Eight Things I Learned This Weekend In Vancouver
by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 1, 2010 4:37 PM PST
in Miscellaneous
- If you're ever in Vancouver during the Olympics and Canada is playing the USA in the men's hockey gold medal game, and they're playing in downtown Vancouver, plan ahead. Turns out a lot of people care about that kind of thing. Setting out from a downtown hostel at 10am Sunday morning in search of a bar with a TV could've been thought out a little better. We were saved by public viewing areas, which are actually wonderful - they're just like being at the game, only the players don't hear or respond to the things you yell at them, which makes it just like being at the game.
There haven't been this many Canadians in one line since SoulDecision dropped No One Does It Better.
There was also a screen to the left, which came in handy when the sun came out to the right and no one knew how to react.
- Canadians like marijuana. There was security and metal detectors and everything at the entrance to the viewing area. The man in front of me in line got stopped when the guard felt something in his pocket, and when he took out a small tin box, the guard opened it, revealing a half-dozen joints. She laughed, gave them back, and waved him along. The same guard made a man three places behind me throw away a sandwich.
- Canadians are patriotic. They really, really cared, a lot. At least about the hockey games. Not so much about the 50 kilometer cross-country skiing, which I might remind you requires the competitor to cross-country ski for 50 kilometers, sometimes uphill. "50 kilometers" is a Canadian expression that loosely translates to "a fucking lot of skiing". Anyway, there was so much red and passion and flag-waving and lighthearted America-bashing everywhere that you'd almost think Canada wasn't supposed to win the gold from the start. It always makes me uncomfortable to witness such a degree of mass nationalism, but I guess it's good that they accomplished something once.
Thought: a few months ago, nobody really cared about the Olympic national teams. A few weeks ago, everybody cared about the Olympic national teams. Now the Olympic national teams don't exist anymore. Weird. Also, something worth studying will be how long it takes before everyone in Canada goes back to hating Sidney Crosby again. I know it took me about thirty minutes to go back to hating Ryan Miller.
- But some of them aren't. The Canadian receptionist at our hostel said after the game that she was rooting for the US because she wanted to see everyone on Granville Street disappointed. That really would've been spectacular. You should've seen the faces when we tied it up late in the third period. They were melting. It was like The Persistence Of Memory with people. Had the US pulled it out, Granville would've been something out of a zombie movie, only without the biting.
- Canadians are clean. When we arrived Friday night, Granville was closed to traffic because the entire country was in the streets celebrating the win over Slovakia. When we woke up and walked around on Saturday morning, the street was as spotless as any main thoroughfare, with a little more gum. That's remarkable. On the other hand, gum is annoying.
- Canadians really are as nice as everyone says. When we got to ground level with our luggage on Friday night, a woman came out of nowhere and asked if we needed help or directions. On more than one occasion people nearby would volunteer to take our picture. And yesterday, when America tied it up with 24 seconds left and we were flipping out in the middle of the public viewing area, none of the 8000 Canadians around us said a word, nor did they rub it in minutes later when Crosby put it home. They were elated without being complete dicks, which, what? How? I think they invented that.
- If you're in your hostel bed trying to sleep, and it's 3:30 in the morning, and a woman comes in and slams stuff around, and she's talking to someone named Andrew, but Andrew isn't there, and you don't know if she has Bluetooth, and she turns the light on and off, and on and off, and on and off, and keeps talking to Andrew until six, play dead until you hear snoring, but five consecutive minutes of snoring, because sometimes there will be one minute of snoring followed by twenty minutes of talking to Andrew, and Andrew isn't there, and you don't want to take chances.
- USA hockey is on the way up. Many of you will have stopped caring by now, but this country is producing some astonishing talent, and at this point we're almost like a real national team. The world grants few opportunities to express fierce national pride without feeling like a complete douchebag, but the Olympics are one of them, and in four years, we're going to have a hockey team we can root for. We're not an also-ran. Not anymore.
Where'd you stay?
JonBBT - March 1, 2010
HI Vancouver Central
Jeff Sullivan - March 1, 2010
Sounds tranquil
royalcurve - March 1, 2010
If by tranquil you mean riot like hockey celebrations till 3:30 AM every night then yes.
Robert - March 1, 2010
Yep!
royalcurve - March 1, 2010
Care to explain the Andrew thing a little more?
It seems crazy.
SeaKoala - March 1, 2010
By your estimation,
how many people around you were rooting for the US? Just your small group or was there a decent representation? Also, I’m curious if you were wearing anything that identified you as a USA fan.
appleshampoo - March 1, 2010
No
There was very, very little American support, but then that’s to be expected when you’re hanging out in the city where the game’s being played. Saw a few dozen people with US flags over the course of the weekend.
Jeff Sullivan - March 1, 2010
What's that suppose to mean?
Do you mean to say that Americans don’t travel well to the Olympics? Or do you mean to say that, hello, it was in Vancouver, and it was a hockey match… obviously there will be a large influx of say… Canadians…
cfred - March 2, 2010
Americans made up maybe .2% of the people that I encounter this weekend
Robert - March 2, 2010
How many Germans did you encounter? or Russians? or Slovakians... or whatever...?
I’m just trying to understand where he is coming from with that statement. I’ve always thought that Americans traveled pretty well to the Olympics, but have no personal experience to back that statement up. Granted this year we have a traveling advantage due to the distance, but I imagine that one would encounter a fairly good percentage of Americans at the Olympics if they were in another continent as well… say Japan or Europe even. Am I wrong?
cfred - March 2, 2010
How about this:
There was little representation to be found.
Jeff Sullivan - March 2, 2010
I wish everyone was that relaxed about weed.
Even though I haven’t smoked in years.
wazzu93 - March 1, 2010
To be fair, it was an anthrax sandwich.
Wilder. - March 1, 2010
Delicious.
w00tah - March 1, 2010
Vancouver is awesome for that
I remember when we used to go up there to drink from UPS, you could walk right up to the stairs of the art museum where ~15 stoners just chilled selling weed- you’d walk up, buy your weed, and move on. Nothing sketchy at all about it. No way this would have flied in America.
Corco - March 1, 2010
I've only been there once but
I saw at least 10 people smoking joints/blunts/spliffs outside on the streets in the middle of the day in one weekend. At the New Amsterdam Cafe at 5 pm everyone in the place lights up, and you can roll stuff in there whenever you want. From what I understand they are way more after the big sellers than the guy who has a dime bag and that’s really how it should be.
Zwakamatsu - March 1, 2010
Just wait until you go to Jamaica
everything smells like weed. Don’t even need to go looking for it, the guys on the beach will just come right up to you and offer it. That and crack.
seattlebruin - March 2, 2010
How dare you remind me of SoulDecision.
And that wouldn’t have been disappointment on Granville Street. It would have been rioting.
Vancouver’s really good at rioting following an important hockey loss. And that would have been funny, because it would have been really difficult to stage the closing ceremony with all that tear gas around.
Llewdor - March 1, 2010
ahh yes....1997, wasn't it?
Stupid Rangers. Still, the riot surprised.
shams - March 2, 2010
And Canadians still like like douchebags for showing all that national pride.
Sorry.
Llewdor - March 1, 2010
On Point Number Eight:
This was the first hockey game I’ve ever watched and it was extremely enjoyable. When Parise scored I jumped up and screamed EAT IT FUCKING CHEESE HEADS! Then when Crosby scored I got a little pissed.
At any rate, I’d like to start watching NHL, but would like to know how to evaluate teams a little. I live in the Bay Area, so I could just start cheering on the Sharks, but I don’t know if that’s the best way to choose a team. Blogs? thoughts? Are there Red Sox/Yankee equivalents in the NHL that I should just hate from the start?
InSpokane - March 1, 2010
Hate Toronto
They have the most money and douchebags.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
I'm in the same boat as you
Although I think I’ll root for the Devils. This isn’t like supporting the Nationals right? Because I know very little about hockey.
SeaKoala - March 1, 2010
The Devils
were the reason for the Dead Puck Era. They basically killed hockey for a decade. Please don’t like them.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
Ok, I'll reconsider,
what are some teams you recommend?
SeaKoala - March 1, 2010
Well, what do you like in a team?
Do you like scrappy underdogness? Perennial playoff disappointment? Lots of money and no sense?
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
I'm up for maybe an A's or Orioles team
There’s hope, just not quite there yet…any teams like that?
SeaKoala - March 1, 2010
Kings, Avs, Blues, Coyotes
They’re all teams that have had success in flashes and have good young bases that could be on the way up. The Sharks are an awesome team to watch, though, and local means you can go to more games, which is the key to being a hockey fan.
Faux - March 1, 2010
The Kings are totally not what you'd expect from an LA team either
a largely home grown group of talent that is young and gelling together. And the management seems to be committed to keeping the core players around for awhile as well.
bluemax - March 1, 2010
Hmm
Buffalo
Boston
If you’re into East Coast teams.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
The Wild
zeke5123 - March 1, 2010
I wouldn't exactly call that hope.
They’ve got a few more draft classes to get right before I’d call it hope.
Faux - March 1, 2010
Derek Boogaard is trash
So is Cal Clutterbuck and they just extended him.
Floyd Gondoli - March 3, 2010
Thanks for all the tips everybody!
I guess I’ll watch a little more than I have and decide then, but I’ll pay a little more attention to the teams you guys mentioned.
SeaKoala - March 1, 2010
Just so you know, the Devils (more recently) are a team in the mold of the 80/90s Braves.
Always make the playoffs, not spectacularly entertaining to watch like the Caps, but a good, consistent team with a passionate fan base (although I’d stay away from the SBN Devils blog).
But they’re definitely not an up and coming organization, they’re the ones watching their back for the Buffalos and Flyers of the world.
Faux - March 2, 2010
Brother,
You live within shouting range of the best hockey club in the world. Hie thee to the Tank before your soul is lost.
Paytheline - March 2, 2010
Incorrect.
Just because they were the best at the trap, doesn’t mean almost every other team did the same damn thing.
Faux - March 1, 2010
I feel like NJ brought the trap
and everybody copied them.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
The 70s Canadiens were the first major team to push it.
The real problem was really that they deliberately cut down on the physical penalties called going into the 90s. It’s easy to trap when you can take the body without any chance of penalty call. Burke has a quote out there from when he was VP of the NHL about policy being to call less penalties.
Faux - March 1, 2010
I am glad you chimed in here.
I wanted to, but I know much less about hockey, so I count on you to be my spokesman
royalcurve - March 1, 2010
I got your back.
Faux - March 2, 2010
I think you should watch some games before you pick a team.
A player or a big moment game might be what draws you in.
I am a Washington Captials fan because I lived in D.C. for a couple of years and Alex Ovechkin is the King Felix of hockey. And with the rivalry with Pittsburgh and Crosby, the Caps are at an all-time high to watch right now. But I didn’t become a Caps fan until Ovechkin was drafted.
Before then, I had watched hockey growing up on ESPN with Gary Thorne announcing every week on National Hockey Night. I didn’t get attached to any particular team, but I enjoyed the game. The Penguins, Flyers, Avalanche, Stars, and Red Wings were all good during the 90’s. I loved watching Lemieux/Jagr, Lindros/LeClair, and Yzerman/Federov. I just never could pick a team. It took Ovechkin and my living in D.C. for me to settle on the Capitals.
I would suggest taking time in choosing. I don’t think you should force yourself into a decision. Something will grab you eventually. Watch the Stanley Cup playoffs. The SCP atmosphere can be just a good as the Olympic atmosphere. There you will have a good start in choosing between elite teams, underdogs, and teams on the rise. Listen to what the announcers have to say about particular players and then watch those players intently.
Wilder. - March 1, 2010
I just wanted to find some quality resources.
Blogs other places to read about the history of the teams and game and learn a little more about the game.
InSpokane - March 1, 2010
So the announcers actually know what they're talking about, evaluation-wise?
I have a hard time wrapping my head around this.
Decatur - March 1, 2010
Not always.
NHL announcers still love players like an Johnny Oduya or Andrew Ebbett who are the NHL version of WFB.
Some of the same rules apply – if all you hear about a player is grit or hustle or a synonym of (they tend to like “plucky”), he’s probably actually below average and playing above his level, usually with a career high shot % and points mark.
Faux - March 2, 2010
I'm also wanting to try to get more into NHL.
I love going to WHL games when I’m back in Spokane and in general it’s just a really fun sport to watch.
Is it wrong for me to adopt the Blackhawks? I know they’re hot this year but I don’t know a lot about their long-term standing on and off the ice. I’m in Milwaukee and my boyfriend is from Chicago (and is a moderate Blackhawks fan), so it’s not as though I totally bandwagoning…
Torrid - March 1, 2010
Chicago is really fun to watch.
I wouldn’t blame you for picking them. They have huge history (Original 6 team) and some heartache to go along with it. They have been screwed for years by Bill Wirtz until he died a couple of years ago. Now the home town fans finally get to see televised home games. Imagine!
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
Weeee Tampa Bay Lightning!
Fuzz - March 1, 2010
NHL Rivalries
Red Sox/Yankee equivalents:
Islanders/Rangers – The Battle of NY. This rivalry was huge for some time, but until the Islanders actually put an NHL team out there, it won’t be as heated. I am a HUGE Islanders fan, even though I’ve lived in Vancouver my entire life (Canucks are my second team). Unfortunately, I suggest you don’t become an Islanders fan because it’s one long nightmare. Perpetual rebuilding phase and the worst arena in the league with seemingly no hope for a new one being done in the next five years. We haven’t won a playoff series since 1993. And fuck the Rangers. After the Leafs, they’re probably the most hated team. You might throw the Devils in there and call it a huge three-team NY-area rivalry but, for some reason, and even with the three Stanley Cups they have, Islanders/Devils doesn’t ignite the same rage in our fanbase (same with Rangers/Devils for Rags fans).
Red Wings/Avalanche – This was more of a huge rivalry in the 90’s. I might say Red Wings/Blackhawks has become predominant.
Canadiens/Bruins – At it’s height in the 70’s when Montreal was winning all those Cups and Boston picked up a couple early in the decade. Canadiens/Leafs is similarly heated, probably also Leafs/Senators.
Oilers/Flames – Battle of Alberta. Apex was in the 80’s, as the Oilers won Stanley Cups in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. The Flames won in 1989. Calgary knocked out Edmonton in ’86 when Steve Smith scored on his own net in Game 7: otherwise, the Oilers might have won five in a row.
Penguins/Flyers – Battle of Pennsylvania. I’d say Penguins/Capitals is becoming the marquee rivalry in the East now.
MarinerIslanderSean - March 6, 2010
Did you pay the $3000 or so for tickets to the game?
ewakio - March 1, 2010 via mobile
Did you read the post?
cfred - March 2, 2010
Jeff
Although this was by far the most amazing sporting event I have ever been a part of, I have to be honest: we are not usually this patriotic. The amount of flags that you saw downtown that evening and for the two weeks of the Olympics is not indicative of the past 29 years of Vancouver/Canada that I have had a chance to witness. That said, I hope that past performance is not indicative of future performance and that we start incorporating more patriotism in our everyday lives. It’s one of the things we can learn from Americans.
Thank you for your kind words about Vancouver/Canadians. I could not be more proud of my country and city because of reviews like yours. There are hundreds out there and it makes my chest swell.
Now all I need is the Mariners and Kings to make the playoffs and I’ll be happy.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
Canadians
Canadians are seriously the nicest people I’ve ever met, I was running around Granville street waving an American flag like a madman when we tied it up at the end of regulation and no one said a word. Then after the game when I was sitting on the sidewalk feeling a little crushed all the Canadians I’d been standing by walked up to me and my buddy, shook our hands and said it was a hell of a game it was surreal. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had watching a sporting event ever
twoodard - March 1, 2010
Back in 2005, a bunch of us went up to Canada to party and get wasted.
And at one point, my friend Danny wanted to find a wheel chair so that he could ride it down this big hill(we were obviously crazy drunk by then). And while we were walking in downtown Kamloops, BC this random couple on the street overheard us talking about it, so they just completely dropped what they were doing and spent a half hour helping us find one cheap.
Goose - March 1, 2010
I wish more sports fans could be like that.
BrettJMiller - March 2, 2010
Let me tell you:
if we had lost, it wouldn’t have been nearly as cordial.
88fingerslukee - March 4, 2010
Personally, I've found that Vancouver and Whistler (the only two places I've been in Canada) are more patriotic regardless of circumstance.
Seriously. I’ve been going since I was a kid, and I’m pretty sure I see more Canadian flags each trip than I’ve seen total in America. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly seems to me that you guys have more patriotism than we do down here.
BrettJMiller - March 2, 2010
Hmmm, I disagree....but...
it does seem to be steadily increasing. We have a federal program that gives money for patriotic endeavours, so I think that might be helping.
88fingerslukee - March 4, 2010
Ryan Miller was spectacular.
How could you possibly hate the 09-10 Veniza Winner? : )
Seriously though, good stuff. Always wanted to check out Vancouver.
Slica - March 1, 2010
Do it
You won’t regret it.
88fingerslukee - March 1, 2010
Vancouver is my favorite city that I've had the chance to visit
Everything about it is amazing.
Robert - March 1, 2010
Ever been to Victoria?
It’s pretty amazing too and it’s a nice place for a weekend getaway from Vancouver
baetown415 - March 1, 2010
I love Vancouver, but Victoria is the most beautiful city I've ever seen.
(Note: I have not been to many cities.)
Teej - March 1, 2010
Victoria is easily in my top five, if not on the top- that's really a great place
Beautiful setting, very clean, very well-kept, really neat architecture. If I ever had to live outside of these United States, Victoria would be at the top of my list.
Corco - March 1, 2010
They say its like a European city.
I love Victoria. Great waterfront bars and nice back neighborhoods. Parliament is an amazing building as well.
magistermilitum - March 1, 2010
Victoria is boring, though.
It’s pretty, sure, but….
marc w - March 1, 2010
My one memory of Victoria is from a trip I took there in high school.
All I remember is seeing so many attractive women.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - March 2, 2010
Absolutely. It feels to me like a cleaner, friendlier Seattle.
BrettJMiller - March 2, 2010
Canada
Leading the World at Being Just North of the United States.
hiskeyd - March 1, 2010
Canadians are nice and clean.
Not to get political, but what the FUCK is our problem here in the US?
The Typical Idiot Fan - March 1, 2010
More people = dickishness
Toronto is by leaps and bounds not as nice as Vancouver, and they have a lot more people. NY is the most dickish city in the US for a reason.
Give it a bit of a ripple effect, and I can see why Montana has some of the nicer people around.
Faux - March 1, 2010
Plus all the super-competetive Canadians move here.
My theory of course. Canadians are great people.
magistermilitum - March 1, 2010
It's also because people in Montana are well armed.
The fantastic microbreweries help too. The bar to church ratio is one of the best in the country!
ExiledToSoCal - March 2, 2010
Torontonians are dicks
because they think they’re a “world-class city” so they only have to compare themselves to other “world-class cities” like New York. They think they’re polite enough as long as they’re more polite than New Yorkers.
I politely disagree with them.
Llewdor - March 2, 2010
Yep, and Torontonians think they're better than other Canadians
I’m from British Columbia but sometimes have to travel to Toronto for work. The common sentiment out there is that since we’re from the west we’re a bunch of hicks who live in tree houses/barns, and they’re all high and mighty because they live in Canada’s version of ‘The City’.
It’s annoying and it’s too bad that lots of foreigners who visit Toronto only get to experience that tiny part of the country, which does not represent the whole picture. I guess you could say the same thing about most cities though…
On the plus side, visiting TO presents a good chance to see live MLB. You just have to focus, and try to block out all the non-baseball fans in the crowd yacking about the Maple Leafs.
shuswapslugger - March 2, 2010
There's a Torontonian in one of my Cultural Geography classes this semester
Essentially, he thinks that all of Canada is the Windsor-Montreal corridor, centered around Toronto (populationwise, sure, he’s correct).
To him the idea that I’ve ventured forth numerous times just from experience in both cities, that Vancouverites tend to align approximately as closely with the US Northwest (in terms of culture/politics/demographics) as they do with mainland Canada is completely preposterous.
It would be like me advancing the claim that Seattleites have more in common with Atlantans than Vancouverites, and I just don’t know that you can make that claim.
Corco - March 2, 2010
I would disagree, its' just another localised joke
After 8 years of living in Toronto, I rarely have met a Torontonian that would elevate the city to that of New York, Paris, or London. I think people here are actually rather critical of the city. People make jokes that everything outside Toronto and the immediate suburbs are the woods, but it is just a joke.
It is other Canadians that complain too much about self-centered Toronto, when I just do not see it. I think it largely has to do with cultural and …..(forbidden word) differences with other areas in the nation. Specifically, Calgary vis-a-vis Toronto or the Maritimes to Southern Ontario. I see Torontonians viewing their city no different then people from Montreal see themselves. In general, I think Toronto is a nice place to live and people are very polite here, if boring at times.
tdot mariner fan - March 2, 2010
No no no!
Everyone in Montana is an unemployed Methrat. The economy is horrible, the services suck, and the outdoors are overrated. I hear Colorado is the Western state that really needs checking out. Please ignore Montana and move along.
BigR - March 2, 2010
Colorado sucks
Overpopulated, half the state is remarkably ugly, there’s a weird mix of gun carrying rednecks and liberal douchebags (cohabiting in a way that doesn’t happen in Washington) that makes for a hilarious tension, and the outdoors have all been discovered and are too crowded with tourists.
Montana all the way.
Corco - March 2, 2010
I think he was being deliberately false.
Faux - March 2, 2010
That makes perfectly good sense then
Corco - March 2, 2010
I would like Montana a lot more if they stopped it at Bozeman.
Eastern Montana is a shithole.
JAH - March 2, 2010
That's the general consensus,
And a lot of people would just as soon it stayed that way.
BigR - March 2, 2010
Ask anyone in Western Montana...
And they will tell you that anything past Livingston is West Dakota. Just remember to take the good half along when the Republic of Cascadia breaks off from the US!
ExiledToSoCal - March 4, 2010
I know two people that live in Colorado and they both can't wait to get the fuck out.
BrettJMiller - March 2, 2010
Earplugs are your friend on the road.
Edanger6 - March 1, 2010
Well I am going to two different NHL games in two cities this month later.
After watching the gold medal game, I am even more excited for the games I plan on going to this month. First, I am visiting my father in Florida, and I will be attending a Panthers game vs. the Sabres (Ryan Miller!). I have to admit, although I was an avid hockey fan in the mid to late 90’s growing up in South Florida, I never got a chance to see the Panthers play. The closest I came to going to a game was waiting in line at a supermarket with my friend and his dad to buy tickets to see the Panters vs. the Mighty Ducks, only to find out that the final tickets available were sold to the person infront of me. So I am excited to see them play even though I can only name a handful of current Panthers and long have lost my loyalty towards them.
5 days later, I will get to see the Canucks play the
MightyDucks. I am ecstatic for my four day vacation to Vancouver once I get back from Florida. Although Ive only been to Vancouver once, I enjoyed my time there so much that I can’t wait to go back. Being a big Luongo fan (since he was the only positive thing to come out of some miserable years of Panthers hockey before being traded for Todd Bertuzzi. Man, what a steal for Vancouver), I must say I will have a rooting interest towards the Canucks, not to mention they are the de facto home team for me. I am eager more to see the contrasts of the stadium environment of a South Florida NHL game to a Western Canada game. When I did go to Vancouver, the bar environment there was something similar to the bars during a Seahawks game. They love it there! Man I am excited, I will probably write a diary about my experience afterwards.Fin - March 1, 2010
Let me ask you guys this:
If they moved one of the failing franchises, say Phoenix or Nashville, to Seattle…would there be a big enough audience to warrant that move?
I say this because I can think of nothing better than a Seattle-Vancouver hockey rivalry. There have to be a lot of displaced Canadians in Seattle, no?
88fingerslukee - March 2, 2010
My gut feeling is that yes there would be, but we do not have a viable arena.
Sec 108 - March 2, 2010
Exactly, and that means that 'a big enough audience'
is entirely dependent on what sort of deal gets cut to build an arena.
marc w - March 2, 2010
I think Washington Hockey is a good thing.
On the east side of Washington State, the rivalry between the WHL teams the Tri City Americans and the Spokane Chiefs is pretty fun to behold. Yep, hockey does well over here in the desert.
The Typical Idiot Fan - March 2, 2010
Last Chiefs-Ams game I went to
I saw a goalie get taken out in a dirty way followed by 2 line brawls and another smaller brawl. The game finished with a line on the ice and 4 guys on each bench, I believe.
Brian Floyd - March 2, 2010
Believe that was a couple years ago when the Cheifs ran Pickard.
The rivalry between the two clubs has produced some amazing games and playoff series the last few years.
Don275 - March 4, 2010
I would think Seattle would have to be one of the top 3 relocation destinations.
Winnipeg is probably first, and people talk about Hamilton, but that would really cut into Buffalo’s market, so I don’t see it.
Does Portland have a good arena?
Llewdor - March 2, 2010
The Rose Garden could probably handle it.
It holds 18K+ for hockey.
Mariner John - March 2, 2010
Great arena, but no way Portland could support a team.
Sec 108 - March 2, 2010
That's about the same as Verizon Center (Capitals)
And about 500 more than TD Gardens (Bruins) or Prudential Center (Devils), 400 less than HSBC (Sabres). It’s definitely viable for a major market team, as long as they wouldn’t mind moving into a 15 year old building.
The biggest hurdle in a Portland market is the corporate deals I think. Nike would bite on a suite/ad package, but I’m not sure if Intel would have the same gusto that Microsoft/Nintendo have had for Seattle sports. I don’t think it has the corporate base that a larger city like Seattle does.
Faux - March 2, 2010
The Seattle area has one of the biggest rec leagues for hockey in the US
plus a lot of youth players and an established presence from the WHL. There would be support, but as Sec said, an arena is needed. Either new or a Key revamp (needed anyways).
Matthew - March 2, 2010
It should be outdoor
maybe the Memorial Stadium site, instead of tearing it down for green spaces
G_ - March 2, 2010
Seattle Center is a horrible place for an arena.
Parking is fucked up big time. Getting to and from via I-5 sucks. I also want an arena that the county oversees and not the city. Seattle is too entrenched at the highest levels with uncooperative lifers.
Sec 108 - March 2, 2010
West Seattle it is!
G_ - March 2, 2010
An outdoor arena, especially in Seattle, would be a preposterously stupid idea
Matthew - March 2, 2010
Our climate during NHL season is... wet
Graham MacAree - March 2, 2010
Free ice!
abender20 - March 2, 2010
Free pre-ice!
abender20 - March 2, 2010
It would follow in Seattle's long history of pond hockey
G_ - March 2, 2010
Isn't there going to be a vote for Key Arena renovation this year?
Can they include modifications for a hockey stadium? I am hoping the success of the Sounders could attract perspective hockey franchises.
Fin - March 2, 2010
Go Pot!
chrisisasavage - March 2, 2010
Wheeeeee!
88fingerslukee - March 4, 2010
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