The Vancouver Canuck Essentials

So over at Yahoo Puck Daddy, he is having this ...submission thing i guess... where bloggers submit a factoid list/blog of their favourite NHL team called 'The Essentials'.  I like the idea and have decided that although i am a bit late to this party, and might not be considered in yahoosphere, I'd give it a shot if for no other reason than to entertain my hockey pool friends (those that can read, so that leaves out everyone whose name starts with the letters L through T).
I don't really know how Puck Daddy picks his contributors but it did give me a chance to work a bit on creating my own list of opinions of my love/hate relationship with the Vancouver Canucks.  So here it is;

Ogie's Canuck Essentials

note the packed lower bowl of the Pacific Coliseum as per
a usual Vancouver crowd in the 80's. 

Player  Stan Smyl.  A strong case could be made for Trevor Linden and even perhaps Markus Naslund, two players that have since passed ‘The Steamer’ in various team records but let’s face it; in their 40 year history, the franchise can be divided into two distinct time periods (let’s call them ‘then’ and ‘now’), divided by the worst signing in history since the Versailles Treaty (more on that later).  Stan Smyl is the one who escorted the old style out and brought the new style in.  He inherited the captaincy just days before the 1982 playoff run when then-captain, Kevin McCarthy fractured his ankle.  He helped push and punch the underdog Canucks to their first final against the mid-dynasty New York Islanders.  He endured the lean years, the numerous uniform changes, Quinngate, ownership changes and never pushed for a trade.  In his final season he took a young Trevor Linden under his (right) wing which indirectly resulted in the great Cup run of 1994.  After retiring as a player he became an assistant coach with the team and then head coach for their farm team.  He is still with the organization in the player development department.  Of note is that he is the last player to lead his team in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes all in the same year.  He also fought a total of 52 times, not bad for a guy listed as only 5’9.

Season  Talking regular season and not playoffs, it’s hard to argue that any season before this one was better; it was the second of back-to-back President’s Trophies; they had played more games in the last two years than any other team except the Bruins (who again didn't finish 1st in the league) and still managed to win it all a second time around, albeit with only three less wins than the previoius year.  That’s team dynasty territory.  Granted, the realignment has been nice to the Canucks, allowing them to play a few more games against non-threatening teams such as the oilers, flames, avalanche, wild; all in their division but still, that's a lot of days on ice.

Game  Game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Down three games to one to the New York Rangers, they had surprised in New York, putting their party on hold.  Going back to Vancouver there was doubt if they could do it again; after all the other team was coached by Mike Keenan, who had been to the dance three times and left crying.  They had Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, and a douchebag named Mark Messier who had reached near New York Yankee status with his bold prediction of beating the Devils earlier in the playoffs.   It also features the Canucks broadcast legend Jim Robson doing his own prediction of Trevor Linden's status for Game seven after he gets cheap-shotted by two Rangers, including Messier in the dying minute.

Goal  Pavel Bure, 1994 Game 7 OT, against the Calgary Flames in triple overtime to send the Canucks onto the conference finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs (yes, Toronto once was in the playoffs) with a short stop in Dallas so Pavel Bure could teach Shane Churla a lesson in manners (more on that later).  Bure's OT goal was actually only the second biggest play in Canuck history, as earlier, Kirk McLean cemented his place in Canuck history with what is simply referred to as 'The Save'. 

The Goal;

The Save;

Best Trade  The best and biggest trade in team history was involving the St. Louis Blues.  Trading the tough as Garth 'Darth' Butcher and a small, yet versatile Dan Quinn for what was to become the secondary core of the 1994 push; Cliff Ronning, Sergio Momesso, Geoff Courtnall and Robert Dirk.  It was basically a 2 for 1 deal in small guys, toughness and agility.  Plus Geoff Courtnall helped define the hockey mullet.  Who could resist that type of deal?  They were all integral pieces to the cup run and made Pat Quinn look like a genius.  Honorary mention goes to Markus Naslund coming over from Pittsburgh for Alex Stojanov in a goon for 'future all-time scoring leader' deal that many Canuck fans like to remind others cancels out that whole Cam Neely thing. 

Worst Trade  (Too) Much has been said of the Cam Neely for Barry Pederson deal so blahblahblah. However, I would go with Mike Peca for Alex Mogilny.  It was a good short-term trade; the Canucks got a proven goal scorer in Mogilny to go along with their Russian Rocket giving up a budding rookie who showed some promise but this is what made most general managers accept any calls from Canuck management.  This time it was Buffalo (who this year have traded away a 3rd liner for a certain Canuck forward named Cody Hodgson).   Peca for Mogilny did give the Canucks 2 high-scoring, high ego right wingers, and vast marketing potential to the Russian/Vancouver fan base.  However, Mogilny’s well documented fear of air travel and this relocation to one of the most-air travelled teams in the league the future wasn't looking good in the long term.  Mogilny lasted five years with Vancouver, his production sliding quicker than a Mark Messier autograph once the Moose came into town.  He was finally traded to New Jersey where he returned to his scoring ways and eventually won a Cup.  Mike Peca went on to become the new Stan Smyl, playing a small man/big heart style that won over fans and teammates where ever he played.  

He took the Sabres to the Big Dance in 1999, the Oilers in 2006 and at least won an Olympic Gold with the boys at Salt Lake City and everywhere he went, he was a leader.  He even managed to get the New York Islanders into the playoffs after seven missed appearances and Rick DiPietro in net.  He probably would have been traded away by Keenan anyways, but still...

Unsung hero  Shane Churla of the Dallas Stars.  Because of him, a legend was born.  Bure was no longer just a goal scorer, he was a goal scorer that demanded your respect and your attention, all thanks to Churla who became the straw that broke the Russian camel’s back.  

Little was he to know that one extra push on the Canuck sniper would lead to his early retirement 12 seconds later.  That hit became symbolic of the franchise and was yet another highlight in the great 1994 playoff run.

'wango!'

Franchise Villain  Really?  Were you born under a rock?  Mark Messier came to town and together with his pet Mike Keenan decimated the Canuck franchise to it’s very core, in the first big move of Orca Bay new ownership.. Linden, in one of his few career mistakes, relinquished the C to Messier before the guy had even stepped on the ice.  Of course, Linden was traded after Keenan humiliated him in front of the team while Messier laughed his evil maniacal laugh of his.  The core of the Canucks revolted; Soon gone were Kirk Mclean, Marty Gelinas, Gino Odjick, Dave Babych, Jryki Lumme, Bret Hedican and of course, Pavel Bure (although that wasn't entirely due to keenan/messier as Canuck management had never gained his respect).  Messier contributed 52 goals to the Canuck stats and exactly zero playoff appearances during his tenure as team leader.  Plus, he also recently milked the Canucks for another $6 million due to how much the franchise's worth increased while he was there, apparently.  
  
When Linden was finally traded back after Messier's departure, it was much like welcoming back an abused sibling after the abusive uncle finally moved out of the garage.  Although Vancouver fans still loved him and showered him with affection his final years, they could never look the same at him; I think a sort of guilt factor having played into their collective consciousness over allowing their 94 hero to get run out of town by that guy that cheapshotted him in the final minute of Game 6.   

Fight  We’ve all seen this, if you haven’t you are missing out on a part of hockey (and Don Cherry’s Rock’m Sock’m) history; Craig Coxe vs The Bob Probert.   This fight went on so long people ordered more beer during the fight, got it, then drank it before it ended.  A close second would have to be Gino Odjick fighting an entire line of St. Louis Blues and an honorable mention would go to the hypothetical fight between Gino Odjick and Saddam Hussein (after seeing a sign declaring that 'Gino is tougher than Saddam', he asked coach Bob McCammon what number he was). 

The Fight;

Gino vs St. Louis;

Coach It’s a toss up between Pat Quinn and Alain Vaigneault.  While Quinn built the team that came within a goal post of winning it all (or at least 'post'poning it a bit longer), Vaigneault built a team that wound up being wildly inconsistent in the finals, has made his share of questionable decisions particularly around the goal area there, including the failed experiment about having Roberto Luongo wearing be the symbolic captain for a year.  AV inherited a good team, has yet to be involved in any large blockbuster deals and uses subtle advantages such as always putting the Sedins on in offensive zone face offs, something that i don't think Quinn would have ever considered.  Pat Quinn's team went downhill as soon as he stepped away from the bench and his treatment of Bure in his first few years of the league epitomized the Canuck management mentality towards players, no matter if their last name was Bure, Linden, or Gretzky.  Bad decisions made by good coaches.  So for old school hockey, it's Pat Quinn, for new school it's AV.  Tie.

Broadcaster  Jim Robson, for much the same reason as Stan Smyl; he was the voice of the franchise through the good and the bad.  I remember I could hear the frustration in Jim’s voice as the Canucks fumbled their way to another loss in the mid-eighties, the scorn in having to watch Petr Nedved cough up the puck yet again during his power play time which was in theory to ‘help his development’ as a hockey player.  Jim Robson had personality unlike his replacement, Jim Hughson, who thanks to NHL EA Sports has made every real life game sound as if the announcing is actually some cut and paste audio job. Every time i hear 'Great Save, Luongooo' on a routine shot from the point I die inside.   Seriously, sometimes i think the directors just dub it in so he can get home early, part of the unique...

Arena Behaviour – I would go with the tendency for the lower bowl to clear out early when the Canucks are losing.  You can see the trickle starting usually with 10 minutes left if they are down by more than two goals. Of course, if they are winning the place is packed.  Also during playoffs, the anthem guy charges 25% less than other anthem singers as he just lets the audience sing the middle part of O Canada to add to our some would say 'americanesque' type of patriotism.  If the United Nations ever decides to settle things with a Sing-Off Vancouver fans are soooo there. 

Arena Food – Due to the high price of even getting into the game, the best food is usually smuggled in or at some local pub serving 25 cent wings.  Yes, you can order over-priced sushi right beside the over-priced burgers.  Yet, there is something to see a young family breaking out the bag of chips and juice boxes in $100 seats that really makes you question the enjoyment/validity of that $8 beer you are holding. 

not life-size

Swag – The Canucks have had more jerseys in the last 40 years than Sidney Crosby has released concussion updates (ok, not really, but close).  There’s at least 13 major changes of jerseys, excluding 'anniversary editions' jerseys so that makes for over 2o variations of Canuck jerseys that inhabit thrift stores, homeless shelters and the back of people’s closets.  A funny piece of swag would be the oh-so-close Gretzky jersey that nearly came to fruitition in 1996 but for Canuck brass at the time refusing to accept a verbal agreement at 2 am.  The Great One signed with New York, which indirectly resulted in the creation of the Franchise Villain because apparently even New York wasn't big enough for the two of them. Messier...man...