Vancouver Canucks

Salutations

I welcome you to view my heartfelt and stripped-down view on the Canucks’ organization, updated every Monday and Friday mornings. With that said, let me give you a bit of my hockey background and the perspective I have grasped.

I grew up in Prince George, which in my teeanage years, our city procured the Western Hockey League’s Cougars from the capital of Victoria. The first few years were dreadful and the P.G. Spruce Kings (still operating in the BCJHL’s Interior Conference) were prominent as well. Then the Cougars brought in Eric Brewer, Zdeno Chara, Mike Leclerc, Chris Mason, Joel Kwiatkowski and Blair Betts to build a stellar team that challenged for the WHL championship in 1996-97. Towards the millennium, I moved to Vancouver and realized the much bigger picture.

In the recent past, I’ve attended games at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Vancouver last year, attended the 2006 NHL draft, held season’s tickets for the Vancouver Giants and parlayed those into a Memorial Cup last spring. My family and I also saw the Canadian squad close out this summer’s Canada/Russia Super Series in game#8 at GM Place.
Hockey at all levels of the British Columbian Lower Mainland is channeled through the Vancouver Canucks’ organization. The minor leagues of course, link directly as natural course, while supporting establishments and derivatives draw their nourishment from the community and give back in multiple ways. The kids are constantly at the bigger market games getting support from various events and exposing their programs. Hockey has many fans at numerous levels.
Local rinks such as the Canlan satellites (Eight Rinks, North Shore, etc.), compliment the junior programs that come out of the Burnaby and North Shore Winter Clubs as well as plentiful men’s and women’s recreational leagues. This goes very well with the recent successes of the Vancouver Giants and a sparkling new Prospera Centre in Chilliwack to house the WHL’s Bruins. A scaled-down six team World Hockey Association operates in Southern British Columbia and Barrhead River, Alberta.
The BCJHL has had a lot of success with some franchises producing big name NHL talent. A good example would be Travis Zajac, who honed his craft with Salmon Arm before heading to the U.S. College ranks. Zajac has been a constant on the New Jersey Devils the past two years. Phoenix drafted Kyle Turris from the Burnaby Express this past summer third overall and he has quickly solidified his status as one of the NHL’s top prospects.

There are hearty bands of Canadiens and Maple Leafs fans of course, while many transplanted Edmonton Oilers devotees boldly bare their gear. The Canucks have had a few truly spectacular players and moments over the 37+ years as a franchise, yet have endured a great deal of painful and adverse times. Drafting has always been a concern, though Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, Michael Peca, Mattias Ohlund, the Sedin twins, Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler have stood out.

Regardless if the Canucks are your team of favour or not, their undeniable presence here is both tangible and excitable. A drive just to qualify for the 2008 playoffs in a demanding Western Conference, is a task that will need a tremendous effort. Stars like Markus Naslund and Sami Salo will need to turn inwards to find some grit and lead by example. The Sedins’ possession game has got to be an inspiration for the speed and enthusiasm displayed by the likes of Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Alex Edler during the campaign. Willie Mitchell, Kevin Bieksa and forward Taylor Pyatt are charged with the tasks of making Vancouver a very hard team to oust out of this year’s playoff race. Certain change would accompany any less.

Robin Keith Thompson, March 3, 2008.
Surrey, British Columbia