Growing Up as a Canucks Fan
Growing up in Vancouver I have spent my whole life as a Canucks fan. My parents have always been avid fans and I remember as a child watching every single Canucks game. There is nothing quite as exciting as watching the Canucks fight for the Stanley Cup in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the excitement always seems to turn into disappointment seeing as team has yet to win a Stanley cup even though we have come close on two separate occasions. I remember the years of the West Coast Express which consisted of line made up of the captain Markus Naslund, the power forward Todd Bertuzzi and the center Brendan Morrison. In my opinion, these were the most exciting years for Vancouver Canucks fans as there was no team in the league that could stop this powerful line from scoring. As a child I would go to Vancouver Canucks games with my family and sit in the nose-bleed section squinting my eyes in hopes of catching a of glimpse of the West Coast Express. Eventually, Markus Naslund retired and Todd Bertuzzi along with Brendan Morrison were traded away to other teams. When this happened the Canucks were going through a rebuilding period and the franchise was turned around. Fortunately, the departure of these three players only paved the way for resurgence of Daniel and Henrik Sedin who turned out to be my favourite all time Canucks as well as some of the top players in the NHL .
The Sedins
I have an insurmountable amount of respect for Daniel and Henrik Sedin. I think they are the most exciting players in the NHL to watch and will without a doubt be named to the Hockey Hall of Fame when they retire. I do not think they are given the respect that they deserve throughout the NHL because they often regarded as the Sedin Sisters when they are not playing up to their high standards. In 2011 they were almost able to lead the team to a Stanley Cup and just fell short. I think they are always very respectful when they deal with the media and always carry themselves with dignity. In 2010 the twins donated 1.5 million dollars to BC Childrens Hospital which is without a doubt a testament to their characters.
The Vancouver Riot
In 2011 I was watching game seven in a restaurant in downtown Vancouver when the riot occurred. Witnessing my city break out in havoc was one of the most heart trenching experiences I have ever had to endure. I could not believe that the city I loved and grown up in was going up in flames. The next day I went downtown with a few of my friends to assist in the clean-up process. To my surprise at noon when I arrived everything appeared to be clean and back to normal. While the media portrayed the actions of a few rioting citizens as representative of the entire city, this one negative blemish must not overshadow its past, present, and future accomplishments.