The End of a Beard

The Vancouver Canucks lost today. It was a sad day today for anyone who likes humane, respectable hockey players (read: anyone not on the Chicago Blackhawks). Even so, regardless of my beliefs on the unsportsmanlike behavior of the Chicago organization from top to bottom, this too means the end of my playoff beard.

We had a good run, beard. Indeed, this year looked different than others. The Canucks had put together a strong blueline and had amazing forwards, something that I hadn't seen in years. Hell, Henrik Sedin cemented himself not only as an allstar, but as the shoo-in MVP this season, and Daniel's stats were just as good per game (Henrik put up 1.36 points a game to Daniel's 1.35). Ryan Kesler continued his growth into one of the best defensive forwards in the game and Alex Burrows became a man hated deeply by everyone outside of the Vancouver fanbase thanks to Pierre MacGuire.

Even so, your days were doomed as soon as the injuries hit, beard. Sure, the Canucks stood tall even without Willie Mitchell, Sami Salo, and Kevin Bieksa for extended periods. Hell, the team managed to play through Andrew Alberts' existence, who is the equivilent of Glenallen Hill for hockey speed.

Unfortunately, I should have know better than to believe in you. Luongo reverted back to his playoff expertise, giving up soft goals, and the penalty kill evaporated into a laughably terrible group. Sadly, beard, your days are over. Hopefully, with a bit of health, the development of Cody Hodgson into liquid awesome, and Luongo learning how to play like a real goalie in big games, next year will be special. I hope to see you again, beard, and let's all hope I get to keep you till the Cup is raised over the heads of the Canucks (at least for the brief time before Kyle Wellwood devours it).