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Vancouver Canucks Ranked 116th Among Major Sports Franchises by ESPN

By Janik Beichler

Feb 9, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (30), defenseman Ryan Stanton (18) and defenseman Yannick Weber (6) look on after allowing a goal to Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter (not pictured) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (30), defenseman Ryan Stanton (18) and defenseman Yannick Weber (6) look on after allowing a goal to Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter (not pictured) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Vancouver Canucks were ranked 116th overall among major league sports franchises by ESPN.

Things haven’t been great for the Vancouver Canucks, we get that. After falling just one win short of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, it really went downhill for the club. It was bad enough to fall from 43rd to 116th in ESPN The Magazine’s pro franchise ranking in five years. The ranking includes 30 teams each from the NHL, NBA, and MLB, as well as the 32 NFL franchises.

Here’s how the ranking works:

"It takes four steps for us to rank the 122 franchises in North America.First: Consulting firm Maddock Douglas surveyed 1,031 fans to form 25 criteria for the things most desired in return for the emotion, money and time they invest.Second: Teaming with NetReflector, an opinion research firm, ESPN.com asked fans to rate their home teams in each area; more than 72,000 of you did! We grouped grades into seven categories.Third: Our final measure, bang for the buck, uses calculations developed with Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center to figure how well teams turn fans’ money into wins.Finally: We combined each team’s scores across all categories into a weighted average. The result? Rankings that combine fan opinions and how well teams turn your dollars into wins. Ultimately, it all counts."

In case you care about the different categories that teams were ranked in, here are the Canucks’ results:

Title track: 111

As mentioned before, the Canucks came close to winning their first Stanley Cup in 2011. We all know it didn’t end well. Five years later, the Canucks are as far away from winning a title as they could be.

Ownership: 90

This one is interesting. The Aquilini Investment Group is often criticised for interfering too much in day-to-day business. None of that is proven, and Canucks management frequently say it isn’t true, but the buzz is always there around fans. Yet, ownership earned the Canucks their best rank.

Coaching: 114

Do the Canucks have the 114th-best coach in North America’s major sports leagues? It seems exaggerated, but that’s what happens when you put Brandon Prust out as your extra skater in the final minutes of a game. Sorry, Willie Desjardins.

Players: 107

The Sedin twins are still the stars and faces of the franchise, but they are too old to be the elite 100-point scorers they used to be. Behind that, there still isn’t much. Many think the Canucks have one of the weakest rosters in the NHL, so it only makes sense to be far down in a ranking of all major sports franchises.

Fan relations: 106

To be honest, I can’t say much about this category. I never felt like the Canucks were particularly bad in fan relations, but apparently they are.

Affordability: 121

The Canucks’ worst rank came in affordability. Only one team was even worse. Now, since this was a survey with fan ratings rather than a comparison of prices, it might not be entirely fair. Vancouver’s real estate situation and the general cost of living likely play a large role in this category, as paying $100 for average seats at a hockey game is not in everyone’s budget.

Related Story: Low Attendance at Rogers Arena Despite Winning Streak

Stadium experience: 115

I have to say, I didn’t think the game-day experience at Rogers Arena was that bad. Then again, it isn’t very good either. Living in Germany, I am used to European stadium atmosphere and find sitting in a North American rink or stadium rather boring anyway, but I didn’t think Vancouver was particularly bad.

Bang for the buck: 112

This one makes sense. Canucks fans find the games hardly affordable and the team doesn’t win. A terrible combination.

Next: Canucks Haven't Lost 2016 NHL Draft

Being one of the worst teams in the league is bad. Being regarded one of the worst franchises on the continent is worse.

Something needs to change in Vancouver sooner rather than later, and going 4-0-0 in the 2016-17 season is a good start.

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