VANCOUVER — I hate to admit it, but my memory isn’t what it used to be. Ask me to pick up three things from the store and I only manage to get two.
Who was the first starting point guard for the Vancouver Grizzlies? I don’t know, and really who cares? Oh yeah, I used to care. I used to know everything off the top of my head. It was my job to know that it was Greg Anthony who ran the ball up and down the court for the hapless Grizz. But you know what? Things do get a little foggy for some of us as we get older.
Although, there are some things forever etched in my brain. Moments I can recall at the drop a hat. One of my best memories is the Vancouver Whitecaps magical run through the 1979 NASL playoffs.
A set of superb soccer scenes have been replayed over and over in my head. The star studded LA Galaxy remind me of the star studded New York Cosmos of yesteryear. High end expensive talent with big egos to boot. An easy target for a Vancouver soccer fan to root against.
In 1979, the Whitecaps were as big as or even bigger than the Canucks or BC Lions. I played soccer because of the days and nights I spent at Empire Stadium cheering on the home side. But my support didn’t just stay in the East End of town. I spread the good word about the beautiful game to my friends in the neighbourhood, creating a group of young soccer converts who gathered to watch as many games on the TV that were available. Listening to the games on the radio was also a way for us to stay connected, especially on the nights when the Whitecaps played on the west coast and I had to go to bed before the final whistle blew.
So after a second straight solid regular season, the playoffs arrived with all of us wondering if this would be the year for a championship. The year before in 1978, big things were expected but a semifinal loss to Portland left most Whitecaps fans wanting a whole lot more. Now I must confess, a conference quarter-final win over Dallas to kick off the 1979 run is not a vivid memory I can recall very clearly. But getting by the LA Aztecs in the next round was sports drama at its finest.
Beating Johan Cruyff and company was thrilling and gave my group of soccer followers the belief that this Whitecaps team had what it took to go all the way. Winning at Empire was something special. Although, my highlight from the LA series was the shootout in Game #1, when Cruyff flipped the ball up in the air and juggled it down the park before smashing home a volley into the top corner.
Two rounds down, and now two rounds to go. Next up was the mighty New York Cosmos, and a playoff series that kicked off a new trend in my neighbourhood: post-match parades. Okay, so maybe three or four kids banging pots and pans down the street isn’t an official parade, but boy did people start to take notice. Neighbours who knew nothing about soccer started to ask questions about the Whitecaps. They celebrated with us as the “Village of Vancouver” erupted with joy. David knocked off Goliath, the mighty Cosmos were done and it was off to the Soccer Bowl.
To look at me now, it might surprise some people that I did have a full head of hair. In fact, I grew my hair long back then to look like a soccer player. So after Trevor Whymark netted a pair of goals to take out the Tampa Rowdies in the final, my post-match celebration started with this pledge —- I was going to get a perm to be more like Whymark. Fortunately, the hair salon wasn’t open that day and as the days went by that idea fizzled out. But the celebration continued on and our neighbourhood victory parade ballooned to 20, give or take a couple of dogs.
Of course, that number pales in comparison to the 100,000 people who showed up in downtown Vancouver for a ticker tape parade. Vancouver Whitecaps, 1979 Soccer Bowl champs — boy did that have a nice ring to it.
Now thanks to my piano teacher and Bob Lenarduzzi admirer Jane Buttfield, I was able to join the masses at Robson Square and revel in all of the Whitecaps glory. Soaking it all in and cheering as loud as a 10-year old could, when Carl Valentine took the microphone and said, “you, you are the #1 fans and we, we are the #1 team,” I almost started to cry.
Looking back, I don’t think I have ever experienced anything quite like that 1979 season. My job has taken me to many great sporting events and I have witnessed many championships. But that Whitecaps victory was special. Memories that have and will continue to last a lifetime, unless of course, I forget where I put them.