Random Thoughts on the Stanley Cup Finals

How much does the Stanley Cup cost?

The original Bowl was purchased in 1892 for ten guineas, $48.67;
Tickets to a 2011 Stanley Cup Finals game, $1,500;
Hosting the home games, $1.3 million;
Having a Vezina Finalist as your goalie, $10 million;
Winning the Cup, priceless.

No Atheists in Stanley Cup Finals

As the saying goes, "there are no atheists on the battlefield". There are no atheists in the Stanley Cup Finals either. Haven't you noticed that Luongo always crosses himself before and after the games?

After the agonizing Game 3 and 4 losses, I saw a message on a church bulletin board in Vancouver that read, "God sees all. Even Hockey. Go Canucks Go" I thought to myself, "The way things have been going in this series. It would take divine intervention for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup."

Who are the Canucks?

Smug and pompous when things are going our way. Check.
Tendency to panic and collapse when opponents get tough. Check.
Whiffing when the game is on our stick. Check.
Choking when it matters the most. Check.
Learn from our mistakes and get up where we fell. Check.

Yes. We are all Canucks.

Hockey and Gladiator

The sports commentators are like the blood-thirsty spectators in the Roman Colosseum, who goaded the gladiators to fight to the death for their own entertainment. But the sports fans are different. Truth be told, we are Canucks fans, because we live vicariously through them, reveling in every win and agonizing over every loss. Their hopes are our hopes and their dreams our dreams. We live and die with the gladiators in the rink. "It is those who are willing to die for the ultimate prize that will win it in the end."

Compare this clip from the movie "Gladiator" and the intro to SC Finals Game 5 below. Do you see the similarity there?

How to Defend Yourself Against the Critics?

Take a look at how Patrick Roy demolished Jeremy Reonick.

We Shall Fight On the Beaches

This morning I overheard a radio talk show host speaking in a foreign language (one of the Indian dialects). I couldn't understand a word, until I heard "Canucks" in the middle of a sentence, followed by "Go Canucks Go". And then, other seemingly unrelated words emerged, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity", "French Revolution" and "We shall fight on the beaches" (the famous quote form Winston Churchill's speech in WWII). The host apparently considered the 2011 Stanley Finals as significant as the battles for freedom and democracy in history, and the Canucks are the protectors of freedom.

"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender"

Sami Salo Quote of the Playoffs

Salo said. "[Winning] would mean everything. All the blood and sweat and tears you poured over the years would obviously be paid off. If someone had said come June you’ll be playing … the Stanley Cup finals, I think I would have laughed. It has been a great journey."

I could envision when the Canucks finally wins, Captain Henrik Sedin would pass the Stanley Cup to Sami Salo first, the oldest member of the team who has yet to touch the Cup for the first time in his career. As Joe Sakic did 10 years ago, after beating the defending champions New Jersey in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.