Random Distractions

I'm still knee deep in Harry Potter books and movies; I still have three books and two movies to watch in 24 hours!  Clearly I won't finish in time but I am hoping to knock off the last two movies and maybe one more book before the theatre lights dim tomorrow night...after all, who really needs to sleep?

Even though I've been focused on the task at hand, I still have time for random distractions which is where Mike Halford and Jason Brough come in.  These guys are the geniuses behind The Province newspaper's Canucks-centric blog, Orland Kurtenblog, named after the first ever Vancouver Canuck team captain, Orland Kurtenbach.  While the Kurtenblog sits in second place (just behind Pass it to Bulis) of my favourite hockey blogs, they have absolutely rocked the off season with their non-hockey related posts.  Here's a sampling of what's popped up the past few days:

Did You Know Zonkeys Existed?
KB Supports the SPCA: Featured Cat of the Week
Is This Marriage Proposal the Biggest Jerk Move Ever?
Photo: Rare Evidence of the Mythical Sedin Triplet

I would say that the moment that catapulted them into second place would probably their 'press' coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Between video cutting out because Brough walked into a tree to messing around at media day, every day brought us new reasons not to drink anything while reading the Kurtenblog.  If you've got some time to browse, these guys are definitely worth checking out!

One Week

What is a week?  It's a length of time that can be broken down in a number of different ways:

7 Days
168 Hours
10.080 Minutes
604,800 Seconds

The last time I wrote about the measure of a week (February 2010), I was questioning what you would do if you knew you only had one left.  I suppose, considering what happened a week ago, I could pose the question, what if that riot was the last event that took place in Vancouver before it disappeared a la Pompeii?

It's been a week since Vancouver came undone at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals and there has been no shortage of coverage outlining the reasons for the destruction, heroism, backlash, and sense of community that came from one night.

Rioters have come forward, police have laid charges, and the debates over public opinion, mob mentality, possible punishments, and the use of social media to aid the investigation, have raged on local, national, and international levels.  We are a city, united by our desire to see things set right, but divided in our approach to take to get there.  While there is strong support for the public to hold riot participants accountable, it is a fine line to walk. 

I believe that the authorities should use footage and photos taken by witnesses as a tool in their investigative process but I am against those same photos and videos being used to publicly attack not only the individual involved, but their families, friends, and any organization they are associated with.  I think those who have turned themselves in, should have done so before their faces were plastered all over the Internet but that they do deserve some margin of credit for coming forth and issuing public apologies (even though some of them should have quit while they were ahead - actually, the first apology was re-written after the public found it to be insincere and almost argumentative as she outlined all the possible reasons mob mentality is a valid excuse). 

One thing is for sure - most of us are committed to never letting this happen again and trying to show the world what Vancouver is really about.  I've got faith that the silver lining of this whole mess is that Vancouver is coming back better than ever.

A Letter to the Canucks

So here it is...a letter to the Canucks.  I tried to write my own, but last night's devastation is still too fresh for me to say what I actually wanted to.  A simple "thanks for an amazing season" just doesn't seem enough for a team that gave as much of itself as it possibly could to this city.  

This was written by a fan at the end of the Western Conference Finals and brought actual tears to my eyes.  With everything that happened yesterday, I want to take this chance to remember the hope and elation that gripped the city a mere 11 days ago. Hopefully TJ's eloquently written wishes will come true next year...

Courtesy of Fort Nucks: Fan Roundup - Volume 6 (Sunday, June 5th, 2011)

The story of a lifelong Canucks fan

When I was 11 years old I watched my idol Trevor Linden take my team on the emotional roller coaster of the 94 playoffs. I remember everything. Every call. Every goal. Every emotion. I remember the way you could walk down the street and get a high five from someone you didn’t know just because you were wearing a jersey. I remember sitting with my Mom, Dad and brother in our living room, watching Pavel Bure blow by the Calgary defense and score the goal that I would later emulate on the driveway of our townhouse with a worn down hockey stick and a tennis ball. I remember the call.



“ This is the greatest moment in Vancouver Canucks History”



17 years. 17 years since Pavel scored that goal. 17 years since Kirk Mclean made “the save.”17 years since Greg Adams scored the OT goal to propel us into the Stanley cup final. 17 years since the jubilation of game 6, and 17 years since the dejected emotional pain of game 7. We were so close.



The pain of coming that close and not winning stays with you. For 17 years.



Last night Kevin Bieksa scored a goal that set off a trifecta of emotions. The first was the shock of seeing a game winning goal in double overtime, in a western conference final. The second was complete joy and excitement. We did it!! We are going to the Stanley cup final! High fives all around people yelling so loud that it hurts, explosions of confetti, and 18 thousand fans screaming in the harmonic unison of an orchestra, “WE WANT THE CUP.”



And finally the realization that we did it. And I was there to see it. To experience it.



Years from now people will tell many stories of the Stanley cup run of 2011. They will talk about Alex Burrows game 7 winner against Chicago. They will talk about the hilarity of the green men. They will talk about Ryan Kesler carrying the team on his back right through to the conference final. They will talk about the Sedins utter dominance against the sharks. They will talk of Bobby Lu’s 54 save performance in game 5. They will talk about Kesler scoring the tying goal with 13 seconds left to send the Canucks to overtime. And of course they will talk about the bounce off the glass that ended up on the stick of boom boom Bieksa.



Years from now I will be telling my son that the year he was born, I bought a Canucks playoff ticket for three times face value and didn’t even think twice about it. I will tell him about the thousands of fans who gathered outside the rink hours before game time to celebrate their team and all its accomplishments. I will tell him about “towel power.” I will tell him about the shinny games outside the arena and that no matter how old you get you are never too old for a game of street hockey.



I will tell him about the atmosphere inside the arena when they brought out the western conference championship trophy, and I will tell him that I was in attendance to watch the single greatest team in the history of the Vancouver Canucks win passage to the Stanley cup finals.



If any Vancouver Canuck reads this somewhere please do me a favor. Go out there next week and win that cup. Win it for every member of the 82 and 94 teams that came within inches and went home empty handed. Win it for Luc Bourdon. Win it for every single fan that has ever bought a ticket, a jersey, a car flag and for every fan that has stood on the corner of the road with a flag in hand just to hear the honking cars go by.



But most of all win it so when my son is born I will have a bedtime story to tell him.



 -TJ Chase

Stand Up Vancouver

As I watched thousands of Canuck fans inside Rogers Arena cheer on Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas, and Milan Lucic each hoist the Stanley Cup last night, I started writing a letter to the Vancouver Canucks to thank them for an amazing season.

From The Vancouver Sun

It's a letter that was never finished as news coverage shifted to the madness unfolding mere blocks away - Georgia Street set ablaze, smoke and tear gas clogging the air, police in riot gear being attacked with whatever people could get their hands on.

It was disgusting and shameful for the city to have all the positives that came from hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics and two months of play off celebrations seemingly wiped out in hours.  We are no longer the home of the current President's Trophy winning team, we are the city that imploded over a lost hockey game.

From The Vancouver Sun

I sat, glued to my TV for hours watching in disbelief as crowds refused to leave and had the audacity to attack the police officers trying to clear the streets.  I waited impatiently to hear that people I knew got home safe.  I went to bed in the early hours of this morning wondering how things managed to spiral out of control so quickly.

Last night was an ugly scene that won't be forgotten easily.  The world spotlight is on Vancouver as people question the why's and how's.  Hopefully they'll also take the time to recognize how the city has responded.

Last night, there were ordinary people who tried to stand up to the crowds.  The Vancouver Police Department, along with officers from other municipalities, firefighters, and EMT's did what they could to contain and disperse the crowds while protecting the rest of the city.

From Facebook

Today, instead of hiding in shame, Vancouver came out to take back the city.  From the hundreds (if not thousands) of volunteers cleaning up the streets to the "Wall of Love" along the Bay's boarded up windows, we are trying to change the story.  Hundreds of people witnessed the theft, violence, and destruction and are in a position to do something about it.  People are flocking to identify rioters via Facebook and Tumblr.  Sure #CanucksRiot is still trending on Twitter, but so is #ThisIsMyVancouver.

June 15th, 2011 is a black mark on the city that will take time to erase.  If today is any indication, Vancouver is up for the challenge.

*There's so much to reference here it's incredible.  Shout outs to Mashable, Vancity Buzz, Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail, and everyone on Facebook and Twitter trying to hold people accountable for their actions!

Take a Breath

Vancouver, let's not freak out, we know that this is our year.  It's now a best of 3 and we have home ice for 2.  What happens over the next week will define this team (and this city) for years to come.  So here's a bit of advice...

Thanks to Keep Calm and Canuck On for the pic!

Panic or Cucumber (as in keep as cool as)

Refrain from hitting!

It was painful to watch, especially now knowing that it ties Vancouver with the '96 Florida Panthers for the second worst loss in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history.  Minnesota is still the reigning champ (or loser, depending on which way you want to look at it) for their 8-0 loss to Pittsburgh in '91.

A lot of people were questioning player health, travel fatigue, and what AV was thinking keeping Luongo in goal the entire game (as opposed to resting up for the next game once the game was out of reach).  Those that weren't asking any questions were too busy drowning their sorrows and fighting off panic attacks and visions of playoffs past.  Personally, I feel like a bit of the team's zen attitude is rubbing off on me.

I predicted that this series would go all the way to 7 games and that there was no way we'd get out of Boston without losing one game.  Now I never could've predicted we'd crash and burn in an 8-1 loss, but as PiTB wrote way back at the end of March, It's Okay to be Optimistic!  The race to lift the Stanley Cup is a marathon, not a sprint, and I believe with the end in sight, the Canucks have more than enough gas left in the tank to bring it home.

Destiny

On the 17th anniversary of the last time the Canucks won the Conference Finals, Kevin Bieksa scored the series winning goal in double overtime, on the exact date Greg Adams did the same thing in '94.  A lot has been said about this team, superstitions, trends, curses, and history.  There have been so many words used that I'm choosing to let the following videos do the talking for me. 

See ya next year Sharks...

Keeping focused...



We've got 4 more to go...

Half Way

It takes 16 to win and the Canucks are sitting at 8.  Here's to the next round!

Eggshells

It's the Stanley Cup Playoffs which means hockey fans around the world are even more neurotic than usual.  Personally, I've reached a level of intensity that ha my own family fearing for their safety if they do anything to distrub my mojo.  Deep down inside, I know that my own eccentricities have no real bearing on the outcome of the games.  However, being a fan (especially a Canucks fan) doesn't always guarantee siding with logic.  In fact, most of us dive right off the deep end when the post season hits (unless you're a Detroit, Pittsburgh, or Washington fan).  At this point, with the second round under way, all I can say is tread carefully non-fans - you never know what will set us off!

Journey

The thing about being a Canuck fan is that we always believe in the impossible even when everyone else has written us off.  Here's to taking the next step boys!

Video Stars

I apologize to anyone who reads this that isn't a hockey fan.  I don't have much else going on these days because the playoffs make me anti-social, causing me to check my calendar for game days (as if I didn't already have them memorized lol) before I can agree to plans.  It's a bit sad I know but if you're a (crazy) fan, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's game 2 vs. the Blackhawks tonight so obviously it's all I can really think about at this point.  Every fan has their own superstitions when it comes to games but the best fan movement always comes in the form of songs & videos for the playoffs.  I'm leaving you with the collection thus far since I'm about to start watching them to gear up for the game.  I promise I'll be back with a non-hockey related post tomorrow!

Till I Collapse

Revenge of the Fallen

Canuck Boat (Love Boat Theme Parody)

Game Day (Rebecca Black "Friday" Parody

Destroy the Blackhawks

How the West was One

Canucks Rule (Cee-Lo Green "Forget You" Parody)

Black Red Yellow (Wiz Khalifa "Black and Yellow" Parody)

Canucks 2011 Official Playoff Opener

Steady

Yesterday the Canucks started their run for the Cup with an exciting win over the Hawks.  It's easy to get caught up in all the hype and expectations, but we've been here before people - planning parade routes after early wins, etc.  Let's take a page from the always awesome Keep Calm and Canuck On.  The road to the Stanley Cup finals is long and hard so remember,

PSB

The regular season is over and for those outside the sweet sixteen, it's time to trade skates for golf clubs.  But for the rest of us, the most magical time of the hockey year is about to begin.  All I know is that sometimes the Universe recognizes your passion and tips a bit of luck in your favour - like getting me tickets for Game 1, Round 1 of the 2011 Playoffs!!!  This is what I like to call Post-Season Bliss (PSB) =)

Luongo was a beast tonight, making some incredible saves (you know it's serious when it's it's in italics!), leading the team to a terrific 2-0 win over the Hawks.  Wanna bet they'll be busy drowning their sorrows at the Roxy tonight?  This is the most electric time of year for fans and I'm so glad I got to see the team start things off right.

Paper never looked so sexy

Newest addition to the plaza

Towel Power Man!

Waiting to be waved

The view from the 14th row
in Section 319

Fin's latest toy shoots 10
shirts in 5 seconds

Towel waving frenzy!

Dreaming

It's been a hot topic in the hockey world over the past couple of days, and I figured it was only a matter of time before I threw down my two cents on the topic.  For those of you who don't follow hockey, one of our top players in Vancouver, Manny Malhotra, has been sidelined with a serious eye injury after being struck in the face by a deflected puck. 

The Vancouver Canucks released a brief statement yesterday to announce that Manny would miss the remainder of the regular season as well as the playoffs.  Obviously everyone's main concern is Manny's health but most people can't help but wonder what this means for the team.  Personally, as much as I am invested in this team and its success, this incident makes me wonder about much more than our chances of getting to the Stanley Cup finals.  It makes me wonder, what happens when you're living out your dream and it's snatched out from under you?

It's difficult to imagine because you never really know how you'll react until you're actually in that situation.  You can only hope you won't pull a Costanza when that defining moment comes.  Would you throw in the towel and give up or would you fight to get it all back?  Other than what I learn through team released interviews, I don't know Manny Malhotra at all.  Nevertheless, I think he'll do whatever it takes to come back from this injury and hopefully get back on the ice one day. 

Winning

After playing .500 hockey for the month of February, the boys are back, winning 7 of the 8 games they've played this month.  Here are some photos to commemorate tonight's win...



20 Points ahead of 2nd
place in the NW Division

 

11 Points ahead of 2nd
place in the Western Conference

 

10 Points ahead of 2nd
place in the league



Leading in 3 categories with 6 additional top 5 standings.

Is this the year the Canucks could win it all?  All of Vancouver has their fingers crossed!

Panic?



Maybe if we had tried this on Rinne
tonight we wouldn't have been shut out

It's all too easy for people in Vancouver to panic when the Canucks hit a speed bump on the long road that is the regular season.  We've been disappointed so many times over the years you would think we would have learned to be a bit more cautious by now.  True to our team, we're just as streaky - we've got limitless highs and depressing lows but we're with them no matter what.

Lately, the Canucks have managed to avoid losing two games in a row.  While this sounds ideal, what's actually happening is that we haven't been able to win two games in a row either.  The past 12 games have passed rather uneventfully with the team alternating wins and losses and acquiring two new players at Monday's trade deadline.  Many were hoping that the addition of Maxim Lapierre would be a spark to a stagnant team but so far no such luck.  With both Higgins and Bieksa on the upcoming road trip we'll have to see if Juice and someone being a healthy scratch will be enough to bump the slumps.

With only a 3 point cushion to hold on to the top spot in the league, and 4 points keeping us atop the Western conference, is it time for Canuck fans to push the panic button?  Not quite yet, but if the team keeps performing like this, we'll be hitting it sooner rather than later.  Maybe it's time to change up the routine...

Blank

It's amazing how quickly the ideas for interesting posts disappear the moment I sit down to actually write.  I'm thinking of starting a list to carry around with me because the frustration is mounting.  In a bid to write about ANYTHING other than the cleaning that dominated my weekend, I'll explore the over used movie cliche of the underdogs coming back to win it all.

Yesterday's activities included watching television re-runs of D3: The Mighty Ducks (because I can never resist watching Joshua Jackson) and the 1992 hit movie Cutting Edge, staring Moira Kelly as skating diva Kate Moseley and D.B. Sweeney as rough-around the edges Doug Dorsey, a pro-hockey player sidelined with a career ending injury.  While both movies are extremely high in the cheese factor, they both explore the trials and tribulations any underdog faces - formidable opponents, the will to better themselves, even the chance for romance. 

Underdog characters are those that the common person can relate to.  They aren't the popular jock or cheerleader - they are the quiet, nerdy, nobodies that rise up to become somebody.  They are characters worth supporting because they are just like you.  This is the exact reason we love watching movies about underdogs.  We all hope that we can be just as successful with the problems in our own lives.

Red Fever & My Stevie Wonder Connection

With the World Junior Hockey Championship over, I'm left with that empty feeling that comes after a stressful, emotional investment.  It’s almost like a mini break up =( Watching Team Canada fall apart in the third period felt a bit like watching the Vancouver Canucks get eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  All you can do is play the "what if?" game and wonder.

For a fan like me, it's not the second place finish that hurts.  It's watching these young players deflate with each goal against after playing such a tremendous tournament.  It's coming so close to taking back the gold in the country they lost it to.  I think there is no point in dissecting the players moves after the fact because that's exactly what the players themselves will be doing until they come back next year. 

Something that was a welcome sight was the sea of red in the stands.  Watching the World Juniors gave me flashbacks of the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver.  It's amazing to see the lengths fans will go to be a part of events like this.  Buffalo looked like it was in Ontario rather than New York with the amount of Canadians at the games over the past week and a half.  These are the fans that grow playoff beards and have lucky socks that don't get changed when their team is streaking. 

While I'm not THAT extreme with my superstitions, I do fall under the category of "eccentric fan."  Now do you get the Stevie Wonder connection?  Released by Motown Records in 1972, it's pretty much my theme song when it comes to game day rituals.  I know I shouldn't fall into the trap but I can never help myself.  Each hockey season brings its own unique challenges for the superstitious fan.  One year I had to wear the same outfit to work every game day which didn't work out very well as I was in the retail industry at the time.  Another year had me listening to U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and Sloan's "Money City Maniacs" before puck drop.  Two years ago wearing a jersey to live games = a loss, while wearing it at home = a win. 

This year it's a pretty simple system: don't wear any Canuck paraphernalia or anything with Canuck colours (green and blue) on game days.  The only sad thing about this is that I have a collection of shirts that aren't seeing the light of day this winter out of fear.  We'll see what happens now that I've leaked this current superstition.  Hopefully it doesn't lead me back to the start of this post with all the frowny faces of downtrodden players.

Thankfully, all that earlier angst washed away rather quickly as I tuned into tonight's Canucks game vs. the Calgary Flames.  There's nothing like a good Calgary thumping to make me feel better.  Well that and a little SW on the coolest street of them all to close out the night...