Giving everything you’ve got, night in and night out can leave a mark. But the wounds known to sports fans don’t usually show on the outside.
Heartache (is it love? is it broken?), indigestion (try not to rage-eat), nostalgia (sigh, 1994), and hope, always hope this will be the year, THE year when the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»Canucks win their first Stanley Cup since joining the NHL in 1970.
In honour of the fans who feel the pain of early exits, first-round drop-outs, torn goaltender groins and Game 7 losses, the wore their feelings on their faces (and in the form of a Pavel Bure jersey, “No. 96,” a relic of some die-hard who stuck the wrong numbers on an off-the-rack child-size top). The bruises and cuts and smashed tooth in these photographs aren’t real, but the aches that inspired them are. Love hurts, it really does.
Is this the year? Probably not, so grab some complimentary newsprint from between your fingers and dry those eyes. But could this be the year? Absolutely. We have 82 games to find out. And another four rounds of playoff hockey after that. Will we see you in June, boys?
The Canucks celebrate 20 years at Rogers Arena (formerly GM Place) with a string of special events during the season. Here are a few highlights from the schedule:
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Saturday, Oct. 10
Calgary Flames
For opening night at home, the Canucks remember Oct. 9, 1995 by giving a select few fans their game-worn jerseys. It’s cool once it’s washed. In the annual “Jerseys Off Our Backs” fan-appreciation night, every spectator in the arena is eligible to meet the players on the ice after the game and receive a signed, game-worn jersey. (From an earlier game, just to be clear. It’s clean.)
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Monday, Nov. 2
Philadelphia Flyers
The Grizz is back in the house for this one, two decades after the basketball club played its first game in this arena Nov. 5, 1995. GM Place was all-too briefly the home of the NBA’s Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»Grizzlies, a team that was never able to break through or overcome the shame of questionable draft picks. But this city remembers. This city proudly dresses in retro teal.
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Thursday, Dec. 3
Dallas Stars
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»was infamously the home of two No. 1 goalies, both of them traded for arguably less than their worth. But now, we have Ryan Miller and the club recognizes its net-minders with a “Keepers of the Cage” night.
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Monday, Dec. 7
Buffalo Sabres
The West Coast Express chugs into town for what will be Todd Bertuzzi’s first appearance at Rogers Arena since he departed Vancouver. With Marcus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, the trio brought speed and excitement to a high-scoring line first assembled by coach Marc Crawford in 2002.
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Monday, Dec. 28
Los Angeles Kings
On “Forever a Canuck” night, the club honours the players who left too soon. Players such as Rick Rypien, the late forward whose suicide inspired Mindcheck.ca to address teen mental health. The night falls when Milan Lucic is in town, not yet a year after the death of his father. It will be a poignant night that reminds us we all have more important things in our lives than the score of one hockey game.Ěý
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Monday, Jan. 11
Florida Panthers
Roberto Luongo delivered one of the best performances of his career at Rogers Arena six years earlier as Canada’s goalie. The one-time Canucks No. 1 is in town when the club celebrates “The Olympic Journey,” the golden goal and Luongo standing on his head to bleed red.
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Tuesday, Jan. 26
Nashville Predators
For “Towel Power” prepare to do your best Roger Neilson impersonation.
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Thursday, Feb. 4
Columbus Blue Jackets
This hockey arena was the site of one of the most brutal — penalized and criminalized — hits in hockey history, but still the club will celebrate the heavies of its history. “They hit, they threw, they thrilled,” as the Canucks put it. It’s not an era or a style everyone celebrates.
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Saturday, Feb. 13
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Canucks unveil a darkened skate logo and black uniforms for “Retro Night,” taking fans back to 1995.Ěý
Sunday, Feb. 21
Colorado Avalanche
Trevor Linden is already in the building for “Alumni Night,” and the club will honour its past players, including the generosity, charity and spirit of ambassadors who applied their skills and heart away from the ice.
Tuesday, March 1
New York Islanders
The club revisits cult classics like Jeff “The Brabarian” Cowan and the undergarment that inspired the team to fundraise for breast cancer research.
Wednesday, March 16
Colorado Avalanche
This one’s for the crazies who hold our attention and caused Boston’s Brad Marchand the most agonizing time he’s ever spent in the penalty box. For “Fan-atics!” night, the Canucks celebrate green spandex — and you. (No mention of PITB on the schedule.)
Sunday, March 27
Chicago Blackhawks
Coming last on their schedule of marquee games, the Canucks celebrate one of the most impressive duos sport has ever known. On “Sedinery” night, recognize the journey, skill and community building of twins Henrik and Daniel.
