Last night, Vancouver beat St. Louis in overtime to win the first round of the NHL playoffs. Canucks pride seems to be soaring here in Vancouver. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Stanley Cup in Vancouver but things seem to be looking good this year and after last night’s performance, it’s clear we’ve got goalie who’s ready for the playoffs. There’s no shortage of people on the streets proudly sporting their Canucks paraphernalia and the flags that have been hung in every bar, restaurant and coffee shop seem to suggest that playoff fever has taken hold of the city. Yes, this is the time of year where anyone, even if you weren’t paying attention throughout the regular season, you can jump on the bandwagon become a fan.

However, someone who nobody could accuse of being a bandwaggon jumper is Canucks superfan is Dave Olson, former Raincity Studios staffer and the social media hero behind the Canucks Outsider podcast. Olson and his band of merry superfans have been providing analysis and commentary since the 2005-2006 season and offer a refreshing perspective on the Canucks. This isn’t your typical post-game wrap up; these are fans talking talking to fans about the team they love. And they also happen to really know they’re talking about.

Okay, full disclosure: I’m not really a Canucks fan. I’ve got nothing against the Canucks and being around the office here has started to make me warm up to the idea, but I happen to be cheering for a team who I’d rather not mention here (for fear being ostracized by my colleagues in the office) and let’s just say old allegiances die hard. But even as someone who’s not really a canucks fan, I still love the canucks outsider podcast. Having just moved to town, I’ve been digging through past episodes as a way getting up to speed with what’s going on. And Olson’s love for the Canucks is a little bit infectious. He’s at the games and talking to fans who love their team. It’s an exciting application for social media and traditional media outlets have been noticing with Dave recently having a couple of guest appearances on the radio to share his passion and expertise.

And as as a special exercise in playoff fandom, the Canucks Outsider is Broadcasting Livethroughout the playoffs. Olson and his guests will be gathering in Dave’s North Vancouver superfan headquarters for weekend games throughout the playoffs and anyone can tune in online. After the playoff sweep, it looks like there won’t be a broadcast this weekend, but stay tuned for round two. I tuned in to watch the crew during last friday’s game and it was a riot. These guys blow away Bill Swerski and it’s far more than just a bunch of guys drinking beer and watching hockey. While there’s a lot of laughs and everyone seems to be having a great time, Olson and his guests share serious analysis and insight that make watching the game a great experience. And Dave’s going to have a bunch of different guests dropping by throughout the playoffs to keep things interesting. Be sure to check it out.

Find the live video stream at uStream, chat with other fans at #canucks-outsider on irc.freenode.net or hook up on Skype at northvandave. Just because you’re watching the game at home, it doesn’t mean have you have to be alone. Tune in athttp://www.hockeynw.com/canucksoutsiderlive