"Destiny never turtles. Unless you mean chocolate turtles."
If you've been following us on Twitter, then you probably know that the Wellwoods have a certain affinity for Destiny. And if you're a Canucks fan, then you are no doubt familiar with the Curse Of The Number 11. Here's the Cole's Notes version:
1970: At the expansion draft, a numbered wheel is spun to determine whether the Canucks or Sabres will pick first. Any number less than 11, and the Canucks will pick first. The wheel lands on 11. The Canucks brass, thinking it landed on 1, misguidedly celebrate. The Sabres get first pick, and the curse is born.
1972: Canucks forward Wayne Maki, who wore #11, dies from brain cancer. Fun fact: Wayne Maki once cracked a guy's skull open in a good old-fashioned "stick swinging fight"... something you don't see too often in the New NHL.
1994: The Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final, and lose to the Rangers, led by some bald jerk who wore #11. I don't want to talk about it.
You ruin everything, RUINER!!
1997: The Canucks inexplicably decide to sign that same bald jerk, bringing back Wayne Maki's old #11, which was never officially retired. Trevor Linden gives him the captaincy, and the Curse Monsters get pissed off big time. Captained and coached by the very people who broke the city's heart in 1994, the team goes into a death spiral. For three painful years, the best we could hope for was the possibility of a Donald Brashear fight. In the hockey world, that is the definition of "grim."
AND NOW: The year is 2011, it's the Sedins' 11th year on the team (and they both wear numbers that are multiples of 11), and we have a shot at the Cup. If the Bruins take the series, the curse will live on, but if the Canucks win, then we may finally be able to put the Curse Monsters, the Ghost of Wayne Maki, the Big Evil Spinning Wheel, Mark Messier's Stupid Face, and our collective doomsday complex as fans, behind us.
I'm not saying it's Destiny... but it's clearly Destiny.
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