BUT HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Fans cautiously optimistic, while businesses hope to cash-in on playoff fever
It’s spring and hockey fans, like farmers, are full of hope, if only everything goes just right.
Businesses can clean up, fans can deck their cars out in team flags and sports radio has something to keep talking about. All because the Canucks are returning to the NHL playoffs after a year in purgatory.
Not many of the flock would have put down money on the Canucks making the playoffs this season, let alone perhaps having home-ice advantage in the opening round.
Yet, here things stand and Wednesday morning, 12 hours after the Canucks clinched a postseason berth thanks to Los Angeles losing the night before, cars around the Lower Mainland began sporting Canucks banners.
“I had zero expectations about making the playoffs when the season began, just hope,” said fan Ellen Ransford, who has 10 of those car flags. “I heard a commercial on the radio this morning for the playoffs and I got goosebumps.”
Things have not gone well for the team since the Canucks were shut out in Game 7 at Rogers Arena in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.
Swept by L.A. the following spring, the Kings’ PR staff sent out a tweet to the rest of the league saying, “you’re welcome,” for disposing of the Canucks, not the most-liked franchise around the league at the time.
So it was a tasty dish served cold when the Edmonton Oilers, of all teams, tweeted this after their win over L.A. helped out their western Canadian-brethren Canucks, Flames and Jets on Tuesday: “To everyone outside of L.A., you’re welcome.”
In fact, Twitter was livelier than it’s been for awhile after the Canucks clinched Tuesday, a night on which Vancouver and Calgary fans were all cheering for the sworn-enemy Oilers.
“Seldom have I sensed the love between VAN, CGY and EDM fans that I have the past 24 hours,” tweeted Mark Spector, an Edmontonbased correspondent for SportsNet. “It’s really quite sickening, actually.”
Having the Canucks back in the playoffs, according to estimates by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, will pump $1 million per home game into downtown bar and restaurant coffers alone. That’s not counting money spent on hotel rooms, cabs, game tickets and merchandise.
“And I’d say $1 million is a conservative number,” said Charles Gauthier, CEO and president of the association.
Bars are hiring extra staff to handle the rush.
“It’s nice to see Vancouver fans excited about hockey again after last year,” said Ash Ranjbar, owner of the Hurricane Grill in Yaletown and North Vancouver. “It’s a great feeling seeing the buzz and energy in town. The last couple of weeks have been busier than the same time last year.”
Ticket agents are excited, too, although resales have a way to go to match the heady seasons from 200304 to 2012-13, when the Canucks finished first seven times and only missed the playoffs once.
“Demand for Canucks tickets has been at an all-time low, going back to the Mike Keenan days (1997-99),” said Kingsley Bailey of Vancouver Ticket and Tour Service. “Demand is still slow, tickets are priced too high. But it’s a great surprise (the team made the playoffs) and I figure there will be demand for cheaper, low-rent seats.”
Still, despite all those years of finishing first, there was year after year of playoff disappointment. Fans this year will take what they can get.
“Honestly, I have no expectations,” Jocelyn Aspa, who was at Rogers Arena to see the Canucks beat the Kings on Monday, said. “In 2011, they were so good and there were high expectations. There isn’t the level of excitement this year that there was in 2011, but I think I’ve learned my lesson not to care too much. What happens, happens.”