Vancan Outta The Blue

This isn’t about me but let the record show this is my first hockey-related post in quite some time.

I could spit out a few numbered tweets but this feels like the right time to put electronical pen to paper and share my thoughts on the blog I once tried so hard to keep up.

So how about those Canuckleheads eh?!

I’m going to address two things here.

Numero uno:

The ‘sisters’ act is old.

(Warning: long sentence) It’s a promise of mine to you that anyone who is intelligent when it comes to hockey hears you refer to Daniel and Henrik Sedin as sisters, they are hearing someone who is not only unintelligent about hockey, but someone who is so insecure in their own life, they must refer to two world-class hockey players as such.

I think even the people who refer to the twins as sisters know that women can be great at the sport in 2016. Obviously the intended connotation is that the twins play like little whiny, wussy flopping, diving, baby girls. Of course that’s too assume that all little girls are just that (which they’re not, but I digress).

Let’s be blunt here: if you call the Sedin twins sisters with any intended meaning, you sound like a complete tool. Lest we forget Henrik once played 679 straight regular season games. Lest we forget Hank playing like a beast when his bro went down for 19 games with a broken foot in 2009.

How about just last week when Daniel had his face smashed by vulcanized rubber, losing three or four chiclets in the process, only to come back to the game and score a goal, which by the way he now has 346 of in his career? That’s not a total one achieves by laying down and playing like a big wuss his entire career.

The use of the word sister in this context, as I’m sure we all know, is sexist. It does imply that women can’t play hockey or that women can’t play hockey tough, both of which are certifiably wrong, trust me. So the next time you call the Sedin twins sisters, know that it seems as if you have never watched them play in your entire life and that you really don’t know jack about hockey or how they play the game (along the boards/dirty areas their entire careers).

Between the end of the 3rd period and start of Overtime between the Canucks and Panthers Monday night, a Florida player (allegedly) said something to or about the twins. Daniel said after the game it was one guy and he knows who he is. Any Canucks fan should know who it was too and even Botchford provides some pretty undeniable GIF proof.

Let me just finish this topic off by saying that if *cough* Shawn Thornton *cough* really did make a ‘sisters’ remark, then Daniel Sedin, the ‘low-life’ that he is had pretty much free rein after he scored that GWG in OT. I would be disappointed actually if Daniel (or Henrik) didn’t skate by the bench and say something like, “How do ya like me now biznitches,” or, “How’s that for a sister biznitches?”

And two:

I’m ashamed to say that up to this point in the season, I have been a card-carrying member of #TankNation. Yup, I’ve hashtagged it on Twitter and grown accustomed to the likelihood this season will end poorly once again, very quickly. It started off pretty decent but the tailspin began after the two week mark and with Auston Matthews perched at the top of the draft rankings, it should make any crappy team’s fans salivate.

I’m tired of mediocrity as a Canucks fan and as a hardcore lifer, I’m allowed to feel that way. I know I’m not the only one. We all want ownership to give the management team the go-ahead to do whatever it takes and Linden/Benning probably have that freedom, but at times this season and in the past, it’s been a lot of talk and no walk.

By mediocrity, I don’t just mean always being the bridesmaid three times and never the bride, I also mean having bad seasons, but ones just not crappy enough to get one of those top notch NHL-ready players at the draft. This of course doesn’t count 1999, but even then, the twins went back to Sweden for a season. It also doesn’t count 1988 of course.

If we are going to miss the playoffs, we might as well really miss them and get something impactful for the rest of the re-build (or re-tooling on the fly).

HOWEVER, after last night’s streak-halting victory over the Seattle/Quebec/Las Vegas/Portland/Milwaukee/Hamilton Panthers who I’m sure had plenty of people watching their webcast, there may just be hope for this Canucks team yet. They’ve got a long way to go still to prove they can hang with the Kings of the world, or of the Pacific, but there is hope.

Mark my words, if the Canucks make a run past the second round of the playoffs, Monday’s win will have been the turning point. I say past the second round because in this division, if L.A. remains the sole really good team, the Canucks could make it in as a mediocre team but still get a mediocre first-round opponent.

So in the words of Aragorn, “there is always hope.” #TankNation is still alive and well to be sure, and there still needs to be convincing done on my part, but better days may lie ahead with guys like Horvat, Virtanen, McCann, Etem, Sutter, Markstrom, and yes, the Sedins, all contributing at once.

Monday was a bonding experience for this team, this group of men, of Misters, have no doubt.

Start praying to the hockey gods Canucks fans they’ll use that experience wisely going forward.

ADDENDUM: To all the Canucks fans on Twitter last night going apes*** over Potvin’s commentary and idiotic Panthers fans, shame on you. The vitriol I observed was appalling and it’s no wonder Canucks nation seemingly has an average of IQ of about 44. There’s this thing called retaliation and it can be acted out in the form of words as much as it can in the actions of a hockey game. Next time we win, and somebody cuts our players down, don’t stoop even lower than that.

You know who you are.