Anniversary

You know what today is, don't you?

17 years ago, the Canucks broke my heart.

I am not over it.

Pavel Bure never won a Stanley Cup, never even came close.

17 years.. and it feels like yesterday.

Ironically, I was playing Trivial Pursuit on Friday and got a sports question that was about hockey- and the answer wasn't Wayne Gretzky (if you play TP, you know how rare this is!) Guess what the question was- "Which team ended 54 years of frustration by winning the Stanley Cup in 1994?" AHHHHHHHHHH!! I mean, I obviously got it right but damn.. way to rub it in. As if I could ever forget that day.

In other news, I graduated from college 8 years ago today. Wow.

In other, other news, get it together, Canucks! Game 7 tomorrow. EEEEEEEK!

hello again

Hello again all.

I'm sorry I've been such a slacker on the blog lately.. We had a bit of a family reunion before my niece left for Japan for 3 years, and my sister who is currently stationed in Japan (air force) was in town as well. so woo lots of family time and not much internet-ness. But it's all good.

I did watch some hockey.. and what the what is wrong with the Canucks? Get it together boys! Y'all DO NOT WANT another game 7 in the finals. I do not want that. BOO!

And why isn't game 6 on Sunday? I have plans Monday night and I won't be able to watch it. GRR. (But interestingly enough, my plans involve a boy who is a PAVEL BURE FAN!!!! How great is that? I haven't met anyone recently who even knows who Pavel is, let alone is a fan of his.. WOOO!)

That's about all I have.. just checking in. I should possibly have some more coherent thoughts soonish. If I get around to it. (if anyone still reads this blog..)

rant time

I may have talked about this before, but I'm not sure.. and it's on my nerves today so I'll write about it anyway.

What is with the game times catering to the East Coast? Last time I checked, Vancouver was in the Pacific Time Zone.. so today's game started at 5pm local time- RUDE! What about people who had to work and didn't get home till 5:30 or so? I would be TICKED if I lived in Vancouver and had to miss the beginning of a WEEKDAY game because it started at 5. That's total bullshit, and it's because of ratings and junk on the east coast.

Let me tell you, back when I was a Canucks fan in 1994, all the (weekday at least) Vancouver games were played at 7 or 7:30 Pacific time, and we in the Eastern Time Zone just had to deal.

LAME. Totally lame.

Canucks Memories

It’s hard to describe just how I feel about the Canucks. As I’m sure you all know, they were my first favorite team. Not a single player from that team is still active, and obviously I’ve moved on in my allegiances. But there is still a part of me that want the Canucks to succeed-not gonna lie, I quite enjoy this current iteration of the ‘Nucks. But it goes deeper than that. Having experienced first hand the frustration of being a Canucks fan (and in my first year of watching hockey too), and being a current Sabres fan (pretty similar) I know what hockey heartbreak feels like. And it SUCKS.

So is this the year? Will they finally break the curse? I’ve had a feeling about this Canucks team all year. Y’all may recall the post I wrote back in November about Canucks memories so I don’t really need to say it again.
I honestly don’t know how I’ll feel if they do win. I never really know anymore.. so many teams and players take my fancy and just run with my emotions that I don’t know how I’m going to react. I didn’t expect to get so weepy when the Blackhawks were chillin with Stanley. So who knows? I do think that if the Canucks DO win, I will be happy, but it will be bittersweet. Because that could have been me.. back in 1994. My players have all moved on (though I can still name them- I did it last week and only forgot one guy- poor Nathan Lafayette- I remembered his number but not his name) and so have I. But I still carry them all in my heart.

Hints of things left unseen

I've been hinting at this post for a few days now, so I guess it's time I just sat down and wrote it. So what do I really want to say? I said the other night that hockey is "home" to me. That's true, and has been true for over 16 years now. It was nothing something that was born and bred in me, it was something I discovered on my own (with a little help from my sis, Lance Links, and Pavel Bure) and felt a deep connection to. I think I've told those stories before, but become a hockey fan was, for me at least, a conscious choice that I had to cultivate once the idea was planted.

I've been through some times as a hockey fan. I've seen my teams win it and lose it in the first round of the playoffs, game 7 of the finals, not even make the playoffs.. I've been around and changed teams a few times and found some new players to cheer for (though Bure will always be my #1 no matter what) but it all started with the 1994 Vancouver Canucks. They were my first team.. and they will forever be special. I could probably still name every player from that team (or at least come pretty darn close). I still have some of the 1994 playoff games (including dreaded game 7 which I have never watched) on tape. They were MY boys and they will always be MY boys.

When I turned 13, I asked for a Canucks jersey for my birthday. Now, keep in mind that this was 1994, way before the internet could get anything delivered to your door in 24 hours. Also keep in mind that I lived in Dayton, OH and there was no NHL team in Columbus. And I wanted a Vancouver Canucks jersey- IN AUGUST.

My parents found one.. they had to go to Cincinnati (an hour away) to get it but they found one. I loved that jersey. I probably wore it once a week on average for 3 or 4 years. No lie. I now own 10 hockey jerseys but that was my first and for a long time, my favorite. Longtime readers may recall This photo, which was one of my senior pics. I loved hockey and I loved the Canucks.

My first NHL game was a Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena on March 17, 1995. I wore my jersey and bought a hat and cheered my heart out for the Canucks (one of about 3 people in the arena who was). One of the best nights of my life.

Over time, when Pavel was traded to the Panthers in 1999, I moved my allegiance. (it is interesting to note that Pavel Bure and Bret Hedican were the last 2 members of the 1994 team to leave Vancouver.) I left with them but a part of my heart will always belong to Vancouver.

Over the past several seasons, I have paid more attention to the Canucks. They are a fun, young team. They also have some incredibly good looking fellas on their squad. They score a lot of goals and have a great stopper in Luongo. But, since they're in the Western edge of the Western Conference, I barely see them anymore. So when I saw they were on the Sabres' schedule this season, and my brother-in-law has season tickets, I grabbed that game. I wanted to see the Canucks again, after 15 and a half years.

I'm not going to lie, the game brought back a lot of emotions for me. I felt like I should be cheering for Vancouver. I enjoy the Canucks, but it's more of a passive enjoyment, and I would never pick them over my Sabres. There were lots of Canucks fans at the game, and they were wearing all different styles of jerseys. I saw 3 people with Pavel Bure jerseys (one of them was the 1994 SCF jersey- and I could tell that from the other side of the arena. True stories, but really, are you surprised? It's me!) There were many people with the blue, silver, maroon and black with the Orca "C" on them- I remember when they debuted those jerseys.. we found some pics online (this was early internet days) and I printed them out. I wanted one of those jerseys but never got one before Bure was traded (I eventually got a Panthers one, though.)

It's hard to describe the feelings I had on Monday. I've tried to break it down into words, but there aren't really words. It was odd.. but comforting at the same time. It's like coming full circle as a hockey fan. It was facing my first favorite team while cheering for my current favorite team and it didn't feel awkward and nasty, it felt good. It felt safe. It felt like no matter what I picked, I'd be okay. It felt like home. I keep going back to that, but it's true. Hockey is home. Old team, new team, home is home.


And I absolutely adore the current Canucks uniforms. The colors are gorgeous and I want to own one right now.

it's wednesday!

I still have that post wherein I wax poetic about the Canucks and hockey and rah rah rah memories... but it's still stuck in my head.

However, it is Wednesday, and that sometimes means that I provide you with a hockey SAB. Tonight, I have one that I noticed at the game on Monday.



-Criminal Minds actor Matthew Gray Gubler

AND



-Babyfaced Canuck Mason Raymond

Separated at Birth? YOU be the judge!

show and tell

A few things to share tonight-

Hellooooo Ryan Kesler. I'm down with that.

and our little Roy boy is growing up. . Nice article, Jerry Sullivan. :) I really liked this quote: ""I want to be an elite player in this league," Roy said. "I don't want to cruise through my career and just get 60, 70 points or whatever. I think that's a part of being a human being and growing up. Whatever you do in life, you want to be skilled at it. You want to be the best. I'm trying to approach it that way every day."

Let's hope he continues this growing up process. 21 pts in 20 games is not a bad way to start. Good on ya, Royzie. :)

I have some rambling memory and nostalgia-inducing thoughts from last night's game, but they aren't quite in coherent form yet. Expect that braindump post soonish (if anyone still reads this drivel).

The game last night was a superbly awesome time. The action was good, the crowd was fun, OT was out of this world.. just a fantastic night all around. I was really stressed before the game because I have a lot going on right now and I felt bad to be taking the time to go.. yet this game was on my radar since July, when the schedule came out- and I really felt like I *needed* to go. I'm so glad I did. It brought up a lot of emotions (back to that not-yet-written post) and was just a heck of a game. Besides, I like going to Sabres games. Hockey has always felt like 'home', and I've been missing it a lot lately. It's never too late to go home, and last night was a much-needed reminder of that.

Now I'm getting rambly (which isn't technically a word, but you know what I mean, right?) and that means it's time for bed. G'night friends!

rubbing salt in the wound`

Oooh ouch. The Sabres won that game, handily- which was great. Then there's the post game show, a very terse interview with Lindy- how much do I LOVE that man?! and a bit of a sad goodbye from the studio 200 boys. I think kevin was a little sniffly. "We'll be around"..

so I was feelin a bit down, ya know.. then MSG cuts to this show about the 1994 Rangers and SHOWS the end of that game, which just happened to be the END of my first season as a hockey fan. (and I was a CANUCKS fan, so I was not happy!) Oooh it burns! I can't remember if I cried or not that night, i sure as hell wanted to, I jsut can't remember if I did. I know I could barely watch that stupid game. The boys were there, dammit! I could not sit still, I wandered from the living room to the office and back all night. It was way too tense and in those waning minutes, with the whole crew at MSG losing their minds, I just saw my first hockey dream crumble into dust.

It was not a happy feeling 14 years ago and it still stings. My Pavel Bure was that close to a Stanley Cup and it didn't happen. He was almost the first Russian to have his name on the Cup.. but they couldn't get it done, and he never even came close again. :(

I have since had other teams win- the Wings and the Devils, and seen my fellas- including a team I knew personally- the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL make it to the finals to get swept, but nothing will ever match that feeling of pain on June 14, 1994. And those bastards on MSG just had to bring it back, tonight, when I was already feeling a bit hockey sad.

So I'm not in the mood to dissect the Sabres tonight. It was a good game today, and a good way to end the season- way to go, Thibault and Vanek! Also, way to be a team player, Royzie.. but I will save my season-ending recaps for another time.

I'll also get some playoff predictions going on tomorrow or monday, once the teams are set. Congrats to the Caps- I kinda have a soft spot for them. But I'm still pullin for the Devils and the Wings, those are my boys.

G'night everybody.