Canadiens fall – Montreal’s 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 closed the book on Canada’s ongoing Stanley Cup drought, ending another promising postseason run and keeping the last Canadian champion—Montreal in 1993—unchanged.
By the time the Canadiens’ Game 5 ended at 6-1, it didn’t just feel like a loss. It felt like another door quietly shutting on the hope that’s followed Canadian teams for decades.
Montreal fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, extending Canada’s Stanley Cup drought. The 1993 Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, and the 2026 Canadiens weren’t able to repeat it.
The ride to that moment had signs of life early. Montreal reached this stage after winning Game 7s against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres. In the opener against Carolina, the Canadiens routed a rusty Hurricanes team 6-2 in Game 1.
But the series turned with Carolina’s return to pressure. The Hurricanes restored their aggressive forechecking in Game 2 and then reeled off four consecutive wins. Over the first three Canadiens losses. Montreal managed 43 shots total—an abrupt shrinkage in what had looked like a capable. confident run.
Canada’s issues weren’t new in the postseason either. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets both saw their playoff streaks end, while the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers made it through the initial round—only to be knocked out in the first round.
The Canadiens are out now after what had started promisingly, and the timing made it sting. Montreal had already lost a chance at a title earlier this year, bowing out in the conference finals after back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Final by the Edmonton Oilers.
The drought itself didn’t appear overnight. It traces back to the period from 1984-90. when teams north of the border won the Stanley Cup. including two all-Canada finals. After Montreal’s 1993 win, the Vancouver Canucks lost in Game 7 of the 1994 final. Since then. the central question for Canadian hockey fans has stayed stubbornly the same: how does a league with only one champion per year manage to keep delivering one more shot for Canada?.
Part of the answer involves money and geography. The poor value of the Canadian dollar compared with the U.S. dollar hurt Canadian teams when revenue was in Canadian dollars but players were paid in U.S. dollars. It made it harder for smaller markets to hang on to stars until changes arrived—most notably a salary cap instituted in 2005 and revenue sharing.
There were also major shifts in teams themselves. Arena issues led the Quebec Nordiques to move to Denver in 1995. The Colorado Avalanche won in their first season there after trading for Patrick Roy. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Arizona in 1996 and became the Coyotes—now known as the Utah Mammoth. Canada got a team back in 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the current Jets.
The structural math doesn’t help either: only one team can win the Stanley Cup, while the United States has 25 teams to Canada’s seven.
Even with this fade in the conference finals, the Canadiens still have a reason people want to keep watching. Montreal is described as young. and the core looks set: Cole Caufield. Nick Suzuki. Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson are already playing great. Ivan Demidov shows promise, and goalie Jakub Dobes has shown he can carry the team.
Edmonton, too, always carries its own gravity in Canada’s conversations. The Oilers keep having a chance with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. This year, they took a step back, leading to the firing of coach Kris Knoblauch. Edmonton will have to find another solution to its goaltender and get a bump from the new coach. and McDavid has two years left on his deal.
For now, though, the Canadiens’ season ends with a familiar headline: another year, another missed window. And Canada’s Stanley Cup drought keeps stretching—because a series that began with a 6-2 rout in Game 1 ended with a 6-1 knockout in Game 5.
Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes Eastern Conference finals Game 5 Stanley Cup drought 1993 Canadiens Cole Caufield Nick Suzuki Juraj Slafkovsky Lane Hutson Ivan Demidov Jakub Dobes Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid Leon Draisaitl Kris Knoblauch