Hockey isn’t just a hobby for me — it’s the pulse that keeps me going, the way I make sense of everything around me. And at the heart of it all, is my love for the Vancouver Canucks. I can’t remember the first time I skated, but I remember the first time I saw the Canucks play. I was about seven, sitting next to my dad, watching as Pavel Bure flew down the ice like a blur. His speed was unreal, and I felt my heart race with him. Then there was Trevor Linden, the quiet, dependable captain, who didn’t just score goals, but led with heart. I knew, right then, that this was my sport. This was what I wanted to do.
From that moment on, I watched every game I could. The Canucks became more than a team to me. They were my obsession. I read about their history, memorized their stats, and followed every game with a kind of intensity I didn’t know I was capable of. I relived the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals in my mind, as if I had been there, feeling the heartbreak of that Game 7 loss. But even in their defeats, there was something about the Canucks — their resilience, their passion — that kept me hooked.
As I started playing hockey, I tried to channel everything I loved about the Canucks into my own game. I wasn’t the fastest or the best, but I spent hours on the rink, practicing my skating, my passing, my shot. I tried to play like Henrik and Daniel Sedin, the twins who could read the game like no one else. They weren’t flashy; they were precise, and I admired that. I wanted to be the guy who could make the perfect pass or slip through defenders like Bure.
Hockey is a mix of chaos and grace. On the ice, you’re never in control for long. But watching the Canucks play — the hits, the goals, the drama — taught me how to fight through adversity, how to keep going no matter what. I know the Canucks haven’t won the Cup in my lifetime, but every season brings that hope. The next year could be the one, and when I’m on the ice, I feel that same hope. Hockey isn’t just a game. It’s my game, and the Canucks are my team, and we’re in it together.