Terri Theodore of the Canadian Press has a hockey story you don’t come across every day.
Vinnie Danes came to the west coast seven years ago, after losing his wife and unborn baby in a car accident. He’s been living among the army of homeless in Vancouver since then, and is currently ‘hosting’ hockey nights for his friends on the street.
But when the Stanley Cup playoffs are on, Vinnie Danes is just like most Canadians who want to kick back and watch the game.
Not far from the pricey rink-side seats in Rogers Arena and the booming outdoor sites where jersey-clad masses cheer the Vancouver Canucks, Danes has set up his own viewing area where he and his friends can watch the game.
Tucked inside a back alley carport, Danes’ tiny TV sits atop of an industrial garbage bin surrounded by half a dozen chairs rescued from the garbage dump.
The picture is grainy, despite a 15-metre antenna that snakes around two old shopping carts filled with bottles and reaches up to the roof.
But the sound is good and the back alley seems no different than many homes when the hockey game is on: men yelling at the TV, criticizing the players or the referees and cracking open a beer.
After some thought about how Roberto Luongo is likely to be handling the pressures of game 7, given the highs and lows he’s gone through in this series, my final estimation is that he’s probably not even thinking about the past games of this Stanley Cup Final series anymore. (Or I should say, if it was me, I wouldn’t be thinking about them anymore.)
Because for Luongo, this is much like a 2010 redux for the Gold Medal, one game takes all. And given how that turned out for him, on his own home ice no less, it’s probably a pretty inspiring way to approach game 7.
Furthermore, judging by his record on home ice during these 2011 Playoffs, home is a great place to be. Let’s consider the numbers:
—In 13 home games, Luongo has allowed 23 goals. That’s 1.77 goals per game.
—Luongo has had all 4 shutouts on home ice, including two against Boston
—Luongo has recorded a .978 SV% against the Bruins on home ice.
I’m afraid I’m sticking with my original series prediction of 7 games, with the Canucks coming out on top in the end. This is a home-ice-advantage series if every there was one, and while I feel optimistic about the end result, tonight is going to be a tough one to pull out. Of course, maybe the lessons learned against Chicago, Nashville and San Jose will pay off and the Canucks will find that extra gear that allows them to put an end to this series tonight. That would certainly be nice, because a game 7 in this series will probably come down to a single ridiculous bounce…
Which would make for one seriously scary hockey game to watch. :)
P.S. The sports producer at Boston.com hung out in Vancouver after game 5, talking to Vancouverites to find out what they know about Boston, as well as to explain the Canadian obsession with hockey. Here’s the video of his encounters below.
Friday’s Game 5 delivered a new ratings record for CBC’S Hockey Night in Canada, with an average audience of 6.1 million Canadians tuning in. That’s the most-watched NHL broadcast in CBC history* – edging out the 5.6 million that watched earlier in this same series.
The game, which saw Vancouver defeat Boston 1-0 to take a 3-2 series lead, reached a total of just over 14 million different Canadians, and peaked at 10:53 pm ET when 8.9 million viewers tuned in to see the dramatic ending.
(Source: BBM Canada, Total Canada, Preliminary Overnights, Ind.2+, 2011)
* Based on metered television audience data only
I’ve put together a video montage of the experience, documenting my observations from the time I left Vancouver Island (where I live), till I returned. A bit long for the casual visitor to this page, but I imagine a few Canucks fans will find it enjoyable. Nothing too special here, just some photos in and around Rogers Arena on Friday, some game atmosphere, some post-game madness, and then seeing the Canucks off at the airport the next morning.
I owe many thanks to the NHL, to the Vancouver Canucks, to CBC Vancouver and CBC Victoria (for two of the most unusual interview situations of my life), and to Paul Kukla. It was a fantastic time.
Video added 10:52am PT— not all of it is the same material as the transcript below.
Q. What did you like about your alignment or defensive performance in Game 5 that kept the Bruins from being able to get the pucks through, which seems to be the key to their forecheck, getting it to good places? You guys seemed to prevent that pretty well in Game 5?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I think we kept the puck out of neutral zone and took away some of their forecheck. Obviously they’re such a skilled team they can throw different things at you, and we’re going to have to be ready tonight.
Sigh. Not a cheerful thought to open this fine Friday, but what the heck. Dropping to underdog status is pretty much my default comfort zone when it comes to the Canucks, so I can take the hit. Besides, Stan Fischler is a bit of a legend—and a pretty nice man by all accounts—and I know he deserves my respect (even when he’s wrong).
So, rather than go postal on the poor guy, I asked myself: WWTLD?*
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, attending Game 4 of the SCF in Boston with his daughter.
Wondering: Are the dudes in Canucks jerseys in front part of his security team? I may not be Harper’s biggest fan, but that seems worrisome!
Below is the interview Harper gave to CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos earlier this week. Good stuff. And fun fact: he doesn’t PVR his hockey… he books the nation’s business around the NHL’s schedule, when necessary.
The Canucks have looked tired, weak, confused and disoriented these last two games. If the Canucks were a dog we’d probably talk to a vet about euthanasia. However, I do think the team will regain their vigor back home, barring some injuries we don’t know about, anyway. (Seriously, Ryan Kesler, where’d you go???)
Couple reasons I’m not freaking out. First, I did write before this series started that I expected a couple blowout scoring games, so I guess I can’t complain when it happens. (Of course, I wish at least one them was where we came out on top, but what can you do?). Second, I’d figured on a 7 game series. Being tied 2-2 pretty much tracks.
Of course, playing like ass for these last two games didn’t really fit into my agenda, but them’s the breaks. The series against Chicago sort of conditioned me to grin and bear the pain… good things happen to those who don’t have a heart attack before the final whistle.
All I know is: thank God for that President’s Trophy and the game 7 home ice that comes with it.
Nothing much to say that hasn’t been already been said. Except: the Canucks had their a$$es handed to them in game 3, so it’d be nice if they got them back tonight. Meanwhile, comments, criticisms, rants are welcome. (As long as people try not to be jerks about it?!)
When journalists like Barry Rozner make statements like the one above, it seems a bit harsh, but it doesn’t really matter, either. It’s his opinion, just like it’s the opinion of plenty of other anti-Vancouver fans. A hockey opinion—even if it’s a generalization that I personally think is ridiculous given the storied history of the Cup and the many tales of infamy that are associated with winning it—is the right of any hockey editorialist or fan. He or she can skewer whatever fantasy scenario they want. Selective perspective in sports writing—whether it be mine or yours—is hardly a new thing.
But what I do find horribly disheartening is the trashing and viciousness of so many hockey fans towards each other in recent weeks.
Q. Some of the players talked about how bad the ice was this morning. Do you expect it to be a factor?
COACH VIGNEAULT: The ice is the same for both teams. Throughout the season, teams play sometimes on real good ice and sometimes on ice that is not as good.
So I think it will get better, though, as the day goes on here.
Q. The league said they were going to address all of the extracurricular between-whistle stuff with the teams. Did you address it with your players or feel the need to?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, all year long we’ve played whistle to whistle. That hasn’t changed in this series. All the referees have to do is call the ones who initiate the scrums. That’s going to stop right there.
HENRIK SEDIN: He passes the puck, Rome steps up. It’s not like it’s a blindside. I think the guy didn’t even know that he was there. I thought it was a good hit.
Like I said, we have to move on. This is the finals. We got no time.
Q. Is this a rallying cry for you guys?
HENRIK SEDIN: No, I don’t think we need that. Like I said, we got to support Aaron. He’s been a big part of this team, a great player for us. It’s tough to see what he’s going through right now.
At the same time you don’t want to see a guy like Horton out like he is. That’s not fun to see. I’m hoping he’s going to be fine.
Q. Some of your players last night after the hit on Nathan Horton questioned it. They thought it might be a questionable hit. Some of those same players today are saying they think the hit is fine. Why the change of tune? Do they believe it’s a clean hit or are they supporting a teammate?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I can’t answer for them. I don’t know who told you that.
I do know at the end of the day, we hope that the young man regains his health. That’s the utmost importance.
I do think at the end of the day also it was a north/south play, Chara to Horton, he made a pass to Lucic. He was looking at his pass. Aaron was a tad late.
Aaron isn’t a dirty player, never has been, never will be. It was a hit that unfortunately turned bad.
Q. Are you saying you’re surprised by the length of the suspension then?
Earlier today, Aaron Rome was suspended for 4 games by the NHL, for his hit on Nathan Horton. Rome has released this personal statement:
I want to express my concern for Nathan’s well being and wish him a quick and full recovery. I try to play this game honestly and with integrity. As someone who has experienced this type of injury I am well aware of its serious nature and have no desire for another player to experience it. I will not take away my teammates’ focus on the task at hand and intend to speak at an appropriate time in future.
Last night was a bad night. Here’s a couple ways for Canucks fans to feel better:
• Wholesale Furniture Brokers is giving away a $500 gift certificate you can use on anything in their online stores, including Vancouver Canucks merchandise. All you have to do is “Like” their Facebook.com page and post on their wall how many games you think it will take and what the final score will be “when” the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup. A winner will be picked if the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Deadline June 8th. More instructions here.
• And then there’s also my own far-less-profitable (but still a cool prize!) contest for a Reebok 2011 Canucks Conference Champs t-shirt. To enter, just leave a comment here. Deadline is also June 8th, 5pm PT.
Q&A with coach Alain Vigneault. Video, then transcript below.
Q. Given what was at stake today, the opportunity to go up 3-0 in the Stanley Cup, were you surprised at the way your team played tonight?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, I really liked our first period. Obviously we had to kill off a five-minute penalty. We did a pretty good job. We had a couple of great scoring chances that, you know, I thought their goaltender made some real good saves on.
Then the game, you know, shifted in the second. On the first play or the first period we were in the draw, Alex breaks a stick, the puck seems to have eyes and finds the back of the net. Then we lost a little bit of momentum. Then on their power-play, we put the puck in our own net. Then they scored on our power-play.
Geezus, that wasn’t so much a ‘loss’ as it was an execution.
Anyway, most important thing: I hope there’s good news about Nathan Horton later. That was terrible to see, and I think we can reasonably expect not to see Aaron Rome back in this series, as I’m sure the NHL will inform us all on Tuesday. (Note: NHL hearing with Rome is at 11am.)
As for the rest of that game… I’m going to have to resort to that old standby “Not tonight dear, I have a headache.” But I’ll try and post some video for you to watch soon (*Also a phrase I’ve used before. Weird).
God, what an atrocious game—it was like a game 4 Canucks - Blackhawks redux. And that wasn’t much fun the first time, either.
