The triumphant return of the two most famous Canucks fans was so perfectly timed, it鈥檚 like they planned it down to the whistle of a penalty call.
Those bodysuit-wearing Green Men went missing from Rogers Arena eight years ago, after terrorizing opposing players who sat in the penalty box during the Vancouver team鈥檚 best years, more than a decade ago.
Adam 鈥淔orce鈥� Forsythe, the larger guy in the lighter green, and Ryan 鈥淪ully鈥� Sullivan are pals who became folk heroes among hockey fans for their sign-waving arena antics, then quietly tucked away those skintight outfits and got on with their lives.
Staff in the Canucks鈥� game-presentation department had pitched the idea of the Green Men returning for a game, for the nostalgia trip, and it finally happened Saturday, Feb. 24, during an overtime win over old foes from Boston.
鈥淎t the start of the season we saw the Bruins game on the calendar, and that was tempting,鈥� Forsythe recalled. 鈥淪o we said to them, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to be paid, we鈥檝e never been about that, but would you fly Sully out?鈥� So they (the Canucks) covered the flight and hotel, and it all fell into place.鈥�
The Green Men are SO back! 馃煝
鈥� Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks)
Welcome home, !
Sullivan now lives with his young family in Saskatoon, while Forsythe and wife have their own busy lives in 性视界传媒, where he was born and raised.
鈥淲hen we started this, we were both single and had lots of time to do whatever we wanted,鈥� Forsythe noted. 鈥淣ow people are saying, 鈥極h, you鈥檙e just bandwagoners,鈥� because of how good the Canucks are again. No, I go to games a lot, just not in the green suit. I just want to get that out there 鈥� I鈥檓 a hardcore Canucks fan and don鈥檛 miss games.鈥�
鈥� RELATED: 鈥楬uge鈥� 性视界传媒 pride for Bains in Canucks debut as NHL鈥檚 4th Punjabi-roots player.
That was an epic night! A HUGE thank you to every single fan that welcomed us back. We can鈥檛 even begin to describe the feeling.
鈥� Green Men (@TheGreenMen)
What a win! Canucks fans鈥� you were the difference makers! Let鈥檚 keep it rocking in to the playoffs!
Their Green Men reunion was so hush-hush, they only told family members about it.
鈥淲e wanted to come back the right way, in grand fashion like we did, with the lights and the Stone Cold wrestling music,鈥� Forsythe beamed. 鈥淲e had the Al Murdoch intro, the voice of God (announcing). We weren鈥檛 sure it would all work, but then it worked perfectly, with the Bruins taking a penalty just when we were about to enter (the lower bowl of the arena).
鈥淚 never get nervous in the green suit, but my mouth went dry, the curtain opened and adrenaline took over,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he person holding the curtain says, 鈥極h, I think the Bruins just took a penalty!鈥� You see in the video, I sprinted down the stairs to the penalty box and Sully鈥檚 high-fiving people. I can鈥檛 really see out of the suit but apparently JVR (Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk) was laughing. It was awesome.鈥�
Then the waffles started flying.
Wait, waffles?
鈥淔ull credit to Sully, our most famous bit was the waffles back before the 2011 run (of the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final),鈥� Forsythe explained. 鈥淚 told him it wouldn鈥檛 work, but it did, and now it鈥檚 the GIF that comes up if you search 鈥楪reen Men鈥� (on the internet). The Maple Leafs were horrible in that era, and a fan in Toronto threw a waffle on the ice. To this day, nobody knows what that meant 鈥� maybe a form of protest because they鈥檙e losing.
鈥淎nd then a week later we went to the game against the Leafs, and we decided to buy a box of waffles at Costco and throw them, and it went off,鈥� Forsythe continued. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really even know what it meant. So then because it was our most famous bit, we had to do it again (during the Bruins game Saturday). We had all our props lined up but then 20 minutes before, we needed waffles and ran across the street to Costco and got them. We鈥檙e still waiting for that sponsorship angle, for them to hook us up with waffles.鈥�
Forsythe met Sullivan at broadcasting school, and the Fleetwood-raised resident of South 性视界传媒 now works in media relations. On Tuesday nights he can be found hosting Green Man Trivia at Clayton Pub on 188 Street.
鈥淚t鈥檚 straight-up pencils and paper, always general questions that I come up with,鈥� Forsythe noted. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 do theme nights, and a lot of people show up here every week, which is great.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 my idea to call it Green Man Trivia, and I don鈥檛 wear the green suit, no,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun, and the casuals who come in ask about it, and yeah, that鈥檚 me, the guy who wears the green outfit to Canucks games.鈥�
Not surprisingly, that green bodysuit fits a little more snug eight years later.
鈥淲e started this when we were 21, and we鈥檙e both fairly fit,鈥� Forsythe said. 鈥淪ully is around five-five, 140 pounds, born with a six-pack. He eats a diet consisting of fast food and doesn鈥檛 gain a pound. Meanwhile, I鈥檒l have a sip of this water and gain five pounds. It鈥檚 just the way it鈥檚 always been, so standing next to him, it鈥檚 a bad look from the jump.
鈥淟ast week I was in Mexico, and the whole time I鈥檓 thinking, 鈥極K, I want to enjoy myself but I know I have to fit in this freaking suit.鈥欌��
Sadly, the Bruins game will probably be a one-off reunion for the Green Men, given their locations and busy lives.
鈥淚t was so fun, and totally just a nostalgia thing, yeah,鈥� Forsythe said with a smile. 鈥淢y wife was a collegiate softball player in the States from, like, 2011 to 2015, and she never really experienced Green Men, so that was also motivation of wanting her to see it live, not just all the videos on the internet.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny because we go to parties and meet people and then the host would introduce me, 鈥極h, this is one of the Green Men,鈥� and I鈥檇 have to explain it, and she didn鈥檛 really get it. Well, now she gets it.鈥�
