(And he's still never been to a Capitals game …)
One of the most memorable things about being in Vancouver for Canada's gold medal victory over the U.S. in 2010 Olympic hockey was the celebration. It wasn't limited to the arena or the public squares around the arena. It wasn't centralized on a main drag like Granville Street.
It was citywide. Hell, it was province-wide. Which was difficult for an American cursing under his breath while staring at his shoes, as he walked through the jubilant chaos; we imagine anyone wearing teal and black in Vancouver after Tuesday night's Game 5 of the Western Conference finals felt much the same way.
Thing is, even as an opposing fan, the enthusiasm and catharsis emanating from the Vancouver faithful eventually wears you down. You appreciate the enormity of the celebration, the meaningfulness of hockey to the communities, and euphoria of the moment.
Coming up, fan videos from around Vancouver and B.C. that captured the joy of the Vancouver Canucks' Game 5 win over the San Jose Sharks ? and, perhaps, offered a cursory glimpse of what might go down four wins from now if the Canucks capture the Stanley Cup.
The scene inside the arena after Kevin Bieksa's double-OT winner, confetti and all:
From Granville Street, where one estimate had 10,000 fans partying Tuesday night:
Doug Kooy was there!
Honking and cheering and fake Stanley Cups flying by on the Vancouver streets:
The fans at Scott Road and 72nd Ave. celebrate the win. From the YouTube description:
Fans take over Scott Road yet again! 500+Men women, seniors, cricket fans, people who had no clue about the game, those who didn't watch a single game, common noise-making types, bhangra dancing folk as well as those who just wanted to take in all the hype and play a part in the infamous roadblock could not resist skipping this one tonight.
This guy topped off the night with an almost perfect improvised (Two line Punjabi Folk verse):
"After many years of drought he finally brought along mango(s); he made a multitude of saves, may long live Luongo!
Mangos?
On Broadway and Commercial, you can hear the party on other blocks and get a sense of what was going down away from the massive city centers:
Here's how Batman would have viewed the Canucks celebration:
Sounds like Vancouver won the hockey game from Tanya Stemberger on Vimeo.
Meanwhile, in what used to be the Empire:
Up at Burns Lake (population: 2,726) in B.C.:
And finally, here's the scene in Ghana.
Wait, WTF?
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