Is it a coincidence that Canadian Thanksgiving occurs at about the same time of the year as the start of the NHL season?
I think not.
Canadians have lots of reasons to be thankful, and it goes beyond family, friends, democracy, a great turkey supper and Grandma’s special homemade buns that nobody can replicate.
We should also be thankful the NHL is back.
For the next six months (eight months including playoffs), there will be something worth watching on television on Saturday nights.
Let’s be thankful for the hope and the excitement of the upcoming season. After all, on that first day of the season, everybody was undefeated. Everybody had a reason for hope.
Unless you’re a Vancouver Canucks fan.
Like me.
Time was, I would insert “Toronto Maple Leafs fan” in the line above for not having hope. The Leafs were the laughing stock of the league. From 2006 to 2016, they made the playoffs once, in a lockout-shortened season. Most years, they weren’t even close to the postseason.
But Leaf fans actually have reason for hope this year, thanks to the impressive collection of talented young players on their roster. There might be a correction this year that would see them drop in the standings and miss the playoffs, but they haven’t had this much good, young talent in my lifetime.
In fact, fans of all the Canadian teams have reason for hope this year. Except for Canuck fans.
Don’t be surprised if there are six Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. The Canucks would be the exception.
Would it be wrong for me to purchase an Edmonton Oilers jersey?
I’m pleased the Canucks just acquired southeast Saskatchewan product Derrick Pouliot, but he’s not going to single-handedly change the Canucks fortunes.
It’s not easy being a Canucks fan. We like to make fun of the Leafs and their 50-year Stanley Cup drought. Our drought is at 47 years. We’ve made it to the Stanley Cup final three times, and lost all three appearances.
In the first 20 years of the franchise’s history, the Canucks had more jersey changes (four) than seasons with a winning record (two). They won three playoff series in those 20 years; all three came in 1982, when the Canucks went to the Stanley Cup final. (Incredibly enough, the Canucks had a losing record in the regular season that year).
And they set a North America pro sports record for consecutive losing seasons (15). That record has since been broken by the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.
Life as a Canucks fan has been better since those dark first 20 seasons. They twice had the best record in the regular season. There were two close calls in the Stanley Cup final. There were division titles, exciting series wins and individual awards.
But the last two seasons have felt like a bad rerun of the worst years of the 1980s. The Canucks had the third-worst record two years ago, and the second-worst record last season.
They were actually vying for a playoff spot at the all-star break last year, but then injuries and reality set in, and they won a hearty seven games after Feb. 1.
To make matters worse, just one of those wins was on home ice. It’s one thing when you’re struggling to win, but when you’re consistently delivering a terrible product in front of your fans, who are paying good money to watch you play, then the terrible record will be even more glaring.
This year isn’t going to be much better. If the Canucks stay relatively healthy, then they should stay out of the league’s basement, and they should finish 10th or 11th in the 15-team Western Conference.
But a playoff spot? Highly unlikely, unless the Sedin twins find some magic in what will likely be their final season in the league.
And while the Canucks have some nice young players, they don’t have the young stars of Edmonton, Toronto or Winnipeg.
Still, the NHL is back and I’m excited for that.
But if you see me at an event on a night in which the Canucks are playing, and you hear me cuss after checking my phone, please forgive me. After all, I’m a Canucks fan.
