The Green Men
Encyclopedia
The Green Men, known as Force and Sully, are supporters of the Vancouver Canucks
. They are known for sitting beside the opposing team's penalty box
during Canucks games at Rogers Arena with their green full-body spandex
suits. The suits are zentai
, from the SuperFan Suit brand. Force wears the neon green suit while Sully, the shorter of the two, wears the darker suit.
game in Seattle. They ordered a pair of green suits to wear to the game after watching an episode of the television program It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
. Sully's suit arrived a day after the football game, so the Green Men went to a Canucks' game instead. The owner of the roofing company that Sully worked for had access to the seats beside the penalty box, which is how they continually got those seats. The owner provided more free tickets after the duo rose to fame, but they have since been forced to pay for themselves. The Green Men entertain fans and annoy the opposition with their antics, which include handstands against the glass and the use of props such as a cutout of Carrie Underwood
in a Canucks jersey.
Some of their antics have been:
stopped by Rogers Arena, then known as General Motors Place, on December 22, 2009. They attended 13 games during the 2009–10 Vancouver Canucks season
. In 2011, Force and Sully both finished their journalism
program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology
and are trying to break into the media business.
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
. They took photos of themselves wearing Canada jerseys.
2011 playoffs
In May 2011, the duo were asked by the National Hockey League
to stop touching the glass and doing handstands, and would not be allowed to engage players verbally.
, a highway traffic tunnel in Metro Vancouver, approximately 20 km south of the city centre. Their antics disrupted traffic for hours, leading to "Force" receiving "about 17 different phone calls from people telling me that I had ruined their morning commute," by the time he woke up—he was in Victoria
at the time. CBC investigation tracked it down to a lighting replacement company; they dismissed claims they were responsible for the snarl.
Finals
At Game 7, after the Boston
win, the Green Men held a sign reading "Their final tweet of the season read: "Dear rioters
: You’re a disgrace to our city. Congratulations on the win Boston. We’re not all like this on the west coast."
," said Force. He also said, "[If t]he Canucks win the Cup this year, I am hanging up the suit. I will encourage it to be hung from the rafters at Rogers Arena. It won't happen, but I encourage it. If the Canucks lose, we will see what happens." "Nothing is official. We haven't made a joint decision just yet. If one guy goes down, then the ship goes down with him," said Sully.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. They are known for sitting beside the opposing team's penalty box
Penalty box
The penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
during Canucks games at Rogers Arena with their green full-body spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
suits. The suits are zentai
Zentai
Zentai is a term for skin-tight garments that cover the entire body. The word is a contraction of zenshin taitsu...
, from the SuperFan Suit brand. Force wears the neon green suit while Sully, the shorter of the two, wears the darker suit.
History
The idea for the Green Men started when the two friends, Force and Ryan "Sully" Sullivan, decided to attend a National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
game in Seattle. They ordered a pair of green suits to wear to the game after watching an episode of the television program It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
. Sully's suit arrived a day after the football game, so the Green Men went to a Canucks' game instead. The owner of the roofing company that Sully worked for had access to the seats beside the penalty box, which is how they continually got those seats. The owner provided more free tickets after the duo rose to fame, but they have since been forced to pay for themselves. The Green Men entertain fans and annoy the opposition with their antics, which include handstands against the glass and the use of props such as a cutout of Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
in a Canucks jersey.
Some of their antics have been:
- Throwing frozen waffles in the air when Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
forward Tim Brent took a penalty, referencing an angry Leafs fan throwing a waffle on the Air Canada CentreAir Canada CentreThe Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
ice a week earlier.
2009-2010 season
Their first appearance was when the Nashville PredatorsNashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
stopped by Rogers Arena, then known as General Motors Place, on December 22, 2009. They attended 13 games during the 2009–10 Vancouver Canucks season
2009–10 Vancouver Canucks season
The 2009–10 Vancouver Canucks season was the 39th season the Vancouver Canucks franchise has played in the National Hockey League .-Entry draft:...
. In 2011, Force and Sully both finished their journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology
British Columbia Institute of Technology
The British Columbia Institute of Technology , is a public, coeducational, academic institution of higher education in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The polytechnic has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with the main campus in Burnaby...
and are trying to break into the media business.
2010-2011 season
The Green Men supported CanadaCanada at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Canada hosted and participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada previously hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Canada sent a team of 206 athletes , including participants in all 15 sports...
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. They took photos of themselves wearing Canada jerseys.
2011 playoffs2011 Stanley Cup playoffsThe 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 13, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2010–11 NHL regular season. Game 1 of the Finals was held on June 1, while Game 7 was held on June 15...
In May 2011, the duo were asked by the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
to stop touching the glass and doing handstands, and would not be allowed to engage players verbally.
- Showing a cutout of Vince VaughnVince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
in a Canucks jersey in a playoff series against the Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
in 2011. - Butt flossing a Blackhawks jersey during a 2010 playoff series against the Blackhawks.
- Holding up a sign saying 'Which Way to the Roxy?' when Nashville PredatorsNashville PredatorsThe Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
defenceman Shane O'Brien was in the penalty box during their 2011 playoff series, a reference to O'Brien frequenting a bar of that name when he played for the Canucks.
Conference Semifinals
The morning of April 28, two Green Men impostors were set up near the north end of the George Massey TunnelGeorge Massey Tunnel
The George Massey Tunnel is a highway traffic tunnel in the Metro Vancouver region of southwestern British Columbia. It is located approximately 20 km south of the city centre of Vancouver, British Columbia, and approximately 30 km north of the Canada-U.S...
, a highway traffic tunnel in Metro Vancouver, approximately 20 km south of the city centre. Their antics disrupted traffic for hours, leading to "Force" receiving "about 17 different phone calls from people telling me that I had ruined their morning commute," by the time he woke up—he was in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
at the time. CBC investigation tracked it down to a lighting replacement company; they dismissed claims they were responsible for the snarl.
Finals2011 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League , and the culmination of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was the 118th year of the Stanley Cup's presentation. The Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins defeated the Western Conference Champion Vancouver...
At Game 7, after the Boston2010–11 Boston Bruins season
The 2010–11 Boston Bruins season was the 87th season of play for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 4, 1924. The Bruins were the winners of the 2011 Stanley Cup championship series.- Off-season :...
win, the Green Men held a sign reading "Their final tweet of the season read: "Dear rioters
2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot
The 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot was a public disturbance that broke out in the downtown core of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The riots happened immediately after the conclusion of the Boston Bruins' win over the Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the Stanley...
: You’re a disgrace to our city. Congratulations on the win Boston. We’re not all like this on the west coast."
Future of the Green Men
The Green Men say they may call it quits if the Canucks go all the way. "We have said from Day 1 we will hang with them until the Canucks win the [Stanley] CupStanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
," said Force. He also said, "[If t]he Canucks win the Cup this year, I am hanging up the suit. I will encourage it to be hung from the rafters at Rogers Arena. It won't happen, but I encourage it. If the Canucks lose, we will see what happens." "Nothing is official. We haven't made a joint decision just yet. If one guy goes down, then the ship goes down with him," said Sully.