Knockin' on Heaven's Door

And just like that, all is right in the world again.

Canuck Nation is once again head over heels in love with Roberto Luongo, who bounced back in a massive way in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final with a 31-save shutout. The Vancouver Canucks, as a group, are knocking on heaven's door now as they are just 1 victory away from winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup. The eerie silence and tension that gripped the whole of British Columbia has been trampled underfoot as the bandwagon's proverbial cup hath runneth over again with a sea of blue and green clad supporters.

The Canucks are up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final after one of the most tense and momentous games in the history of the franchise. Roberto Luongo and his counterpart, Tim Thomas, were going shot for shot until the oft-criticised (outside of Vancouver) Maxim Lapierre finally managed to put a puck behind the Boston netminder. While he would never admit it, it must have been sweet vindication for Lapierre.

I remember watching TSN the day that Lapierre was acquired by the Canucks at the trade deadline, and being quite surprised at how much the TSN analysts hated the move. Pierre Maguire questioned whether or not he truly fit the culture of discipline and "playing between the whistles" that the Canucks organization had cultivated, and Ray Ferraro took it one step further in saying he was a selfish player that lacked discipline and focus, citing an instance where Lapierre had actually trash talked Ferraro--an analyst--during a game.

The criticism hasn't really stopped, either; noted plug Krystofer Barch, of the Dallas Stars, tweeted that he would be ashamed to be Lapierre's father, and called him a slew of other names.

However, to those in Canuck Nation, Lapierre has been an extremely valuable asset. He stepped into the void left by Manny Malhotra when the latter went down with an eye injury and filled the role capably. He leads the team in hits, he wins better than 50% of his faceoffs, he drives the opposition nuts, and he has provided some timely offense. Last night was no different, as he stuck a fair sized dagger into the Bruins with his game-winning goal.

But the real story last night was Roberto Luongo. The questions had surfaced once again as to whether he posessed the mental fortitude to lead the Canucks to the promised land in advance of the game. Let's just say he answered that with an exclamation point, pitching a shutout and then finally taking a dig at Tim Thomas, claiming that if Thomas wasn't so over-aggressive, the save on Lapierre's shot would have been "easy".

It was a comment that quickly drew criticism from the anti-Canuck factions around the league, nevermind that Thomas has, after every Bruins loss, complained that his teammates just haven't made it difficult enough for Luongo. Hardly ringing endorsements from the diminutive Bruins' netminder.

But of course, it's a non-Canuck player saying it. That's just "gamesmanship" and "old fashioned hockey" or "playing the right way". Much like a Boston restaurant allowing Vancouver players to sit for 30 minutes without eating before informing them that "we are out of food". That happens in Boston and again, it's "gamesmanship", "cute fan antics", "good competetive behaviour". If it happens in Vancouver it's "disgraceful", "pathetic", "they kill puppies" and things of that sort.

Yes, the double standard is back in full force. Networks such as ESPN aren't even attempting to hide their blatant bias towards the Boston Bruins, hoping against hope that the team from Vancouver won't have a chance to bring home the Cup.

But as of now, the Canucks have a chance to do just that on Monday.

The 12-1 blowouts of Games 3 and 4 seem like a distant memory now, as the Canucks put forth one of their best efforts of the season in Game 5. Thomas stood tall for Boston and made several great saves, but Luongo was his equal and more on this night as he silenced many-a-critic with his performance. The Canucks will likely need him to do the same on Monday, as Thomas isn't going to make it easy. The Bruins have also played easily their best hockey when playing within the confines of the TD Banknorth Garden.

But there's a new motivator on Monday night. And that is the fact that, for the first time in this series, the Stanley Cup will be in the building. There is only one team that has a chance of winning it on Monday night, and that is the Vancouver Canucks. For a team that was chased out of the Banknorth Garden with their tails between their legs just this past Wednesday, the opportunity to showcase that trophy in front of the Bruins' faithful has to seem tantalizing.

But the players can't get ahead of themselves. That's what they did so well yesterday. They shut out the whit e noise and shennanigans (for the most part), they played smart, disiciplined hockey and they got back to their transition game that has been so successful for them this season. They looked like the best team in the league once again as opposed to the band of impostors who showed up in Boston for Games 3 and 4.

They need to focus on the task at hand. They need to play smart, they need to play fast. And just as Roberto Luongo stepped up in Game 5, the rest of the Canucks' best players need to be their best players--Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows--everyone needs to stand up and assert themselves as champions.

The Stanley Cup will be in the building on Monday. It's there for the Canucks to take.

So, go get it.