Dan Hamhuis fans have painted the town of Smithers, B.C. blue and green in support of their hometown boy's first run at the Stanley Cup.
The northern town is behind the defenceman -- one of only two B.C. natives playing for the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals -- every step of the way, says his sister Erin Hamhuis.
"The vibe around Smithers for the Stanley Cup has been crazy," she told CTV News on Tuesday. "Everybody's proud of Dan and the Canucks."
Erin, who works as a loans officer, says her meetings have gotten longer because eager residents want to talk hockey rather than finances.
"Now that we're this far, it's unreal and it's very, very exciting for our family and for the whole town," she said.
She's hoping for a short series, to keep her family's tension to a minimum.
"We get quite nervous when watching Dan play," she said. "My mom follows his every move and moves on her couch as he makes plays. I just sit and watch the game and bite my nails."
And they aren't the only ones who are glued to the screen. Everyone in the area's eagerly watching Hamhuis' every move, especially Smithers' acting Mayor Charlie Northrup.
"This is a great moment and a real proud moment for Smithers," Northrup told CTV News.
"He grew up and he played in the Smithers arena and that really means a lot to the local people."
Northrup's already got a Canucks souvenir picked out for Hamhuis to sign "when" the team takes home the Cup.
Hamhuis' former peewee and bantam hockey coach, Don Pederson, says that the hometown boy has become a particular inspiration for younger hockey players in Smithers. He loves to repeat advice that Hamhuis likes to dole out: Don't cheat on drills.
"When it's [coming] from a guy like Dan, it's pretty easy for those kids to start trying their hardest and never [cheat] on drills," he said.
