The playoff madness has been going on for weeks in Vancouver, and nope, I'm not into complaining, but even out-of-towners think that the way Vancouverites are showing their support for their team is more than just enthusiastic. Sometimes it's entertaining (the caped lions on Lion's Gate Bridge, for example). Most of the time though, it's obnoxiously loud till the wee hours of the night. And the playoff beards are not any better either...

With the battle on the Stanley Cup dragging on all the way to the very last game 7 (could playing winter sports in June be the reason why the weather has been so cold and rainy this spring?! I wonder...).

I can only hope that all of what Vancouver's downtown and West End residents had to put up with for months (countless sleepless nights; or, hmm, as many as the number of games the Vancouver Canucks won this season). The riot police forces have been on their toes since as early as 8am this morning, helicopters and all, and I'm not sure if they think that the partying will get too hard around 10am, or if they simply had to commit for a full shift. Either way, they are so far the noisiest thing in town.

Judging by what's going on on the streets today, many people either don't have jobs in Vancouver, or have taken the day off. The bars are full, and the beaches are empty. And as much as I was looking forward to watching this game with my newly found hockey insights (side-effects of my dad's visiting from Montreal), a picnic on the beach on the first *really* sunny day we've had in a while is far more compelling than cramming myself into a sports bar, or hunching over my laptop to watch it on CBC.

Want the cup?! Well then, don't let Bruins into the net and try to score at least one goal! That's seems to be the magic formula on home ice. And then maybe there's going to be a bear hanging on the lego guy's fishing rod!

To show my support, I'm going to watch the game till the 1st goal in the game (which must be a historic moment, either way you slice it), than head to the beach wearing my green bikini (the same Kelly green used in the Canucks logo), and a generous spray of Orcas, after the team's pet animal, mascot, former logo and what have you.