Tonight the Vancouver Canucks defeated the St. Louis Blues by a score 3-2 in the first OT period of their game four playoff series. Having won the previous three games, the Canucks won the series and now advance to the second round and are also the first team to do so.
While I let out an initial “woooo” when Burrows slipped the biscuit between Mason’s wickets, I was witness to much more celebration downtown by some other fans. Now if these fans’ wishes were to only see the Canucks win just one round, then I’d say to them celebrate as much as you want. If their wishes are to see them win the whole championship, then I’d say the celebration is a bit too early. Not to be an old man and/or a party pooper but winning the first round of the NHL playoffs gets you nothing tangible. Except if you own the team, revenue from playoff home games are nearly pure profit. Returning to my point, no one gives you a trophy for winning the first round. There’s at least twelve more games to be played before a real championship celebration can be had.
Last but not least, watch this video where a reporter interviews people who attended the game. Take note of several things. First, while I know the sample size is small, it appears that all Blues fans are white people. Yes, I know Vancouver is more multicultural than most cities but there have to hockey fans of other ethnicities in St. Louis. Second, look for the one Vancouver fan they interviewed. It appears he went to the game alone and not only that, he was wearing Canucks gear. I’m not sure if he got home safely. I hope he did.
Ha! And he wasn’t even from Vancouver. Nice!