The playoff run for the Vancouver Canucks has hockey fans riveted across B.C., and their loyal support has had an effect on everything from beer sales to politics.
The last Canadian team in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks won again on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators, and if they advance, will play either the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals. The series is now 2-1 in favour of the Canucks.
About 2.89 million British Columbians tuned into the team’s historic Apr. 26 win against archrivals the Chicago Blackhawks—an even bigger local audience than for the 2010 Olympics men’s hockey final.
In fact, the team even has the power to impact provincial politics. A series of tele-town hall meetings on the HST, scheduled to start on Apr. 26, was postponed due to the coinciding playoff games. “Go Canucks go!” said a press release from the Ministry of Finance.
The Canucks are looking to win their first Stanley Cup so fans are channelling all their nationalistic fervour and hopes onto the men in blue, green, and white.
Their record-setting 2010-2011 season gained recognition starting with the Presidents’ Trophy for accumulating more points than any other team in the NHL. Head coach Alain Vigneault is also a finalist for the Jack Adams award, presented to the coach who has “contributed most to his team’s success.”
Canucks paraphernalia is flying off the shelves in record numbers, and local bars and restaurants—anywhere that has a TV—are happily reporting a boost in business. 100 Nights Restaurant at Vancouver’s Opus Hotel has even created a “Sedin Twin” Burger, in honour of the team’s beloved twins.
Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant & Food Services Association, says a BCRFSA study found that “game-ready” establishments can increase their sales by as much as 150 percent during a home game.
“You could see sales increases on the night of a game in town anywhere from 50-150 percent. When you’ve got an out of town game you’re seeing increases from about 30-100 percent,” he says.
“If [bars and restaurants] ignore the hockey, sales decrease 10-20 percent.”
Police have given fans a glowing report for being well behaved spectators, a big improvement from 1994 Stanley Cup Final riots which caused an estimated $1.1 million in damages to downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost to the New York Rangers.
“Everyone has grown up a bit. I think the Olympics showed that they can have fun and drink and celebrate—or cry—and not wreck things,” Tostenson says.
Dave Swanson, a Simon Fraser University student and radio programmer who has been a Canucks fan since the age of 6, says he inherited a love for the team from his father.
“Something that makes your dad happy makes you happy. That’s definitely how I think it started,” he says.
“I guess now it’s just about the personal connection to the city. It amplifies the human experience and human connection. It gives something for people to connect over.”
Swanson attended the Canucks vs Blackhawks series and says it was the most memorable of his life.
“There were so many fans—I’ve never heard a stadium like that before. ... About five minutes into overtime we scored and it was just the most brilliant finish ever. I was outside the stadium for half an hour running around, high-fiving fans. There were 10,000 people outside, it was absolutely amazing.”
He says if Vancouver wins the Stanley Cup it would be “absolutely huge” for the fans, who have never seen their team win a cup.
