Fan Entitlement

      I figure if I am going to start a Canucks blog, I may as well start with a mini-bang.  Fan entitlement. Are we, as fans, entitled to the Stanley Cup ? Do the Canucks as players owe us anything ? I have gotten into some heavy debates over this topic with the outcome never ending well .. for the opponent ;).
      I'm sure we can all agree, most Canucks players get paid an extreme amount of money to play a game they love. We can probably also agree that the Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize and what every player in the NHL strives for and what every fan dreams of. But is the Stanley Cup the only reason we watch our team so loyally ? Some say yes but I disagree.
      I watch the Canucks because I enjoy hockey. I watch the Canucks because I adore them. I watch the Canucks for the hits, the amazing passes, the spectacular saves and the tough guy fights. I love the behind the scenes antics like the Kesler Bombing and how the team rallies when a teammate is injured. When I am lucky enough to go to a Canucks game,  I don't think of it as doing the Canucks organization or the players a favor, I think of it as an opportunity to be a part of the Canucks team. I think of what an honor it is to get to be a part of the teams journey and how lucky I am to be entertained by a group of men who risk their own well being for my enjoyment.  After all, hockey is a game and games are made to entertain and I can honestly say that I am 110% entertained by the Canucks, and the enjoyment they bring me is payment enough. 
       One argument from the 'other side' is the fact that without fans, Vancouver wouldn't have an NHL team and because of this, the GM, the coach and the team owe the fans the biggest prize of all, a Stanley Cup. I can agree that the fans do matter and do 'pay' for our NHL team , I can agree with the fact that if there were no fans, there would be no Canucks in Vancouver, but we did just celebrate the 40th anniversary with our Vancouver Canucks , who have won zero Stanley Cups, and as far as I can tell, the fan base is bigger, louder and prouder than ever. Ticket prices go up, prices for merchandise rises, yet the fans still pay. I would have to come to the conclusion that Canucks fans keep paying because they are being entertained and not because of all the Stanley Cups our team has won.;)
      Every year we have hope, we have expectations, and seasons like the one we just had raise those expectations. Every season when we don't win that final grand prize, we have fans that hop off the bandwagon, some blame the coach, some blame the GM, some blame certain players, and after this let down many even state they will not watch another Canucks game again. For every one of those 'fans' who feel that way, there are 5 ( or more )  fans who are proud of what the Canucks achieved this season and who will still be paying to go to the games and to be entertained by our home team. The fans will keep cheering, the moms and dads will raise their children to love the Canucks, and the hope, and faith will carry on. Not because the Canucks owe us, not because we are entitled to it,  but because we are entertained and because we love the game.