Hockey will always be Canada's international calling card

It's been 26 years since the last all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final (1989, Montreal Canadiens vs Calgary Flames) and 22 springs since a Canadian team hoisted the most revered trophy in North American pro sports (Montreal, 1993).

The last 100 percent Canadian lineup to win the Cup was the 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers - aka the infamous 'Broad Street Bullies'.

Still, Canadians will have plenty to cheer about when this year's National Hockey League championship series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning opens on Wednesday night in Florida. The predominance of homegrown talent will again show the world why the Great White North will always be the planet's No 1 hockey nation.