Photo from thegreenmenfanpage.com

For the 100th post on puckingopinion.com I wanted to do an interview, and The Vancouver Canucks Green Men made that happen. Thanks again fellas. This is a Pucking Opinion first, and hopefully not the last.

The Green Men have shot from average fan to fan stardom over the past few years with their entertaining in-game antics, trips out in public and, of course, the suits. They have also raised over $15,000 for charities since donning the green suits.

They are up for induction into ESPN's Hall of Fans, and you can vote by going here:

http://www.thehalloffans.com/  Voting Ends August 31st at 11:59 ET.

Here's the Qs & As

[PuckingOpinion] How long have you been wearing the Green Men Uni’s?

[Green Men] We started wearing the green suits in December of 2009. We went to a game against the Nashville Predators. The plan was to go to only one game, but because of fan demand we started going more and more

 [PuckingOpinion] What made you decide to wear them?

[Green Men] Stupidity and probably a touch of alcohol. The actual story... Sully and I, with a group of friends had tickets to a Seattle Seahawks game. The plan was to embarass our friends by acting like goofs in the green suits. Sully's suit didn't arrive in the mail in time and I was giving him a hard time about bailing on the idea. To make it up to me, Sully suggested we attend a Canucks game in his boss' seats... the rest is history

[PuckingOpinion] Are they beer resistant?

[Green Men] Unfortunately, it seems to be the major flaw in the suit. We have tried to drink beer, but it leaves a big wet, messy looking mark, that results in us feeling like we're being waterboarded. We have tried everything to fix the problem though. At one point we even ran tubing from a camelback backpack into the suit, but it leaked. So... we've accepted the fact that we have to wait till after the game to drink.

[PuckingOpinion] Who is harder on you for the suits, Canucks fans or Opponent fans?

[Green Men] Easily the opposing fans. We have had minimal negativity directed our way from Canuck fans. It only happens when the Canucks lose. When it comes to opposing fans, it's a mixed bag. When we travelled to Phoenix and Nashville, the hospitality was unreal. Majority of the fans were wanting photos and asking questions. Boston was a different story. For the three games we attended in Boston during the 2011 Finals we were targetted by drunk, loud, obnoxious Bostonians. There were a handful of awesome people. but for the most part we were pushed, kicked, and threatened. After the first two games we had to be protected by police, from rowdy fans trying to get to us.

 [PuckingOpinion] What do you think of being up for entry into ESPN’s Fan Hall of Fame?

[Green Men] It is an unreal feeling! We would have never found out about the contest if it wasn't for our fans. Several people let us know about it on Twitter and told us they would vote for us, so we tossed our name in the hat. We never thought we'd be picked, but here we are. It's pretty cool to be the only hockey fans and only Canadians in the running. We feel like we are representing both categories.

[PuckingOpinion] What’s it been like to go from average fan to Fan Stardom?

[Green Men] It has been a pretty cool experience. Sully and I are both pretty outgoing guys (You have to be, to wear skin tight spandex), but it is still a surreal experience to have people ask if they can snap a photo or get an autograph. We've said it before, and we'll say it again... we keep going to the games because the fans want us there. The fact that hospitals have asked us to come in to cheer up kids with cancer is beyond rewarding. A stupid idea between two buddies has resulted in kids being cheered up, when they're going through a tough time. It's a life changing experience for Sully and myself.

[PuckingOpinion] How many autographs do you sign at the games?

[Green Men] Usually between 10-20 autographs a game. We love signing autographs if people want them, but because we are essentially blind, so I'm pretty sure the sigs look brutal. We have signed everything from arms, to Canucks playoff towels, to cell phone cases. It's pretty sweet to have someone ask you for your autograph.

[PuckingOpinion] How many pictures do you pose for each game?

[Green Men] We probably take between 150-200 pictures a game. We will never say no to someone wanting a photo. The amount of times someone has said "It's my first ever Canucks game, and I was hoping I would meet you" is staggering. During the playoff's the lineup to get our photo after the game is usually 100 people deep and security has to escort us out after a while because they need the building cleared. It is a blast meeting people from all walks of life and it is still bizarre to think... "they are waiting to meet us". It's very cool.

[PuckingOpinion] Have any opposing players said anything to you before, If so what’s the worst?

[Green Men] It's 50/50 when it comes to players chirping. Some like Mike Komisarek and Paul Stastny have told us they think we're hilarious, while others rip into us. Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith and Dave Bolland are not fans of us! The best/worse encounter was with Brad Marchand during the finals. We brought up one of his ex-girlfriend's and he sprayed us with water.

 [PuckingOpinion] What do you think of another lockout and will the Green Men do if there is one?

[Green Men] We're really hoping the lockout doesn't happen... but I think we won't see NHL hockey until Christmas at the earliest. It's a shame that the NHL owners and Gary Bettman are so hypocritical. They reach into their pockets and give out these ridiculous 13yr contracts and then whine they don't have any money. It's a real shame... and despite the NHL'ers making millions I feel the public is on their side in this battle. As for us... we hope to be inducted into the Hall of Fans at ESPN headquarters in September, and hopefully we can make it out to a few Junior A games around BC. We attended a few games last year and had a blast interacting with the smaller crowds.



There it is. The Green Men Interview. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks again to the Green Men!

If you want to find out more about the Green Men, buy merch, or see what they're up to lately check out their website at www.thegreenmenfanpage.com , on face book at www.facebook.com/canucksgreenmen , and on twitter @TheGreenMen

You can follow me on Twitter @PuckingOpinion to find out when new posts are online.