A Road Canuck Fan's Guide on How Not to Be a Jerk*

Video from outside Staples Center after the Kings game. Looks like a lot of fun. Fun is good.

Wow, it was exhilarating to go to the Ducks game. I met Daniel and Harrison, and their wives, and that was pretty amazing. We were also surrounded by Canucks fans. Living in California, I only see the Canucks when they're on the road against the Ducks or the Kings. I cheer loud, but I'm usually shouted down. Not last night.

Still, there were moments where I was a little embarrassed. The Canucks fans I saw were passionate, yes, but also -- dare I say? -- impolite at times. I don't want Canucks fans to be hated league-wide. That would suck. What would suck even more, though, is if the Canucks were hated for good reason. For that reason, let's discuss what is and is not good form.

The Anthem

Good Form: Singing along with the Canadian anthem. Your patriotism is an inspiration. After the Canadian anthem comes the American one, and you'll often hear the Americans around you singing along with it. A friend once took me to a Ducks-Thrashers game. There was no singing along of any kind. It's a nice thought that Canadian fans on the road inspire locals to be more patriotic. And no one can really fault you for it. (Note: The poor Americans. O Canada is a song pretty much anyone can sing. The Star Spangled Banner, on the other hand, is usually better left to the professionals.)

Bad Form: Booing the American anthem, sitting down for it, putting your hat on for it, etc. Come on. You hate when Philly fans boo the Canadian anthem. And for good reason -- it's a jerk thing to do. I bet their Canadian players don't like it, either. Come to think of it, Kesler probably doesn't like hearing HIS national anthem boo'd. But then, he hates Canada either way. Don't do this.

Going to a Game, Plus Other Reasons to Be Excited

I'll be at the February 19 matchup between the Canucks and Stars. I am pumped.

Being a writer on an evidently popular Canucks blog (unless you are all my family with increasingly complicated pseudonyms), you would think that I frequently attend Canucks games in person. Such is not the case: I have actually only been to one Canucks game in my entire life. The issue is that Canucks tickets cost money, which I have only infrequently*. I grew up going to Chilliwack Chiefs games with my grandpa and I catch an occasional Chilliwack Bruins, Abbotsford Heat or Aldergrove Kodiaks game, but going to a Canucks game is a special treat. Until the Canucks start handing out press passes to blogs, going to a game will be a rare event.

This Saturday, however, my wife and I will be in Vancouver with my brother and his wife to watch the Canucks take on the Stars. The tickets were a Christmas present from my dad, who is awesome**. Massive understatement: I'm excited. For those who frequently step into the confines of GM Place Rogers Arena, it may be a bit more routine, but for me this is huge. I'm also fairly confident about the Canucks' chances: they have outscored the Stars 15-3 in their 3 meetings this season. Even with a battered defense, I've got a good feeling.

To make things even better, that's not the end of it: this Saturday ignites a fuse of awesome Canuck-ness set to explode when Harrison, myself, and our wives pack our bags for The Greatest Road Trip of All Time (TM). It starts with the game against the Stars, continues with Harrison's much-ballyhooed Scrabble Battle against Tanner Glass (which I will be attending and intend to live-blog for everyone's enjoyment), continues with the Canucks Superskills on the 27th, and climaxes with the road trip. It shall be glorious.

What can I say? I'm a fan. Look for stories, pictures, and other goodies in the coming weeks.

* Speaking of, we need to start making some money with this blog. Any ideas?

** Now that it has been stated on the internet, it is set in stone and cemented as fact.

PITB & The Canucks California Road Trip, Vol. I

Have you seen the Canucks' schedule in March? They're away quite a bit. They play 15 times in 31 days, with 9 of those contests in other people's buildings, as part of two lengthy road trips. The first will be five games, and the second will be four.

That first road trip is the annual California road trip, a rite of passage for Canucks fans. It's a jaunt that takes them through all three of California's hockey cities--Los Angeles, Anaheim, and San Jose--as well as the nearest out-of-state hockey town, Phoenix (if you can call it a hockey town when the team plays somewhere else and no one cares). If you're a Vancouver resident, you know that California is about a day's drive away, but when you factor in the sunshine and the cheap hockey tickets, it often seems closer than Chilliwack. You can take a week off work, see the Canucks play a handful of games for the price of one good ticket in Rogers Arena, and you can go to California. It's a triple win.

This year, Pass it to Bulis is making the journey. Four games. Four people. 8 crazy nights. It's like hockey Hannukah. Skeeter and I will be loading up the car with our luggage and our wives, and chasing our favourite hockey team around the Southwest United States in a Nissan Versa. We'll be listening to Sufjan Stevens, eating at In n' Out Burger, meeting up with Qris (our mysterious third contributor) in Anaheim, and blogging every minuscule detail, like when we get a piece of toast that looks like Batman while eating breakfast at a Perkins.

Also, we accidentally bought an extra ticket for the San Jose game. Do you want it? Simply tweet this:

RT & follow @passittobulis for chance to win ticket to #Canucks game in San Jose, March 10! #worstcontestever http://bit.ly/gkw5lI

Note: this contest is now closed. Congratulations to @indelibleline on winning the Worst Contest Ever!

It's our worst contest ever! The winner will be randomly selected from all entrants, but I like your chances. Seriously, how many Canucks fans are there in San Jose that also read this blog. It's just you. That said, a drive to San Jose is a paltry 16 hours, but how many Canucks fans want to drive 16 hours for one ticket? Did I mention this was our worst contest ever? If you're a Vancouver resident and you come all that way just to sit with us, we promise to share our popcorn, but that's all. That's how bad this contest is. That said, maybe you're a weird San Jose fan who like to consort with the enemy. We promise not to leer at you.



We have to imagine there will be more than a few Canucks fans--maybe even a few Bulies--who are already planning to make the trip. Are you going? Let us know in the comments.