It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later

This is going to sound pretty corny and stupid, but I tried to keep it brief ("brief" is a subjective term).

I joined Twitter in 2011 shortly after I had moved to Ohio, from my home state of Michigan. I joined, because I wanted to start a Canucks blog, as a way of keeping up with the team. It started off fairly well, and I was able to get on a writing/posting schedule. It was a good outlet for my free time as well, because for those of you who have followed me for awhile know of my disdain for that state. However, as it does, life/work got in the way and my posts became less and less frequent.

I was hoping upon my move to the "State of Hockey," Minnesota, I would get back on track. While it was much easier to find games, willing conversationalists and all the ancillary things you get (radio shows, coworkers who are into it, local interest, etc.) it just didn't work. I was driving all over Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas for work and I barely had time to watch the games, let alone follow the story lines. Plus everyone there was more into the Wild, obviously.

While my move to Portland got me off the road, I had set other priorities for my time, energy, and money. My personal life actually came into being, I started to hike and camp, and take more road trips. I also began saving for a European trip. It just wasn't in the cards for me to try and keep up a blog on my own.

I have seen the Canucks play a home game once in my 31 years. I have always watched them play live in enemy territory, and that was only when I could afford it, or I got tickets as a present. Not to go crotchety old man, but I became a fan well before the internet, so my main sources of information started as box scores in the newspaper, and Saturday nights on the CBC Windsor feed we were lucky enough to get. Even when we got internet, it wasn't nearly what it is today. By the way, my first AOL login? N10PBVC, which stood for: Number 10 Pavel Bure Vancouver Canucks.

For years I begged my parents for a Canucks jersey, and finally got one in 1999 for my birthday, almost ten years after I started following them. To their credit, where could they find one in Michigan?! It was a blank one and there was no doubt who I was going to put on the back: Pavel Bure. Except he was traded...the day before my birthday...yup, that's the kind of luck I had. Instead I put Alexander Mogilny on the back. No real regret, as its the late 90s jersey, and I would rather own a flying skate Bure anyway.

Through 24 years of following this team it has always been at a distance. I would freak out when we would go on a family road trip and someone would see my Mogilny jersey and yell "Go Canucks!" or "Yeah! Canucks!" I would never get that back home. Hell, most of the time I had to explain to people what team it was, let alone why I was wearing it. To give you an idea of how rare seeing Canucks gears was, when I went to my only Canucks game in Vancouver in 2010, it took me an entire day to get used to seeing Canucks gear around the city. Every time I would see something I'd think "Holy shit, a Canucks hat!" then have to tell myself "That's because you're in Vancouver idiot." However, Twitter changed all that.

All of a sudden I didn't need coworkers, fellow bar patrons, radio shows, or any of it. I had literally thousands of fellow Canucks fans to watch games with, and discuss topics relating to the team. I had a ton of blogs to read about rumors, behind the scenes stories, and who was partying where, stuff I never got before. I now have people creating Canucks related songs! Looking at you Clay Imoo. Even now I have to remind myself how awesome it is that something like this came along. I know its not the same as being there in person. I would love to be able to sit down and watch games with all you guys and have a beer, or 12.

Now that I am so close to Vancouver and our Canucks, I have the opportunity to move across the world to London at the end of January. Its my fault for not making it up there for a game the last two years. I love the PNW so much, I never thought I would be leaving so soon, but I felt like I couldn't pass this opportunity up. I think I would be regretting it in the near future, not just the aspect of living in London, but what it could do for my resume and my future. Who knows, it could lead to being able to get a job in Vancouver one day.

I am not deactivating my account, or giving it up. Its just with an eight hour time difference, and a new role, which will keep me very busy, I am not sure my new schedule will sync up with being able to watch games. The good news is I will be flying back to HQ a few times and the typical path is through Vancouver, so you best believe I will be putting my new, expanded vacation time to use.

Through all this rambling I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for keeping me up to date on the team I love. Thank you for putting up with my drunken rants. Thank you for putting up with my absurd takes/opinions. Thank you for the banter, debates, and arguments. Thank you for being you. And most importantly, thank you for being Canucks fans.

I love you guys!

Embrace the hate and forever, GO CANUCKS GO!