The "Canadians must cheer for 'canada's Team' " Narrative isn't for hardcore hockey fans. many of our teams have their strongest rivals in other Canadian teams. No Flames fan was going to cheer for the Oilers, and no Oilers fan (myself included,) is going to cheer for the Flames. And we wouldn't have it any other way. We'll still watch, which is what the networks want, so they don't care who we cheer for.
The "Canada's Team" sales pitch is for the casual viewer that adds on for the playoffs. It gets more eyes on the ads during the games than are just available in the local markets. The casual fan without a strong attachment (or more importantly no strong aversion to the other teams,) can buy into that hype to develop some kind of rooting interest without a personal investment.
Those of us who are already fans/enemies of certain teams/fanbases won't get on that train. But most of us are hockey fans en toto, and we can/will watch even when we don't have a rooting interest, and sometimes cheering against another team is a lot more fun than picking a backup team to cheer for. I will never cheer for a strong rival team, I would be ambivalent about the Canadian teams we aren't rivals with except for the whole media driven "Canada's team" drivel.
Because of the hype, for me "Canada's Team" is (after my team is done,) whomever is playing the last other Canadian team standing. It's been forever since a Canadian team has won it all. The trash talking and gloating is going to be monumental when someone finally does win it. I'd much rather subject all the other fanbases to it, than to have it inflicted on me. So unless my team is running strong, I will be cheering only for American teams. I expect the same from all other Canadian fans. It'd be really weird for me to see a Flames or Canucks fan cheering for the Oilers. I wouldn't like it. We want our teams to win, and our rivals to choke on it. We don't have a really strong rivalry with any American team, like Montreal does with Boston. So I understand Montreal fans siding with Vancouver against them.
The NHL is a club team league. It is not international competition. So I am in no way obliged to cheer for a Canadian team other than my own. It makes me cheer the other way when I am told I should as well.
There is only one "Canada's Team" and that is "Team Canada" That kind of thing is only suited for international play.