They say that sports brings a town together unlike anything else and as the Vancouver Canucks make their run towards the Stanley Cup, the focal point for the city’s energy has been nothing less than Rogers Arena.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that there’s nothing particularly cutting edge about Rogers Arena. As buildings go for sports it’s by no means a Safeco Field down in Seattle or the New Yankee Stadium, but it serves its purpose, even if it does require itself to house Kid Rock every once in a while.
But for the growing legions of hockey fans currently bleeding the blue, green and white of the Vancouver Canucks, Rogers Arena is church and it is home. For a town devoted to keeping up the No Fun city moniker for so long, Rogers Arena and the Orca inside it have truly brought Vancouverites together in a fashion not seen since the random stranger high fiving days of the 2010 Olympics.
There’s something talismanic about watching a city go gaga for a sports team that’s gotten to the divisional finals for the first time in 17 years. It feels like there’s an energy throughout the city with its lay lines leading directly back into center ice at Rogers Arena. It feels good, to see the place bumping, not with your typical sports bravado but with that civic pride that Vancouverites rarely show. Damn it feels good to be a Canucks fan right now.