Conor Garland nearly sparked yet another Vancouver Canucks comeback in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.
The gritty forward scored with 8:33 left in the third period to put the Canucks on the board and make it a 3-1 game. They would score another to get within one, but ultimately fell short and saw their season come to an end.
Garland’s goal completely electrified the Canucks faithful, and the ice tilted in their favour for the remainder of the game.
After the game, a visibly emotional Garland discussed just how much the home fanbase means to him.
“They’re the greatest,” Garland said with tears welling in his eyes. “They really are. It’s hard not to get emotional at the end because they are the best. It’s too bad we came up short, but we’ll be better for this. But yeah, they’re the greatest.”
Garland wasn’t the only player who was overwhelmed by the support from Canucks fans through the first two rounds.
“It hit me emotionally at the end of the game when they were cheering for us,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said post-game. “… When you see that, you know you’re in a good place and a good market with really good things for the future.”
“Special place to play,” Canucks captain Quinn Hughes added. “That’s part due to the city and the passion that the people have here but also to this group and what we accomplished the entire year.”
The Canucks went from finishing sixth in the Pacific Division last season, to winning it this year. It was a huge jump in their first full season under head coach Rick Tocchet.
“They put respect back in the jersey,” Tocchet said after the Game 7 loss.
If the emotion after the loss is any indication, it’s pretty clear the Canucks are motivated to continue to make both their fans and coach proud for years to come.