Just about a year ago, I posted a shot of this same statue of Lord Stanley. This morning, I took this picture for a reason. In a few hours, the Vancouver Canucks will play the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup Championship. This is huge here in Vancouver. HUGE. The city's a sea of blue and green jerseys. Crowds of up to 100 000 people have filled the streets to watch the games leading up to tonight. Productivity in Vancouver has ground to a halt. For every Vancouverite I know, it's as big as, and more personal than, the Winter Olympics last year.

Some enterprising soul decorated this statue of Lord Stanley (for whom the Stanley Cup was named) with a Canucks jersey, hockey stick, and imitation trophy. Just a few minutes ago, I learned that the actual Stanley Cup (for many Canadians, the equivalent of the Holy Grail) is in the city, in Rogers Arena, where tonight's game will be played.

I live on the other side of downtown from the arena, and already, hours before game time, I can hear people in the streets below my apartment hooting and hollering, with air horns and cow bells. Several major streets in the downtown core have been closed since noon. Public transit is experiencing delays, and one local news outlet has described traffic levels as "epic." The city is basically at a standstill. Anxious. Nervous. Waiting. Hoping. Daring to believe.

The last time the Canucks made it to the final, in 1994, there were riots in the streets when they lost. For that reason, and many more, I hope they win it tonight.

For the 'Nucks

Vancouver is a hockey-mad town. When Canada won the Olympic gold medal in men's hockey in this city last year, the streets immediately filled with jubilant people. Yesterday, our team, the Vancouver Canucks, won a hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, securing themselves a spot in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. If you're not Canadian, this likely means not much to you, but if you were in Vancouver last night when Kevin Bieksa scored the game winning goal in double overtime, you would have heard the screams of celebration all over the city. It went on for hours!

I can only imagine the joy this vehicle owner must have felt - snapped this quick picture last Wednesday with my iphone as I was walking past this car parked near Rogers Arena, the Canucks' home ice.

Post title from this song by Chris Penton and the Superfans.

Hockey Sweater

It took six games in a best-of-seven series, but the Vancouver Canucks managed to defeat the LA Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I had originally planned to post a statue of Lord Stanley (after whom both the Cup and the Park are named) himself here today, but today is the first game of the Canucks' matchup in the second round - they'll be playing the Chicago Blackhawks this afternoon at 5pm Pacific Time, in Chicago. I told you Vancouver was a hockey-mad city, right? Someone (probably a municipal authority, but I prefer to imagine it's some eccentric millionaire) has bedecked one of the giant lions that guard either side of the entrance to the Lions Gate Bridge in a Canucks hockey jersey of his very own. The lion on the other side of the bridge entrance has a mockup of the Stanley Cup placed in front of him. Go Canucks Go!


This post is part of the City Daily Photo Theme Day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Post title from this song by Dala.