The Canucks lost again on Tuesday night. It's kind of what they do now. In fact, it's kind of what they've been doing all season.
What they haven't been doing is scoring. Vancouver was shut out versus Winnipeg, marking the third straight game they've been blanked, as well as a franchise record scoring drought. It's a pretty rough time to be a fan of this team. Or is it? As the bandwagon empties, here are several reasons why now is the time to get onboard.
FUTURE-PROOF FANDOM
By becoming a fan now, at one of the Canucks’ lowest moments, you are forever immune to any accusations of being a fair-weather fan. You didn’t sign up when the Canucks made a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, or at the height of the Sedins’ prowess. You definitely didn't sign up when they were scoring. Your heart was pure.
And when the Canucks are good again, you have a ready-made answer for anyone who suggests you’re just jumping on the bandwagon because of Hashtag McDougall, their all-star left-winger.
STREET CRED
If you ever get in a battle of one-upmanship with other Canucks fans, you’re set. Picture the scene: you’re gather around the water cooler in your office five years from now with your co-workers of varying ages.
“I’ve been a fan since the Keenan and Messier years.”
“I’ve been a fan since the mid-80’s. Two words: Bill LaForge.”
“I’ve been a fan since the beginning, when the Canucks lost Gilbert Perreault to the spin of a wheel.”
“I’ve been a fan since the 2015-16 season.”
“Oh. Oh man. You win.”
CHEAP TICKETS
It wasn’t that long ago that Canucks tickets were prohibitively expensive for some fans, making it difficult to justify taking your family to see a game.
Now, with four games left at Rogers Arena, you can get tickets on the Canucks Ticket Exchange for $35. You can get them on StubHub for $25. And if you want to see a game from the lower bowl, you can likely find a great deal right now. Sure, the quality of the product will be terrible, but it's so cheap. If it works for Ikea, it could work for you.
TRUE EXPERIENCE
Look, being a Canucks fan carries with it a lot of disappointment, frustration, and pain. It’s been over 40 years without a Stanley Cup, with only three trips to the Finals, and many, many seasons of mediocrity or worse.
But suffering through terrible seasons is part of the shared experience as Canucks fans. It's part of what binds us together as a community. By jumping on the bandwagon now, you get a crash course in Canucks fandom.
Someone who became a fan in 2008-09 and saw five straight Northwest Division championships and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final may have a skewed perspective on what it means to be a Canucks fan. They probably think it's fun, nice, rewarding. But you'll know better.
HIPSTERISM
The Canucks have some good prospects right now, young players who could really make a splash in the years to come. By getting in on the Canucks now, you can say you got in on the ground floor: you were a Jake Virtanen fan before he was cool, back when he was still hanging out with Justin Bieber like a chump. You’ve known Ben Hutton was a top pairing defenceman since his rookie year. You were a fan of Brock Boeser before he ever stepped on the ice at Rogers Arena.
Then you can throw some Post-EDM Junkcore on your vintage iPod and coast off on your hoverboard. Ironically, of course.
