A lot of conversation is being had amongst Canadian hockey fans as to which team they should cheer for in the 2024 conference finals and beyond. Outside of Edmonton, opinions are mixed, but that shouldn’t be the case.
By all accounts, the Edmonton Oilers should be, and are, Canada’s team in the 2024 NHL playoffs.
Geography
We can get this one out of the way. The Oilers are geographically located in Canada, and they’re the only team left out of the seven Canadian franchise. Easy.
Roster Breakdown
The Oilers’ roster is primarily composed of Canadians, and significantly more so than any other team in the playoffs right now.
Out of every player to have skated in a game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Oilers lead the way with a whopping 18 Canadians. The next highest count is the Dallas Stars with just 10.
The Oilers only have four players not from Canada:
- Derek Ryan (USA)
- Mattias Ekholm (Sweden)
- Mattias Janmark (Sweden)
- Leon Draisaitl (Germany)
Seven nationalities are represented in the final four this year, and these teams represent each the most:
- Canada: EDM
- USA: NYR
- Sweden: FLA and NYR
- Finland: FLA
- Czechia: DAL and NYR
- Germany: EDM
Front office staff
Looking at the front office which includes management and coaching staffs, the Oilers are once again the team with the most Canadian representation.
Out of the Oilers’ five coaches, four are Canadian, and all four of their managers are Canadian. Their total of eight Canadian front office staffers lead the final four NHL teams. The only non-Canadian is assistant coach Mark Stuart who is American.
The Rangers have the most Americans with six, and the Panthers have the only non-North American in Tuomo Ruutu who is from Finland.
The Oilers are Canada’s team
By all accounts, the Oilers are Canada’s team. Canadian hockey fans might be stubborn and hate to cheer for another team in the North, but at the end of the day every Oilers win is a win for Canada.
Canada’s team is up 1-0 in the Western Conference final, just three away from the Stanley Cup final.
Go Canada Go!
