That Hockey Illness

Contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I just have not had much inspiration to sit down an pound out a blog entry for some time. I guess the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs have really had my attention over the past week or so. And why shouldn't it, last year Vancouver didn't make it to the post season.

Being a hockey fan, especially in this city I am told, is a particularly frustrating past time. The team's recent history has lead to disappointment after disappointment. The franchise has made it to the Stanley Cup finals twice in their history. Losing both times, yet those playoff runs are the stuff of legend around these parts.

My assignments over the past week and a half have involved hockey in some way shape or form. A guy who paints vintage goalie masks and has a life sized replica of the Stanley cup, Toddlers who can recite every Canuck player and their numbers, the business angle, the ultimate fan angle and of course I have been either a live truck op or camera at every home playoff game since the beginning. The only problem with that is I don't get home until the third period. Whats a hockey guy going to do????

I had not lived here during the most celebrated run to the final during the spring of 1994. When I arrived in Vancouver in '97, I of course was excited at the fact that I was living in an NHL town. Going to the occasional game would be great, let alone getting to a post season game or even better , that holy grail of hockey tickets, a Stanley Cup Final Game.

Well were not there yet of course, but we made it past the first round, beating the Dallas Stars in Game 7 to advance.

Now playoff fever has hit this city hard. Cars are sporting window flags of the team. Sports talk shows are talking hockey all day everyday. Even News Talk radio is talking about the playoff illness that has gripped the area.
Daily we are doing stories and items as it relates to the Plague. Restaurants, bars how's game night business. The police, law and order and the drunkin' hockey fan. Streeters asking everyday Joe how he or she thinks the team is playing.
We have even caught the fever out here at the hangar. Yes even Chopper 9 has it's own version of its window flag. The tail camera shot sports a "Go Canucks Go" and a number of smaller team logos to represent each win in the playoffs. At the time of this writing there were 4.

Chopper 9's version of the "window flag"

Yes it's the best time of the season at least for this hockey fan. Here hoping we can put 12 more of those stickers on the machine and we can shoot the Stanley Cup parade on Robson street this year.
World Wide Murman's friend "Rad" in North Carolina was lucky enough to have experience a victory last season with the Hurricanes.

Well we are on to round two, the Ducks. God I love Duck hunting. Here's hoping the Canucks shoot them down and move on to round 3.

Lets play Hockey!!!!!!