S port's

Top Five Ways
To Tell You’re
A Canucks
Fan

  

CF Miley <amé afi)
Sports Editor

Following the Canucks’ 7-game play-
off loss-to the Calgary Flames, the
Vancouver bandwagon cleared faster

than a platter of free cheese at a |

comic book convention. That being
said, I thought Id give all you
mourning ’Nucks fans out there a
quick and easy way to tell if you

belong among the truly devout, or, if |

youre just another fairweather fan.
Here are the top five ways to tell if
youre a true Canucks fan:

1. You spent each playoff game-day
embroiled in a strange ritual involv-
ing candles, face paint, and duct tap-
ing several of those Canucks car flags
to your head.

2. Immediately following Martin |

Gelinas’ overtime goal in game 7, you
shut the curtains, cracked an emer-
gency bottle of fine spirits, and spent
the next 24 hours watching Twin

Peaks—all 29 episodes.

3. You miraculously convinced your
girlfriend to grow a playoff beard
below the equator, regardless of the
consequences to your love life.

4. You actually like TSN’s “Silver
Cup” song. Shame on you.

5. No matter how bad it hurts,
you've already begun counting the
days until the puck drops for next
season (God willing, with the current
NHL labour strife).

For all you folks out there stretch-
ing the word “fan” until it grows into
“fanaticism,” I salute you. Through
the drunken tears of yet another dis-
appointing spring, go ’Nucks.

26 | OtherPress

 

 

CF Miley
Sports Editor

Canucks Corner

May 200

 

I don't need to
[remind many of
“| you about how
this season ended
for the Vancouver Canucks. Martin
Gelinas’ game-winning goal in the
7th and deciding game of
Vancouver's first round playoff
match up with the Calgary. Flames
was a fitting end to a roller coaster
campaign.

The season began as most seasons
do—full of cheers and hope. Jason
King came out on fire and looked to
be the early favourite for the Calder
Trophy for rookie of the year. The
Sedins looked to be coming into

their own. The club finally

had a bona fide NHL-caliber o y

backup goalie in Johan)
Hedberg. Todd Bertuzzi was
inked to a long-term contract
that secured his services in
Vancouver for many years to
The Canucks were
unbeaten on the road for their
first 11 games. Then, as quick-
ly as the blue skies had come, ©
the clouds began to form.

King lost his offensive
touch, and found himself in
Manitoba playing for the
Moose. The Sedins dropped
off the face of the planet for
long stretches. Coach Marc
Crawford publicly ripped into
Hedberg, only to feebly
rescind the statements, but —™
never the sentiment. Then,
during a March 8 game vs.
Colorado, on the short end of a 9-2
butt kicking, Todd Bertuzzi assaulted
Steve Moore in an attempt to exact
revenge that went all wrong.

Bertuzzi found himself gone for
the remainder of the year, including
the playoffs, and the Canucks were
left scrambling to find a new identity
minus their hulking winger. Two
overpaid perimeter players—Geoff
Sanderson and Martin Rucinsky—
were brought in at the trade deadline
in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

To the amazement of many—
myself included—Vancouver won
their final six games and claimed

come.

their first division title in 11 years.
For their efforts, the team was
rewarded with a first round playoff
series against the youthful Calgary
Flames, a team riding the coattails of
two players, Jarome Iginla on the
offensive side of the ice, and goalie
Mikka Kiprusoff in the defensive
zone. Kiprusoff is up for the Vezina
trophy for the leagues best goal-
tender, while Iginla ended up in a
three-way tie for the Maurice

Richard Trophy for his 42—goal cam-
paign. No worries, thought most
"Nucks fans, there’s no way two play-
ers can defeat our whole team. For
my part, I sealed my lips, supersti-

 

tiously refusing to allow the names of
Marion Gaborik and Wes Walz to be
uttered. Fans will remember how
those two jokers dismantled the
Canucks in last year’s second-round
debacle against the Minnesota Wild.

Game 1 opened with the typical
madness from the GM Place faithful.
The usually anemic Vancouver pow-
erplay—it was one for 22 over the
last six games of the regular season—
popped two goals in the first six min-
utes to stake the Canucks to a two-
goal lead. Both teams partook in a
steady stream of penalties—16 in
all—that would have marred: the

game if it weren't for Vancouver
newfound prowess with the ma
advantage. The Canucks tallied fou
count ‘em, four, powerplay goals, an
added a fifth on a delayed penalt
call, to win the game 5-3.

Game 2 saw a reversal of fortune:
This time, it was Calgary that got
couple of early bounces, and a twc
goal lead in the opening minute:
Craig Conroy was allowed to bum
Dan Cloutier just enough for Iginl
to have a wide-open net to open th
scoring three minutes in. Just 50 sec
onds later, a Tony Lydman she
rebounded off of Sami Salo’s che:
and into the Vancouver net to pt
the Flames up by a pai
Markus Naslund had the lon
Canuck goal, but Flame
goalie Mikka Kiprusoff we
the real story. The Calgar
netminder stopped 23 of 2
Vancouver chances, includin

glorious opportunities b
Henrik Sedin, Brenda
Morrison, and Marti

Rucinsky. The series the
shifted to Calgary, tied at on

Game 3 saw the ’Nuck luc
continue to rear it’s ugly hea
late in the first period. Goali
Dan Cloutier twisted awh
wardly on a Calgary rush, an
was forced to leave not onl
the remainder of the gam:
but also the rest of the serie
Backup Johan Hedberg mac
19 saves, allowing Vancouv«
to skate away with a 2-1 vic
tory, as well as a 2—1 series lead. Ma
Cooke continued to shine on the to
line, and scored a beauty of a go
1:29 into the third for the game wit
ner.

Game 4 saw the Flames dominai
Vancouver—especially in the secon
period—en route to a 4—0 win. Tt
Canucks surrendered a short-hande
goal in the opening minute of tt
second period. Later, Calgary score
two goals in under 30 seconds to lea
out to a commanding three-¢_
lead. Vancouver was unable to soi
Kiprusoff again, and found then
selves heading home for game 5 wit