From 'bummer' to 'despair': Vancouver Canucks fans describe pain of a season already gone south

How bleak is it in winless Canuckland?

So bleak fans have invoked theLiz Truss/head of lettuceproposition, as inwhat happens first: theCanucks win a gameor a (theoretical) head of lettuce goes bad? (Hint,most are picking the lettuce.)

Vancouver's hockey team is making history, and not the good kind. With seven straight lossesto kick off the 2022-23 season, the record for worst franchise start stretches everlonger.

And the way they'vebeen losing has the fanmisery meter dialled to 11, what with thecoughing up leads and being outscored by a margin of 15 to 2 in third periods.

Even perpetually positive hometown booster @VancityReynolds a.k.a. actor and Welsh soccer club co-owner Ryan Reynolds has weighed in on the sad state of affairs, stating on Twitter "...bummer?"

For the long suffering,"bummer,"hardly captures it. Take writer/broadcaster Steve Burgess, devoted to the Canucks for over 30 years, survivor of two Stanley Cup near misses,now, in his words, "living in sports hell."

'Connoisseur of despair'

"You become a connoisseur of despair when you're a Canucks fan," said Burgess.

"I mean, what's worse, oh-and-seven to start a season?Orbeing within one game of the Stanley Cup championship ... and you have the best team in the league and you lose and the fans riot.That's the despair that comes with success. [Oh-and-seven] is the despair that comes with abject failure."

While some have expressed their displeasure with jeers and thrown jerseys,thePenthouse Nightclub in downtown Vancouver is taking a differentroute, offering the team an incentive for its first win.

On Monday, after Carolina handed the Canucks loss number seven, Penthouse staff hauled out the ladder to change the club's notoriously cheeky marquee to read, "Canucks drink free (after youwin 1!)"

Owner Danny Fillapone, a self-described "huge Canucks fan," saidhe fully intends to honour the offerand will keep the sign up until it happens.

"We haven't given up hope, but we figure we'll at least try and motivate them,you know," he said."I'm not too sure they're going to be happy with our sign, but ... If they win a game, they are welcome to come in and go at 'er at our bar."

The Canucksnext playThursday in Seattle versus the Krakenand then Friday hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vancouver is the only club in the 32-team NHLwithout a win.