Brydie Fee has been booed, harassed, mocked and even chased for boldly wearing her Canucks jersey in her adopted hometown of Calgary.
But the 28-year-old teacher, who is married to a die-hard Flames fan, says the harassment is worth it — especially with her team leading in the first round of the playoffs, and the Flames trailing.
“I don’t mind being a Canucks fan away from B.C., but I do sometimes feel like an outsider when I walk into a red, Flames-filled bar in my Canucks jersey and get booed,” Fee said.
“Once I was called a mean name in front of my husband’s parents, and another time a group of guys were harassing me so my husband flipped them the bird as we drove away and they all piled into their van and chased us.”
Displaced Canucks fan Dylan Rush, 30, who lives in Grand Prairie, Alta, said being surrounded by Oilers fans isn’t as tough as finding a station that broadcasts Vancouver games.
“It is hard to follow the games up here,” Rush said. “Depending on where you are, you can only get game packages from (Edmonton). Most of the time I listen for scores on CBC.”
Rush said what he misses most about living here is the atmosphere of being in a Vancouver bar during a Canucks game.
“I can remember living in Kits and you would always know during the playoffs when the Canucks scored from the cheers in the neighbourhood,” he said.
Fee said she pays for the television sports package NHL Centre Ice to watch “her Canucks,” and fights fatigue to stay up late and catch the games.
“I do my own chants at the TV, most frequently ‘Loooooo,’ ” Fee said.
“Truthfully,” she added, “the group I hang out with here in Calgary is pretty impressed with the Canucks this year, and may even cheer for them when Calgary is out. We’ll see.”
