The Stanchion Goal
We all remember where we were.
Me?
I lived in a basement suite on Wiltshire Street in South Vancouver / Marpole. Just a young 20-something year old Broadcast Journalism graduate, fresh out of school & salivating at the possibility of watching my childhood team finally win a cup.
Surely I'll waltz right into a high paying job at Bell Media/TEAM Radio or Rogers Sportnet when they have a sudden shortage of people to talk about the city's first championship.
Right?!
Ok, maybe not. But stick with me.
I had my late boxer Maggie with me on the couch. I mean, I was standing, but she was somehow relaxing through my anxiety.
The puck went up the boards after Alexandre Burrows wrangled it up off an errant Bieksa shot, before Alexander Edler attempted to dump it back around to a waiting Daniel Sedin.
That's when the magic happened.
Off a stanchion used to hold the seamless glass in place, the puck ricocheted back towards the open Blueline, a 'pizza' served up for 'BoomBoom' Bieksa.
He didn't get all of it, but what he also didn't do was hesitate, he let the rolling puck go & it skipped past Evgeni Nabokov, sending the boys to the big dance.
I ran outside screaming in my backyard, I could hear horns, screaming & remember the city just being alive when I went for my nightly walk down Granville with Maggie.
He had helped along the way, but fans could now directly give Bieksa credit for sending his team to the Finals. His stick did the job.
This team was undoubtably the best team in 2010-11, statistically speaking it's not an argument. The other thing that can't be argued is they lost the Stanley Cup. On home ice. In game 7.
They are not only the best Canucks team ever, they are one of the best constructed teams in NHL history, they just couldn't get that 16th win.
As an extra treat, it appears 'Juice' will appear with his old friend Dan Murphy in the 1st Intermission of Rogers Sportsnet's cable broadcast.
Forget about the cup for now though, instead raise a glass to one of the best to ever do it.🍷
| POLL | ||
What is the biggest goal in Canucks playoff history? | ||
| Bieksa vs San Jose GM5 '11 2OT | 9 | 22 % |
| Bure vs Calgary GM7 '94 2OT | 10 | 24.4 % |
| Alex Burrows vs Blackhawks GM7 '11 OT | 22 | 53.7 % |
| Greg Adams vs Leafs GM5 '94 2OT | 0 | 0 % |
| List of polls | ||
