freebuddy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 What was it like being a Canucks fan in the 70s and 80s, especially around the time when the Oilers were winning Stanley Cups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Good at times but you always carried the paper bag with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Expect a loss and be thrilled with a win. Yet there were players that were easy to love because of their effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberz21 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I was a sperm back then, and then in 86 I decided to stop being lazy and beat out all of my brother to the races. I figured after 15 years of mediocrity the Canucks would rise to an NHL dynasty and I would right there to see it. Man should have left someone else win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NexusRift Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I was around for those decades of Canucks and to answer your query for such? Pretty much the same as it has been the past three decades. I was tweener age when they came into the league. It wasn't until they got Gary "Suitcase" Smith did I become a dedicated 'Nucks fan. In the early '80's I didn't see much hockey, as I was on a career path that didn't allow much time for TV. After things settled, I got to watching Canucks hockey again when Troy Gamble was all the rage. Off topic 'cuz I know your query was of the first two decades of the Canucks, but it has to be noted that to me, the '90's was the most exciting era for Canucks hockey. The acquisition of a legit, impactful #1 pick, new coach, star Russian acquisitions, and some blockbuster trades made the hype so big. and need I say, one of the best Stanley Cup runs ever in NHL history! The AV era of the Canucks certainly comes a very close 2nd. Go Canucks Go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABNuck Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Late 70's / early 80's was tough for me...high school years. I remember 1 teacher being a staunch Habs fan, and our success against them at that time was not a particularly high percentage...so his class was kinda unbearable (constant jokes, open jokes in front of everyone). But then came 82...what a run, and what a heart breaker. I wasn't sure if they'd win it all, but I was darn sure they didn't deserve to get swept. Oilers dynasty was also tough...being a Canucks fan posted to a CF base in Alberta, I was surrounded and out-gunned. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. My loyal, undying support for the green and blue (or black, red and yellow...or dk. blue, silver and maroon...depending on the era) is unwavering and complete. I find at times the critiques here on CDC border on bandwagon jumping, and that saddens me, especially amongst the younger fans who didn't live through the 70's and 80's, who didn't have to standup for their team under such adverse conditions. It's easy to be a fan when they're winning, and when you live amongst other fans...but REAL fans are still there even after years of losing, even when you're the only one within a hundred miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithers joe Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 i loved the canucks from day 1....some games were really bad and some were mediocre but you watched because you had kirtenbach, toughest dude around, rosie paement giving all he had...pat quinn, the tough irish defenseman... and a cast of players who despite their talent level, gave everything they had....you went home remembering a fight or a great hit or save or goal...if your team had to win every hight, you'ld be disappointed ...but if you wanted to ride the ride with them, you felt pride in the effort each game...harold snepts became a fan favorite...as did several others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackcanuck Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 1982 was magic! Anybody that survived the 70's and 80's peace, love, dope and Micky Jagger era probably doesn't remember much else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawndy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I was just glad to have our own team and not be subjected to watching just the Leafs all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 It was all right. The players had a lot of heart. The cup run in 82 was a blast - just getting to the SCF was amazing - no one expected them to be able to stop the dynasty Islanders. The players back in 70's were basically just regular folk - like you and I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thad Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I wasn't born til 85 but I'm guessing I would have just bandwagoned Gretzky and waited for a Vancouver cup run haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YEGCanuck Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Got hooked on the Canucks in the 1970's and remember with fondness the run to the cup in '82. Good memories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 What was it like being a Canucks fan in the 70s and 80s, especially around the time when the Oilers were winning Stanley Cups? It was an exercise in patience, but the team had a strong following and the lineup was always full of character. On top of that the Pacific Coliseum was a rocking building to watch a game in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 If you were a fan in the 70'S-80'S and lived outside BC it was very hard to keep up with the team. Sometimes all you had was box scores from newspapers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nino Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I wasn't born til 85 but I'm guessing I would have just bandwagoned Gretzky and waited for a Vancouver cup run haha I'm shaking my head right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Pretty hard to get excited about a team that drafted these players in the expansion draft in 1970 but we were, I thought I had died and gone to heaven..I was going to see all the stars in my own backyard...Hull,,,Beliveau...Mahovalich and more... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_NHL_Expansion_Draft You could always go to a game...you could get tickets at the door,,,they even had standing room back then,,,I remember standing behind the handicapped section many times at the Pacific Colosseum. Later I moved to Edmonton to work and was there for the entire Oiler run in the 80s...it was hard being a Canuck fan there but in 1982 another defining moment..we made the Stanley Cup finals for the 1st time...pretty exciting stuff although very short..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-DLC- Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I vaguely recall the '82 run...an older brother of a friend had his own apartment and we'd gather there to watch the games. It was a thrill and when I converted from being the g/f of someone who loved hockey to a full fledged fan. I was no longer along for the ride, I started watching games on my own after that. Steamer, Harold, Tiger, King Richard. Gradin was my b/f's favourite. Good memories of those days...anyone saying this is NOT a hockey town is likely new to the dance. Stick around awhile, you've got some dues to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
We Are All Cynics Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 There was no sense of entitlement like today. We were just happy to have a team and watch them play. I don't recall any bloody talk of what constituted being a real fan of this team either back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-DLC- Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Well said....we didn't watch to criticize, we watched because we loved the game. In for the long haul and a loss was just that - it wasn't reason to sell the farm or jump off the bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngould21 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Here's my 2 bits: The first year out of the box, the Canucks had a great team of vets, that they were able to get in the dispersal draft, plus the league gave them a crack at the first overall pick, not like the NBA. As luck would have it, Buffalo got Perrault, we got Tallon, who, when all was said and done, wasn't that bad a choice. Decent team, but for some reason they played in the Eastern Conference.??? The team then became a carousel of coaches, crooked owners, a new GM etc. until the mid 70's when they found some success making the playoffs, but of course as luck would have it, they got the short straw and played the Flyin' Frenchmen in that short series. The building was sold out, and there was a waiting list for seasons tickets if I recall, for all those early years. I think mostly because everyone was a fan of the visiting teams back then. The Canucks didn't have much of an identity, but not for lack of trying, as Smithers Joe says, Capt. Kurt, Rosy, Tallon, Quinn, Hodge, you got a game out of these guys at least. From the mid 70's to that magical playoff run in '82, it was all about who were the Canucks going to draft? ...and who they did draft, remember Bob Manno, Gere Gillis? How to do so, right? The Canucks used to work out in late August at the 4-Rinks complex, and of course I'd drop in to see the next phenom. Big Al Davidson, would hype these kids, we'd all get excited, and of course it never seemed to happen. Then came the draft when they selected Smyl, Hanlon, and Fraser, not sure but I don't think Gradin was a draft choice or a free agent signing, and some hope was on the horizon. They built the team around these kids, and added a few pieces, some very important ones like Tiger Williams, Darcy Rota, Ivan Hlinka, Jiri Bubla, Kevin McCarthey, and something magical happened. Through luck, the Kings upset the high flying Oilers, and the Canucks upset the Flames in those best of 3 elimination series. That was the most excited I've ever seen this city, ever, and even though they lost to the Islanders in the finals, hope was on the horizon, we would have hoped, but no it didn't happen and we returned to the coaching/GM carousel once more. All of the Canuck first round draft picks were thrown into the big lineup, never seeing a day in the minors, these kids didn't have a chance, they were either traded or were only in the NHL for a few years. The Canucks shared their farm team with other NHL teams, to keep costs down. The most lop-sided trade in Canuck history took place, Cam Neely to Boston, after Tom Watt burned him in the Canuck lineup. The rest they say, is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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