A Passionate Fan's Perspective of all the Vancouver Canucks (NHL) hockey games, personnel, trades, benchings, who's scoring, why not, who should be benched, systems, cap space, the playoff race, etc.

I just started writing last year, so bear with me and thanks for taking the time to read my articles, and now some background.

I never played at the Junior, Pro or Semi-Pro level or coached at any of those either. What I am is a "Good Canadian Kid", who grew up with skates on his feet at 7. I learned to skate on the pond behind the farm outside of Calgary (Alberta), near Airdrie, and played on outdoor rinks in little towns like Empress, Bindloss, Airdrie, and many others that I have just plain forgotten.

These were places where we could skate and play for hours. No wonder players from those small towns became such good skaters.

Played on high school teams as a bantam, Senior Mens team circuit out of Medicine Hat where I played part of the game (starting goalie got hurt) as 14 year old goalie. In BC, drop in hockey, Richmond Industrial League (even though it was a beer hockey league, some good players and former Junior players passed through there), Greater Vancouver League and so on, until I was in my late 20's.

I then entered the National Coaches Certification Program, which is a pre-requisite to coach in Minor Hockey Associations these days. This led me to coach bantams, midgets, and adults off and on, until several years ago, for a total of 25 years, so "old school" I am not.

My involvement in hockey has been over 50 years now and I have seen a lot of changes in the NHL during that time, with the most recent being the "Best". The skill, speed, and physical play, since the league put in measures to tone down the obstruction, has made it truly the "best game in the world".

I don't profess to know everything there is about Pro hockey, nor what goes on in the dressing rooms, coach's room, or management, but I have been there at the minor and recreational playing level.

I have been a season ticket holder off and on for over 10 years (mostly on) and have followed the Canucks for over 38 years, before they played in the NHL, in the old Western League. The Canucks actually won the Championship against the Portland Bucs. You wanted to see "old time hockey", man that was right out of "Slap Shot".

So you see I have endured a long time of highs and lows, and I never stopped supporting them, because I believe in my lifetime, they will win the "Stanley Cup".

I hope to share some insight, enjoyment, information and passion to those that follow and support this hockey team, because we are all "Canucks".