ESPN's Pat McAfee reacts to wild ending of Game 1 of Canucks vs. Oilers series

Pat McAfee may be a retired NFL football player, but he is not shy about sharing his love of professional hockey. He is a huge fan who constantly talks about the sport on his ESPN/YouTube show.

For this reason, Vancouver Canucks fans were eager to hear McAfee's reaction to the outcome of Game 1 of the Canucks vs. Oilers series on Wednesday night.

McAfee is not a West Coast resident so he admitted that he watched some of the game before going to bed. When he went to sleep, he assumed that the Oilers would win.

Pat McAfee was shocked to see the final score when he woke up on Thursday morning

McAfee called it "one of the best comebacks we've seen" from 4-1 down with three minutes left in the second period.

He described the fans going "bananas" when the Canucks tied it at 4-4. McAfee called the winning goal from Conor Garland a "missile" from the blue line. Even narrated by McAfee hours after it happened, it is a surreal ending to the game.

Meanwhile, Canucks fans wondered how Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner felt after the loss. He said: "We definitely gave them this one." Skinner has to say that to the media and put the loss out of his mind as he prepares for Game 2; however, his opinion is debatable.

The Oilers, despite finishing second behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division, have been the perceived favorites to win this series by practically every hockey pundit living outside of Vancouver. What the Canucks did last night was not go away, not give up, and continue to work the shifts and turn the game around.

As McAfee pointed out, this level of rivalry and competitiveness in Game 1 of the series is good for hockey. We could not agree more.