Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeFP CommentWilliam Watson: It’s amazing they haven’t tried to ban hockey yetOne of the world's most touchy-feely countries has one of the world's most violent national sports. How long will that last?Last updated 3 hours ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Nic Dowd of the Vegas Golden Knights and William Carrier of the Carolina Hurricanes exchange blows during the second period in Game Four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesAs of this writing, the Stanley Cup finals are tied 2-2 so there’s a decent chance they will go the full seven games and finish, in their ESPN-choreographed pas de deux with the NBA finals, on Wednesday, June 17, just beating the summer solstice. In three recent years the final game has been played after the solstice. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorOf course it has been summer for some time in the homes of the competing teams, Las Vegas (the Golden Knights) and Carolina (the Hurricanes), where recent outside temperatures have been over 100℉ and 90℉, respectively, and many fans show up in shorts. The last time Toronto won the Cup, in 1967, the final game was played May 2 at Maple Leaf Garden. The high was 15℃ under partly cloudy skies with light winds and a spattering of rain — in sum, a fine spring day. (Condemn the internet all you wish but it is a truly miraculous info fount.) In the 1960s a non-Canadian team won the Cup just once (Chicago in 1961). Toronto and Montreal took all the rest. But five of the past six Cups have been won, not just by U.S. teams, but by warm-weather U.S. teams (Tampa twice, Florida twice and Vegas once). The exception was the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. In Colorado they do still have occasional literal avalanches. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againPersonnel-wise, though, the finals remain resolutely Canadian. Ten of Carolina’s 24-man roster are Canadian and 16 of Vegas’. That’s by birth, however. Many Canadian players end up staying in the U.S., where tax rates are less vindictive toward success. As a result, their sons who make it to the NHL end up playing internationally for the U.S., not Canada. Brawn drain hurts as much as brain drain. In a study called “Low-tax paths to the Stanley Cup,” the Montreal Economic Institute recently argued that Quebec’s high tax rates — and the fact Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington state, and Nevada don’t have personal income taxes — help explain why Montreal hasn’t won since 1993. One American bucking the high taxes is Lane Hutson, the Montreal Canadiens’ defence man, the “sophomore sensation,” as old-time sports writers would have called him, who last year won the Calder Trophy for best rookie. Hutson’s post-game interviews as the playoffs progressed — Montreal lost to Carolina in the penultimate round — show just how intense playoff hockey is. His face gradually became tattooed with scratches and cuts. And not from shaving, which the 22-year-old clearly doesn’t do much: his playoff “beard” being playoff tufts. The on-ice post-game interviews of next week’s winners will be with pale, bearded and gaunt, but also ecstatic, survivors of two months of max-stress playoff grind. Many will look like rescuees from the Shackleton expedition. Maybe the deepest Canadian irony is that a country so proud of its woke devotion to peace-keeping, harmony, co-operation and non-aggression has a national sport that is so tough, brutal and violent. The NHL rulebook has eight mentions of “blood,” including the stipulation that “high-sticking” merits a four-minute penalty, not two, if injury results, “in the manner of drawing blood or otherwise.” A glossary specifies that “blood does not have to be visible to consider it an injury” and that “severe bruising, abrasions, a welt, cutting of the skin or damage to teeth” also qualify. How many other sports have rulebooks written partly by pathologists? In Hollywood’s 1940 movie Knute Rockne about the legendary Notre Dame University football coach — in which future president Ronald Reagan plays “win-one-for-the-Gipper” George Gipp, a star halfback who died of pneumonia after the 1920 season — Rockne’s character is asked why Notre Dame doesn’t have a hockey program. He says it’s because the university’s president had told him “Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.” He doesn’t say anything about Canadians (of which there are seven on Notre Dame’s current roster). With hardly a thought, it seems, today’s busybody governments ban this and ban that, supposedly for people’s own good, as if people either aren’t interested in their own good or can’t figure it out for themselves. It’s very hard to believe progressive elites don’t want to ban hockey for its violence and aggression. No doubt we’ll hear during the World Cup that our real national sport is now soccer. The important role that game gives to players’ fraudulent claims of victimhood suggests we should in fact be good at it. The prime minister himself played hockey. But he was a goalie, which is a breed apart. And women’s hockey is increasingly popular, which may give the game as a whole inclusiveness cover. Montreal’s Victoire won this year’s Walter Cup, named after the billionaire owner of the league (the league, not the team). And Montreal’s indomitable Marie-Philip Poulin, a tough-as-artificial-nails player herself, won the playoff MVP Ilana Kloss trophy (named after a tennis player). The women’s game currently limits body-checking in ways referees seem to have difficulty interpreting. But because scoring is low and entertainment value key, there is talk of loosening the rules to make the women’s game more like the men’s. It’s often suggested the NHL should rescue the PWHL. In fact, the reverse may happen. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.