Forgot what it was like during the bad times? Here's a reminder.

[BenDrinkin]

I was only about 14 years old for the '94 run, and a few years later I was totally uninterested in the Canucks too, so I remember this era. It took Bertuzzi and Naslund forming chemistry in 1999 or 2000 to get me back into hockey.

I hope new star players emerge in the next few years. I love that $hit.

[Ugli Fruit]

haha I certainly haven't forgot. Problem is...a lot of Nucks fans these days have never experienced bad times.

Ignorance occurs at any age, the only thing is the younger folk like to vocalize their stupidity more than the older individuals, that's all

[Lancaster]

Oh god... I consider that Messier era days as the "Dark Ages"....

Ticket prices were dirt cheap back then too. I still remember you can used to just buy tickets at Safeway for like 20 bucks back in 1995.

[We Are All Cynics]

 

dave scatchard ,harold druken and bill muckalt come to mind. when thinking of the dark days...

 

Felix Potvin, Garth Snow, Corey Schwab, Sean Burke, Corey Hirsch, Arturs Irbe, Kevin Weekes and "Back Up Bob" Essensa come to mind for the dark days as well. Aside from Essensa who got us to the post season, goaltending was atrocious back then with a bunch of no names third stringers coming in too. I seem to recall one who scored on himself when he swept the puck from the side of the net to get a whistle only to have it slide underneath him into the net. That was the sort of luck the Canucks had back then.

Potvin made Burke look like an idiot since he stated publicly that he wanted a goaltender that could stop the first shot of the game only to have Potvin's first shot in a Canucks uniform end up in the back of the net.

[nux4lyfe]

Been there, done that, going there, gonna be there.

[NexusRift]

   

Felix Potvin, Garth Snow, Corey Schwab, Sean Burke, Corey Hirsch, Arturs Irbe, Kevin Weekes and "Back Up Bob" Essensa come to mind for the dark days as well. Aside from Essensa who got us to the post season, goaltending was atrocious back then with a bunch of no names third stringers coming in too. I seem to recall one who scored on himself when he swept the puck from the side of the net to get a whistle only to have it slide underneath him into the net. That was the sort of luck the Canucks had back then.

Potvin made Burke look like an idiot since he stated publicly that he wanted a goaltender that could stop the first shot of the game only to have Potvin's first shot in a Canucks uniform end up in the back of the net.

Interestingly though, not one of those past goalies were Canuck drafts; all acquired from other teams.....hmmmm...........

Yes. I was around for the the dark days in all the past decades. The most painful was the late '90's one. I won't even go into it.

BTW. VMR...........

Is your sig supposed to be great captains of Canucks past and present? IMHO you must lose Mes and Lou. Replace with Linden an Smyl.......Do it!

Go Canucks Go!

[Batmania]

dave scatchard ,harold druken and bill muckalt come to mind. when thinking of the dark days...

And a chill goes up my spine.

[Pavel_Bure 10]

"My stinky team isn't on top of the Standings anymore Waah waaahh, fire everyone because I say so!!"

- New Era Canucks Fans

[The Colt 45s]

I remember when you could call up and purchase playoff tickets on game day.

[chrisbanks]

Felix Potvin, Garth Snow, Corey Schwab, Sean Burke, Corey Hirsch, Arturs Irbe, Kevin Weekes and "Back Up Bob" Essensa come to mind for the dark days as well. Aside from Essensa who got us to the post season, goaltending was atrocious back then with a bunch of no names third stringers coming in too. I seem to recall one who scored on himself when he swept the puck from the side of the net to get a whistle only to have it slide underneath him into the net. That was the sort of luck the Canucks had back then.

Potvin made Burke look like an idiot since he stated publicly that he wanted a goaltender that could stop the first shot of the game only to have Potvin's first shot in a Canucks uniform end up in the back of the net.

[5Fivehole0]

haha I certainly haven't forgot. Problem is...a lot of Nucks fans these days have never experienced bad times.

back in my day we didn't have a hockey team to cheer for, we all just went down to the rink and cheered at our imaginations

[Phil_314]

Gotta say we've been treated to some elite play in recent memory (during the Run), to the point that many fans are spoiled and take winning for granted (myself included sometimes).

First of all, in net

http://canucksarmy.com/2012/4/27/luongo-was-vancouvers-first-good-goaltender

The Canucks have had very lame goaltending throughout their history and that Roberto Luongo was definitelythe best. It doesn't tell us how many goals a goalie prevented.

That's no lie. As well, in the Cup run this fan base really got spoiled: best offense, best defense (fewest goals against), best PP, 3rd best PK and naturally(?) best record. The Twins, Kes and Hoff, among others, had tremendous seasons, and it's so recent that it just has to stick in local memories (esp. when bandwagoners bring it up time and again in comparison to now).

However, it's also not too long ago that the team had offensive struggles, and I'm not surprised to see the team like this again after years of dominance. Good thing we haven't quite reached these guys' level of mediocrity http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2010/08/10-worst-canucks-since-nhl-lockout.html

For those of you who were around long enough, remember Tommi Santala? Marc Chouinard? KEITH CARNEY? ERIC WEINRICH? Good gracious, thank heavens we're not back to those dark days.

We should at least be grateful that solid pieces are on our roster, and wait it out b/c tough times may be ahead if the team rebuilds.

[FlyLow_]

I don't quite think you can compare those days to now. There are good prospects in the system ready to make the jump next season, we still boast 3 future nhl goaltenders in our system, and there's cap space to get the twins a winger.

I guess you guys don't remember a few seasons ago when the Sharks looked old, slow and dead. They have the same core, but had prospects make the jump and they're more dangerous than they have ever been.

I get you guys like Lu, but Mathias and Markstrom for a much declined Lu on that contract is a no brainer every day of the week. We still have 3 future nhl goaltenders in the bank. There's really no comparison at all to the dark days, i'm more excited about the canucks next couple seasons than I have been the previous few.

[FlyLow_]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnJGLMd0nes

remember when this was a big deal? Dark times indeed..

[Down by the River]

Want to know what's worse than new Canuck fans complaining about the team's struggles? Old Canucks fans complaining about how new Canucks fans weren't around to remember the old struggles.

I feel like you guys bring it up, not for a history lesson, but to remind everyone about how long a fan you've been .

The best way to enlighten new fans is to help teach them about the team's history. Talking down to them with condescension is unproductive.

[The Colt 45s]

Want to know what's worse than new Canuck fans complaining about the team's struggles? Old Canucks fans complaining about how new Canucks fans weren't around to remember the old struggles.

I feel like you guys bring it up, not for a history lesson, but to remind everyone about how long a fan you've been .

The best way to enlighten new fans is to help teach them about the team's history. Talking down to them with condescension is unproductive.

I did not comment to tell newbies about how long I have been a fan. I commented because they have been spoiled over the last decade. For long term Canuck fans we see things from a much bigger perspective. The last two months have been extremely difficult, but there has been much darker times. The thing is, we overcame those times and we will get through this.

[funky cm]

Carney and Weinrich were trade deadline pickups, Carney was useful, Weinrich wasn't. Santala started the year as a spare part, never belonged. Chouinard was supposed to be a mainstay, never worked out.

For me, dark days are the Keenan-Messier era, where the your everyday players were guys like Mike Stapleton and other airlifted Keenan guys (Harry York, past-their prime Esa Tikkanen, Pete Zezel)

[Maverick]

Ugh, I don't want to remember the late 90's. That was atrocious. Granted the team now is no where near as bad as those dark years, but it's the worst it's been since then. I know for myself the biggest difference between then and now, back then, the Canucks had been mostly bad since 1970. Yes they'd have some winning seasons, won a few divison titles, had the 82 and magical 94 runs, but those were cinderella stories. Brief moments of greatness from a pile of mediocrity, that seemed to change a few years ago, the Cancuks had been good for a while, they had been elite for 3 consecutive seasons, they were the favorites in 2011.

There seemed to be a shift in the fan base, the expecations for this team were higher. We expected a consitently good, hard working team. Something akin the the Red Wings, a team that made the playoffs year after year, wasn't always the favorite, but had also wouldn't surprise you if they beat any oppenent. The Canucks seemed to have become a more professional organization, a group where winning was the constitent theme.

That is why I think there has been so much dissapointment and complaining, fans aren't used to uninspired listless hockey. I had hoped those days were forgotten, not to say the Canucks were going to be a power every year. But at least play a hard game and be a contender for the playoffs. Watching this current team play as bad as they have, The Dallas loss, the NYI loss, losing all those games in regulation prior to the olympics. The total lack of offence, it's been a major shock, given how the team had played the last 12ish years. There had never been as long a period in Canucks history of consitently decent hockey.

[Down by the River]

I did not comment to tell newbies about how long I have been a fan. I commented because they have been spoiled over the last decade. For long term Canuck fans we see things from a much bigger perspective. The last two months have been extremely difficult, but there has been much darker times. The thing is, we overcame those times and we will get through this.

I looked at your post. I'm certainly not calling out you or anyone who is simply talking about what things were like in the past. That's totally okay, and is helpful in providing new fans with some perspective.

What I don't think is productive is talking down to new Canuck fans as if it was their fault for not being fans during its 'less than glorious' years.

[CanucksJay]

Just out of curiosity, how much was the average ticket price back then? I wonder if the current price is just inflation or the acquilini add on tax