Canucks flashback: The 2003 collapse against the Wild

17 years ago, the Minnesota Wild ended the Vancouver Canucks’ Stanley Cup quest. Here’s a look back on the unforgettable meltdown.

At some point, the Vancouver Canucks will meet with the Minnesota Wild in a best-of-five qualifying round matchup for the right to enter the final 16.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league’s return-to-play plan on Tuesday, although he wasn’t able to specify any possible dates or timelines.

So for now, Vancouver and Minnesota fans can only sit back and await their first postseason meeting in 17 years. What happened in 2003 will forever mark one of the darkest moments in Canucks history.

Everything was going Vancouver’s way in the 2003 postseason. The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings were swept in round one by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The arch-rival and star-studded Colorado Avalanche were stunned by the Minnesota Wild in Game 7 of overtime.

In round two, Anaheim upset the top-seeded Dallas Stars in six games. The Canucks held a 3-1 series lead against the Wild, who were only in their third year of existence. One more victory, and Vancouver would have home advantage against the seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks in the Conference Final.

But the Wild, led by defensive trap guru and head coach Jacques Lemaire, wouldn’t go away quietly. They came in and embarrassed the Canucks 7-2 in Game 5 to cut the series lead to 3-2.  Two days later, the Canucks were humiliated 5-1 on the road. The series was now tied at three games apiece.

Vancouver held a 2-0 lead late in the second period, thanks to goals from Mattias Ohlund and Todd Bertuzzi. Pascal Dupuis scored at 15:30 of the second to get the Wild within one. Then the infamous collapse happened.

The Canucks allowed three unanswered goals in front of a stunned GM Place crowd; Darby Hendrickson notched the eventual game-winner at 14:48. And with that, one of the most dominant Vancouver teams in history saw a prime opportunity at the Stanley Cup evaporate.

That 2002-03 team was unquestionably Vancouver’s best since the 1993-94 club that reached the Stanley Cup Final. They finished second in goals for (264) and 10th in goals against (208).

Now, Mighty Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere (the eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner) could have very well stolen a series against Vancouver. Don’t forget he only allowed one goal (!) in a four-game sweep against Minnesota, though Anaheim eventually fell to the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final.

Still, you can’t help but wonder what could have been if Vancouver recorded one more win against a young Minnesota team. For all we know, they would have taken care of business against the Mighty Ducks, and this 2002-03 team had the depth and star power to defeat a dominant New Jersey team.

But instead, the Wild pulled off an unforgettable comeback for the ages, and that West Coast Express era team never fully recovered. 17 years later, Elias Pettersson and the young Canucks will have a chance to soften the painful memories from 2003.