We Vancouver Canuck fans have been called a lot of things during this Stanley Cup playoff run – arrogant, obnoxious, loud, passionate – but most of all, fickle.
We – as others enjoy pointing out – are awfully quick to turn on our team when things go south.
It happened in the very first round of the playoffs, when the Canucks blew a three-game lead against the hated Chicago Blackhawks.
And it happened again in this final series, when they let the Boston Bruins claw their way back to tie things 2-2 and now, 3-3. Heck, it sometimes happens in the middle of October.
For whatever reason, Canuck fans have shown innate ability to turn a positive into a negative.
As for why this happens, it’s anybody’s guess. Maybe it’s a “little brother” syndrome that comes from living on the West Coast, always in the shadow of the Centre of the Universe.
Or perhaps it’s less an inferiority complex and simply because we, as a sports city, have had little to cheer about over the years, save for a few Grey Cups and, as of only last year, a successful (albeit pricey) Olympic Games.
Our most celebrated hockey moment, in fact – the Canucks’ last Cup run in 1994 – is one that ended in failure.
That’s why we, when faced with adversity, always seem to fear the worst; we’re conditioned that way, like Deloreans rolling off an assembly line – destined for a few bright moments, perhaps, but, ultimately, failure.
Or so it seems.
But putting history aside for a moment – yes, it can be done, Vancouver – fans find themselves again in this oh-so-familiar spot, after the Canucks lost Game 6 Monday in Boston, and now are faced with a winner-take-all Game 7 tonight in Vancouver.
And while stats can be trotted out by both sides in predicting what the outcome will be, it is, essentially, a glorified coin toss. A bounce here, or a bounce there could decide the outcome.
Indeed, so could the fans who pack the arena.
Canuck players worked hard to gain home-ice advantage for the playoffs – ensuring they’d play in Vancouver in just this type of situation, should it arise. Don’t forget, the home team has won each game of this series, and just three times in league history – in 2009, 1971 and 1945 – has the road team won Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final.
So fans would do well by their team to park the negativity, the nervous energy, and get behind their team.
Be loud. Be passionate. Be positive.
And, to even the most fickle of fans, remember this: it ain’t over yet.
- Peace Arch News