I suspect this is how Vancouver Canuck fans are feeling today. The feeling comes from the realization that the journey is over before you had chance to reach the destination. It’s the feeling you get when something is taken from you which was so close. That something is the memory of your favorite team winning the Stanley Cup.

I have no allegiance to either the Vancouver Canucks or the Boston Bruins. I have no emotional attachment to either team but I have many friends and colleagues who do. I lived in Vancouver for eight years, and I call tell you that Canuck fans are as passionate as they come. I had a chance to witness that passion thanks to Debbie and Grant Thomas, owners of TMG and close friends of mine. They graciously invited me to be their guest for game five and seven. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity because being from Toronto a Stanley Cup final is fantasy. The only pre-condition Grant made was that I must wear a Canuck jersey to the game. Being a Leaf fan that was difficult to do but the picture is proof positive that I’m no idiot. Let’s see, wear the jersey and go to the game. Don’t wear the jersey, watch the game on TV. Woohoo, Go Canucks Go!

Just wearing a jersey doesn’t make you a fan. I went to the game as a casual observer, and what a spectacle it was. The capacity crowd in the arena last night, as well as the legion of Canuck fans watching on TV, there was nothing casual about their emotional attachment to the game. That’s why Canuck fans are feeling empty today. They’re all spent. You can only go from euphoria to nail biting to bitter disappointment for so long, and now it’s over. I feel for my friends and colleagues who are big Canuck fans. But the important thing is your team gave it a good shot and they provided you with so much excitement.

Ah, that’s a bunch of bullshit!  This isn’t play day where everyone gets a ribbon for participating. This is professional sports where the only thing that matters is winning. Losing sucks! But what’s worse for real Canuck fans they now have to deal with the embarrassment of a city coming unglued after defeat. Smashed windows, violence, burning cars, tear gas, flash bombs have nothing to with hockey. Yet now that’s the story, what a shame.

Until next time,

Cheers