>> THE BIG PRIZE, IT'S JUST SO DAMN CLOSE NOW. [CHEERING] THE EDMONTON OILERS WILL ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT NO CANADIAN TEAM HAS DONE IN THREE DECADES. WIN A STANLEY CUP. ON ENEMY ICE, THE FLORIDA PANTHERS. >> LET'S GO OILERS. LET'S GO, BABY. >> IT'S SURREAL, MAN, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. >> I'M SO HAPPY, I WANT A STANLEY CUP THIS YEAR. >> SO WHEN I GOOGLE CANADA'S TEAM AND EVENTUALLY STUMBLE ACROSS THIS. THAT'S THE FLORIDA PANTHERS LOGO, BY THE WAY. I'M LEFT WONDERING, IS THIS SOME EPIC TROLL OR IS THIS NO JOKE AT ALL? >> ARE YOU GUYS OILERS FANS? >> NO. YEAH, KIND OF. >> YOU ARE NOT. >> NO, YOU ARE NOT. >> OK, SURE, NO. >> WOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF CHEERING FOR THE EDMONTON OILERS SO A CANADIAN TEAM WOULD WIN THE CUP? >> NO. >> NO WAY. >> NOT A CHANCE. >> WHICH TEAM IS CANADA'S TEAM. SPORTS SHOWS ARE ARGUING ABOUT IT. >> HOT DEBATE AMONG THE INTERNET. >> BOSTON PIZZA. >> ONCE YOU ARE WITH THE FANS, WE CHEER AGAINST. >> YOU THINK HOCKEY UNIFIES CANADIANS, IT DOESN'T. >> STARTING WITH THE MORE DIFFICULT QUESTION AND THEN THE EASIER ONE. IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW LITTLE LOVE THERE IS FOR THE OILERS IN SOME PARTS, JUST ASK A SPORTS WRITER WHO COVERS THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS. >> EDMONTON OILERS ARE HEADED TO DALLAS FOR THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL. WHAT A FURIOUS FINISH. >> BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT, LOOK AT "WEST SIDE STORY" BETWEEN THE JETS AND THE SHARKS. ♪♪♪ >> EXCEPT IN THE END NOBODY REALLY GETS ALONG. >> THAT SERIES BETWEEN THE OILERS AND CANUCKS WENT TO A GAME SEVEN. AND ADAM TELLS US. >> EDMONTON OILER FANS TRY TO DUNK ON CANUCK FANS THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL. >> OILERS IN FIVE. >> WHICH KIND OF BROUGHT CANUCK FANS OUT AND SAID OKAY, IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME, WE ARE GOING TO CHEER FOR DALLAS AND NOW FOR FLORIDA IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL. PEOPLE DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER ON BOTH SIDES. >> EDMONTON OILERS. [BLEEP] THE OILERS. >> AND IT'S NOT JUST CANUCK FANS THAT HAVE A BEEF WITH EDMONTON. WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF A LOVE TRIANGLE, A HATE TRIANGLE, VANCOUVER, EDMONTON AND CALGARY ARE A HATE TRIANGLE. >> I THINK GEOGRAPHY PLAYS A HUGE PART IN RIVALRIES AND THAT'S NOT JUST SPORTS, THAT'S EVERYWHERE. AND TWO FAIRLY LARGE CITIES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, THEY HAVE A NATURAL RIVALRY. >> I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY CALGARIANS I'VE TALKED TO ARE NOW FLORIDA PANTHERS FANS. THEY CANNOT STAND THE IDEA OF THE OILERS WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. >> EVEN THOSE TEAMS THAT DON'T RUB SHOULDERS WITH THE OILERS EVERY OTHER DAY, A JOKE FROM ZACH HYMAN. >> ADDITIONAL PRESSURE KNOWING YOU ARE CANADA'S TEAM NOW? >> I DON'T KNOW IF TORONTO IS CHEERING FOR US, BUT NICE OTTAWA IS. >> HE CAN MAKE THAT JOKE, HE USED TO PLAY FOR THE MAPLE LEAFS, SIX SEASONS THERE. BUT HALF THE TIME IN EDMONTON, HE'S SCORED MORE GOALS BOTH IN THE REGULAR AND THE POSTSEASON. IN FACT, THERE ARE FIVE FORMER LEAFS PLAYING FOR EDMONTON RIGHT NOW. FOR LEAFS FANS, SEEING THE OILERS SUCCEED IS A BIT LIKE LOGGING INTO Facebook AND SEEING YOUR EX HAVING A GOOD TIME. YOU ARE HAPPY FOR THEM, BUT WHERE WERE THE GOOD TIMES WHEN YOU WERE IN THE PICTURE. >> THERE IS WHAT YOUR HEAD KNOWS BUT WHAT YOUR HEART FEELS, AND HOCKEY IS SORT OF RIGHT IN BETWEEN THERE. AND THERE ARE MORE AND MORE FANS I THINK LIKE THIS NOW, MORE SO IN CANADA BECAUSE THEY CAN'T WIN STANLEY CUPS WITH THEIR TEAMS THAT ARE SAYING I'M GONNA CHEER FOR PLAYERS ALMOST AS MUCH, AND MAYBE IN SOME CASES, MORE SO THAN THEY CHEER FOR TEAMS. >> AND LET'S NOT IGNORE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. THE LAST 31 ROOMS IN THE NHL HAVE BEEN AN UNBROKEN STRING OF CANADIAN DISAPPOINTMENTS. >> HAVE DONE IT HERE ON A HOT NIGHT IN NEW YORK. >> BUT FOR THE FLAMES, DISBELIEF AND DISAPPOINTMENT. >> THE CINDERELLA OILERS FALL JUST SHORT. >> ONCE AGAIN, THE STANLEY CUP. ICON OF CANADA IS HELD BY A TEAM IN THE U.S. >> LONG BEFORE THE FINAL BUZZER SOUNDED, CANUCK FANS SAW THIS ONE COMING. >> PRICE LEAVES DISAPPOINTED AFTER HIS FIRST STANLEY CUP FINAL APPEARANCE. >> FOR 31 YEARS, NOT SINCE THE HABS WON IN 93, 31 YEARS AGO, NO CANADIAN TEAM HAS WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND NOW ALL OF THIS TIME LATER EVERYBODY WANTS IT SO BAD FOR THEMSELVES THAT WHEN SOME OTHER CANADIAN TEAM GETS A SHOT AT THE BIG PRIZE, HOW ARE FANS SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THAT? >> IT'S TRIBALISM. THAT'S ALL IT IS. IT'S TRIBALISM AND IT'S VERY HARD TO GET SOMEBODY TO ALL OF A SUDDEN SWITCH ALLEGIANCE. IF YOU LIVE ON OUR SIDE OF THE BORDER YOU WANT THE DROUGHT TO END BUT THERE'S AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT. YOU WANT IT TO END FOR YOUR TEAM, THE TEAM THAT YOU CHEER FOR. >> WHEN THEY SAY THEY WANT A CANADIAN TEAM TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP, THEY ARE SAYING THEY WANT THEIR TEAM TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP. ♪♪♪ >> LET'S START WITH THE OBVIOUS. IF YOU COULD SOMEHOW TURN FAN POWER INTO REAL HOCKEY HORSE POWER, THE SHEER AND MOTIVE FORCE OF EDMONTON FANS ALONE WOULD CARRY THE TEAM STRAIGHT TO VICTORY. SO, IS IT ANY SURPRISE WE SEE BLURBS LIKE THIS ONE IN THE EDMONTON JOURNAL? THE OILERS AREN'T CANADA'S TEAM, THEY'RE EDMONTON'S TEAM AND EDMONTON LIKES IT THAT WAY. OUCH. BUT WHO COULD BLAME THEM. OILER HISTORY FLOWS THROUGH FIVE STANLEY CUPS. MORE CUPS THAN MOST NHL TEAMS CAN CLAIM. THE TEAM OF GRETZKY, MERCIER, AND ARGUABLY THE BEST PLAYER TO PLAY THE GAME RIGHT NOW. >> MCDAVID, MOVES TO THE OUTSIDE -- >> CONNOR MCDAVID, GREW UP OUTSIDE OF TORONTO, FOR MANY FANS MAY BE THE ONLY REASON THEY NEED TO CHEER THE OILERS ON AS TEAM CANADA. >> IF YOU GO AND TALK TO YOUNG HOCKEY PLAYERS AND ANY RINK, OK, ANY RINK ACROSS CANADA, AND YOU ASK, YOU KNOW, WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYER, GENERALLY THEY ARE GOING TO SAY CONNOR MCDAVID. >> WE ARE A CANADIAN TEAM, GREAT CANADIAN FANS AND FEELS GOOD TO UNITE THE COUNTRY. THAT'S WHAT SPORTS IS ALL ABOUT, BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. >> HERO TO THESE KIDS HERE. >> EDMONTON HAS A FAN BASE, A BROADLY CANADIAN FAN BASE, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THEY HAVE COME ALL THIS WAY. >> I'VE SEEN THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THIS SEASON AND YOU CAN JUST SEE IT'S PAID OFF. >> AND YES, AMONG THOSE FANS, EVEN THOSE BEGRUDGING DIE-HARDS PREPARED TO SET LOCAL ALLEGIANCE ASIDE IN FAVOUR OF THE GREATER GOOD. >> I'M NOT REALLY A FAN AS MUCH AS I JUST WANT THEM TO WIN THE CUP. >> AND LET'S NOT FORGET. AS FAR AS CANADIAN TEAMS GO, THE OILERS ARE PRETTY DAMN CANADIAN. OF THE 23 OILERS WHO HAVE HAD ICE TIME THESE PLAYOFFS, 18 WERE BORN IN CANADA. NO OTHER TEAM COMES CLOSE TO THAT. WINNIPEG AND TORONTO PLAYED JUST 11 CANADIAN-BORN PLAYERS, AND VANCOUVER JUST THREE. SO, WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT THE OILERS BEING CANADA'S TEAM? >> I WOULD SAY THEY ARE CANADA'S TEAM FOR THE AVERAGE CASUAL HOCKEY FAN. YOUR DIE HARD FANS, THE OILERS WON'T BE CANADA'S TEAM. >> YES, IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE THE CUP COME BACK TO CANADA, BUT IT WOULD BE EVEN NICER IF THE CUP CAME BACK NEXT SEASON WHEN VANCOUVER WAS IN THE FINAL. >> IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH, I'M NOT GONNA LIE, BUT I COULD SEE THEM FIGHTING. >> WE ARE GONNA CRUSH THEM, CRUSH FLORIDA. WE ARE CANADA, WE ARE EDMONTON, WE ARE EVERYTHING. >> I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT EVERYONE WILL PUT THEIR PETTY GRIEVANCES ASIDE AT LEAST FOR A LITTLE BIT AND CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT THE STANLEY CUP HAS COME HOME. >> AND IF YOU EVER HAVE A HARD TIME DECIDING WHICH JERSEY TO PUT ON, JUST THINK. WHAT A LUXURY IT HAS BECOME TO EVEN HAVE A CANADIAN TEAM IN THE FINAL THAT WE CAN ALL BICKER ABOUT.
