Not even three weeks into 2016, the Vancouver Canucks are filling the NHL headlines.
As a Vancouver Canucks fan, how can one not be pissed off about how ignorant the NHL is of the Canucks? The Canucks are making headlines and the most intriguing of hockey stories, and yet the league just seems to write them off as just another team whose loonie is worth 69 cents American.
Let’s get to the bottom of this, why the NHL has got to thank Vancouver for being one of the most tantalizing teams in the league. Here it is, this week’s Canucklehead Lament, on why the NHL really needs to thank Vancouver.
Reason #1: Gary Bettman says “Revenue is God”
Well, let’s touch on the obvious, first. This league is all about money, revenues and dollar figures all the way, right? Well, the Canucks are doing their share of monetary favour for the NHL. According to Forbes’s 2015 NHL franchise evaluation, as of November 2015, Vancouver ranks fifth in operating income at $35.5 million and sixth in revenue at $152 million. Above them are five of the members of the Original Six, the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, Vancouver is generating more revenue than the Detroit Red Wings.
Yes, the Canadian dollar is dropping and the Vancouver market has been on a decline ever since that “Lost Season”. Vancouver finds itself second-last in one-year franchise value progression, suffering a seven percent drop in value from 2014 to 2015. But c’mon Bettman — money.
Next: #2: The Breeding Place of Polarizing Characters and Storylines
Reason #2: The Breeding Place of Polarizing Characters and Storylines
Just few days ago, you saw how crazy things can get when Vancouver snaps a dozen-game winning streak. Talk about things heating up. But that’s just a single game. Pfft. That’s nothing compared to other things that the Canucks have managed to conjure up in the past handful years.
Also just a couple of days ago, we saw the fates of two ex-Canucks crossing paths. The same very same hour when former Canuck first-round pick Cody Hodgson was put on waivers by the Nashville Predators, Zack Kassian was called up to the Edmonton Oilers. After being traded for each other under the Mike Gillis regime, the stars crossed paths once again. Talk about a plot twist involving these two ex-Vancouverites — one on the rise after restoration, the other on the fall after being hailed as one of the better first-round picks of the Gillis days.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
I know that they are one the same damn quackin’ team. They aren’t going up against each other.
But in the hearts of most, if not all Vancouver fans, the two stand at the polar opposites. They make great headlines for the league every time they play against the Canucks, because one is going to slew-feet Brandon Prust and try to become Brad Marchand No. 2, while the other is going to get a standing ovation and warm our heart with the ever-so-welcoming “Juice” presence.
Of course, one is inked to $42 million over the next six years that is being ranked as one of the worst contracts in the current league. Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler, both former alternate captains for the Canucks, are going to stir up headlines each and every time they face their old team, and that is great for the league.
And I will definitely tune in when Kassian returns to Van-town. Toe-to-toe against the one he got traded for — Prust? Oh man. Got to watch.
Next: #3 Goaltending Hotspot
#3 Goaltending Hotspot
What’s with Vancouver and goaltenders? The NHL can’t possibly have more of these tantalizing goaltending controversies, can they? Lack vs. Markstrom, Lack vs. Miller, Luongo vs. Markstrom?
Related: Statistically Speaking: Markstrom Near-Elite
Alright, I have to say that Eddie Lack was just a bit too loved and too overrated, playing under some good defensive coverage. But what’s with Jacob Markstrom posting a .922 save percentage through 18 games? Just c’mon. Give us a bona-fide number one netminder without a number “1.5” backup to “worry” about. I think we’ve done that for the past five years now, save a handful months here and there.
More from Canucks News
- Canucks are in “wash, rinse, repeat” mode after Monday’s 5-1 loss
- Canucks send Jack Rathbone and Vasily Podkolzin down to Abbotsford
- Canucks acquire Ethan Bear, Lane Pederson from Carolina
- Brock Boeser, Curtis Lazar placed on injury reserve
- Canucks officially unveil Reverse Retro jersey in latest aesthetic change
Just as Kesler, Bieksa, and Kassian are going to be received with a flurry of emotions, you already saw what kind of reception Roberto Luongo and Lack got. Luongo in Vancouver was a throw-back to the good ol’ days of brawlin’ Vancouver-Boston days, and Lack may have inserted life into these now-surging Canucks. Don’t forget the Bo Horvat–Cory Schneider swap. Forever etched in my bones.
The Canucks create the most polarizing goaltending headlines out of guys (cynically speaking) who just lay their bodies down in front of pucks. The NHL’s got to respect that and the work that Rollie Melanson has put to breeding bona-fide NHL-netminders in Vancouver.
And you know, the Canucks caused a league-wide shift in the geographics of goaltending.
In the days of Bobby Luo in Vancouver, Carey Price and Henrik Lundquivst were the only elite netminders of the East Coast. Throw in Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas as “near-elites”, if you will. In those days, the West had complete netminding dominance. The elites of the West included Luongo, Schneider, Jonathan Quick, and Pekka Rinne. Add Mikka Kiprusoff and Antti Niemi to the list of almost-elites, if you will.
But now, look at the goaltending scope of the league.
The NHL needs to thank Vancouver for reviving the Eastern Coference goaltending.
Luongo and Schneider have sinced moved to the East, Kippy retired, and Niemi has regressed significantly. Sure Miller regressed and came to Vancouver, but see the rise of Braden Holtby and Ben Bishop. Oh, how has Vancouver changed the balance of netminders in the league.
There has been a disturbance in the… league. Have you felt it?
Next: NHL needs to Thank and Apologize to the Sedins
#4 The Sedin Legacy: Thank them and Apologize to them
This, I think, is a given. The NHL has hockey gems in the Sedins, even more dazzling leadership and personalities in one of the most dynamic duos of the modern era.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin are joining the ranks of Jaromir Jagr and Pavel Datsyuk as the everlasting elites, the age-less wonders of the modern NHL. But goes who got the head noggin’, got called gay, and then got called “sisters”. Pretty impressive resume, if you ask me. Can you guess anyone who got called “gay sisters”? Oh lord. These Sedins are so disrespected, and the NHL won’t do anything about it.
Anyone read that the NHL called the Florida Panthers about that water-squirting at Daniel? For heaven’s sake, if you don’t want them to retire early as NHL’s Mother Teresas and Hockey-Saints, they better do something about all these crap littered around the NHL. “low-life” Sedins? You have got to be kidding me.
On that note, Kesler is now making virtually the same money annually as each of the Sedins do. Just something for you to chew on!
Next: The Bottomline
The Bottomline.
The Canucks are gems of the NHL.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
What other organization has these many headlines running for the league, from shifting the league’s goaltending balance to having an elite duo being called “sisters”? These Canucks deserve better from the league, and soon. But how? How could the NHL reciprocate all the dazzling goodness that the Canucks have breathed into the league?
First of all, respect. Find ways to get the Sedins some respect. They deserve to be the next Jagrs, the next Datsyuks, the next Martin Brodeurs. But you have to think that the Canucks deserve something more. Something more substantial than just “respect”.
How about a little something to not fine them $2,000 for diving? How about investigating the Panthers and their Mr. Potvin who dubbed the Sedins a “low-life”. A heck of an all-star “low-life” if you ask me, as well as being “gay sisters”. We don’t thank the Sedins enough.
How about a little more luck from the hockey gods to win some top-five draft picks? How about an injury-free season? Am I making myself clear? The Canucks deserve better, and soon. And there you go, this week’s edition of the Canucklehead Lament, featuring the seemingly parasitic relationship between the Canucks and the NHL. Surprisingly, the NHL’s not the host to the parasite. Not anymore.
Next: Canucks Schedule Analysis: Playoff Bound
So what do you think? Do you concur with my take on the stand-out legacy of the Vancouver Canucks over the past handful of years? Let us know in the comments below, tweet us at @FSTheCanuckWay or tweet me at @dave_nuckyj. Hope you enjoyed!