from Bill Beacon of the CP at CP24,
It's rare, but the Stanley Cup playoffs will go ahead without any of the seven Canadian teams.
The Ottawa Senators were the last to be eliminated on Wednesday night despite beating the Winnipeg Jets 2-1. Instead, the Philadelphia Flyers' 2-1 shootout win over the Washington Capitals mathematically eliminated the Sens.
The Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks had already fallen short and will stand aside as 16 U.S-based clubs battle for the Cup.
"It's such a big part of our culture in Canada and ever since I can remember growing up, gearing up for that first round of playoffs is huge." said Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano. "It's disappointing that we're not going to have a team from Canada represented.
"But there are still a lot of great players, a lot of great teams, a lot of great Canadian players on American teams, so I'm sure the fans will still enjoy it and it will be another great playoff."
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