From Vacation Time to Vancouver Time

It's always good to take a little time away to keep the family business from going into the red while the boss goes away on vacation.

Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while I spent the last two weeks in charge of the office, hence there were no new blogs for "Behind Blue Lines". Just a coincidence my parents' vacation started and ended during the NHL Conference Semifinals. With the Stanley Cup playoffs now into the Final Four, I can talk hockey again ^_^

San Jose got a scare from the Detroit Red Wings after losing their 3-0 lead in games in their Western Conference semifinal series. Although they won the seventh and final game of the series, I doubt this snakebitten bunch from San Jose, who are known for choking in big games, will put up much of a fight against the Vancouver Canucks. If you are Canucks fan, you must feel pretty good: There are no New York-based teams in the playoffs, so there is a good chance of them winning Lord Stanley's Cup.

I remember the 2004 Flames, and how the whole country minus Edmonton got behind captain Jarome Iginla, gabby Craig Conroy, Martin Gelinas, Coach Sutter, and the other Hardhat Heroes in their surprise quest for the Cup. While Vancouver is the best team in the league, I don't sense the same level of national excitement over the 2011 Canucks. They are not underdogs, they don't fight against the NHL establishment led by Gary Bettman, there is no controversy surrounding the referees (unless Kerry Fraser comes back), and they never had to rally from behind during their playoff campaign. So why aren't we all followers of the Vancouver Canucks, but we stand behind the 2004 Canada Flames?

I remember when Peter Mansbridge interviewed Jarome Iginla for The National during the Cup run of 2004, and the Canada vs USA overtones before and after games during the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Calgary, at that time, embodied the heart of the Canadian spirit, and since there were Canadians from different backgrounds from different parts of the country one could identify with one or two of their players. I don't sense that with Vancouver: The Sedins are from Sweden, Ryan Kesler is from the States, and Roberto Luongo is from Montreal. The Canucks are an international team of superstars, so while it is easy to get behind Vancouver I have difficulty backing the Canucks.

While the Tampa Bay Lightning are fresh in my mind, I am encouraged by the Lightning model: They are a model for present and future NHL teams in the Southern United States to follow. Committed ownership backs hockey guys who know how to pick good players, and think goalie-out instead of scoring-back. Plus, none of the gimmicks which saw the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup Party of 2006 stop at the end of the parking lot of the arena. The Lightning and Bruins are two good teams with hockey guys in charge like Steve Yzerman and Cam Neely/Peter Chiarelli, respectively. The Eastern Conference Final between both teams should be a good series.