No, I will not just forget 1994.

Last night, the Canucks hit a little bump in the road known as their amazing recent run. At least, I hope it's nothing more than a little bump, rather than a fall into a losing pattern. The frustrating thing, is that the loss came at the hands of the hated New York Rangers, 0-1. The always solid Cory Schneider stopped 34 of 35 shots, stoning the Rangers on a crazy 2-on-1 breakaway, and probably needing to take the posts out to dinner for saving him more than once. Lundqvist may have gotten all the love, but he stopped just 31. It was a game where the refs seemed to put their whistles away, and the Vannies just weren't able to benefit from the opportunity to create quick pace because of that damned New York trap!

As you know, I was pumped up about the Canucks/Rangers game, as always, for two reasons. First, my cousin is a die hard Rangers fan, and a good old fashioned family sports battle is always enjoyable. Second, I'm still bitter about the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Now, as you also know, 'Nucks Misconduct is one of my favorite Canucka blogs. So, you can probably surmise that I was shocked to read a post on the blog where the writer suggested that we Canucks fans get over it, and let '94 go. To quote directly, "We should probably let 1994 go." As a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, I just can't understand that statement. 

I'm the guy who has "Raising The Cup: The 1994 Finals" on "keep" status on my DVR, and watch it frequently. Maybe a quick reminder of my story would help all to understand how the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals will never be forgotten. It was my 12th birthday, February 3, 1994. I was celebrating at my Grandfather's cabin in Big Bear, CA with my family (mother, father, aunt, uncle, and cousins). My cousin, Daniel, had always been a hockey fan, and told me I needed to get into it. I knew nothing about puck at the time, so I was skeptical. He convinced me that if I picked a team, and followed them through the remainder of the season, I would surely become a fan for life. He encouraged me to take his NHL 2003-2004 Season Preview Book (which was this sweet glossy book that reviewed the previous year, and previewed each team's season to come) and simply open it to a random page. I agreed, opened the book, and saw that I had flipped to the Vancouver Canucks. 

That was the start of a beautiful relationship. ESPN2 was the main source for hockey fans back then, and I was able to catch Canucks games from time to time, and would even watch Ranger games if they were on, as they were my cousin's team (he dreamed of being Mike Richter). Players like Geoff Courtnall, Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, Kirk McLean, Gino Odjick, Jyrki Lumme, and Cliff Ronning became my on-ice heroes. I'll admit here that playing NHL '94 for SNES against my cousin every chance we got (always Canucks v Rangers), only furthered my love of the real team.

So, I followed my Canucks to their 7th seed qualifying position in the West, their thrilling 7 game upset over the Flames in the opening round, their 5 game smashing of Dallas in the semifinals, and their impressive 5 game defeat (with 2 shutouts) of Andrew's Maple Leafs in the Western (yes, Western) Conference Finals. And, like a dream, my Canucks (who had before only made the Stanley Cup in 1982, the year of my birth) were set to face my cousin's New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. They opened the series with a 3-2 OT win at the Garden. I couldn't believe it. Then, fear set in as they lost 3 straight. Even as a young sports fan, I knew it was over. But, as our favorite teams often tend to do, the Canucks gave me hope. A 6-3 victory at the MSG in game 5 was followed by a 4-1 win back home in game 6. On June 14, 1994, the series returned to New York for the decisive game 7. That game would finish 3-2 in favor of my cousin's Blue Shirts. Ranger fans were rioting on Broadway in pure elation. Canucks fans were rioting on Robson in an attempt to relieve the pain.

It has been 17 years since that happened, although I remember it all in such vivid detail, and I still get the chills talking about it. How in God's name, am I supposed to "let it go?" How could I ever forget how I felt that summer of '94? How can I ever see a Canucks/Rangers game on the schedule, and not flash back to the Cup, wanting revenge? I can't. It's not possible. Don't ask me to do it.

My boys have a chance for a quick rebound tonight in our Nation's capital. The game is on NHL Network, and I'll be watching.

I'll leave you with some great jersey fouls via Puck Daddy at Yahoo!: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Jersey-Fouls-Jesus-is-no-Roberto-Luongo-epic-L;_ylt=At8.uhOrUNOCEEEP3bntya4JfwM6?urn=nhl-307610

-- Sent from my Palm Prē