First there’s the Pittsburgh Penguins (or the Stanley Cup Losers, as the world likes to call them), then the Red Wings on Monday and finally, two matchups with the Calgary Flames later in the week. So, except for the Penguins (which are special to play for plenty of other reasons) every game on the horizon is filled with the emotion of familiar contempt.

And let’s face it: emotional hockey is fun.

The last two wins in Vancouver’s pocket featured two enjoyable conquests: taking down the New York Rangers and then the Minnesota Wild. But of course, that’s not fun for everyone involved.

For this NYR fan (Twitter ID Jack Drew) it was an evening of bitter disappointment. First he started with the random, can’t-really-express-it-properly hatred…

But then he managed to focus his bitterness impressively with this update…

God, I love it when it’s not me having the meltdown. :)

And yet here I am, nearly 11 in the damn morning with my favorite team about to play the Stanley Cup Losers, and I’m afraid. Afraid that next it’s going to be ME going apoplectic in a few hours.

The NYR fan and I have something in common: when it comes to certain opponents, sometimes a game is more than a game. And starting with today’s Canucks-Penguins matchup, this week’s games are going to be full of that kind of emotion.

But I’m also looking forward to some great hockey… no matter how many antacids it requires. :)

Update 12:20 pm PT:

Roberto Luongo injury updates here.

Forget the antacids—we’re moving on to tequila.