Perfectly said and really captures how I feel as well. You're not too far ahead if me age wise, so this hits home.
Really love your point about having hope. It's a special thing - I've come to understand - that often teaches you things about yourself you otherwise wouldn't have known or experienced if you weren't Canucks fan ... namely how to maintain hope through difficult, seemingly impossible circumstances.
Also, how to handle disappointment - as your relationship with being disappointed changes - yet still be hopeful while appreciating the good things that do happen within bad seasons.
I remember watching the 82 finals at my grandmother's house, knowing the Canucks didn't have a chance whatsoever ... yet there was still something inside me that said ... "What if" and believed in the possibility of an impossible comeback despite the odds. Of course we got thumped by the Islanders - which taught me how sometimes you have to accept reality ... but as a fan, I never ever want to lose that "what if" hope.