"They played like they were in Boston."
So said a dejected Vancouver Canucks fan as she made her way to the parking lot at CN Centre, one of about 850 who gathered for what they thought was going to be Stanley Cup celebration for the ages.
Instead, what they got was a Game 7 nightmare Wednesday when their beloved Canucks were shut out 4-0 by the Boston Bruins. As the woman alluded, the Canucks in Wednesday's deciding game in Vancouver closely resembled the team that was outscored 17-3 while losing all three games of the series in Boston.
Bruins fans were few and far between in the CN Centre crowd but there were a handful who were positively elated when Brad Marchand wristed a high shot for his second of the game into an empty net to ice the Boston victory.
Amber Skuce and her friend Kiersten Prestwich were easy to spot, decked out in Bruin black and gold. Neither of them was even born when the Bruins last won the Cup 39 years ago.
"I like the Bruins basically because they were the underdogs forever and I grew up watching them with my dad," said Skuce. "I think the Canucks are dirty players and they do a lot of whining so I don't like them. [Bruins goalie and playoff MVP] Tim Thomas has a lot to do with the Bruins winning.
"The first two games I came here, people were picking on me because I'm a Boston fan. Now my team's winning and it's good to have the shoe on the other foot."
Todd Bartrim wore his blue Dan Hamhuis Canucks jersey and brought his six-year-old son Tristan to CN Centre to watch the game on the big screen. They came prepared, with a Canucks flag on a hockey stick for Tristan to wave, but there was very little for them to celebrate and the banner sat unused on the table.
"We're missing Danny [referring to the injured Hamhuis, who got hurt in Game 2]," said Bartrim.
"I'm speechless. I would have at least expected a better show at home. [Canucks goalie Roberto] Luongo has lost his confidence, he's just not looking sharp at all.
"I've been a Canucks fan my whole life and I was at Game 6 [of the final] in '94. I was in Vancouver for Game 2 [this year] and I couldn't go to the game but we were out in the streets and it was a big party [after a Canucks' win]. I hope it doesn't get ugly there tonight."
Unfortunately it did. There was some rioting after the game in downtown Vancouver. See story on page 5.
The lone bright spot for Canuck lovers in Prince George, as painful as it was for them to watch, was seeing NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for the first time present the Stanley Cup to a former Prince George Cougar -- Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.
