A Confession from a Canucks Fan
Ok, I have a confession to make. It’s all my fault.
Every Vancouver Canucks fan does it. We all play our small role in how the Canucks perform, especially during playoffs. Maybe it’s whether you shaved. Maybe it’s whether you watch the game live (my dedicated friend, Maruno actually gave up his St.Louis Blues Game 7 tickets because he felt he’d jinx the team). Maybe it’s whether you wore your lucky Jersey or changed your left sock in the last month.
For me, it was whether I wore my Jersey during the game (don’t) and whether I listened to the game from end to end. Or so I thought. Then it finally occurred to me.
Last year, I was lucky enough to score playoff tickets (again thanks to Maruno, actually) and watched games 3 and 4 against Detroit in Vancouver. We lost both, and proceeded to lose two more. I was basically in Vancouver for a weekend, just in time to watch the games. This year, I was in town the morning after Game 4 when we established a 3-1 lead over the Minessota Wild. I left town during the first period intermission of Game 5, when we were tied 1-1. That game turned into a 7-2 blowout by Minessota. We then lost the next 2 and lost the series.
Basically, when I show up in Vancouver during the playoffs, the season ends. Last year, 4 straight losses; this year, 3.
I should note that I’m not shocked that Minny set a record of being the first team to come back twice from 3-1 series deficit in the same playoff year. Vancouver’s all about handing records to the other teams. For example:
We happily obliged. In the last three games of the season, we needed but two points to seal the division. We managed one tie and got shutout in the last game. Handing out the Art Ross, Rocket Richard and Division Title all to Colorado and helping them set an NHL record when we were leading in all three categories. Now we gift wrapped a win, not just by losing three straight, but losing it definitively. To the point that you couldn’t really say, “hey, good fight”.
I’m not jumping off the bandwagon but I’m allowed to call it as I see it. Bertuzzi was a no show, Naslund was ok. Our best scorerers were our D-men. Our goalie isn’t as good as everyone in Vancouver seems to think. Face it, JS Giguere, Brodeur, Lalime, Roy, Belfour, Cujo, even Marc Denis or Roberto Luongo could’ve got us to the playoffs with the great way the skaters played in the regular season. The number of wins Clouts had was no indication of his skill, only an indication that he is NHL caliber, not GOOD NHL caliber.
But in the end, I just should’ve known better than show up in Vancouver during the playoffs. Sorry, guys. =)
