And I also need to point out that Boston’s fans (if not the team, who kept it pretty classy all in all) were often just as classless. Jeering a player whose back was literally broken by a play on ice, as the Gardens did in Game 6 with Mason Raymond, and chanting that he’s faking as he’s taken to MGH and out of the league till at least late November was an act of appalling classlessness. I’ve never seen a player injury treated that way by the opposing team in all my sports viewing days.

But then again, when is the favorite seen as anything but villainous? Bear in mind, too, that a large part of the vilification was from an American press that was deeply invested in making Boston seem like America’s team (when actually the Canucks have more Americans on their team, and the Bruins have more Canadians [my favorite shots were in the anthems in Game 7 when they panned across a set of five Canadian Bruins while the American anthem was playing, then panned across the Nordic Canucks while the Canadian anthem played. Nobody was singing along or all that moved, unsurprisingly]).

You’ve nailed a cruel irony of sports – once your team is the favorite, it become more anxious than fun to watch them progress through the playoffs. Exceeding expectations is much more enjoyable than trying to meet them, as I’ve discovered as the Patriots transformed from surprise champions to villainous top dogs. The Bruins run this postseason felt more like the first championship runs of the Pats & Red Sox, and thus was enjoyable with little pressure.

The sad thing for the Canucks is that they got cast as villainous favorites without having actually won anything! I hope your team can enjoy success someday soon (but only after it gets rid of Burrows the biter…)