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Canucks can finally end nine years of pain in Game 4

By Alex Hoegler

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 06: Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates on the bench after he scored a goal in the second period against the Minnesota Wild in Game Three of the Western Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 06, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 06: Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates on the bench after he scored a goal in the second period against the Minnesota Wild in Game Three of the Western Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 06, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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The Vancouver Canucks haven’t won a playoff series in nine years. They can finally erase all the pain in Game 4 tonight.

When the Vancouver Canucks take to the ice for Game 4 on Friday night, they’ll have a chance to do something special for this long-suffering fanbase.

They can end nine years of misery and frustration. They are 60 minutes away from finally ending a nine-year drought of no playoff series victories.

May 24, 2011. That marks the last time the Canucks won a playoff series. You know, when Kevin Bieksa scored the unforgettable “stanchion goal” in double overtime of Game 5 against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final — the goal that sent Vancouver to the Stanley Cup for the first time in 17 years.

Who could have thought that the Canucks would fail to win another playoff series for (at least) another eight years? They seemed destined for another deep postseason run after winning the Presidents’ Trophy again in 2012, only to be sent home by the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings in round one.

A year later, Vancouver was swept by the sixth-seeded Sharks in the opening round, which marked the end of Alain Vigneault’s otherwise successful head coaching tenure here.

One year later, Roberto Luongo finally received a long-awaited trade after head coach John Tortorella benched him in favour of Eddie Lack in the Heritage Classic game against the Ottawa Senators. Tortorella and general manager Mike Gillis were relieved of their duties after Vancouver missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Vancouver bounced back in the first season under general manager Jim Benning, finishing second in the Pacific Division with 101 points. They were ousted by the arch rival Calgary Flames in the first round, and the Canucks proceeded to miss the postseason in each of the next four years.

Playoff heartbreak. Coaching changes. Franchise icons leaving. Four straight seasons of getting unlucky in the draft lottery. Indeed, it’s been such a grueling nine years for Canuck fans.

But here we are on Aug. 7, 2020. A young core led by Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser have the chance to erase the near decade-long pain for the Canucks and their loyal supporters.

dark. Next. Canucks: Time to stop with the Boeser trade talk

Just one more win, and this team will be off to the round of 16. Whatever happens from there is for another day. All Canucks fans need for now is one more victory.

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