5. Kevin Bieksa
Honestly, the five spot was the hardest to come up with. I had about six different players in this spot in the many lists I made before finally settling on Kevin Bieksa. Maybe it’s because of the way he carried himself on the ice with the confidence you could tell he didn’t lack at all; maybe it was because of how much he did for someone who will show up later on this list, Rick Rypien.
Anyway, Bieksa has always been one of my favourite Canucks period. Although he wasn’t the most offensively gifted player and wasn’t too flashy, his fighting abilities were something I always admired and was drawn to. Bieksa has had some of the most memorable fights in Canucks history.
Long before his one punch superman punch on Radko Gudas went viral, fans in Vancouver knew Bieksa possessed that lethal and unorthodox superman punch. You can watch a compilation of what claims to be every superman punch that Bieksa has ever thrown in his career, and you’ll notice that most of the clips feature Bieksa in a Canuck uniform.
His fearlessness and willingness to stick up for his teammates, along with how key of a role he played on the 2011 team, lands Bieksa at the fifth spot on my list. Here are some honourable mentions; and truly, it could be any one of these guys at this spot: Craig Coxe, Ron Delorme, Ed Jovanovski, and especially Curt Fraser.