Scores of Vancouver Canuck fans are anxiously awaiting Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, holding out hope that their team can steal a win in Boston and bring home the cup Monday night.
Byron Ma, who travelled to Boston to watch the game in person, said he gets "pretty nervous" in the stands of the TD Garden.
But with the Canucks' current team "you can stay pretty positive," he added. "They've been able to pull off some close wins."
In Vancouver, tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in and around the Canucks' arena to watch the game on oversized TV screens. But a lucky few have scored tickets to Game 6 and are shouldering the expense of a return trip to Boston, hoping to watch the Bruins lose the series, which Vancouver leads 3-2.
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For Ma, taking some flak from the opposing side is just part of the experience. He walked to the arena in Boston on Monday afternoon and told CTV News Channel that he was "getting heckled a little bit" but that "it's not too bad yet."
While he's not worried about his safety, he said he would "tone down" celebrating if the Canucks manage a win on Monday, "just to keep on the safe side."
Even if they lose, Ma said he's hopeful the Canucks can "bring it back and take Game 7," which would be played Wednesday night in Vancouver.
Monday's game could hinge largely on the performance of Canucks' goalie Roberto Luongo, who has been solid on home ice but less than stellar on the road.
Luongo let in a dozen goals during the two games played in Boston last week.
In Vancouver, CTV's Sarah Galashan said "everybody is thinking positively… no one is even willing to talk about the alternative to a win."
The city is expecting more than 100,000 fans to converge on the city's downtown to celebrate, she said Monday afternoon.
The costs of success
While the city has been buzzing with activity throughout the series, that has also come with a hefty price tag. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson estimates that security and cleanup costs will reach $1.2 million if the Stanley Cup finals go to Game 7, Galashan said.
"They're now looking to where they can find the funds for something that you can't really budget for. You hope that the team's going to go that far but you just never know," she said.
The city is asking the province and the federal government to try to cover some of the costs associated with the Canucks' Stanley Cup run, Galashan reported.
With files from The Associated Press