24 Reasons Why I’m Pumped for the NHL Playoffs

The 2017 NHL playoffs start in just three sleeps! It’s been 24 years since a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup. Here are 24 reasons why I’m excited for this year’s playoffs

1. Five Canadian teams will be in the playoffs (unfortunately my Vancouver Canucks will not be one of them). Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton will all be in the playoffs. There will be at least one all-canafian match-up with the Leafs taking on the Senators. If Edmonton wins the Pacific division they will face their Alberta rivals, the Flames, in round 1

2. Eating breakfast while watching a marathon multi-OT game. For fans on the east coast, games can start as late as 10:30EST and end as late as 3AM. It’s a time-honoured tradition to be watching hockey and drinking a Tim Horton’s coffee

3. Getting to see some great hockey rivalries. In some respects, hockey rivals develop in the playoffs as the same teams meet for up to 7 games in a row. Whereas in the regular season, teams meet as little as twice a season. This year’s first round could feature the battle of Alberta and the battle of Ontario depending on how teams finish in the standings. Montreal could face Ottawa or Toronto.

4. Listening to Don Cherry’s commentary on Coach’s Corner. Love him or hate him, Don Cherry always provides commentary to keep fans talking.

5. Watching 4 games simultaneously. The first round always has up to four games going at once as there is limited time to get each round completed.

6. Getting to wear my jersey to work. Many places of employment bend the dress code during the playoffs, allowing it’s workers to wear team jerseys on game days.

7. Wearing my jersey everyday without washing it. I don’t have a lot of superstitions but one I do have is not washing my jersey until my team loses. During the Canucks 2011 Stanley Cup run, I proudly wore my jersey every day on game days to/from school or volunteering. It definitely got stinky after a while, especially since Vancouver had a heat wave in May/June that year.

8. Waving the white towel. Roger Nielsen’s 1982 Canucks team started this tradition during game 2 of the 1982 Campbell Conference finals during a game which the Canucks felt was poorly reffed. Today, every team hands towels for the fans to wave on every seat. You can also purchase towels at participating realtors

9. Car flags. During the playoffs, it is common to see car flags attached to local vehicles. These flags can also be purchased at participating realtors.

10. Horn honking after your favorite team wins. Vancouver is a pretty fun hockey town when the Canucks win. During the playoffs, after a win you can hear people honking their horns downtown. Generally this increases as the Canucks advance deeper in the playoffs

11. playoff pools. I love participating in hockey pools. Personally, I join in on the free ones and just play for fun. However, fans can also pay a fee and win money if they have the winning team. I recommend Yahoo or Sportsnet if you want to play for free. You can even start one at work/school.

12. Playoff brackets. Another great way to enjoy games is signing up for a playoff bracket where you pick the winners of each series and how long the series will go. I’m not as good at these games but I still enjoy playing nonetheless. NHL.com and sportsnet.ca both offer bracket challenges

13. watching the games in a bar/restaurant. Occasionally, I go to Boston Pizza and watch a hockey game. I love cheering loud with the other restaurant patrons when the Habs score a big goal. You’ll want to get there early because bars/restaurants will have limited seating and if it’s full when you get there, you’re kind of out of luck. Smaller bars may not be offering the games due to a new policy by Roger’s and Bell, (Roger’s owns Sportsnet which provides hockey coverage).

14. High fiving random strangers I see walking down the street after a big win. The best place to be the day after a big win is right downtown. Especially as the home team goes deeper in the playoffs, it will seem like every other person is wearing a jersey. 2011 was a blast for me as a Vancouverite.

15. Watching games on downtown screens. Many municipalities in Canada install outdoor screens where fans can watch outside. Unfortunately, this may never happen in Vancouver again because our fans rioted after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals

16. Getting to leave work early to go watch the game. Some employers will allow workers to leave early to watch the local team win, especially if it is game 7 of the Stanley cup finals. For those who don’t have a generous employer, you can always take a sick day on game day. Of course, you may not have a job to go back too.

17. Playing street hockey ahead of the game. A great way to get ready for the game is to actually play a game of street hockey. All you need are a bunch of buddies, a couple of nets and a nice sunny day. Although you can technically play in the rain, street hockey is much more fun in the sun.

18. Game day parties. Don’t want to go out to a bar or can’t afford tickets? No problem, you can be the host of a game day party. I recommend making it a potluck where everyone brings a dish. Just make sure you keep track of who’s bringing what or you might have only chips and salsa.

19. Not having to see teams that are clearly inferior play. While there is good parity in the NHL, there are a few teams that are clearly over-matched most nights. For example, the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche are both in rebuilds and won’t be expected to be competitive for a couple of seasons. The playoffs features teams which are more evenly matched for the most part. This makes the games more exciting as you don’t know who will come out on top until the end.

20. Participating on social media platforms. FaceBook and Twitter are both great avenues for talking hockey. During games, fans can post and comment on virtually anything from the crazy tie Don Cherry is wearing to a controversial call in the game. I like to scroll through my Twitter and Facebook feeds just to see what my friends are commenting about during games.

21. Sports talk radio. After the game is over, I love to turn on the radio or go online and tune into sports talk radio. The radio hosts will have analysis on the game, comments from the players and coach’s and injury updates. You can even participate and call in with your thoughts on the game.

22. Hockey blogs. I like both reading and writing blog posts on hockey. You can get so many perspectives on the game from average Joe fans like myself and experts and former players alike. Personal favorite blogs of mine are Rabidhabs.com, habseyesontheprize.com and awinninghabit.com.

23. Winning the Stanley Cup while playing NHL ‘17 as the Vancouver Canucks. I am a huge fan of playing video games. Video games have evolved so much over the years that playing one is like being on the ice for real. The players in the game look very similar to the real players. You can play by yourself or against other gamers. I recommend trying a game to kill time.

24. Seeing the Montreal Canadiens win the 2017 Stanley Cup. Will this year be the year the Habs break the streak of consecutive years not winning the Stanley Cup? On paper, they have a pretty solid chance. When it happens, I’ll be the first one waving my towel loud and proud in downtown Vancouver.