So here I go again trying to explain my love of Vancouver Canucks playoff hockey. And I don’t know if I can. I may not even fully get it myself. It was driven home again on Easter Sunday at my parents’ house when I excused myself to the living room and tuned in to sneak a check on the Canucks and Blackhawks. My dad happened into the room, looked at the TV, and gave me a nice loud, “HOCKEY? WHAAAAT?”
It was clearly the first time hockey had been on at their house. I didn’t grow up a hockey fan at all. I made fun of the Quebec Nordiques just because of their name. I remember when my brother and I were kids we had a babysitter at our house who was excited to watch hockey. We thought he was from Mars.
I was even indifferent when the Canucks made their run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I knew the name Pavel Bure but that was about it.
But then something happened. We started covering them a little more at the station and I learned some of their names and faces. One year when the Naslund-Bertuzzi era Canucks started the playoffs I felt like I knew them a little bit and gave it a sniff. And that was the beginning of an addiction I’m living with to this day.
I don’t care about the regular season. I don’t care about other teams (but might check out Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals). But Canucks playoff hockey has me hooked. Doug and I were at the NFL Draft recently and I just had to know the Canucks score.
And this post-season might take it to another level as the Canucks have the best record in the league and the #1 overall seed. They’re the favorite to win the whole thing and hoist the Cup. As of this writing they struggled past Chicago in the first round and are in the second round against Nashville. If they take it all the way it’ll be one of the best rides ever.
I’m not quite ready to follow the tradition of growing a “playoff beard”, but it’s close.
