Newcomers in Canada and the Stanley Cup

For many across Canada, the spring season means one thing – the Stanley Cup playoffs are here!

For newcomers to Canada and international students, the Stanley Cup playoffs between 16 National Hockey League (NHL) teams provide an insight into the sport of ice hockey and perhaps Canada’s national culture and identity. 

Lloyd L. Wong, Martine Dennie and others are the authors of 2021 report entitled “I feel more Canadian with hockey.”Identity and Belonging through Ice Hockey in a Diverse Canadian. 

In their article published in Canadian Ethnic Studies Wong and Dennie argue their ethnicity is not a barrier to their success. “findings show that for most immigrants and racialized minorities engaged in organized ice hockey, there is more likely a sense of Canadian national identity and a sense of belonging to Canada compared to the Canadian-born and to whites.”

They also state that the game and sport of ice hockey are embedded in Canada’s national culture and identity mythically and literally and that hockey has its most significant presence in Canada regarding people, places, and social spaces.

Hockey’s Popularity is Far-reaching

According to their report about 1.8 millions people are registered hockey players worldwide, of which more than one third, or 631 295, live in Canada. 

Canada has a much higher number of registered hockey player per million people than any other country. 

Further, hockey’s popularity in Canada extends beyond players and referees to include coaches, managers, workers in the hockey industry, parents, and fans.  

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Here are some facts taken from their report.  

• Canada has about 5,000 outdoor hockey rinks, and 3,300 indoor arenas. 

• The United States is the only other country that has more than 1,000 indoor arenas, with approximately 1,535. 

• The top six countries with the most hockey players are the United States (559,935), the Czech Republic (113,425), Russia (105,059), Finland (76,387), and Sweden (63,901). 

Canada, as Wong and Dennie explain, is a country that is undergoing a transformation. “is also an ‘immigration society’ where immigrants are considered as society-building assets and as central to national identity,”Just like hockey

Stanley Cup Playoffs facts for newcomers

Here are some Stanley Cup Facts for Newcomers and International Students who want to know what all the fuss about.

• The Stanley Cup was given its name by Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl Derby, who served as Governor-General of Canada in 1888-1893.

• Lord Stanley’s family were ice hockey fans. He donated the trophy in his name in 1892 as a challenge cup for Canada’s best amateur hockey clubs. Since 1909, only teams representing professional hockey clubs have been able to compete for the Cup. Since  1926, only teams of the National Hockey League (NHL) have competed for it.

• NHL teams compete in a grueling 82-game regular schedule to determine who will be competing for the Stanley Cup.

• 16 of the 32 NHL teams qualify every year for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

• The Stanley Cup Playoffs began Saturday, April 20, but will not end until June 24.

• CBC Sportsnet and OMNI are the only Canadian broadcasters of Stanley Cup playoffs.

Stanley Cup Broadcast in Punjabi

• Every Saturday, OMNI Television also broadcasts Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition. The broadcast crew includes Randip Janda (Amrit Gill), Taqdeer Tindal, Gurp Sán, Harpreet Panher, Mantar Bhhandal and Gurp Sian.

• Leaf Singh, A comedian and hockey insider who regularly posts about hockey, and the playoffs, on X (formerly Twitter).

• The Stanley Cup winner will have won four rounds of play (each round being a best-of-7 series).

• Four Canadian teams qualified to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs during this spring. They are The Edmonton Oilers, the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs You can also read about the Vancouver Canucks. 
• The Winnipeg Jets lost to the Colorado Avalanche during the first round.

• After eliminating the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers will now face the Vancouver Canucks who eliminated the Nashville Predators. Oilers vs Canucks: an all-Canadian series.
• The Leafs were eliminated after losing to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, May 4.
• The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other: Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators You can also find out more about the following: Montreal Canadiens did not qualify for the playoffs.

• Since 1993, no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup in the NHL.

• The Montreal Canadiens was the last Canadian team that won the Cup.

• The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other: Vegas Golden Knights, Who plays in Las Vegas, Nevada?,  are the defending Stanley Cup champion.

• BetMGM Sportsbook has the Carolina Hurricanes as the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The order is: Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes.

• Every NHL team includes players from around the globe.

• The style of hockey played in the Stanley Cup playoffs is significantly different from the regular-season. It’s more physical and has fewer penalty calls, but also a higher level passion and commitment from the players.

• Stanley Cup playoffs are usually more defensive, low-scoring games than regular season.

Another hockey playoff championship series will be held this spring.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a new-team league in North America holding its first-ever playoff series.

Women Compete for Walter Cup

There are six teams (three from Canada, and three from USA). The three Canadian teams are PWHL Montreal, PWHL Ottawa, You can also find out more about the following: PWHL Toronto.

Each franchise played a regular 32-game season to earn one place in a tournament postseason. The winner of the tournament claims the “Walter Cup.”

On February 17, The PWHL’s first game at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena set a league and women’s hockey attendance record with a crowd of 19,285.

CBC, TSN and their French-language Affiliates Radio-Canada and RDS as well as Sportsnet broadcast PWHL Games across Canada. YouTube has global streaming.

The PWHL playoffs start on May 8. The top four teams in the PWHL playoffs qualify for a postseason tourney that determines champion. The playoffs are made up of two semi finals and a finale played in a best of five series.

As of May 4th, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and Ottawa were all in the running for a playoff berth, with Ottawa still vying for the last spot.

There is no doubt that between the Stanley Cup & Walter Cup, newcomers & international students will have plenty of hockey to enjoy this spring.

Hockey for All: Making it more inclusive

 As Wong and Dennie wrote in their report:

“Engagement in the game, either as players or fans or in some other capacity, provides a multicultural common space potentially enabling interactive pluralism amongst diverse communities.

These findings further add to the value of making hockey more inclusive via equity, diversity, and inclusion policies and initiatives.”

Go, hockey! Go, Canada!

CITATIONS:

Canadian Ethnic Studies

SOURCES:

OMNI Television

NHL Playoffs

Playoffs for the PWHL

Associated Press

Scotiabank

Steve Tustin serves as the editor for Rentals for Newcomers. He is also a contributor to Prepare for Canada. He was also the former managing director of Storeys.com and former senior editor for the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star.

*Prepare for Canada did not use AI-generated content in writing this story; all sources are cited and credited where possible.

© Prepare for Canada 2024