There are two things at work tonight. One, it’s the end of the hockey season. And there’s a part in all of us I’m sure that can’t move on to next season until there’s not hockey being played anywhere. It’s hard to totally focus on what the Hawks should and will do for next season while there’s still a season going on. We’re still missing out on something. We’re still not playing while someone else is. That ends sometime tonight. And we could all use getting a full summer break. You can’t do that until it’s officially only baseball season (god help us Cubs fans though).
Obviously, the more at-play issue is the anti-Canucks sentiment most of us are carrying to the hilt (I’m guessing there’s a few twisted souls out there who aren’t all Bruins-ho, but I really have no plane on which to communicate with you). While I haven’t been as stressed during these Finals as I was last year, it’s not totally distant either. I wonder if that makes any sense. I can’t stand this Canucks team, I’ve made no secret of that. I don’t know that I’ve hated an actual team (not including their fanbase, which also won’t get any affection from me) as much as this one. I don’t think I’ve ever been as turned off by a Detroit team. While Scum always had their components that made you sick, it’s always been hard to not marvel at some of their play. While I can’t stand his face, when he’s on-song there might not be a more enjoyable force on both ends of the ice than Pavel Datsyuk. You can throw Henrik Zetterberg in there too. Obviously, we’ve all been privileged to watch Nicklas Lidstrom at the height of his powers.
But there’s nothing like that with the Canucks. Their best players, the Sedins, have either been absent or falling to the ground quicker than a hooker in need of a bump. The guys scoring their big goals have been Alex Burrows and Max Lapierre, two of the biggest genital-rashes in the league. I would probably die of euphoria if the B’s get out to a big enough lead in the 3rd where they can just pound these two without fear of the consequences. They deserve it. The list could go on and on.
I’ve never made any secret of my love for Ryan Kesler. But his diving and yapping have gotten too much for me too (though I still maintain if he were a Hawks you’d see as many #17s in the UC crowd as you do 19s and 88s). I tried to half defend Roberto Luongo here and at Madhouse Enforcer, and then he went on to complain that Tim Thomas wasn’t complimenting him in the press enough as if he were some 17-year old girl who couldn’t get the Joy Division off of repeat on her Ipod.
So I will be fully behind the Black and Gold, with the added motivation that I still have some close friends in Boston to whom a Cup would mean more than any of the other championships that city has acquired recently. I want them to have what I had last year.
But if they get it? Sure, for the minutes after the final whistle, should the Canucks biff this, I’ll be pretty damn happy. But I bet it’s fleeting. I bet when shorty hands The Chalice to Zdeno Chara, any joy will be outweighed by jealousy and disappointment that the Hawks couldn’t make more of a fist of it, along with anticipation of returning next year.
Whether it is or isn’t, I want to find out. Let’s. Go. Bru. Ins.
(Pumping my fist like Rene, and like him I’m going to do it twice)