The Montreal Canadiens are moving on to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after a tense 2-1 Game 7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. It’s their first playoff series victory since that memorable run to the Final in 2021.

Now, Mark Carney has officially dubbed the Canadiens “Canada’s team,” but not everyone is celebrating.

‘Carney Curse’ Buzz Follows Canadiens Being Named ‘Canada’s Team’

With the Ottawa Senators swept by the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers knocked out in six by the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal now stands as the lone Canadian team left in the postseason.

After the Canadiens’ Game 7 win, Carney took to social media and declared, “It’s official. The Canadiens are Canada’s team in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. Montréal, we’re behind you all the way.”

The message was meant to rally the country, but it also stirred up an old superstition among fans. That superstition? The dreaded Carney Curse.”

It’s a tongue-in-cheek theory that Canadian teams tend to stumble shortly after receiving public support, or even a visit, from the Prime Minister. The most talked-about example involves the Oilers. Back on March 20, 2025, Carney joined the team at Rogers Place for a morning skate, hopping onto the ice in a custom jersey. Not long after, the Oilers hit a rough patch with injuries and suffered a tough overtime loss, fueling the narrative.

The idea picked up even more steam during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, when both Canada’s men’s and women’s hockey teams fell to the United States in their respective gold medal games. For some fans, that was enough to connect the dots, fairly or not.

What makes the situation even more ironic is Carney’s deep connection to the sport. A lifelong hockey fan, he grew up supporting the Oilers in Edmonton and even played as a goaltender during his time at Harvard. He later served as co-captain of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club.

In other words, this isn’t a detached politician jumping on a bandwagon; it’s someone who genuinely loves the game.

Still, hockey fans are nothing if not superstitious.

Now the spotlight shifts back to Montreal. Whether the “curse” is just fan folklore or something supporters genuinely worry about, the Canadiens will try to ignore the noise as they gear up for Round 2 against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday in Buffalo.