Hello

I got spooked off my last blog. I have always struggled with writing. To put it better, I struggle with finding my voice in words. That seems deep, but its actually quite frustrating. I will be hiding this blog. I dont care about views or notoriety, that I will not gain. I am also not going to B.S my way with some hyper conservative religious talk. I veered that way in my past blog, and I have grown past that now.

I want to talk about the Canucks. I want to discuss with you how my heart is hurting over a lack of respect for my team.

The last time the Canucks made it to the third round of the playoffs I was in Kindergarten. Thats a long time ago. 1994 to be exact. To some of you that is just a blink of an eye. But for me, I was just a small boy. Since then I have sat through the years where they sucked. I have sat through the "West Coast Express." What a disaster. Now I am sitting through this team.

I want the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup. I want to have that feeling that my team is the best. However, I will not stand by and cheer against the Sharks if they beat the Canucks. That is gutless. Let me explain to you a few things.

I am a real hockey fan. I love the game. I love skating and feeling my face get cold on a winter day from skating into the wind. I like the sound of my skates against the ice. I like the feel of the puck on a newly taped stick. I like the feeling of snapping my wrist and shooting the puck. There is not a single thing I like doing more in the world. I have done my best thinking playing hockey. I have had my greatest pain playing hockey. I have had my greatest triumphs playing hockey. This sport runs deep in me and is etched in my DNA.

 I have learned not to let it consume me.

That is what I see happening here this playoff. I see fans flooding facebook with absolute hate towards my team. I have seen fights go on over how the Canucks suck. It is despicable.

Dont get me wrong, every fan deserves the right to cheer, but this is going too far. Putting facebook pictures of the team the Canucks are playing against. Hatred on message boards. Its just ridiculous. Here is the problem.

People need to be defined by something. People need to be able to belong to something. Hence sports teams. What is truly sad is here we see groups of people who define themselves as a fan of a hockey team. Love the game for what it is, not who plays it. Grow up and define yourselves by the content of your character and not how much you "love" your team. In other words, its to be enjoyed, not lived.

I love hockey. But I hate living it.