Cool Hockey Shit #5: Special Vancouver Road Trip Edition

On March 30, 1985, my dad and I saw the Flyers beat the Rangers 3-0 at Madison Square Garden. Twenty-one years later, on December 27, 2006, I saw the Canadiens beat the Capitals in D.C. On Monday I attended my third-ever NHL game, witnessing the Canucks beat the Senators 4-2 at Vancouver's General Motors Place Rogers Arena -- here's the official recap. The game also marked my first-ever NHL game in Canada, and the first-ever game I'd seen featuring only Canadian teams. Of course, the only national anthem performed was "O Canada."

Anyway, onto the cool shit, like the Super Chexx at Vancouver's five-pin Commodore Lanes...

This ridiculous Don Cherry Cold-fX ad on the Sensormatic security panels at the giant downtown London Drugs...

A few blocks away, the massive catalog of hockey books at the Vancouver Public Library (this pic of Quatchi with some execs appears in Canucks at Forty)...

Poutine at Costco, right across the street from Rogers Arena...

Goalie Roberto Luongo; after each of his saves, the Canuck faithful exclaim "LOOOOOU!"...

Ryan Kesler, my favorite Canuck...

Fin, seen here with some hoser skank who was born on Vancouver Island on Canada's centennial, July 1, 1967...

Granted Clothing's officially licensed Cowichan chunky sweater...

The enigmatic Green Guys (even if they weren't at Monday's game)...



Finally, a video of my own, set to "The Hockey Song" as covered by Vancouver's D.O.A...



Obviously my iMovie skillz are far from mad, but you get the idea.

It was a killer game, a major highlight of my hockey-obsessed winter. Because I love Vancouver -- home of the nearest NHL team to Seattle -- I've always pulled for the Canucks, but this is an especially great season to fully embrace 'em. In their 40 seasons, they've yet to win the Stanley Cup, though they made it to the finals in 1982 and '94. But this year they're the top team in the league, riding high in the proverbial catbird seat (even though they lost to the Ducks tonight). Can't wait to see what happens.
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