It's a grueling journey reaching the Stanley Cup final.
But we did it, beard, Canucks and all.
In a previous column, I mentioned my dream of being in Vancouver as the Canucks competed for the Stanley Cup.
Well, with the intensity in the city climbing by the second, and games five, six and a possible seven required after the home team took games one through four, my dream was upgraded from coach to first class.
I made it to the lower mainland and the scene on the streets was reminiscent of the 2010 Olympics – an enviable atmosphere for any city. But the street party wasn't enough, I had to be in the arena for game five.
Days were spent trolling the Internet for tickets, hours spent haggling with hood rats, hustlers and scalpers alike. Then, just minutes before game five, when it seemed like all hope was lost, there it was – one single upper level ticket being sold for a still unreasonable, yet affordable cost.
The ticket sat clutched between the claws of a young re-seller, only this time he donned a Canucks jersey and a smile, rather than the scowl, sunglasses and leather jacket ensemble of the typical scalper. The friendly exchange of cash for an over-priced but once-in-a-lifetime ticket was made.
I was hesitant to show my excitement until the usher's ticket scanner lit up green and I was officially in the building. But when it did, my dream had come true and I was overcome with excitement.
Game five had it all and was certainly best served in the Canucks confines amongst 18,000 raucous fans.
Energy must have been leaking out the exits as chants and cheering were non-stop and play on the ice was intense.
The building shook when Canucks hero Max Lapierre scored the game winner in the third period.
Topping it off, fans fell into a prolonged “Louuuu” as Roberto Luongo was named first star for his shutout performance.
Live Stanley Cup final hockey is an unbeatable experience.
Chants of “Go Canucks go” could be heard all through the night. The oddly satisfying, celebratory honks from cars and boats throughout the streets and waterways kept the celebration going.
It was everything a dreamer could hope for.
Unless of course the Canucks go on to win the Cup.
But we'll cross that fantasy bridge when we get there.
Visit the Nouvelle's website in the coming weeks for footage from my Stanley Cup final experience.
