Woe Canada – Stanley Cup drought continues for hockey playing nation

It has been 25 years since a Canadian-based hockey franchise won the Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens were last to do it in 1993. Before then, teams such as the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers had a stranglehold on the Cup. The upstart Winnipeg Jets are the last Canadian club standing, joining first-year Vegas, Washington and Tampa Bay in hockey’s final four. Economic factors, such as U.S. free-agent dollars, have contributed to the long dry spell. With expansion into warm-weather American cities, only seven of the 31 NHL teams are based in Canada.