I don't agree Talloola. Vancouver fans must be among the most patient in the league. We were in the Stanley Cup final in 1982 and we have never been that close again. We have Roberto Luongo who is thought by some to be the best goaltender in the league, yet, a couple games ago he was yanked because he let in the first three or four shots. Almost every game Luongo lets in one or two easy goals. I admit that once in a while Luongo gets in a zone and they can't throw sand by him but is Luongo going to win a cup? I honestly don't know. What I would like to see is some of the consistancy that we pay 7 million a year for. Like I said earlier, If the Canucks can put together four or five wins in a row, I'll jump back on the bandwagon. I think Vancouver's big problem is that win or lose, the fans still fill the seats.
Fans can't be in a position to be patient or not, and if
fans are impatient, and won't watch because the team isn't playing the way 'they' want them to, and they quit watching, it is their loss, they don't get to watch hockey any more, and only want to win, can't take losing.
They
either follow the team and understand what they are doing,
or they follow when the team is doing well, then turn their
back when they are not. Vancouver is a hockey city, has
been since I was a little girl, before the NHL ever came
to town, they love hockey and will turn out, and have turned
out for poorer teams as well as good ones, nothing to do
with patience, most of the fans know that you might win
and you might lose, so that's the way it goes.
They turn out in Toronto every saturday night, to a losing
team, they love their hockey, and support their team, good
or bad, same as montreal, only montreal fans are vicious,
and boo their team if they play one bad period, have for
years.
I will accept Luongo as he is, and
live with his greatness, and not greatness, tell me who
you would change him for, with exception of other top
goalies in the league, who are no better than he is, (exception kiprisoff),
and Miller, who is shaky of late, since olympics, and also nabokov also since
olympics, and they make just as much money or more. Canucks had a line up of goalies
come and go, all of which were good goalies, but had either
problems or inconsistency or injuries, and now we have Luongo,
who, this season has ebbs and flows, but all in all, has
saved games, come up with mind boggling saves, and some
games he was pulled, and some of those games, he wasn't
pulled because of 'his' play, sometimes it was the teams
play, so out he would come, probably a game the next day,
so rest him, as the game is out of reach, and raycroft can
finish.
Is that all people think of, playing for the stanley cup?
I love hockey, enjoy every game, win or lose, feel bad for
the team when they have a bad game, (but not for myself),
this isn't about me, or any fan, it is about the team and
the players, they don't owe me anything, my life isn't
defined by what they do. They love to play hockey, and
do their best to win every game, and I love to watch hockey,
and watch every game.
They need me, and I need them, but I don't expect them to
cater to me, or make my emotional day, and I'm not going
to turn my back, just because they might not win, or they
might not make it through the first or second round of the
playoffs.
If you expect a goalie to be brilliant every game because
he is making lots of money, then be prepared to have
dissapointments, because all of the top goalies have
stinkers, and also let in the odd easy goal. It is a
team effort, and on many occasions, the defense leave him
out to dry, don't cover the 'back door' shots, which they
should, or they don't get out of the way when he needs to
see the shot, and the odd easy one goes in, just as the
players also make some errors.
The most consistent goalie in the league, in my opinion,
is kiprisoff, and if he wasn't, that team would be down
in the basement with Edmonton.
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