POLL: MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN CANUCK HISTORY

[yave1964]

With apologies to Trevor Linden and Markus Naslund and Stanley Steamer all of whom were greats on this team and are largely overlooked for individual accolades, here is my list of greatest moments in Canucks history:

 

BURE GOES FOR 60 IN BACK TO BACK YEARS

 

What a career he could have had. Injuries slowed down the future Hall of Famer but the Russian Rocket early in his career was the bees knees, in 1992-93 and the following year as he led his team to the Cup finals Bure became only the 8th player in history to have back to back 60 goal seasons.

 

THE TERRIBLE TOWEL AND THE BRILLIANCE OF ROGER NEILSON

To say the officiating in game two of the western conference finals against the Hawks was bad was an understatement and with his team trailing 4-1 late Roger had enough, he put a white towel on a hockey stick and waved it, drawing an immediate ejection but most important firing up the team and the crowd. 'Captain Video' and the Canucks eneded up winning the next three to advance to their first ever finals, led by the forgotten Thomas Gradin (37-49-86) and Smyl (34-44-78) and one of my favorites, journeyman Ivan Boldirev (33-40-73) and the playoff goaltending of Richard Brodeur, the Canucks beat up on the West before succumbing to the mighty Isles.

 

DRAFT DAY, BRIAN BURKE GETS BOTH OF THE SEDINS

Here’s how one of the biggest draft day moves ever went down (the Canucks went in holding the 3rd pick): first Vancouver sent Bryan McCabe and a 2000 first-round pick to Chicago for the 4th overall pick; then the 4th pick and a pair of third-rounders went to Tampa Bay for the 1st overall selection; next that 1st pick went to Atlanta for the 2nd pick under the condition the Thrashers wouldn’t take a Sedin. According to Burke, the whole thing came together about 15 minutes before the draft started; who knows where Vancouver would be had it not. And who knows if Atlanta would still have a team if they had simply went with one of the Sedin boys instead of the largely forgetable Patrik Stefan.

 

BACK TO BACK PRESIDENTS TROPHIES 2011 AND 2012

 The Canucks at the turn of this decade were hockey royalty, and nothing signified it more than back to back Presidents trophies with a combined 228 points over the two seasons. The Sedins, Bobby Lu, Kesler, Burrows and Raymond paced the offense while the smothering defense was led by Erhoff, Edler and Salo. A brilliantly put together team that ran all over the league-in the regular season.

 

1994 STANLEY CUP FINALS AGAINST THE HATED MESSIER

 A seven game heartbreaking ending as Bure was insane that year, (60-47-107) finishing a ridiculous 37 points ahead of his second highest scoring teammate Geoff Courntnall and with 60 goals he outscored the number two and three goalscorers (Linden 32 Courtnall 26) COMBINED. his finest season, Kirk McLean was wonderful in net and they gave the Blue Shirts all they could handle as it took Messier carrying the Rangers on his back to defeat the Canucks in a fun seven game series.

 

UGLIEST UNIFORMS EVER THE EARLY 80'S CANUCKS CLAIM THE TITLE

 The Canucks edge out some serious contenders, but the early eighties Canucks jersey was impossible to look at without wearing sunglasses. It looked like someone had used it to clean baby poo and then put it on, absolutely hideous IMHO the worst of the worst jersey of all time, at least at the NHL level.

This jersey was so god awful that it has to capture the crown. And keep in mind, the Canucks have been wearing horrible sweaters for four decades. This one is so awful as to make the others almost bearable.

 

MISSED BY THAT MUCH! THE SEVER GAME HEARTBREAKER TO THE BRUINS IN 2010-11

 

  The Canucks were up in the series against the Bruins in a heated series, hometown boy Milan Lucic is forever reviled for daring to help lead his team to a comeback series win against the team he grew up rooting for, his fathers church in nearby Burnaby BC was vandalized even.Tim Thomas mocking Bobby Lu, Aaron Rome suspended for the postseason, Alexandre Burrows bit Patrice Bergeron. Fighting taunts, the Canucks had series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but the Bruins bot into Luongo's head, plain and simple and that was that.Luongo more or less fell apart as the Bruins outscored the Canucks 9-2 over the final two games. Great series though, true bad blood ended in a riot in Vancouver. My kind of hockey.

 

[yave1964]

I went for Captain Video, the Canucks were awful for most of the year, Harry Neale got whacked with five games left and Neilson took over and the team went 4-0-1 in the regular season to set up the playoffs. Neilson led them to three consecutive upsets to make the finals. Just one hell of a coach, did an amazing job with a team short on talent but long on heart, he pushed every button just right to get them further than they had a right to.

[VanIsleFlyer]

I'd have to go with the 2010-2011 Finals and falling short.

 

I remember the 1982 and 1994 runs to the Finals, when they were mostly long shots, but this was supposed to be "third time is the charm!" and with the Canucks being up twice in the series, they totally collapsed, primarily due to Luongo.  Being a die hard Flyers fan, I just couldn't stand the thought of having to listen to my Canuck fan buddies all year, and couldn't believe they blew it, but loved every minute of it!

 

That photo you posted went viral, especially around these parts, and the fans reacted terribly with the riot, but I guess the fact that the riot occurred and the fact that they blew the series lead twice, I'd have to go with that one!

 

Looking forward to another Canuck loss to the Flyers in Vancouver, as they will be here in March this year, as opposed to around X-mas or New Years, like most years!

[yave1964]

I'd have to go with the 2010-2011 Finals and falling short.

 

I remember the 1982 and 1994 runs to the Finals, when they were mostly long shots, but this was supposed to be "third time is the charm!" and with the Canucks being up twice in the series, they totally collapsed, primarily due to Luongo.  Being a die hard Flyers fan, I just couldn't stand the thought of having to listen to my Canuck fan buddies all year, and couldn't believe they blew it, but loved every minute of it!

 

That photo you posted went viral, especially around these parts, and the fans reacted terribly with the riot, but I guess the fact that the riot occurred and the fact that they blew the series lead twice, I'd have to go with that one!

 

Looking forward to another Canuck loss to the Flyers in Vancouver, as they will be here in March this year, as opposed to around X-mas or New Years, like most years!

My wife and daughter think it is cool that the two kids in the picture are living in Australia together and have a mural on the wall in their bedroom of that picture. Everytime either of them sees this picture they just sigh. One hell of a pic. It looks like a war zone or Detroit, not BC.

[jammer2]

  I went with the magical Roger Neilson lead run in 82. Roger had every right to wave that towel, that was some of the worst officiating ever, in any NHL series. It was flat out disgusting. Sometimes you take the ejection to put heat on the less than stellar officiating crew. You will get the heave ho, but it puts the NHL in a position where they must call it more fair....which is exactly what happened. It was a GREAT ploy by Roger.

 

  I'll never forget that frenzied crowd waving those towels in a delirious fashion!  That was the high point in the Nucks history, never before had the city embraced their team so feverishly.....and I don't think it's been matched to this day.

[ScottM]

I went with the jerseys, just for the heck of it. Lol

[Samifan]

I voted for the jerseys!

 

Honorable mention to John Tortorella for challenging Bob Hartley and the entire Calgary Flames ORGAN-EYE-ZAH-SCHUNN

[JagerMeister]

Voted bure. Just loved watching him.