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This won't surprise a lot of you......nor should it......if you know who I am and what the Vancouver Canucks mean to me, but my mind re-visits June 15th 2011 quite frequently. Although my thoughts of June 15th are far less, I revist this day atleast once a week in my mind.
Long story short - June 15th was probably the most surreal and emotionally charged day of my life. Looking back on it, I am amazed that I could ever feel that passionate and that fired up about ANYTHING in life....and for that, I am grateful.
I only had about 3 hours and 40 minutes of sleep that night, but I woke up......READY.....ready to see my favorite hockey team win the Stanley Cup. I didn't know what to do with my stored up energy, and so I did the only thing that I could think of: Push-ups.
I did 4 sets of 45, followed by 1 set of 20. Normally, I wouldn't be able to do anything like that but I did those 200 push-ups without much effort at all. Seriously.
After a quick breakfast followed by prayer, I decided to skip my study session for the day (I was studying at the time) and hike downtown to downtown Vancouver from my place (about a 3 hour hike). Walking down to downtown Vancouver was an experience in itself. Most people in my building knew me as the "crazy Canuck guy" (due to my ridiculous beard, my constant wearing of the jersey, along with my constant conversation about the NHL), and so people in my building actually high-fived and hugged me as I walked out of my apartment......knowing that I was going to hike downtown. In a weird kind of way, I felt like a celebrity.
The craziness continued as I hiked down Kingsway. People honked their horns at me and cheered, people high fived me on the street, and an old Chinese lady even hugged me and rubbed my head for good luck, lol.
The energy and electricity of the city was absolutely amazing.
I finally got to Rogers Arena. A guy was selling single seat tickets for $4,500. I *almost* decided to buy the ticket until common sense prevailed. I continued on to West Georgia and Hamilton.
Unfortunately - the game ended tragically and my team was defeated. Riots ensued and what started as such a great day ended horrifically.
As unbelievable as this may sound, I actually developed legitimate depression about 3-4 days later. Over the following 5 weeks, I went on a massive eating binge and gained 17 lbs. Although my mind understood the fact that "it was just a game and that NO ONE, let alone a fan, should be taking anything this seriously, my heart wasn't buying it.
But - as the old saying goes, "time heals all wounds" and as the demands of my job started taking over, I started thinking about June 15th less and less. When October hit and hockey season was ready to start, I still wasn't ready to watch. I still felt a bit broken and run down.
I don't know at exactly what point I started to feel good about being a hockey fan again, but the BC Lions winning the Grey Cup (Canadian Football) really solidified me feeling 100% again. Up until that point, I had barely watched any games. I've watched almost every Canucks game since that time.
Looking back on June 15th now (and last year's playoff run), I can honestly say that I look back on it with more appreciation rather than disappointment. Everything from the Canucks Game 7 win over Chicago (Burrows' goal), our Game 5 win over San Jose, our Game 2 win over Boston, the skytrain singing, the random high fives, the random "we want the cup!" chants throughout the city, the brilliant regular season the Canucks had prior to the playoffs, and the numerous individual accomplishments that many Canuck players achieved throughout the season.......has given me tremendous memories that will last a life time.
I would even go as far as saying that April 2011 to June 2011 was the greatest two month time span in my entire life......and that the only thing literally missing from that, was the storybook ending.
I don't know if I'll ever see my beloved hockey team ever win a cup, but I do know one thing: I'll be on this "ride" forever. The highs, the lows, the greatness, the disappointments, etc., etc. I'll be a fan for life.
As always, Go Canucks Go.
