Fans in Calgary as well as across this great nation are cheering the Flames, Canada's team on to victory in the Stanley cup final. Sure it may be true that the Tampa Bay Lighting have more Canadians playing on their team then Calgary, but hey, the Flames are Canada's team right now. The Flames are the underdog low stars who have consistently outworked their opponents on their way to the pinnacle of Canadian (& North American) Hockey success.

The Holy Grail of hockey is unarguably the hardest trophy to win in any pro-sports competition, and the Flames are few wins from tasting champagne from its celebrated bowl. This is Calgary's year, they will take it all, and it doesn't matter if it's 5, 6, or 7 games they will win, and sip of the champagne should be saved for the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks have all but assured Canadian hockey fans that Lord Stanley will roost in Canada's wild west this year.

The last Canadian team to win the cup was the Montreal Canadians in 1993, while the last Canadian team to be in the final was the Vancouver Canucks in 1994 and the Flames won their one and only cup so far in 1989. This years Stanley Cup Championship was decided in the first round when ex-Canuck Martin Gelinas jabbed home a rebound a buck and a quarter into the first overtime period of game seven to eliminate the Canucks. They may as well have rolled out the old lord Stanley right then and there because barring a cruel twist of fate Calgary will win.

Everyone knows that the Flames beat the Vancouver squad in first round of the 1989 playoffs, and went on to championship glory, but it's Vancouver's last five playoff years that should secure them a thank you from the Flames. In the Canucks last five post season appearances including this years playoffs they have lost four times in the first round. So, what's that got to do with the price of gas in Ottawa? Nothing but the three!

Teams that beat them went on to victory parades and the occasional riot after winning the cup. If you can beat the Canucks, you got the stuff to go all the way. In 1996 and in 2001 it was the Colorado Avalanche, 2002 the Wings won and in 2004 it should be the Flames. 2003 was the only departure from this when they beat the Blues in the first round and lost to Minnesota in the next series.

The Canucks are one of the few teams in the NHL that epitomize the fast skating, hard hitting and exciting type of hockey that fans love but is lost in the league today. The Vancouver squad will be in the final and win, one hot June day in the future, till then the teams fans can take a little solace in the fact that they have been eliminated by 4 of the last 5 Stanley Cup Champions (when Calgary wins this year).

Next year when talk turns to the team that could take it all, the smart hockey person will be looking at the Canucks and their first round opponents.