Century of change in hockey
For starters, players were only Millionaires in team name, not in pay grade
Honouring a team’s past is essential for new and old fans to appreciate a legacy that some cities don’t get to enjoy.
(Yeah, we’re talking about you, Las Vegas hockey fans.)
But with heritage being such a huge part of hockey, and the running theme of this weekend’s festivities, we at the Legion of Blog decided to compare what life is like as a fan in 2014, and what life was like as a fan when the Vancouver Millionaires won it all in 1915.
2014: Gary Bettman rules the league with an iron fist, locking out the league without a second thought if things get out of control.
1915: The owners would write mean notes about each other and would challenge each other to fights in the parking lot.
Then they’d fold their own league and start a new one, minus the owners they didn’t like. That last part is actually true.
2014: Vancouver fans take to widely popular social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook (sorry, MySpace) to rant about the team, vent frustrations and argue with fans of other teams.
1915: Vancouver fans would have to write actual letters to the team expressing their concern and anger. Stamps aren’t free, so a lot of fans just realized there was nothing they could do and dealt with it. Also, you had to hop on a train and actually travel to other cities if you wanted to insult their fans, which could get pretty dangerous, we’d imagine.
2014: Fans wait outside in the rain for hours just for the chance at a glimpse of their heroes as they leave the arena.
1915: Fans wait outside the arena to catch a ride with the players as they all head off to their second jobs as lumberjacks and coal miners.
2014: Rules and penalties seem to change as the season goes on, with nobody fully understanding how the game will be called during the playoffs.
1915: Home team, home rules. “On the West Coast, we play with axes and have bears as our secondline centres.”
2014: Canucks fans get to watch the games in glorious HDTV (High Definition Television).
1915: Canucks fans got to listen to the games on the radio, in glorious HDTR (Heavily Descriptive Talk Radio).
2014: Vancouver fans criticize goalies to no end. Everyone offers up their expert opinion on how this shot or that shot should have been saved. When a goal is scored, at least 10 per cent of the fan base will call for a goalie’s head and demand a trade.
1915: Goalies didn’t even wear masks. You legally aren’t allowed to say anything bad about people who are that manly.
2014: The Luongo family proudly celebrate their prowess at goaltending.
1915: The Luongo family proudly celebrated their prowess at fur trapping.“Stack the pads on the beaver, eh?”
2014: Vancouver is about to hand Ottawa an embarrassing loss and send them back to our nation’s capital sad, broken and whimpering.
1915: The Vancouver team did the same, but the Stanley Cup was on the line instead of just two points, so the stakes were considerably higher.
2014: Fans proudly celebrate the history of hockey by watching a hockey game outdoors.
1915: Fans wonder out loud what life would be like if they could watch hockey indoors.
2014: Vancouver fans desperately hope for a chance to see their team hoist the Stanley Cup.
1915: Vancouver fans got to live our dreams, although the Cup was a lot smaller, so it was more of a “gentle lift” then a “hoist.” Even so, we wish we could know their joy.