Canada could finally score an NHL champion but the west is still the best

Last year, only one of the NHL’s seven Canadian franchises made the play-offs – the Montreal Canadiens.

This year, Canada’s NHL teams are not so lousy. Through Monday’s games, five northern franchises were in a play-off position and a sixth, the Ottawa Senators, wwere not far off (only the Edmonton Oilers are hopeless).

Making the play-offs is a start. Winning the Stanley Cup is the end. Incredibly, no Canadian team has hoisted the cup since Montreal beat Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in the thrilling 1993 final. The question is, can a Canadian team win it this year?

The Canadiens are the leading candidate. They have four essential ingredients: a top goalie in Carey Price, a fine defender in PK Subban, team speed and a healthy dose of play-off experience, having played four rounds in the past two post-seasons.

The Habs are good enough to win the Eastern Conference, but that is true of about seven teams from Detroit to Long Island. The east has no dominant team, all the best teams are in the west.

If the Habs reach the cup final, they are unlikely to beat the western champions. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings are all a cut above. Montreal’s sole game against one of the west’s big three this season saw them lose 5-0 to Chicago.

The best hope for a Canadian winner? It might be the Calgary Flames in a couple of years. They are this season’s early surprise and feel like one of those groups where all the pieces are coming together.

rmckenzie@thenational.ae

Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE

A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language

2018: Formal work begins
November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
November 2024: All 127 volumes completed

Business Insights

As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Business Insights

Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A