Even after 13 years following the Canucks’ game seven loss to the Bruins, and 30 years after their game seven defeat to the Rangers, the pain and weight of these playoff runs falling short never gets easier to swallow.
There are some bright spots for the Canucks amid their game seven misery — games five and six against the New York Rangers in 1994, and game five against the Boston Bruins in 2011 — but they are always overshadowed by what’s followed.
The final edition of “This week in Canucks history” of the season takes us back to the most important, and most heartbreaking, games in team history.
June 10, 2011: Canucks win game 5, take 3–2 lead in Stanley Cup final
Maxim Lapierre scored the only goal in a 1–0 Vancouver win, as the Canucks became one win away from the cup. He was assisted by Kevin Bieksa and Raffi Torres.
Roberto Luongo made 31 saves for the shutout.
June 11, 1994: “He will play, you know he’ll play”
The Canucks beat the Rangers 4–1 in game six, tying the Stanley Cup Final at 3-3 and forcing a game seven in New York three days later. Jeff Brown and Geoff Courtnall each scored twice.
Legendary broadcaster Jim Robson made this famous call as an injured Trevor Linden crawled back to the Vancouver bench near the end of the game.
June 13, 2011: Canucks drop game 6 to Bruins
With a chance to win the Stanley Cup on the road, Vancouver’s offence came out flat as they lost 5–2. The teams would return to Vancouver two days later for game seven.
Henrik Sedin and Lapierre scored Vancouver’s two goals.
June 14, 1994: Canucks fall to Rangers in game 7 of cup final
Linden scored both of Vancouver’s goals in a 3–2 loss, as their 1994 playoff run came to an end.
Linden scored his first goal of the game shorthanded at 5:21 of the second period to cut the Rangers’ lead in half. He would later strike on the power play early into the third, bringing the game to 3–2.
June 15, 2011: Canucks fall to Bruins in game 7 as playoff run ends at home
Vancouver’s offence would come out flat in game seven of the 2011 final, as they lost 4-0 to the Bruins.
Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand would each score twice for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas recorded a 37-save shutout to close out the cup.