Stanley Cup Champs

To some hockey fans, the Carolina Hurricanes meant justice and rewarding a franchise that worked very hard to overcome obstacles. To another group of hockey fans, the Carolina Hurricanes means the equivalent of hell on Earth featuring a community that would not appreciate the magnitude of such an accomplishment. Hopefully, history will record this as a triumphant comeback to the NHL in it's new CBA era.

It was all looking bleak for the Canes, who for some explicable reason, decided to make things interesting by completely tanking the series as by their performances in Games 5 and 6. But as their turn would have it, they chose to rally in front of their own home crowd to claim hockey's greatest prize.

Perhaps the return of Erik Cole to the Hurricanes line-up is allegorical to the way their season went. Down but not out.

I find it surprising that a few of the regular and more popular Caniac blogs chose to go the good sportsmanship route, whereas there was no one in the community trying for the "Lady Byng of the Blogisphere". Take a trip around to see some of the vitriol as chronicled by me and others to help them earn the reputation of being on the kook fringe.

And what does this say to the anti-sunbelt fans who chided southern fans? I can almost recite their bigoted propaganda and paranoia. Clearly, this Carolina win was orchestrated by Garry "Buttman" to give credence to his southern expansion project. And considering that the last two Stanley Cup winners have come from the south, is it now unfashionable to call it the "Southleast Division"?

The Oilers had their fun too. After all, fans were so amazed at their resilience this year after an 8th seed took down some of the most prolific offensive teams in this season. Fernando Pisani made a name for himself in these playoffs as a true hero in Edmonton which should easily

The Right Honorable, Steven Harper, m'boy, had special rooting interest as a native of Alberta. Knowing him is like having real credentials. I wish I could have had the party that he had for the Stanley Cup finals game.

Harper was accompanied to the game by four PMO staff members, six MPs and an unspecified number of RCMP officers from his protective detail.

But before any other controversies can be started, the comm director made it adamantly clear...

The Prime Minister was already planning to fly west by Challenger for a speech at the World Urban Forum in Vancouver on Monday, so it was convenient to stop in Edmonton en route, Harper's communications director, Sandra Buckler, said.

"The prime minister and all MPs paid for their own tickets," she said. "We make no apologies for cheering on a Canadian team."

No apologies for cheering on a Canadian team? What the hell? Was there someone who thought Harper was cheering for Carolina? I think Mr. PM's partisanship in this one special case is well known.

Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes as the 2005-06 Stanley Cup Champions.

Montreal Gazette