FOR hockey fans who recall a decade or more of Canucks' history, it's amazing to see how this regular season concluded. No sinking feeling, no do-or-die scraps to claw into eighth place, no bitterly dashed hopes - and no Dan Cloutier.
The Canucks are so good right now that after runaway division, conference and league wins last year, the Sedins and company felt they could safely dial it back a little during the regular season. They know what's coming next.
We hated them for it. Fans and pundits alike poured angst and anger on the lack of scoring titles, the slim chance of any individual NHL awards, and the general lack of Godzilla-like league domination. We even crafted a goaltending controversy out of thin air.
Yet here they are, with a second consecutive President's Trophy in hand and much of the post-season about to unfold on home ice, starting today.
If fans' hopes for the regular season were overheated, expectations for the playoffs border on thermonuclear. No more talk about a deep run or a conference title. This time it's for all the marbles. It's win the Stanley Cup or . . . or the sun comes up the next day. It's only a game.
The Canucks have matured into a solid professional unit, that appears to have learned from last year's "failure" to win it all. But have we, as fans, also matured? Can we put our heart into the hometown team's success without having to ransack and burn said town if those puck bounces don't go our way?
Let's hope so. Go Canucks!
