Finals make it back to Canada

Hope is high that Calgary will bring home a win.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- The Stanley Cup final has visited numerous locales over the last 10 years, from regular stopovers in New Jersey and Detroit to a brief stay in, of all places, balmy North Carolina.
What's been missing is Canada -- the birthplace of hockey, the land where the sport is treasured, watched and debated 365 days a year, every year. In Canada, hockey is No. 1, and there really isn't a No. 2.
There certainly won't be one tonight when the Calgary Flames, usually the least-watched of the country's six NHL teams, play host to Game 3 of a tied-up final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It is the first Stanley Cup final on Canadian ice since Canucks-Rangers in 1994, and to say Canada has counted the days since would be an understatement.
"A Canadian team is playing for the Stanley Cup," Flames defenseman Andrew Ference said. "That's all you need to know."
Go Flames
Coach Darryl Sutter was more concerned Friday with his players regaining their game legs following a 4-1 loss Thursday, the long flight home and the talk that Tampa Bay's superior stable of scorers is beginning to sway the series the Lightning's way.
But it is impossible for him to ignore the Go Flames banners that hang everywhere, the Flames flags that fly on every other car and the outpouring of support his team is receiving. That was evidenced Thursday when the Saddledome was filled with fans watching Game 2 on large TV screens, making it the first Stanley Cup final to sell out in two cities on the same night.
"You've got to remember that Calgary is Canada, it's our game," said Sutter, an Alberta native. "They're going to get excited. If Edmonton was in the Stanley Cup finals now, I'd be excited, I'd be out there pulling for them. It's all part of the deal, I think."
Sutter's wife was among those watching Game 2 in Calgary's 17th Street entertainment district, causing him to joke, "I was lucky to beat her home."
Game pressure
But while the Flames need not worry about support -- three times as many Canadians are watching the final than Americans are -- they realize they must start playing better at home to prevent the Stanley Cup from getting a Florida tan.
Despite playing in arguably the NHL's loudest building, the Flames are only 4-5 at the Saddledome, losing two of three there to San Jose in the Western Conference final. By contrast, Tampa Bay was 5-0 on the road before losing its final two in Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference final.
With Tampa Bay guaranteed of two more home games should the series reach seven games, even a 1-1 split this weekend might not be good enough for the Flames to become Canada's first Stanley Cup champion since Montreal in 1993. Game 4 is Monday night.
"I think more could be given by everyone on our team, a little bit by some players and a lot more by some players," defenseman Robyn Regehr said. "A team like ours needs every single player to be on top of his game."
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