populace?Two researchers, who have conducted a number of studies regarding the attachment to hockey Canadians feel, don't believe the drought has much resonance among the population -- other than the fact it means the teams they root for haven't won the Stanley Cup.1992-93: GREATEST SEASON?Selanne sets off boom in FinlandBy Risto Pakarinen - NHL.com CorrespondentWhen Teemu Selanne broke out during the 1992-93 season, it had a major influence on the game both in North America and his native Finland. READ MORE › Mogilny became a superstar with 76 goals in '92-93 Jagr's impact in Czech Republic exploded in '92-93 Evolution of the instigator penalty alters the gameMORE 1992-93 STORIES ›Both Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, and Anthony Wilson-Smith,Authentic Jeremy Roenick Jersey, president of the Toronto-based Historica-Dominion Institute, feel that both empirical and anecdotal evidence suggest that Canadians and their connection to hockey is more international in scope."I think the issue of Canadian identity and hockey get a bit mixed up," Wilson-Smith said. "Just as free trade has made us more international in economic terms, I think this kind of free trade we have in hockey where the players come from all over the world has given us more of an international outlook as well. So I think the big rallying point is, yes, we have Cup withdrawal syndrome, but we did win the big one in 2010 in Vancouver [at the Olympics]."Canadians everywhere will unite behind any Team Canada in any international competition. On the other hand, and I'm just saying this anecdotally, if the Maple Leafs continue on this roll and come spring they find themselves in the Stanley Cup Final, are Canadians from coast to coast going to unite behind them? My gut instinct says no."Some of the research suggests that to be the case.Last spring,Authentic Patrick Kane Jersey, Angus Reid Public Opinion ran a poll for MacLean's magazine to determine the most hated and loved teams in Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens finished first and second as Canada's most-hated team, at 19 and 15 percent, respectively. But the Canadiens also came first as Canada's most-loved team at 19 percent, followed closely by the Maple Leafs at 17 percent.That same poll asked Canadians which team they would cheer for in the upcoming 2011-12 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There were only two Canadian teams that qualified for the tournament, and the Vancouver Canucks were the clear winners at 35 percent while the Ottawa Senators were second at 20 percent. Still, 45 percent of respondents opted for an American team.If the Canadian Stanley Cup drought were something most people wanted to see come to an end, one would expect the Canucks and Senators to receive overwhelming support. But combined they barely registered a majority share of the votes."What's changed is that the rivalries that exist within Canada I think have grown greater in importance," Jedwab said. "There was always a strong rivalry between Montreal and Toronto. Even though Montreal and Toronto have not had great success in securing a Stanley Cup,Duncan Keith Authentic Jersey, the rivalry remains important. In a nutshell, if the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup, I don't know if it would be very meaningful in Montreal and Toronto."A similar Angus Reid poll conducted in 2010,Niklas Hjalmarsson Authentic Jersey, when the Montreal Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Finals, suggested they had the support of nearly 70 percent of the country. But as an Original Six team with a storied history of winning, the Canadiens have fans across Canada -- and the world. Conversely, when the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup Final a year later, not only did the country fail to rally behind them, media reports from everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains were ripping them."The hostility began building late last season, when Vancouver was absolutely dominant,Brent Seabrook Authentic Jersey, running away with the Presidents' Trophy, finishing first in nearly every important NHL statistic," journalist Nancy MacDonald wrote in MacLean's last April. "No und