vancouver canucks.

as a life-long fan of the canucks i can only assume that i am one of many, who wonder when it is that lord stanley's cup might finally be obtained by the franchise, making a long awaited return to the city. following this team has been a relationship of conflict, and this seems to speak for a generalization of the vancouver & west coast persona. it's a neutrality that exists in areas of acceptance toward freewill & free speech, but that lack a deep rooted history. maybe we're getting there though.


i am almost certain that at nine years of age, i suffered my first heart-attack witnessing the canucks '94 game seven loss vs the rangers. then we had to watch the rise and fall of the new canucks, a period in the team's history i will admit didn't receive my full support. and now, after a lot of beta testing, we have canucks v2.0 with some potential. but how much drive? roberto luongo is clearly a good goaltender, but obviously cannot win games alone. there are few goaltenders who that can significantly carry teams during either season or playoff (martin brodeur, patrick roy, et al.) and luongo just doesn't seem to fit the mold. he shouldn't have to either. plenty of teams have done exceptionally well, including winning the stanley cup, without a game-winning goalie in their roster. i would have to do some serious research, but feel safe assuming that there are less than ten goaltenders in nhl history that match this adjective. what our current captain needs is a strong team in front of him, something that eludes the organization every year.

but what's this? those quirky swedish, sedin twins are now leading a rag-tag team that's either a sheer last resort, or pure hockey genius. the canucks have amassed the most goals in the western conference, and henrik sedin is in a battle with alexander ovechkin for the art ross trophy. they've clinched their division title (again!) and have the best home record in club history. so can they do it? i don't know... i do know, that when i think about how teams like tampa bay, carolina, and anaheim have hoisted the cup i realize just how bad i want it as a fan. if i die before witnessing a vancouver hockey club win the top award, of the only sport i really care enough to follow, i will feel a slight remorse.

i'm trying to believe... but as i type this watching tonight's game vs the avalanche, we're down 3-2 starting the third period. i'm beginning to question our comeback abilities. it's no way to be the best, and probably won't win any 'cups.