As a hockey fan, we thought that it would be fun to take a look at some of the teams whom it would sure be nice to see win a Stanley Cup.

1. Winnipeg Jets – oh man what would be better than the return of the NHL to Winnipeg?  The Jets winning the Cup would be.  If you think the city and the province is excited now, just wait until they hold a Stanley Cup parade.

 
2. The Toronto Maple Leafs – what the Leafs are an also ran even in this list?  Ah sadly if the Leafs won the Cup we would never hear the end of it.   Leaf fans have had to endure years of mediocrity and questionable front office moves.  It sure seems as though Harold Ballard put a curse on the team doesn’t it?  Regardless it has been nearly 45 years since the Leafs lasted hosted the holy grail.

3. Vancouver Canucks – the Canucks have come close on two occasions losing in seven games to the Rangers in 1994 and in 2011 to the Bruins.  Quite honestly they should have won both series.  In 2004, the Rangers caught a break when there was an extra day added y the NHL prior to the start of the finals.  In 2011, the Canucks had Lord Stanley’s Cup within their grasp and then simply imploded as they ran into the hot goaltending of Tim Thomas.  I’m still looking for Daniel and Henrik.  They were playing in the finals weren’t they?  Sheesh you would think that there is a conspiracy to prevent our beloved Canadian teams from winning the Cup.  By all accounts, the Canucks should have won the Stanley Cup last year.  Every year that a Canadian city has hosted the Olympics, that city’s NHL team has gone on to win the Stanley Cup.  That streak ended with Vancouver in 2010-11.

4. Montreal Canadiens – Les Habitants have endured their longest Stanley Cup drought ever.  You can thank expansion into the sun belt for that.  Not sure when the Canadiens will win their 25th Cup, but it would be nice if they would do it sooner than later.

5. Edmonton Oilers – the dynasty of the 80’s is long gone, but with a group of highly skilled, young players such as Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall it might not be that far away.  Could the Oilers of 2015 be the B;ackhawks of 2010?  The Oilers has their Cinderella run cut short in 2006 but had Dwayne Roloson not gotten hurt in game one, I am pretty sure that the Oilers would have won the Cup over the Hurricanes.  I haven’t been able to sleep properly since then.

6. Los Angeles Kings– California’s oldest NHL franchise has a crop of great young players and are overdue to win the Stanley Cup, but if Wayne Gretzky couldn’t deliver the silverware to tinseltown, who will?

7. San Jose Sharks – the Sharks have been a strong regular season team for years, but can’t quite pull it off when it comes to the second season.  I don’t think many would mind if the Sharks finally went all the way and enjoyed some Cup success.

8. St. Louis Blues – another original expansion team from 1967.  Up until a few years ago the Blues had one of the longest continuous playoff streaks in all of professional sports, yet were unable to make the Finals in the past 25 years.  Something has got to give right?

9. Buffalo Sabres – anyone else think that the Sabres got ripped off against Dallas in 1999?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Stanley_Cup_Finals

10. Philadelphia Flyers – the Flyers have had some great teams over the years and have made it to the finals on a number of occasions but have not been able to claim the big prize.  More often than not their goaltending is blamed, but they simply have not been able to replicate their post season success that they had in the mid-seventies as the Broad Street Bullies.

There you have it ten teams we would like to see win the Stanley Cup.    The drought for a Canadian team winning the Cup has been a long one.  Hopefully a Canadian team can win the prize within the next few years.