'He was watching from up above': Canucks comeback win takes on special meaning for grieving B.C. family

Carol Morin has been a regular at Lougheed Village Pub and Grill for decades.

“We moved to this area 27 years ago. We found this place by fluke. They called it The Dungeon,” said Morin, in her white Canucks jersey. “We walked over here and would watch all the games.”

On Sunday night, Carol was joined at a table with her daughter and grandson. Missing from the picture, however, was her late husband Robin.

“He enjoyed himself so much here,” said Morin.

“He’s here always with us too, so he’s never going to leave this place,” said Zach Nelson, Robin’s grandson. “Whether he’s here or not, he’s always going to be here.”

On Saturday, the pub held a celebration of life for Robin Morin, attended by over a hundred friends, family and pub regulars.

“Everyone knew him, everyone here liked him,” said Zane Frost, Lougheed Pub and Grill general manager. “He was a man of the people so it was really good here to celebrate it and to be able to do it for his family, it was great.”

Robin watched nearly all Canucks games at the pub and was responsible for holding a remote control that triggered the pub’s red light and goal horn when the Canucks scored. The tradition was handed down to his daughter and grandson.

“When the playoffs started and having to hit this for the first time, I broke down,” said Shelley Nelson, Robin’s daughter.

Sunday's comeback win by the Vancouver Canucks took on extra meaning at the Lougheed Village Pub and Grill, which held a celebration of life this weekend for Robin Morin, a regular who watched nearly every game at the establishment.

The Canucks, playing with third-string goaltender Arturs Silovs in net, pulled off an improbable comeback.

Trailing 3-1 with just over three minutes to go in the game, the Canucks pulled Silovs to gain an extra attacker. Brock Boeser scored off an Elias Lindholm assist to make it 3-2 with two minutes, 49 seconds remaining.

Seconds later, the Canucks pulled Silovs again and Nashville nearly sealed it with a shot on the empty net that hit the post. When the Canucks gained possession, they advanced to the Predators zone where Boeser scored his 3rd goal of the night with just eight seconds remaining.

The Canucks started the overtime with all the momentum. Just over a minute into the extra frame, Conor Garland found Elias Lindholm in front who one-timed a shot past Juusi Saros, lifting the Canucks to a 4-3 overtrime win and 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

With their all-star goaltender Thatcher Demko considered week-to-week with a lower body injury, head coach Rich Tocchet revealed back-up Casey DeSmith would miss Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. DeSmith’s injury is not considered severe and Tocchet says he could be ready for Game 5 Tuesday night in Vancouver.

Rookie netminder Silovs filled in admirably stopping 27 of 30 shots.

Back at the pub, Shelley Nelson didn’t miss a beat with the red light shining and goal horn blaring, along with Carol and the entire pub celebrating the remarkable win.

“It was done for Robin,” said Morin. “It had to have been. He was watching from up above.”