June 2011

It ends with a whimper, and a whole lot of bangs

June 18, 2011

I don’t have much to say about the hockey. Nobody cost us the game. Nobody stepped up to make a difference.  At the second intermission, the Canucks had 20 minutes left in their dream and three goals to make up. There must have been some sort of fiery pep talk in that dressing room, or [...]

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Ready for the end

June 15, 2011

I can’t sleep. This is ridiculous. It’s not all because of the game. I do have a three-year-old who’s been rolling around in our bed like a pig on a spit, only this pig sticks a hoof into your kidney every once in a while. But then I’m awake, I remember the game is tonight, [...]

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Wednesday will make Monday seem carefree

June 14, 2011

The realist in me had given the Canucks about a 30-per-cent chance of winning Game 6 in Boston, but the hopeful fan in me had nearly convinced himself by game time that Monday would be the night. Finding shelter from the anticipatory vibe that swept through the city during the day was impossible. It was [...]

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June 14, 1994

June 13, 2011

This takes me back, waking up in the morning knowing the Canucks can win the Stanley Cup in the evening. The last time was a gorgeous spring day, going on summer. My playoff beard was almost as long as Trevor Linden’s. I had the day off from the restaurant, which gave me plenty of time [...]

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Luongo’s shutout stitches Canucks Nation back together again — until the next time

June 11, 2011

Canucks Nation is one again. The disastrous trip to Boston, during which the Canucks lost 8-1 and 4-0 to toss away their series lead, was pitting fan against fan, diehard loyalist against bandwagon jumper. A series made infamous by finger-pointing on the ice was now producing plenty of it off the ice. Then last night, [...]

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Canuck meltdowns: One of the great spectacles in sport

June 7, 2011

I’m not even sure what to make of these blowouts anymore. Canuck meltdowns have become one of the great spectacles in sport, like the Super Bowl or the climb up Col du Tourmalet in the Tour de France. Actually, last night’s 8-1 loss in Boston was more like the descent from Tourmalet, in terms of [...]

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It’s already rivaling the Olympics, and we haven’t won yet

June 5, 2011

There’s never been any doubt in my mind that a Stanley Cup win by the Canucks would be bigger in Vancouver than the Olympic men’s hockey gold. Well, I shouldn’t say “never.” When I walked from my office at Granville and Cordova to our company’s Olympic hospitality lounge at Smythe and Expo Boulevard on the [...]

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These aren’t your dad’s Canucks

June 3, 2011

In Grade 9, my friend James and I felt like we had the Canucks pretty much to ourselves. We were the only ones in school who talked Canucks. That’s partly because we went to University Hill, where hackysack was the No. 1 sport and the phrase “smoking the Leafs” meant something else entirely. Mostly, though, [...]

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No. 13 gets win No. 13

June 2, 2011

Raffi Torres got the party started, and I think everybody was happy he did it at a reasonable hour. I know I was settling in for a long overtime when the goal came with 19 seconds left. It was that kind of game. The two Vezina Trophy finalists in goal looked very close to unbeatable [...]

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