Canucks break the “Chicago curse”

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s our turn to gloat a little. You won’t have to hear Chelsea Dagger, hopefully, for a long while.

The Vancouver Canucks finished off the Chicago Blackhawks and their Fratellis-loving fans last night with a huge 2-1 overtime win in Game Seven at Rogers Arena. The Canucks were just a couple minutes away from eliminating the ‘Hawks in regulation but a late goal forced OT.

Alex Burrows scored the winning goal but he could have just as easily been the goat. He was the only Vancouver goal scorer last night; the only one needed.

“He calmed the team’s nerves with that first goal early in the game off a backhand pass by Ryan Kesler, but he would send panic through Canucks nation, taking a hooking call 24 seconds into overtime,” explains News1130 Sports Director Ann Schmaltz.

“The penalty was killed, and then moments after stepping out of the box, Burrows reached into the air, gloved a clearing attempt by the Chicago defenceman, ripped a slapshot over the shoulder of the Blackhawks’ goaltender, and that was it — game over.”

Ironically, it was Burrows who said to his teammates after the third period that this is what legends are made of, and “someone would be a hero.” Maybe that was a little foreshadowing on his part.

Schmaltz was in Rogers Arena when the winning goal went in the net and fans erupted. “It was absolute pandemonium!”

“It was so loud, you couldn’t even hear the person next to you screaming,” she describes. “It was a blinding white-wash with all of those white towels being waved. Canucks fans certainly deserve it. They’ve waited a long time to celebrate like this.”

“The fans stood and cheered for what seemed like an eternity,” she adds. “Then instantly, you could hear the horns and sirens outside the building. It was so reminiscent of that gold medal winning game last winter.”

“Last night’s emotion inside Rogers Arena is something that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.”

(See more below)

Jim Hughson’s thoughts

Even the man who called last night’s game wasn’t sure what was going to happen. The CBC’s Jim Hughson joined us live on News1130 this morning, and told us the series was amazing but very difficult to predict.

“It was like reading a Dickens novel, trying to figure out how they were going to finish this off, because there were so many plot turns and twists,” he explains. “It was a spectacular series in that sense, in that you never really knew what was going to happen, what was around the next corner, and who would be the hero or the villain.”

He admits he did a little cheer when Alex Burrows scored the overtime winner, telling us even he was amazed by how Canucks fans became so invested in the team. “Having lived here for a long time and watched what’s gone on with this hockey team, it was amazing to see how many people were affected by a hockey team, and how many people were so joyous when they finally won.”

Hughson says the challenge of eliminating the Blackhawks might give the Canucks the momentum they need to go deep into the NHL post-season. But it will be tough, especially if the Predators come out hard to try to take advantage of the Canucks who may still be celebrating last night’s thrilling win.

Is this the type of scare that could push the Canucks all the way to the Stanley Cup?

“I wouldn’t say scare, more a big-time test  — and the Canucks passed, finally!” says Schmaltz. “I don’t know if I would be mentioning the Stanley Cup just yet. That was only round one. There would be six more weeks of intense emotion before a cup would be hoisted.

Up next: Round two with the Nashville Predators. “[It’s a] team I think the Canucks match up well against.”

This series will likely come down to goaltending. “Pekka Rinne is unbelievable; he’s so solid in net. But Roberto Luongo appears to be finding his groove and holding his own.”

The two Vezina Trophy nominees will square off when round two begins.

Fans on the morning after

Players and fans are both tired; emotionally spent. It’s exhausting hopping on and off a bandwagon. These seven games of highs and lows have even pushed some to the brink of conspiracy.

“Can’t play like a team all season with the awards that they won and then within two games have 12 goals scored against them or something like that,” says one man. “Yeah, there’s definitely some backroom wheeling and dealing going on there.”

There’s lots of comparison this morning to Team Canada’s gold medal win. The only regret is it took the Canucks seven games, and the sacrifice of a good rest.

Fan impressions on the next match-up

Most fans admit getting past the Blackhawks is a huge monkey off the team’s back, especially for Roberto Luongo. But what about the Predators?

Round one has given the Canucks the kind of mental toughness that will take them all the way to the Stanley Cup, according to Jeremy. “I think that now that they’ve faced such adversity, they’re gonna know how to deal with Nashville; they’re going to come out stronger. We’re going to deal with them a lot better than we did Chicago.”

Terry says Nashville is a hot team and shouldn’t be taken lightly. “Nashville is no easy match-up that’s for sure. But we got our work cut out for us. Pekka Rinne can be a little unpredictable and he’s good in net and we gotta be faster and better than them and we are.”

Cole agrees, telling us with the Blackhawks in the rear-view, the Predators shouldn’t be as difficult. “They don’t have a very good playoff history, but they have a pretty good history against us. It won’t be as tough as Chicago but it’s still going to be tough. It’s a tough haul all the way to the cup.”

Looking at the regular season series isn’t much help: The teams faced each other four times, with Vancouver winning two and Nashville winning the other two.

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