Top 50 Canucks of All-Time - #36

[-AJ-]

With this last one, we returned to having close battles in the polls, but this time, Williams came out on top and was voted the 35th Greatest Canuck of All-Time. Gary "Suitcase" Smith led the way in nominations with six of them and was added as a voting option.

 

Reminder to both vote and nominate another player to be added as a voting option!

 

For those of you who haven't seen these kinds of polls before, the way they work is you vote for who you think is the greatest/top Canuck at the position. As for what is meant by "Greatest" or "Top", I will leave that to each individual. I have my own interpretations, but others may define it differently. Worth noting, that I do want to keep this to their tenures with Vancouver and as players, thus a player like Neely would only be considered for his Vancouver time and guys like Quinn and Crawford would only be considered for their playing careers, not their coaching careers.

 

The List:

#1 - H. Sedin

#2 - D. Sedin

#3 - T. Linden

#4 - P. Bure

#5 - M. Naslund

#6 - S. Smyl

#7 - R. Luongo

#8 - K. McLean

#9 - T. Gradin

#10 - A. Edler

-------------------

#11 - T. Bertuzzi

#12 - M. Ohlund

#13 - R. Brodeur

#14 - A. Burrows

#15 - R. Kesler

#16 - H. Snepsts

#17 - T. Tanti

#18 - A. Mogilny

#19 - J. Lumme

#20 - S. Salo

-------------------

#21 - B. Morrison

#22 - A. Boudrias

#23 - D. Lidster

#24 - K. Bieksa

#25 - C. Ronning

#26 - D. Lever

#27 - D. Kearns

#28 - E. Jovanovski

#29 - P. Sundstrom

#30 - G. Adams

-------------------

#31 - O. Kurtenbach

#32 - P. Skriko

#33 - G. Courtnall

#34 - B. Horvat

#35 - T. Williams

[-AJ-]

I continue in voting for Rota. I was please to see him getting a bit boost in support last round, so we'll see if he can ride that all the way to get in this time.

 

I'm nominating Rick Lanz, the first powerplay legend from the Canucks blue line. Before Salo came along, Lanz had the record of most powerplay goals for a Canuck defenseman. Lanz most notably scored an amazing 14 power play goals and 37 powerplay points in 1983-84 en route to an 18-goal, 57-point season.

 

I'm also flirting with the idea of putting forth what will probably be a very controversial nomination once Lanz gets in. We'll see if I have the guts to bite the bullet of inevitable criticism.

[King Heffy]

Voted Hansen

Nominating Cloutier.  Frustrating goalie in the playoffs but he brought stability to the position and played with a ton of heart.

[Iron Fist]

Voted Tanev (He's been on the nominations list the longest. Time to get him in)

 

Nominating Matt Cooke

Edited April 24, 2020 by internationalhippy

[Rick Blight]

Voting Rota and nominate Aucoin.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Voting Darcy Rota.

 

Nominating Igor Larionov.

[Kevin Biestra]

Vote for "The King of Clutch, The Ayatollah of Overtime, The Dauphin of Hat Tricks, The Bishop of the Bench Press, The Prince of Pushing Iron, The Prime Minister of Mustaches, The Czar of Game Tying Goals" Dave Babych

 

Here he is scoring on Patrick Roy in 1986 (his team's only goal) to send the underdog Hartford Whalers to overtime in Game 7.

 

Babych's goal, sending them to overtime of the 7th game of the 2nd round, got the Whalers the closest toward the Stanley Cup that they ever managed in their entire existence.

 

 

 

He did the exact same thing in 1998 when the Flyers were facing elimination.  Scored a similar goal in the last few minutes, to get them into overtime and keep their season alive.

 

I'm guessing it goes without saying that he was a rock on the blueline for the 1994 Cup run.  He remains the only Canucks defenseman in 50 years to ever score a hat trick (finishing up the hat trick with the overtime game winner).

 

 

Nominate Chris Oddleifson.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Kevin Biestra

[Wilbur]

Voted Butcher

Nominating Lanz

[stonecoldstevebernier]

Voting Babych, nominating Matt Cooke.

[smithers joe]

babych

 

reinhart

[Kevin Biestra]

5 hours ago, -AJ- said:

I'm also flirting with the idea of putting forth what will probably be a very controversial nomination once Lanz gets in. We'll see if I have the guts to bite the bullet of inevitable criticism.

 

[-AJ-]

2 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

I said controversial, not suicidal.

[IBatch]

7 hours ago, Kevin Biestra said:

Vote for "The King of Clutch, The Ayatollah of Overtime, The Dauphin of Hat Tricks, The Bishop of the Bench Press, The Prince of Pushing Iron, The Prime Minister of Mustaches, The Czar of Game Tying Goals" Dave Babych

 

Here he is scoring on Patrick Roy in 1986 (his team's only goal) to send the underdog Hartford Whalers to overtime in Game 7.

 

Babych's goal, sending them to overtime of the 7th game of the 2nd round, got the Whalers the closest toward the Stanley Cup that they ever managed in their entire existence.

 

 

 

He did the exact same thing in 1998 when the Flyers were facing elimination.  Scored a similar goal in the last few minutes, to get them into overtime and keep their season alive.

 

I'm guessing it goes without saying that he was a rock on the blueline for the 1994 Cup run.  He remains the only Canucks defenseman in 50 years to ever score a hat trick (finishing up the hat trick with the overtime game winner).

 

 

Nominate Chris Oddleifson.

Voted Babych - nominating Oddleifson....great post Biestra and welcome finally Tiger!   Babych had some great moments as a player - and if his career wasn't cut short would easily be in the top 20 all-time top scorers - instead 24 between Neidermayer and Pronger and his PGP was higher then both these guys HHOFers.   He became more of a defensive guy and was often used on the road against the leagues best  but still managed a respectable numbers, a great passer. - and in the post season amped it up another notch.   Lock-out season robbed him of some games played for us - but few that did play around as many had as big an impact and he was here for most of a deceade - the leauge players had huge respect for this guy while he was playing - despite toiling on some pretty bad teams early.    Gretzy has a picture of Babych crushing him to the ice in his book - while he was in Hartford....he sure respected his game.   His strength is legendary - give him a leotard and put him in the circus.

Ones That Got Away: The Winnipeg Jets’ Dave Babych

 BY DECLAN SCHROEDER APRIL 4TH, 2020

  

Nearly every NHL franchise has “ones that got away” — players who found the bulk of their success after being traded or allowed to walk via free agency — and the Winnipeg Jets are no exception.

The best example of a Jet who achieved lofty things after leaving Winnipeg is defensemen Dave Babych.

Babych’s Too-Short Tenure with the Jets

After the Jets selected the 6-foot-2, 215-pound blueliner second overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, he immediately made an impression on the franchise that went 20-49-11 in their first NHL campaign following the 1979 NHL-WHA Merger.

The Jets won a franchise-low nine games in Babych’s rookie season, but he impressed as a teenager fresh out of the Western Hockey League, posting six goals and 38 assists for 44 points (but was also a nearly-unthinkable minus-62.)

However, after the Jets selected superstar Dale Hawerchuk — who reached the 100-point plateau six times and ultimately recorded 929 points with the Jets in nine seasons — with their first and only first-overall pick in 1981, the Jets began lurching to respectability and the walrus moustache-sporting Edmonton product became a blue line cornerstone.

Related: Winnipeg Jets with 100-Point Seasons

He recorded 68 points in his sophomore season, 74 points in 1982-83, and 57 points in 1983-84. The Jets qualified for the playoffs all three of those seasons and Babych was selected as an NHL All-Star in the latter two campaigns.

Dave Babych was a key figure in the Jets’ early years as an NHL franchise and helped them go from laughing-stock to respectable. (Photo by Graig Abel Collection/Getty Images)

In 1984-85, the Jets went 43-27-10 and advanced past the first round for the first time in franchise history. A big reason for that was the defensive duo of Babych and Randy Carlyle, who captured 62 and 51 points, respectively.

Sudden Trade Surprising, Overwhelmingly Unpopular

Babych — just entering his prime at age 24 — recorded 16 points in 19 games to begin the 1985-86 season, but despite being key in the Jets’ progression as a franchise and immensely popular with his teammates and fans alike, he had fallen out of favour with John Ferguson. The Jets general manager believed the d-man was too passive and needed to play with more meanness and intensity, hence unceremoniously traded him to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for forward Ray Neufeld.

“I have sacrificed the one of the better point men in the NHL for Neufeld,” Ferguson said in the wake of the November trade. “Hartford wouldn’t move him at any cost, except for Babych.” (from ‘The Franchise Sent to Hartford,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Nov. 21, 1985.)

The trade left the Jets’ d-corp depleted and panned in the harshest of terms by Winnipeg sportswriters.

Hartford Whalers NHL@WhalersNHL

 

 

November 21, 1985:
The #Hartford Whalers trade Ray Neufeld to the #Winnipeg Jets, in exchange for defenseman Dave Babych.

 

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12:57 PM - Nov 21, 2019

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“The loss of Babych hit the Jets like a death in the family. More than anyone else, they knew of his enormous talent, massive strength, and pleasant disposition,” Free Press sportswriter Reynolds “Reyn” Davis wrote a few days later.

“No one could skate faster, shoot harder, or pass as prettily…” Davis continued. “At 24, he was approaching his prime. Those who had suffered with him through his maturation as a pro hockey player will find him spending his most productive years somewhere else.”

From ‘Babych trade has long, Jets skating circles,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Nov. 26, 1985.

The deal caught many, including Babych himself, head coach Barry Long — who left Winnipeg Arena “close to tears” on the night of the trade — and Davis by complete surprise.

“What is astonishing is the fact the Jets, a team that is giving up goals at a phenomenal rate of almost five a night, would trade their second-best defenseman,” he wrote, predicting the Jets wouldn’t win another 20 games without Babych.  They sucked after the trade.

 

Babych Excelled in Hartford

Dave Babych played six seasons for the Whalers, recording 44 goals and 196 assists for 240 points in 349 games. (Courtesy Carolina Hurricanes Media Archives)

Davis was right; The Jets — 8-9-2 when Babych was dealt —won just 18 more contests all season and finished 26-47-7, much worse than the year prior. They gave up 372 goals and a had an ugly -77 goal differential; Ferguson scapegoated Long and fired him after 66 games, opting to coach the team himself for the final 14 games.

Babych, meanwhile, excelled in his new digs. He finished 1985-86 with 69 points and was selected as an All-Star again. Between then and 1990, he was a Whalers’ mainstay, recorded 40-plus points every season, and helped them qualify for the postseason each season, too.

 

“Nobody ever once said, ‘Why did the Jets make that trade?’ They just said it was the worst trade the Jets had ever made. They never held anyone else accountable for it as far as I knew — except for me. That one part of it was really ugly. I had no control of the trade. Fergie’s the one who made it, not me.”

 

Babych’s Long Career Continued with the Canucks

In 1990-91, Babych was limited to eight games due to wrist and thumb injuries. The Whalers left him exposed in the 1991 NHL Expansion Draft and he was claimed by the Minnesota North Stars, but they immediately flipped him to the Vancouver Canucks.

Dave Babych’s tenure with the Hartford Whalers ended after the 1990-91 season. Here, he is seen with his brother Wayne. (Courtesy Carolina Hurricanes Media Archives)

Babych continued to be a sturdy d-man throughout the 1990s. In 409 games in a Canucks sweater, he potted 23 goals and added 131 apples for 154 points.

Many of his milestones and most memorable moments came in his seven seasons on the West Coast. He scored the only hat trick of his career on Nov. 22, 1991 in a 6-5 win against the Calgary Flames; in the Canucks’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1994, Babych scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 against the New York Rangers (the Canucks ultimately fell in seven games.)

 

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by IBatch

[IBatch]

2 hours ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

Last night my wife showed me a personal video from Mark Messier thanking one of her mates from University that knows this guy through association posted on facebook - his mate is a Dr and hes' also mentioned in the message....surreal...to think that the 7 degrees of separation is that close.  It was actually kind of neat.   Thought as a joke I might nominate him and then add the video ha ha.  Looks like AJ has plans to beat me to the punch.

[Kevin Biestra]

@IBatch  Even in retirement, still performing feats of strength...

 

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ex-nhl-player-dave-babych-rescues-disoriented-teen-on-b-c-mountain-1.3081172 

 

Ex-NHL player Dave Babych rescues disoriented teen on B.C. mountain

A North Vancouver man known for his career as an NHL defenceman is being thanked by a teen for rescuing her after a hike on a B.C. mountain went wrong.

Christa Minielly, 13, was hiking the Baden-Powell Trail in North Vancouver with her friend Brina Lyon last week when she fell trying to take a shortcut.

The pair attempted to take a quick detour past a ravine when Minielly lost her footing and slipped down the embankment.

"I guess I hit my head and tumbled down about 15 feet," she told CTV Vancouver.

She had fallen far enough that Lyon couldn't reach her, and her head injury had impacted her vision.

Both girls were panicking, with Lyon trying to find someone to help them.

"I was like screaming for help as loud as I could," Lyon said. "I didn't know what else to do."

That's when a tall man, with a bushy moustache, strode out of the gloom to give the pair a helping hand.

Dave Babych -- a defenceman who played 1,195 NHL games for the Jets, the Hartford Whalers, the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers and the LA Kings -- was Minielly's unlikely rescuer.

Babych made his way down to the stranded hiker, put her on his back and spent 35 minutes carrying her down the trail to safety.

"I don't know what we would've done without him," Lyon said, adding that the pair wasn't well-dressed for the hike.

Minielly says she remembers waking up, but struggles to remember much of the interaction.

"I remember waking up on his back a couple of times and making some comments," she said. "I really don't know what I said."

The pair said they had no idea as to the identity of Minielly's rescuer, till her father called the man to thank him.

He reached Babych's voicemail and put two and two together, realizing the North Vancouver man who helped his daughter was the former hockey star.

Babych, who has five kids of his own, says he hopes someone would do the same to help his children and brushed aside any assertions that he was a hero.

"I did what I thought was right, and that's all I needed to do to make sure Christa was okay," Babych said.

Minielly says her parents have told her she can only go hiking with them and the incident has opened her eyes as to how she needs to properly prepare.

 

[IBatch]

8 hours ago, internationalhippy said:

Voted Tanev (He's been on the nominations list the longest. Time to get him in)

 

Nominating Matt Cooke

He's right around where he should be just getting nominations - which is why he hasn't made it in yet although despite the much better competition available I do notice that some folks keep voting for him now and then...the funniest being five or so spots ago one poster said he wasn't going to say who he nominates anymore - but it was obviously Tanev given it was early and everyone else at the time did post who they voted for ha ha.    Murzyn hasn't seen one nomination yet - but held the same job for about a decade - the defensive conscious on the top line - including on the team that won more playoff games then any (Linden teams)....how many has Tanev played again?   Lanz isn't in yet...but deserves to be ahead of Tanev too...so does McCarthy and of course Babcyh - and those are just defenseman.   Took me awhile to add him to my top 50 (Tanev) byt it means I'm bumping Aucion out - both spent the majority of their careers on bad Canucks teams...but Aucion does have a few team records right?  that involve scoring.  Top 45-50ish is about where he should get in - not the top 30.   Tanev is tough as balls - but how many times has he dropped the gloves and protected his mates?  Murzyn was often the first to do that - before an enforcer - because he played top minutes and was the first responder on those teams for years.  Touch the goalie - Muzyn was there.  Bump a star Murzyn was there for that too.   And one of the best net clearers in our history as well.  And blocked shots before it was vogue and equipment was modified to take the sting out of it.  

[IBatch]

8 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

@IBatch  Even in retirement, still performing feats of strength...

 

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ex-nhl-player-dave-babych-rescues-disoriented-teen-on-b-c-mountain-1.3081172 

 

Ex-NHL player Dave Babych rescues disoriented teen on B.C. mountain

A North Vancouver man known for his career as an NHL defenceman is being thanked by a teen for rescuing her after a hike on a B.C. mountain went wrong.

Christa Minielly, 13, was hiking the Baden-Powell Trail in North Vancouver with her friend Brina Lyon last week when she fell trying to take a shortcut.

The pair attempted to take a quick detour past a ravine when Minielly lost her footing and slipped down the embankment.

"I guess I hit my head and tumbled down about 15 feet," she told CTV Vancouver.

She had fallen far enough that Lyon couldn't reach her, and her head injury had impacted her vision.

Both girls were panicking, with Lyon trying to find someone to help them.

"I was like screaming for help as loud as I could," Lyon said. "I didn't know what else to do."

That's when a tall man, with a bushy moustache, strode out of the gloom to give the pair a helping hand.

Dave Babych -- a defenceman who played 1,195 NHL games for the Jets, the Hartford Whalers, the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers and the LA Kings -- was Minielly's unlikely rescuer.

Babych made his way down to the stranded hiker, put her on his back and spent 35 minutes carrying her down the trail to safety.

"I don't know what we would've done without him," Lyon said, adding that the pair wasn't well-dressed for the hike.

Minielly says she remembers waking up, but struggles to remember much of the interaction.

"I remember waking up on his back a couple of times and making some comments," she said. "I really don't know what I said."

The pair said they had no idea as to the identity of Minielly's rescuer, till her father called the man to thank him.

He reached Babych's voicemail and put two and two together, realizing the North Vancouver man who helped his daughter was the former hockey star.

Babych, who has five kids of his own, says he hopes someone would do the same to help his children and brushed aside any assertions that he was a hero.

"I did what I thought was right, and that's all I needed to do to make sure Christa was okay," Babych said.

Minielly says her parents have told her she can only go hiking with them and the incident has opened her eyes as to how she needs to properly prepare.

 

My girls were around 100-110 pounds when they were 13....so that's a feat of strength for sure.  Good thing he's got tree trunks for legs ... wonder if those kids thought a sasquatch had arrived to save them!  Edit : another report said it took about an hour to get her out - either way thats something.  Probably got a little burn doing that - and unlike his humble comments most folks would have problems carrying 90-110 pounds on their backs for five minutes...cool story.   Can't remember how many times the announcers commented on his freakish strength - legs like Sequoia trees was one I do remember.  Fitting story.

Edited April 24, 2020 by IBatch

[Kevin Biestra]

47 minutes ago, IBatch said:

My girls were around 100-110 pounds when they were 13....so that's a feat of strength for sure.  Good thing he's got tree trunks for legs ... wonder if those kids thought a sasquatch had arrived to save them!  Edit : another report said it took about an hour to get her out - either way thats something.  Probably got a little burn doing that - and unlike his humble comments most folks would have problems carrying 90-110 pounds on their backs for five minutes...cool story.   Can't remember how many times the announcers commented on his freakish strength - legs like Sequoia trees was one I do remember.  Fitting story.

 

Your article really highlights how trades can...not derail but limit a career.  Dave had a shot at "Phil Housley-ing" his way into the Hall of Fame the way things were going in Winnipeg, with some scoring leadership from Hawerchuk.  One he was dealt to Hartford, that team was very much like the 80s Canucks, a handful of forwards with 70 or 80-something points but everyone kind of having to create goals wherever they could.  There was no picking up points in the wake of a Stastny or Hawerchuk or Marcel Dionne.

 

And even the 90s Canucks were pretty similar.  Bure would rush in and score his goals, but he wasn't lifting other players up to 90 points, etc.

 

I still maintain that Babych would be in the Hall of Fame if he had been on the Oilers instead of the Jets, Whalers and Canucks.  He'd have been a 90 point guy like Housley and Bourque, and certainly the #2 star defenseman on the team after Coffey.

 

And with all those Cups he would have had - as he certainly wouldn't have cost the Oilers any, and wouldn't have scored on his own net like Steve Smith - I guess the proper term might be that he would have "Guy Lapointed" his way to the Hall.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Kevin Biestra

[GB5]

Vote Garth

 

Nominate "Iggy" Larionov

[IBatch]

2 hours ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

Your article really highlights how trades can...not derail but limit a career.  Dave had a shot at "Phil Housley-ing" his way into the Hall of Fame the way things were going in Winnipeg, with some scoring leadership from Hawerchuk.  One he was dealt to Hartford, that team was very much like the 80s Canucks, a handful of forwards with 70 or 80-something points but everyone kind of having to create goals wherever they could.  There was no picking up points in the wake of a Stastny or Hawerchuk or Marcel Dionne.

 

And even the 90s Canucks were pretty similar.  Bure would rush in and score his goals, but he wasn't lifting other players up to 90 points, etc.

 

I still maintain that Babych would be in the Hall of Fame if he had been on the Oilers instead of the Jets, Whalers and Canucks.  He'd have been a 90 point guy like Housley and Bourque, and certainly the #2 star defenseman on the team after Coffey.

 

And with all those Cups he would have had - as he certainly wouldn't have cost the Oilers any, and wouldn't have scored on his own net like Steve Smith - I guess the proper term might be that he would have "Guy Lapointed" his way to the Hall.

Have mentioned before he was one of my all-time favorite Canucks - and absolutely agree that on a different team - the Oilers for example (where he was from) he'd have put up 20-30 more points for a decade and ended up in the HHOF.   Maybe four or five of his years he played on good teams - not great offensive teams except for one year in PHI which ended up shortening his career (they forced him to play with a broken foot in the playoff) - and by then he was utilized as a shut down guy anyways...even when he played for us he wasn't given prime PP time anymore...and like you said Bure was a goal scorer and wasn't padding anyones stats like the powerhouse Oilers teams did.   If he stayed in WNP I have little doubt his totals would be closer to 1000 then 700...on some bad teams to mediocre teams he was still a perennial all-star for a few years...

 

As far as any defenseman to ever lace them up I'd have him at the top - ahead of Reinhart, Jovonoski, Brown and Ohlund as far as careers goes.  He managed greatness despite circumstances - and I remember well how much the league loved the guy - like Tim Horton before him he could easily crush guys or break their ribs in a bear hug - but instead didn't hurt players, on purpose anyways.   Wish I could find video of the time he taught Probert how to fly...came at Babych behind the net and Babych stood him up and he went over his head...didn't go after him after either - the few times he did fight he gave the player a couple shots and then just embraced him until the other guy just gave up trying.   Always said to my buddies at the time that you could tell guys were afraid of him and weren't in much of a hurry to trade blows.   Not that he wasn't involved in the after whistle stuff - just that he didn't want to punch people and hurt them, and other players didn't want to get punched by him and get hurt.   Howes father was afraid his son would kill someone in a fight - said that he had a blow that could do that - I imagined at the time Babcyh did too - how many times did we watch him barely break a sweat while holding onto the biggest guys in the league with one hand and moving the puck with the other.   Or breaking up bodies after the whistle and taking the big guys out of the pile and de-escalating things quickly.   And he crunched guys too.   Was such a great skater - especially backwards, crisp accurate out-let passes were frequent...just a pleasure to watch - was sad to see him go and if things worked out differently he could have played right into the peak WCE era - maybe right through it.   Babych sued PHI for what happened - it essentially ended his career prematurely - not much different then when Pronger had to retire early too.  He jumped in at a young age and ripped off ten great seasons - then became old reliable on the top four with Diduck mostly with us...and was a big part in PHI best chance at a cup with Lindros.  IF he played another 3-5 years his numbers would be crazy good.   And his playoff numbers are excellent too - with us and other teams - he knew how to play one gear higher and maintain it.   Ohlund is pretty close to what we had in Babcyh minus the mustache for those that weren't around to watch him play - just a safe very good all-around defenseman that frequently made the safe play.  Too bad we didn't have both of the when WCE was peaking...Cloutier could have used a guy like him to settle things down.  

Edited April 24, 2020 by IBatch