Vancouver Canucks Legends

Hey Dunc good luck with your new career in the sk...

2009-10-03T21:16:11.294-07:00

Hey Dunc good luck with your new career in the skating world, cheers from the Whithouse. A Kokanee for good luck?renwor

A great guy off the ice, too. A Class act. Howev...

2009-09-12T04:46:55.327-07:00

A great guy off the ice, too. A Class act.

However, the Whalers best NHL defenseman was Ulf Samuelsson.

The Whalers left Babs exposed in the 1991 waiver draft. His career was rock-bottom because management expected so much more.

Quinn accepted him for who he was -- a low-key above average blueliner.

no... the goaltender story must have been a dream....

2009-05-31T20:52:48.451-07:00

no... the goaltender story must have been a dream... it never happened

I remember starting a fan club for Harold after he...

2009-04-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

I remember starting a fan club for Harold after he broke his ankle or leg. There was about 30 of us who went to visit him.

Absolutely amzaing player and such a lovely guy, i...

2009-04-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

Absolutely amzaing player and such a lovely guy, i have met Pavel in Florida at the Honey and milk Cafe part owned by his brother Valeri, and he is so accomadating and modest, whcih most people i know have taken for arrogance, but he simply tries to keep himself out of the spotlight and did the job he was paid to do. pavel said that he missed Gino after Vancouver traded him, despite his pleas to keep him as he was a valuable player i mean, look how many goals Gino scored playing with Bure, but that was ultimately the last straw. Messier didn't help by badmouthing fellow teammates and having them shipped out, serious what kind of Captain would do that to his team, i much preferred Linden.

Furthermore the most irksome of everythign to Bure was the rumour about him withdrawing his services during the playoffs which was a complete fabrication, but which caused the fans to rebel against him, and where were the Canucks then, they waited a good couple of weeks before then refuting the rumour, which i think is poor representation for a star player, and they didnt start their relationship well with Pavel when he risked alot going to L.A to meet the Canucks, but no-one was there to meet him, he was sent no equipment as promised, and he had not been contacted by any of Canucks management despite them knowing he was a star player. Too all those who think Pavel is a money hungry Russian, who thinks of himself and not of his team are wrong, yes he was given big contract deals for huge sums of money, but he always loved the game and was worth every penny look how close the Canucks were to winning Lord Stanleys cup with him in the line-up, he did everything he could to try and get the teams he played for to the Stanley cup, and in my opinion was worth every cent, becasue he brought up everyone elses games and inspired confidence in not only his team mates but to all the future generations of hockey player that watched him, so ultimately he was a great investment for anyone that has him.

Whenever I think of the legendary Dennis Kearns, I...

2009-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

Whenever I think of the legendary Dennis Kearns, I can't help but recall the playoff game in 1975 at the Montreal Forum.

Kearns tapped a centering pass from the right corner INTO HIS OWN NET (in overtime, no less!) past goalie Gary Smith to win the series 4 games to 1 for the Canadiens.

The gloom of that day has never fully evaporated.

One of my biggest criticisms of Wild GM Doug Riseb...

2009-02-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest criticisms of Wild GM Doug Risebrough is not bringing Cliff back, for another go around. The amazing skill he had, even late in his career, the leadership and connection with Marian Gaborik are things the team needed, and lost with Cliff not coming back. He was without a doubt one of the biggest reasons we had a deep playoff run, and how fitting to do it against the Nucks?

Still to this day, missing Cliff Ronnings skill set in Minny...

A true goons' goon. A guy that would be out there ...

2009-02-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

A true goons' goon. A guy that would be out there every night, no matter the pain or opponent - to defend his mates. Most notably, Pavel. A truly crazy man on the ice too. He had no issues with delivering elbows, two handers and especially, getting in your face and forcing you to defend yourself, or risk getting your eyes punched through the back of your skull. Still to this day, one of my favorite NHL enforcers to watch tape on. You just never knew what Gino would do, and that, in itself, is what made him a special player, but makes the enforcer role what it should be.

Being a Minnesota boy, I've learned to REALLY hate...

2009-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Being a Minnesota boy, I've learned to REALLY hate the Nucks in the past decade or so. But, and without question, Trevor Linden always had/has my utmost respect. I could never bring myself to wish for anything bad to happen to him like so many other Canuck players like Matt Cooke, Jakko Ruutu, Mattias Ohlund etc.. He was just a classy guy on the ice and off the ice. An absolute class act, and a guy that the NHL needs to keep around in some aspect, because wasting a hockey guy like him would be a travesty.

One of the greats!

2009-01-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

One of the greats!

Great Story.............Better Man.

2008-12-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Great Story.............Better Man.

Congrats to Trevor on a great career, and thanks f...

2008-12-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Trevor on a great career, and thanks for the leadership and community work.

I'd like to praise Trevor for what may be the greatest hockey performance I ever saw. It was his 6 point night against the defending champion Oilers on Dec.20 1990.

I had just moved to Vancouver from Edmonton, where I had been lucky enough to be their team statistician through all their trips to the Stanley Cup. I was privileged to attend all Oilers' home games, and saw many of the greatest games by some of the all-time greatest players.

I'd seen a lot of scoring. But it wasn't just that Trevor scored 6 points on the Canucks' 7 goals that night, but how it was accomplished. I never saw a player who was such a marked man, who was continually being physically pounded by the opposition, who rose above that to dominate the game with his scoring.

The reason for the abuse was an injury Trevor had caused to an Oiler (Steve Smith?) in the previous game. The abuse got so bad that Canuck fans were pelting the ice with debris, which got so bad at one point that the Oiler goalie (Grant Fuhr?) took refuge by taking cover inside his net.

Amazing!

Did Harold Snepsts ever suit up as a goaltender fo...

2008-11-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Did Harold Snepsts ever suit up as a goaltender for the Canucks as both goalies of the day got hurt? I believe that I saw him do just that in a televised game. He only would have done so for about 15 minutes....but there is no record of him being a goaltender because he was declared a defenceman. Please look into this. I know this happened. Please let me know.

I remember Harold very well - as a kid I can recal...

2008-11-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

I remember Harold very well - as a kid I can recall staring at the TV just waiting for Harold to touch the puck so I could chant his name along with the crowd. I remember being very saD when he was traded in 1990.

My other memory of Snepsts was a game against the Habs in 1990, shortly before he was traded - someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but Snepsts ended up scoring what turned out to be the winning goal against a powerful Montreal team, at a time when Vancouver was one of the weakest. I remember the roof of the Coliseum nearly blowing off as the crowd went bezerk. Snepsts enjoyed the momet, but said after the game that he actually felt kind of bad for the Habs goalie = who may have been Pat Roy, I'm not sure.

Anyhow - it was a great moment, one that I have never forgotten. Snepsts was indeed a player that defied all the odds and made a pretty good career for himself - I still can't believe how long he played for...

I still think Game 6 in Vancouver as one of the be...

2008-11-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

I still think Game 6 in Vancouver as one of the best hockey games I have ever seen - definitley the best game in Canucks history. What a game....great time for Canuck fans.

I may just like Dan Quinn the best because of who ...

2008-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I may just like Dan Quinn the best because of who we all got gor him in return, which was a big chunk of the 1994 Cup run team.

I met Jack when I was just in novice divisoin. He ...

2008-10-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

I met Jack when I was just in novice divisoin. He was a realy great guy I will never forget his big bushy hair hope to meet you again Jack

I always thought Reinhart was such a classy hockey...

2008-10-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

I always thought Reinhart was such a classy hockey player - I know the Flames had pretty much given up on him by 1988, but I thought it was one of Quinn's best deals to bring him over in exchange for pretty much nothing. Underrated is probably the best way to describe him,a dn I remember him scoring some big goals for the Canucks in the '89 playoffs against his former team, the Flames. Always thought it was a shame the way his back ended his career so early...

The Pederson/Neely trade may be the worst deal mad...

2008-10-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Pederson/Neely trade may be the worst deal made in all of sports - absolutley awful how the Canucks gave up so much without doing their homework on another player coming off major surgery.

In retrospect, Pederson's numbers weren't that bad as a Canuck - he was after all playing on a brutal hockey team. But so much was expected of him, expectations may have been set way too high. And the way his numbers continued to dramatically decline each and every year - just made that trade even worse.

I didn't mind Barry as a Canuck, but he wasn't one of my faves - I was more upset about losing Tanti tan Pederson in that trade with Pittsburgh...

Loved Gino - absolutely loved him. The guy was ama...

2008-10-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Loved Gino - absolutely loved him. The guy was amazing, the perfect compliment to guys like Bure and Linden, and was a legit heavyweight. Every team needs guys like Gino to protect their starts, even in todays NHL.

I remember Odjick scoring on a penalty shot against Mike Vernon of the Flames in 1992. When he scored, I thought the roof was going to blow off the Pacific Coliseum, and I remember dancing in my living room and celebrating the exact same way Gino did - what a moment for him and Canuck fans everywhere! His 16 goal season for the Canucks in '94, while riding shotgun on Bure's line, was one for the ages - what the odd couple they made!

He had that 'crazy factor' in him too. The guy had a temper and constantly toed the line - his flips outs against the Kings, then the Blues in the '95 playoffs, were unforgettable. His suckerpunch on Todd Harvey, however, was brutal. But thats the way Gino played - on a fine line, and occasionallly he crossed it - but being so unpredicatble was one of the many reasons fans loved him so much. That, and he was real good at beating people up!

It was a sad day when Gino was traded, soon after Linden - but I cheered for him nonetheless when he fought the very guy he was traded for in Strudwick. Odjick was as skilled a goon as there ever was.

I never forgave Nedved for holding out on the Canu...

2008-10-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

I never forgave Nedved for holding out on the Canucks the way he did in 1993 - I always thought Petr was better than that, and often wondered what a lineup with a growing Nedved, Bure, Linden, and Gelinas would have looked like going forward.

Then again, if it weren't for Brown, Hedican, and Lafeyette, we may not have made it to the finals that spring. So who knows, maybe Nedved's holdout was a blessing in disguise.

Regardless, in the late 90s, when Nedved held out again, this time on the Penguins, I wasn't surprised, and Petr, to me, became the symbol of what was wrong with professional athletes - contantly holding out, looking for more money - out-of-touch, greedy and selfish. His career peaked with that 99 point season in 1996 as a 25 year old - he was never able to regain that form after sitting out that entire season a couple years after that great year.

I thught Bure and Nedved would make a great team for the Canucks - turned out Petr wanted none of that. Too bad for him.

I for one loved Dana Murzyn and appreciated his ef...

2008-10-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

I for one loved Dana Murzyn and appreciated his efforts.

The thing about Dana was, there was no better teammate than guys like him. Not only was Dana willing to get his nose dirty, but he was always willing to step up and drop the gloves in defense of a teammate, no matter who the opposition was.

I saw poor Dana take plenty of beatings during his time with the Canucks - ugly losses to guys like Corson, Marchment, and even little Todd Harvey often had me wincing in sympathy for the big guy. But I always admired his spirit and his willingness to do the nasty stuff - he knew he would get hammered, but he did it anyways. When he won the odd tussle, no one was happier for him than me!

I think Murzyn's best season as a Canuck was 93-94 - he should have been a big part of that team that made it to the finals, but a knee injury kept him out for most of it, and Brian Glynn played so well as a replacement it was hard for Quinn to take him out and put Dana back in. I felt for him, but Murzyn never said a word or complained - once again, the perfect teammate, and I didn't like it when fans bood him either.

Every team needs a guy like Murzyn on it.

McLean's play in the '94 run was legendary - from ...

2008-10-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

McLean's play in the '94 run was legendary - from that huge save on Reichel to his outstandign perforance in Game 1 against the Rnagers - without Kirk, the Canucks wouldn't have made it out of round 1 that year. McLean was as solid and as consistent as they came - he had a few ugly seasons here and there, but for the most part you could always count on McLean.

I only saw him lose his cool a couple times - once for sure when the Rangers scored on him to tie up a game in the early 90s in the final seconds of the third period - McLean smashed his stick on the ice in frustration, one of the first and only times I ever saw him angry. He was never dragged into a line brawl with another goalie either. He didn't have much of a temper, thats for sure.

One thing I will never forget about him was his puckhandling skills - very underrated in that regard, always knew what he was doing and rarely coughed it up - excpet to Pete Zezel of the Leafs in OT of the '94 playoffs - but the Canucks quickly made us forget abotu that gaff. But McLean was a great goalie and a solid gy to have as your number 1.

All hail Captain Kirk!

Gotta love a hockey player whose nickname was Wolf...

2008-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Gotta love a hockey player whose nickname was Wolfman - McIlhargey was one scary lookin' dude! Glad to see he's still coaching in Philly - a players coach who always loved a good tussle.

Not just my favorite Canuck ever, but my fave play...

2008-10-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Not just my favorite Canuck ever, but my fave player ever to play the game. The day he was traded was one of the worst of my life as a hockey fan - the day he returned was one of the best.

Not much to add other than whats already been said above - but I always believed that Linden represented everything good about hockey, both and off the ice. He was indeed a terrific leader, maybe not as great a captain as Stan Smyl, but a great one nonetheless. Linden was my hero and my idol, and when I played sports as a kid I strived to play and approach the game exactly the way I thought Trevor would.

I don't think I'll cheer for or idolize another hockey player the way I did with Linden - hockey just won't be the same for me as a fan now thats retired.