John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images/Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney next to Toronto Maple Leafs players
Most Canadian hockey fans who don’t root for the Maple Leafs get tired of the amount of media coverage dedicated to a team that hasn’t won the Stanley Cup in close to 60 years. They’re also more than happy to call attention to that drought, and the country’s prime minister couldn’t resist the urge to do exactly that during a speech where you wouldn’t think it would come up.
There is not a single NHL team in Canada that garners more attention than the Toronto Maple Leafs, which are located in its biggest city and just so happened to be owned by a massive media conglomerate that has plenty of incentive to ensure the status quo remains unchanged.
It’s not entirely unwarranted, as the Leafs (along with the Canadiens) are the only members of the “Original Six” that call Canada home, and their 13 Stanley Cup wins are second only to Montreal’s 23 when it comes to the NHL teams that have won the trophy on the highest number of occasions during their time in the league.
However, Toronto also padded those stats during a time when the competition was a bit less stiff than it is in this day and age. That reality is reflected by the fact that the Maple Leafs have not raised the Stanley Cup since 1967, and they’re in the midst of an active 59-year drought that sets the record for the longest in NHL history every single season it’s extended.
Fans of the team have become pretty accustomed to being subjected to reminders of that drought, although it’s hard to imagine they expected one to come from Canada’s prime minister during a press conference concerning railway infrastructure.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney went out of his way to mention the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought during a speech about trains
Mark Carney has served as the Prime Minister of Canada since he replaced Justin Trudeau in 2025. He was a pretty accomplished hockey player before he turned his attention to politics, as he served as the backup goaltender for the varsity team at Harvard in the 1980s.
Carney was born in the Northwest Territories, but he spent most of his childhood in Edmonton and is a devoted fan of the Oilers. He hasn’t really let his fandom seep into his duties as prime minister since taking office, but he decided to let the mask slip a little bit this week.
On Thursday, Carney delivered some remarks at an Alstom train production plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario in connection to a $4.7 billion deal to build hundreds of new VIA Rail cars domestically to replace an aging fleet of passenger trains.
He noted some of the oldest trains still in operation were built more than 70 years ago while using the NHL to highlight how much time had passed, saying they were constructed during an era when there were still only six teams, goalies didn’t have masks to protect them from flying pucks, and “the Leafs would win the Cup.”
Carney: “Our rail cars on our long distance and remote routes are more than 70 years old. They were built when the NHL had six teams. Goalies wouldn’t wear masks. The Leafs would win the cup. That’s a long time ago.” pic.twitter.com/av1efaD4Yt
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_) September 3, 2026
Boom roasted.