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The multicultural makeup of the team is in many ways a perfect fit for Metro Vancouver, “as a team for a new inclusive Canada,” he said. “The composition of the team and the character of those players helps people to identify with them.”

Former Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman Harold Snepsts emerged as a folk hero in Vancouver during the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs with his lunch-bucket approach to the game.

“Harold didn’t take any s — t when he went into the corners and who doesn’t want to be that guy?” he asked.

The Southsiders will not be organizing fan bus trips to Seattle for the Nov. 2 match — or Portland, if the Caps get that far — because of the uncertainty created by recent proclamations from the White House concerning Muslims and reports of visible minorities experiencing problems at the border.

“We are facilitating access to tickets which has always been our role, but we are not formally organizing buses or coordinating travel on behalf of members,” said Knox. “It’s not fair for us to put something on that some members can’t participate in without the risk that something might happen if they were to do so.”

The club asks its members to not display Southsiders’ scarves in U.S. stadiums “in solidarity with members who cannot cross the border with the ease and freedom enjoyed by others.”

The Whitecaps have no immediate plans to increase the capacity of B.C. Place for playoff games, but club spokesman Tom Plasteras wouldn’t rule out a change if the demand increases.

“It was interesting last night to see ticket sales (for Sunday) ramp up in real time as we scored more and more goals,” he said. “We don’t have any radical changes planned, but that’s mainly because our atmosphere is fan-generated and Wednesday it was electric.”

rshore@postmedia.com

NEXT GAME

Sunday

Seattle Sounders at Vancouver Whitecaps

5:30 p.m., B.C. Place Stadium, TSN, TSN 1040 AM

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