as making their failed franchises for the past decade more relevant.  Now that their fortunes have turned, Canuck fans are being insecure about it.

 

If you are a hockey fan you can have favourite teams and still appreciate the success of others without any need for hate.   It is a more mature and enjoyable way to be but clearly it isn't for everyone.

In addition to insecurity, I'd add an inferiority complex of sorts. 

[DADDYROCK]

Sorry,

no political correctness when it comes to hockey,certain teams have been extremely lucky over the years to get superstar players,OR ALL THE HOCKEY TALK IS ABOUT THEM(LEAFS).This why we hate them.The way they talked about Toronto this year you would swear they aready won the cup,as "THE DONALD"would say,SAD.

 

I for one would like a first overall pick,what,that's right,THE CANUCKS have never had one in 46 or 47 years,is there any wonder why we hate the teams that they have to change the rules of LOTTO DRAFT just to keep them from getting more FIRST OVERALLS.

With the way the new NHL DRAFT is set-up it's most aggravating to drop in the draft time and time again,when we need some talent.

 

So happy to see the Oilers and the Gretzsky show be knocked out of the play-off.they have won enough, ffs! The hype was just sickening,see NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT.

[Rob_Zepp]

8 minutes ago, Where's Wellwood said:

In addition to insecurity, I'd add an inferiority complex of sorts. 

Agreed.   It is professional sport - it doesn't reflect upon your individual value as a human being.   

[Alflives]

6 minutes ago, Rocky Balboa said:

It sure is funny (and annoying) reading Tweets and posts from Coilers fans bringing the Canucks into the conversation about losing to the Ducks. 

 

Good to see we're still hated, we must be doing something right.  

 

 

What we're doing right is living here.  

[TimberWolf]

1 hour ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Generalizations like this are annoying and simplistic, and serve no point but to weaken your argument.

 

yup but it serves to prop oneself up because when they say "our fanbase sucks" what I hear them say is "everyone sucks but me"

 

[TimberWolf]

1 hour ago, debluvscanucks said:

But we ARE hated a great deal of the time (read comments on FB, etc. to see that).  And those things you gave as reasons FOR people to hate us?  All fans have their moments and we are no different.  I know some of most loyal, knowledgeable hockey fans around....so "we" don't suck.   Some people do.

 

There is no obligation to appease anyone but ourselves in this deal.  I do hockey FOR ME.   I don't give a flying frisbee about the rest of the country, and won't apologize for it.  This is my deal...I am passionate about it.  And, by way of that, I decide how I feel about other teams. 

 

Hate:  Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.   Not sorry.

 

Love:  Bieksa (go Ducks) and Burrows (go Sens).  

 

 

 

When people make blanket statement about why we are so hated I like to respond "why do you care about the opinions of other teams fans so much?"

 

I'd rather have legions of Deb fans that don't care if "true hockey fans" piss or go fishing over a group of elitists that think we need to behave a certain way for the acceptance of others that would hate us even if we did act that way.