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German_Canucks_Supporter

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  1. German_Canucks_Supporter
    Yeah, it's kind of hard to sit in Germany while Vancouver is going nuts in a positive way, but I cannot change that (even if somebody gave me two thousand Dollars, I wouldn't have the time to come over now, so thank you ). Still, I am anticipating tonight's game one versus the Bruins with joy and also a little bit of "angst". Let's make no mistake about it: If all goes well, we should beat them in less than seven games, but you never know...

    I kind of compare our current situation with the one that I was in during the spring of 2007. My hockey team in Germany, the Nuremberg Ice Tigers made it into the finals, while my soccer team, Nuremberg FC made it into the German Cup Final. The suspense in the city could be grasped and everybody was in that same mood you guys are in: "Will we finally overcome the odds?" Both teams have had their problems My soccer team is the German edition of the Maple Leafs (no title since 1968 in their case), while my hockey team is the German edition of the Vancouver Canucks (no title ever, but some great teams that should have won). In the end, the soccer team took the cup home, while the hockey team lost 0-3 in the finals... It was the only title I have ever witnessed in my life as a sports fan, and now I am ready for number two!

    Let's write history, my dear Canucks! The time has come to finally become a great franchise! The time has come to make the Canucks an esteemed franchise with no longer only tragic, but also joyful great moments. We could talk head to head with Red Wings or Habs fans, we could rise above all franchises that have never actually won anything. The great city of Vancouver deserves this, and also all of its fans.

    GO CANUCKS GO!
  2. German_Canucks_Supporter
    As the second round turned out to be a rather unentertaining affair with mostly hard, but not too exciting hockey (which I still appreciate), I decided to cancel a further discussion of the six games against the brave Nashville Predators and wrap it up by naming the main reason why we are still in the quest for the Cup: RYAN KESLER!

    Now, with that being said, I give you an insight at what it's like to watch the NHL from a timezone that is 6-9 hours ahead of America.

    Here are my DOs and DON'Ts:

    DON'T:

    - complain about a loss of sleep after game six in the first round. There are up to 22 more games to come. You knew you would need a lot of self-sacrifice to make it through the whole playoffs

    - even bother to watch all games of your favorite team if you don't believe it yourself that your guys could possibly win the Cup. If you have doubts, be content with watching elimination games (with your team being the eliminator). This has nothing to do with bandwagoning. I know that neighbors won't like it, when you complain too loud about a loss in the second round against Chicago at 5.30 am!

    - expect to get any sympathy from your friends & family for what you do every night. Chances are that being an NHL fan in Europe is a lonely business with rare opportunities to share your opinions on the game. That's why we really appreciate canucks.com! Those few people who care about the NHL are not likely to be met after April, because the European hockey season has already finished by then. Frustratingly, it's easier to talk about meaningless regular season games somewhere before Christmas at your local hockey arena than about the most exciting games of the year.

    - expect to win the series in less than six games. I made the mistake twice and was hoping for some consecutive days with regular sleeping times and got mad at my own team, because they screwed it up.

    - think you can fall asleep immediately after a nerve-wrecking double overtime game, no matter if you win or lose! Chances are that you are so full of adrenaline that it might take an hour to calm down. Please consider that in your sleep calculations.

    - even dare to hope that someone recognizes what kind of shirt you are wearing on the day after a great win. An angry orca breaking through the letter "C" is not associated with hockey in these parts.

    DO:

    - be angry when your Pay-TV-provider who has the broadcasting rights for the NHL cannot come up with an announcer who is able to correctly pronounce the team names "Canucks", "Predators" and "Bruins". You have paid a lot of money to watch people who should be experts in sports, and now you end up banging your head on the table when you hear that Ehrhoff has scored for the ['keinags] against the [prid'eitors].

    - consider moving to Vancouver when the ESPN America HD broadcast freezes yet again and you end up looking at all of these playoff losers like Toews, Kane, Ovechkin, Lundqvist, etc., whose station IDs you have seen like 5,000 times already through the regular season.

    - ask yourself why they don't show the original commercials in the first place.

    - then realize that TSN has blocked all of its content, except of the game itself from European viewership all season long on the ESPN online subscription. After that, you will be quite happy to be able to watch Coach's Corner.

    That's it. I hope we can all enjoy round 3. There are only 8 wins left, so keep on pushing and

    GO CANUCKS Go!
  3. German_Canucks_Supporter
    Here's my review on that great series that had me glued in front of my TV-set for over two weeks.

    1. On the ice


    We saw 7 games with very distinctive outcomes and styles of play. Game one was all about determination: The Hawks were still shocked that they actually made the playoffs after their loss in the final game of the regular season. The Canucks used their drive from a very successful regular season and managed a deserved win with a great Luongo, silent twins and secondary scoring by Higgins and Hansen early on. The only thing I did not like about game one was our failure to secure the game more early by shooting a third goal and releasing the pressure a little bit.

    Game two was somehow similar to game one, but the Hawks seemed to bounce back from their apparent paralysis and showed more determination. Luongo was for the first time confronted with screens and traffic in front of the crease. Hansen got the early goal in the first and Daniel added the second goal at a crucial point: 30 seconds into the 2nd period. It seemed to go south for Chicago quickly, but it didn't. A nobody named Ben Smith destroyed Luongo's shutout streak and brought life back to Chicago who wanted to win really bad from that time on. Edler gave Chicago a Chelsea Dagger to the heart with his hammer only 14 seconds before the final intermission. In the third period, the Canucks were shaky for the first time. Luongo lost his calmness a little, and, consequently, had to surrender to Hawks goals twice in that period. At least Daniel scored once more, so that Vancouver nursed a one-goal-lead late in the game. They managed to keep away Chicago from the net as often as possible and brought game two home.

    Game three was one of three games in that series I will never forget. Chicago gained some inspiration by a loud hometown crowd and desperately wanted to bounce back. The great defender and my fellow German Christian Ehrhoff scored in the very first seconds of our first powerplay in the second period and equalized the Chicago lead from the first period. Chicago got some questionable powerplays (4 in the first period, none for Vancouver), but scored only once (no goal for them on a very long 5 on 3). After Ehrhoff's goal it was Daniel who gave Vancouver the lead. We seemed in command from that point on, but Raffi Torres finished a devastating hit on Seabrook, reviving the Chicago crowd and resulting in a powerplay goal by the Hawks. But Vancouver didn't want any doubts about who was going to win in that night: In the third period, Samuelsson's first playoff goal that season gave us a 3-2 lead we kept until the final horn. The series seemed to be decided.

    Game four was on equal terms until the second period, when a 1-1 suddenly turned into a 5-1 lead for Chicago. We had nobody but ourselves to blame. The final outcome of 7-2 did not really matter anymore. The series was now a 3-1, but no real danger for us, eh?

    Game five was the only time I was really mad at our team: A gutless performance without heart and determination, no respect for Chicago's strengths whatsoever. No need to analyze that one. It was bad hockey and Chicago played its best hockey. The fear was back: Could we beat that time for once and for all?

    Game six was a blockbuster of the highest standards and one of the three great games in that series. It was a hard-fought back-and-forth with great goals, great checks and Vancouver back on the track of serious post-season hockey. The 2-1 lead with goals from Daniel Sedin and Burrows after the first period made us look really good, but Chicago equalized it to 2-2 in the second period. Some very questionable calls against us made things even worse. Bieksa's early goal in the third period did not pay off after a converted penalty shot for Frolik. We even lost our goaltender Cory Schneider who was great for most of the game, well, except of his performance behind the net, which was one reason for one of the Hawks' goals (the hit against the Canucks' defender did not get called, but that could not surprise me anymore). So, Luongo came into the game and did not have to do a lot. The overtime was all Vancouver: Shot over shot was fired on Crawford's net, but the young goalie showed a great performance and bailed the Hawks out again and again. Luongo was the goalie who got beat on a funny goal after 15 minutes in overtime. A nerve-wrecking game came to an undeserved end, the series was tied again. The doubts got stronger.

    What we saw today in Game seven was nothing short of an all-time-classic. The Canucks were determined to not let it slip again and made an early statement with a goal by Burrows. Vancouver checked the hell out of the Hawks who seemed tired sometimes, but could count on their great goalie and refused to ever give up. Vancouver was so close to a second goals for so many times, it made me despair a little bit. But they sticked to their game and were rewarded with a penalty shot for Burrows early in the third period. Unfortunately, Crawford was unbeatable on that one. I nearly collapsed when Henrik decided to pass, instead of shooting on a great opportunity half way through the third. But with three minutes remaining, a gift from heaven was awarded to us: Powerplay! The Canucks decided to not go for it and let the time run on. And suddenly, Luongo had to look behind him: A shorthander for Chicago with little more than a minute left to play... We seemed doomed, even more so, when Burrows was penalized in OT. But it was that one Burrows who got the series winning goal on a great individual play after 5 minutes in OT.

    2. The media


    I watch the games via ESPN America. I have no influence on whether the CBC or Versus get streamed over to Europe, and chances are 50/50 to get the CBC stream. While I still think that Jim Hughson is the best play-by-play commentator in the game, I have to say that I can somehow understand the CBC-bashing which is going on on canucks.com. Ron MacLean demanded a suspension for Torres during a lengthy segment in an intermission report, Craig Simpson does not seem to like the Canucks and mostly demands calls against us, instead of the other team. Yet, there is no better way to learn about the line juggling and tactical finesses of the coaches than watching the game on CBC. Versus failed in that category.

    Versus has improved a lot, I have to say. Their play-by-play is decent, their scoreboard on top of the screen is way better than CBC's (which didn't even show a proper penalty clock in game 3) and their intermission panel does not seem to be too American-biased. What I missed were these great opening videos CBC has for every game. The HD-quality is basically the same. But I have to say that ESPN has issues with the transmission over the Atlantic sometimes, which may result in a worse-than-HD quality.

    3. The fans


    The support for the Canucks is huge! The city loves its team, and the passion for hockey is omni-present. Yet, the arena was too quiet in games 1 and 2. Too many black suits with blackberrys, too many passionate fans who don't have enough money to purchase playoff-tickets. It was different in game 7: The arena was loud from start to finish. This is the performance our team needs. You can do it, Vancouver!

    4. The referees


    Nothing bad to say about the first two games: A lot of 5 on 5 with occasional powerplays when they were obvious.
    In game 3 and 4, the officiating was brutal. Very few calls in our favor, a lot of them against us. Game 5 was decided too early to tell, while game 6 seemed biased against us again. Today, everything looked okay. The penalty against Burrows in OT was the only debatable call, considering the situation.


    5. The opponent


    Chicago may have sneaked into this year's playoffs, but they are still the Champions, and now we know why. I have high respect for their performance.
    The fans are a different story: "You only sing when you're winning" is their motto, and the Mad House was just not as mad as we thought. What really got my attention was this anthem-singer: He did a very poor job, and only the fans' enthusiastic chanting could save the moment. "Chelsea Dagger" has also lost its terror on us. I did not care too much about it that year.

    6. Nashville?


    To be honest, I don't know much about them. It's one of those teams you seem to forget they even exist. Then you read through their roster and realize: "Wow, what a great team!" Shea Weber, Mr. Underwood, Pekka Rinne, Dumont, Shane O'Brien. We should be able to do this in less than 7 games. A few days off would be useful when we face the inevitable Red Wings. But one step at a time. It won't be easy!
  4. German_Canucks_Supporter
    First off, I would like to introduce myself a little bit. Some people may wonder how guys in Germany (there are quite a few on this board) get in touch with NHL hockey and remain lifelong fans.

    I have been into hockey from my late childhood on. Before I even knew the rules of the game, I was out with the neighbors' kids playing street hockey. That was between the age of 9 to 12. When I was 12, something sparked my interest for the "real" hockey on ice: Our local team, the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, made it to the finals of the DEL and delivered a battle for the record books against the much disliked Mannheim Eagles. We lost our first ever finals and have never won the Championship afterwards. With our second lost finals in 2007, the history of my local team is very similar to that of the Canucks, maybe one reason why I am a Canuck today.

    Another connection is the great Sergio Momesso, who lost Cup Finals with Vancouver AND with Nuremberg. He is still considered to be the greatest player to have ever worn the Nuremberg uniform and he still catches a game or two in our arena, whenever he comes over from Montréal, where he owns a restaurant.

    But back to my adolescence: After the glorious defeat of 1999, I got more and more into ice skating - something not too common in Germany. Our local aquatic centre had a small outdoor rink for the winter season, and it was on that rough ice with no Zamboni around that I could finally develop some skills on frozen water. Kids round here learn to play soccer right after they can walk upright, then they learn how to ride a bike, then their dad might buy them a pair of rollerblades. Ice skating is limited to January, when some ponds are frozen, and to the few hockey rinks in bigger cities, so it's no wonder I learned to skate on streets and not on the ice. Today, I consider myself to be a good ice skater, but I have never played ice hockey on a competitive level, maybe because it's hard to get proper gear and a rink to use.

    Everything I know about hockey comes from watching pro-games in arenas or on TV, and maybe from my experience with street hockey. I know how to shoot a puck or how to behave as a goalie, but ice hockey is a whole different thing.

    It wasn't until 2002 that I became a regular in our pro-hockey arena. I was fascinated by the game from minute one of my very first game. Watching hockey has become an addiction ever since that time, and in 2003 I made my first contact with the NHL through a famous video game by EA Sports. I have never seen an entire NHL game before, but EA Sports made me learn all the names of the star players and their strength rating gave me an impression about the superstars and flukes in the respective teams.

    One thing I knew: Hockey was Canada's game, so I was more interested in the Canadian teams. The process of learning continued until 2006, when I graduated from high school and could watch NHL live for the first time because of a pay TV subscription my father gave me. The hockey was so much better and faster than anything I knew from the DEL.

    The NHL increased my interest and fascination for Canada, and, at that time, I dreamed of visiting Montréal (maybe also because of the assignment I wrote in my French class about Québec separatism). But there was something else in 2006: The Olympic Games in Torino, where some Swedish twins and Mats Ohlund caught my attention. I knew they played for Vancouver, a team that was also favored by one of the most active members of the Nuremberg Ice Tigers online community. So I played them in "NHL 2005" and caught a game or two of them live on German pay TV (East coast games, of course).

    In 2008, my third year in university, I came up with the idea that, finally, I had to go to Canada and see for myself if the country was as desirable as I thought. I had the choice between Montréal and Vancouver, and somehow I favored Vancouver. Because of hockey, because of its location on the Pacific and because of its reputation as one of the most beautiful places on this planet.

    In February of 2009, I flew over for 4 weeks. I took an ESL-course at one of Vancouver's language schools (I am a student of American Cultural Studies, so I wanted my English to be even better) and made the typical touristic programs alongside my friends in that school (mostly Asians, but also lots of Europeans). I had the great luck to live in a student house with 9 other students and a Canadian who was in charge of the house and also a teacher at our school. He was a hockey-nut and a great host (the stereotypical nice Canadian). He taught me everything I needed to know about the NHL before my first game at GM Place.

    My first game was against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The American arenas are quite a shock for Europeans in the first moments. I got in, bought myself the long-desired Daniel Sedin #22 authentic jersey and took my seat in the upper bowl. The screen at Rogers Arena is maybe 4 times the size of those I knew in Europe, and the sound system was a blast too. I did not like the type of support that is common in America: Just this one "Go Canucks Go" chant, no creativity or longer fan songs like in Europe. I noticed that there were no organized fans, something I am going to talk about in future entries in that blog as well.

    Still, it was quite loud sometimes. I loved the intro show and the way people got into the game. I immediately gave the fans credit for being experts in the game (well, except of these corporate visitors with suit and Blackberry). The Canucks won 2-1, and I came back for a 4-2 win against Minnesota and another 4-2 against Dallas (that last one in the lower bowl - a great experience).

    Back home, I was infected with the Canucks virus and no cure needed. I subscribed to ESPN Europe and watched every playoff game of 2009. I silently read these boards here and couldn't wait for the next season and retribution against Chicago. Because of my daily obligations, I cannot see too many games live, but I catch as many on-demand games as possible and try to watch the Canucks when they are on the east coast.

    I went to Montréal and Toronto in 2010, and I loved it as well, but their teams just could not stop me from staying a Canuck (I have to say I liked the atmosphere at the ACC a lot more than at the Bell Centre). Canada may be a great country from east to west, but there is just one team I follow - the Vancouver Canucks!
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