on the concourse
On the top of my bookshelf rests a yellowed foam finger. I bought it at a Canucks game, back when they had the ice skate logo, back when they called the Coliseum home. In fact, I bought it there for a dollar or two. Not only had I always wanted to see a Canucks game in person, but I'd always wanted a foam finger--and now I could cross both off my want list.
Since then, the Canucks haven't really felt like my team. Sure, I'd catch their games on tv whenever I could and followed them closer when they'd make the playoffs, but with each passing year, we seemed to grow further and further apart. Maybe it was the new uniforms, maybe it was the move from the East Side to downtown, maybe it's the fact that I'm not a naive little kid anymore--I don't know. But the fact remains that watching them feels like seeing a once-favourite rock band, now aged and on the inevitable creative decline. You keep waiting for the hits, the moments that defined your childhood, but they just aren't there. I still watch whenever possible and root for them, but I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't somewhere else.
That somewhere else is in the lower reds on the west side of the Coliseum, where my dad's shared seats for the Giants are--and have been since the first season. Whenever possible, we're there in our seats, surrounded by families, seniors and film industry folk, all clutching our towels and cheering our boys on. And this season, there's been a lot to cheer about. After knocking Prince George, Portland, and Everett out, they're facing off against Moose Jaw in the WHL Championship. Should Vancouver win two more games, they win the championship--and move on to the Memorial Cup. And I don't have a single doubt that they could clinch it. Sure, it's now Moose Jaw's turn to have the home ice advantage, but being away didn't keep the Giants from kicking Everett's asses in games three and four of the last round. But Moose Jaw's a different team, so we're going to have to just wait and see. But if the first two games--not to mention the entire playoffs--are any indication, the seeing is going to be nothing but an exciting time.
Since then, the Canucks haven't really felt like my team. Sure, I'd catch their games on tv whenever I could and followed them closer when they'd make the playoffs, but with each passing year, we seemed to grow further and further apart. Maybe it was the new uniforms, maybe it was the move from the East Side to downtown, maybe it's the fact that I'm not a naive little kid anymore--I don't know. But the fact remains that watching them feels like seeing a once-favourite rock band, now aged and on the inevitable creative decline. You keep waiting for the hits, the moments that defined your childhood, but they just aren't there. I still watch whenever possible and root for them, but I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't somewhere else.
That somewhere else is in the lower reds on the west side of the Coliseum, where my dad's shared seats for the Giants are--and have been since the first season. Whenever possible, we're there in our seats, surrounded by families, seniors and film industry folk, all clutching our towels and cheering our boys on. And this season, there's been a lot to cheer about. After knocking Prince George, Portland, and Everett out, they're facing off against Moose Jaw in the WHL Championship. Should Vancouver win two more games, they win the championship--and move on to the Memorial Cup. And I don't have a single doubt that they could clinch it. Sure, it's now Moose Jaw's turn to have the home ice advantage, but being away didn't keep the Giants from kicking Everett's asses in games three and four of the last round. But Moose Jaw's a different team, so we're going to have to just wait and see. But if the first two games--not to mention the entire playoffs--are any indication, the seeing is going to be nothing but an exciting time.