Who’s there?

Dwayne.

Dwayne who?

Dwayne the bathtub, I’m drowning!

I’m cool with the pride in your team thing, the ol’ “through thick and thin” routine. It’s admirable. I think you’re the right kind of Canuck fan, and I don’t care for the bandwagon jumpers ( does anyone, anywhere?), who probably ’cause more of the riotous activity than anyone else.

And lets get this straight: I only ever had LA Kings jammies, both the home and away set. And if you could find Crystal Pepsi sold somewhere still, I would dig my old Gretz cup outta the basement boxes… that stuff was great!

Re: point 4, does Vancouver have to pay players extra for that? Danger pay? Again, experiencing an unfair level of resentment from some fans after disappointing losses is not exclusive to Vancouver, or hockey, or North America, or the Western Hemisphere.

Re: V, You don’t respect the casual Canucks fans because they are bandwagoners and leave when the wins stop, but you also pity the hardcore fans for being stupid/loyal enough to stick around through the bad times? What are people supposed to do then? Sucking it up in the tough times isn’t about intentionally causing yourself pain, it’s about sticking with your club and being there when it turns around. Better to have loved and lost, that’s not just in Vancouver!

Are you honestly telling me that right now, as you read this, you aren’t wearing your old Oiler jammies and drinking crystal pepsi out of a Gretzky slurpee cup?

Here’s my own, likely less thorough….

I) For the record, I have no allegiance to the Edmonton Oilers. The fewer rumors of the contrary, the better.

II) You make a good point about other Canadian hockey cities’ passionate fans. I think Montreal is another great example, with Patrick Roy and his last Hab game in particular. Ok, other cities crucify their hometown heroes when they lose too.

III) I love a city’s passion for their home team, don’t get me wrong. I love it, and it makes for an awesome game atmosphere. But nothing says, “this isn’t just a game, now let’s take it too far!” like flipping cop cars, burglarly, and burning down buildings of innocent and unaffiliated citizens, or people who happen to cheer for opposing teams (though Pollock has made me consider dismantling the Saddledome in a not so legal way, on more than one occasion). Go to the game, boo, cheer, buy souvenirs, enjoy yourself and support your team, but hey, can we leave it at the rink and keep it legal? You’re right, Vancouver is nowhere near the only city guilty of this either, but between them, Philly, Montreal, and maybe a few others; it’s a pretty exclusive club, isn’t it?

IV) I’ve got no problem with a team “bucking up” to keep their stars around, but it should be purely based on the recognition of their abilities and contribution to the success of the team; not due to requesting “danger pay” because players feel as though the may get stabbed when encountering an angry fan on the street after a playoff loss (a little sensationalized, yes), or just generally not wanting to be in the city anymore because of the distain he feels from everyone in the city.

V) In all honesty, I feel for Vancouver fans because they are so passionate for their team, and they have their hearts broken EVERY year. I admire the toil and faith of the “hardcore” fan, but I just don’t know how many times you can step on a rake until you consider that you don’t have to intentionally cause yourself that kind of pain time and time again.

Neil – plus, Canucks fans only celebrate when THEIR TEAM scores. So one-dimensional.

I agree with SDC, the Vancouver Canucks do have the worst bandwagon jumping fans in the NHL. As a longtime resident of Vancouver who is not a ‘Nucks fan, I have watched it time and again, when the team is successful the streets are flooded with jerseys. When they are going through a rough patch, all people can talk about is how much they suck.

P.S. Love the blog. Your take on things from the player’s perspective is great. Keep up the good work.

I do think, however, that the reaction of the Miami of Ohio players is typical (there will always be a loud minority of haters and idiots): My friend is gay. OK. Pass the beer nuts.