David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Canada is currently gearing up for the newest round of federal elections that will reshape its House of Commons after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as the country’s prime minister. A number of political leaders will take the stage for a debate on Wednesday night, but the event will be held earlier than initially scheduled to avoid being overshadowed by a crucial Canadiens game.
An NHL team hailing from Canada hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens hoisted the iconic trophy all the way back in 1993. There’s no telling if that drought will end this year, but as things currently stand, at least four teams—the Maple Leafs, Senators, Jets, and Oilers—will have the chance to snap it.
There’s a chance that quartet becomes a quintet by the time the regular season wraps up, as the Canadiens currently control their fate in their quest to secure the final Stanley Cup Playoff spot up for grabs.
The team will clinch the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference if it can at least force overtime against the Hurricanes on Wednesday, but if they lose in regulation, the Blue Jackets will have the chance to sneak in with a regulation win against the Islanders are Thursday after getting the one they needed against the Flyers on Tuesday.
Montreal and Carolina will kick things off at the Bell Centre at 7 P.M. EDT on Wednesday night, which is an hour before a showdown featuring five political leaders set to debate in French ahead of the federal election scheduled for April 28th was supposed to be held.
According to the CBC, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois both lobbied for the debate to be moved after realizing they’d have a hard time competing with the most consequential NHL game on Wednesday’s slate, and organizers acquiesced by agreeing to push the start time up to 6 P.M.
As the outlet notes, this isn’t the first time hockey has trumped politics in Canada, as a debate was previously rescheduled in 2011 thanks to a playoff clash between the Canadiens and the Bruins.