Heretic 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. Yes that too - and I have been guilty of saying that fairly recently - thanks for the wake up call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngould21 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. However, Deb, during that '82 playoff run, after the Canucks eliminated Chicago, explain to me where all those thousands of fans came from, at Vancouver International airport? I'm sure there were many bandwagoners back then as well. I'm not disagreeing with you, but to a point some the early fans did jump on board, and ended up with many rolls of tape on their ankles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higgyfan Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I didn't become a 'real' fan of the team until the '90s, but I remember the 80's team really well. They were a 'lunch bucket' team that worked hard every night, but didn't have a lot of skill. I remember seeing the games on TV and thinking they had some of the loudest fans in the NHL. The Coliseum really rocked, I can tell you that. I was a Boston fan at the time (yeah, I know) and kind of looked down my nose at the Canucks, but defended them if anyone else criticized them. I don't recall much of a rivalry between Edm and Van as there was really no competition. The Oilers were at such a different level than the Nucks that nobody really cared if they won. People in Van appreciated the talent on the Oilers and actually cheered for them during cup runs. It wasn't until the Oilers fell back to earth and Van got better that the 'hate' started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Terrible as those teams mostly were, there was always just enough talent and heart to keep me hanging on. Bobby Schmautz was a sniper in the first couple of years and then got traded to Boston: not quite as bad as the Neely trade later, but almost. Rosaire Paiement scored 38 goals early on but never came close again. Players like Don Lever and Bobby Lalonde were amazing but only really blossomed when they were traded to better teams. Garry Smith definitely gave the team some swagger for the first time, but they rode him so hard he burned out. Dudes like Jack MacIlhargey were tough, tough, tough. None of the fans I knew had any expectations of those teams, so when we finally made the playoffs and Paulin Bourdeleau scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Montreal, it was a big deal. Still remember being at that game. There's no question in my mind that the modern era of the Canucks began with drafting Trevor in 1988. Before then there were never any expectations, and none of the isolated successes ever had any lasting effect. Since then we've been a credible team more often than not. I loved the old days but payed my dues and am glad of how things are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaKnuckleYourHead Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 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. Yup it was, the Coliseum was way better place to watch games than the new arena. My dad was a season ticket holder for years and when they moved, he went to one game at new arena and never went back. Gave me a brother the rest of that seasons tickets and has not been to a game since. To this day if you ask him he goes off the handle about it it's hilarious. I could go on about the bitching he does but anyone who has watch games at both rinks knows why.I still go when I can work permitting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 It sucked, knowing we had Tallon with our first pick. Watching Brodeur pour his heart out losing to the Isles, watching Gretzky and Messier roll over us for almost a full decade, watching the goal get kicked in in the Otto incident. It was tough. Which is why I keep seeing all of these whiners who keep posting how bad off this team is makes me so angry. You don't know what bad is. The Keenan years were bad, but it gave us a future. being stuck in mediocrity for 20+ years through the 70's and 80's was god awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Groovy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky 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. Pretty much this. It was actually easier back then. There was a lot less exposure from the media and you didn't the level of communication from fans across the league. I used to have to wait until the Tuesday Province to get the Team by Team scoring across the league. I would have to scrounge for info on other teams and prospects, I begged my parents for a subscription to a hockey magazine and even then the info was weeks or months behind. Everything is immediate now....and everyone is an expert. I don't know if I would trade the success of the last decade for the innocence of 80's fandom, but there is a nostalgia to it that cannot be underrated. Steamer vs Semenko in Semenko's last NHL game in 80whatever, Steamer beating his face into Semenko's fist, it remains one of the most courageous things I've seen a Canuck do. Our Captain standing up to a friggin' Ogre sized meat-head knowing the outcome before it started. Epic. The cheers and tears of my parents in the 82 run. Playing hockey with King Richard's son at the North Shore Winter Club, meeting him and being in awe of this GOD! of a man. It did suck to suck though....and boy we sucked for most of the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canacks1970 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? Back then there was no Salary cap. Very little player movement unless they were traded. There wasn't alot of free agents back in the late 70's ,early 80's. Don't forget it wasn't just the Oilers winning cups we had the Habs from the 75-79, Then the Islanders had their run for 4 years. As a fan I was just happy to have an NHL team in Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbdoubleu Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 You had to go to a bar to rant like a lunatic to complete strangers about the Neely trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riske1 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I loved every minute of it. Skilled players had a much more difficult enviroment to excel in. Only the special ones succeeded. I looked forward to all of the drafts with such anticpation, hoping that the Canucks would grab a bonified superstar and the toughest SOB`s avalable. Frustrasting most of the time, however hope springs eternal. The game was better then IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawkdrummer Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Biggest thing at the start was we finally got a team, remember we were passed over for the likes of the Oakland Seals, LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. No to CANADA, have things changed much? 2 of those expansion teams moved to other locations and the Blues and Penguins have held on by a thread at times. The Flyers are the only consistently successful organization from the start of that bunch. It's funny how after the original 6 our organization is thought to be the most successful and we of course came in with Buffalo who wouldn't of survived without being located close to Canada. Buffalo is also a major reason why Hamilton never got a team and aren't even in the conversation anymore. We should also remember that Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers were hold overs from the WHA. The came into the NHL to kill off the rival league. The NHL eventually moved two of those team to the US. Again, the NHL has never been all that Canada friendly. Just my opinion. To be a Canuck fan for me in those days was to except being 2nd class, the 70s was tough but we had a team. It got better when we found hard working players like Snepsts, Smyl and when Tiger Williams joined us. The 82 run was fantastic, unbelievable really, with all the white towels flying from car windows on the streets. It didn't matter that we lost to the Islanders, we were damn proud of our team and we live on today to get that feeling back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithers joe Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 i use to say, give me a team of stan smyl's and we'll with the cup....my favorite player ever on the canucks, although i loved andy bathgate of the pcl's vancouver canucks.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 As a kid I was lucky enough to have my own season ticket up in the nosebleeds at the Coliseum..That was the year we traded for Tiger Williams...I was lucky enough to see iconic players in the flesh at the end of their careers (Orr playing for the Hawks,Esposito for the Rangers,Bucyk,and the 70's Habs)....I do remember feeling a brand new era when we drafted Smyl,Gradin and Fraser all in one year... I did not watch much hockey at all from 83-87...It was all Battle Of Alberta...Started going back to games when we drafted Linden(you could still get super cheap tickets from Safeway if you bought X amount of groceries) ,and have never jumped off the bandwagon since... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngould21 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 i use to say, give me a team of stan smyl's and we'll with the cup....my favorite player ever on the canucks, although i loved andy bathgate of the pcl's vancouver canucks.. Joe, I remember going to the old Forum and watching Andy Bathgate, and many other guys in their twilight years. He could control the game like no one else. If I remember correctly, they were playing Father David Bauer's Olympians in an exhibition game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erkayloomeh Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Ill never forget watching bctv news and they showed ivan hilinka skating around the ice in practice with a smoke hangin out of his mouth. Oh and the three girls that went streaking across the ice at the ialanders game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Rake Fighter Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 It was a lot like being an Oiler fan now except it was probably even worse in the '80s. The Canucks spent most of the '80s trapped in a division with the 2 best teams in the league(Edm & Cal believe it or not) and for a short time 3 if you include the mid '80s Jets (they were screwed as well) Sure could have used Rick Vaive back then and Neely later. Some of the divisional games at the Pacific Coliseum resembled a Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals tilt or the Kings/Oilers game last night. Gretzky scored more points against the Canucks than any player has scored against any team in hockey history, I think Messier is 2nd, etc... From what I've seen, I don't think a lot of the younger whiny entitled fans here would have had the stones to stick it out for 15 straight losing seasons Once I was hooked, I was a diehard for life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Caesar Maniago, Suitcase Smith, The King, Glen Hanlon, Frank Caprice, Garret, gary Bromley, Dunc Wilson........we had some real character goalies back then. I'll never forget going to a Flyers-Canucks game and a line brawl ensues.........Hanlon (as the backup) jumps on top of the bench and leads the charge onto the ice and chaos ensued for the next 90 mins. Most memorable game I've ever been to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Any sports team needs the city it plays in to buy into it, financially yes. But On a personal level too. They have to make fans get that: "Ok, I like these guys. I'm in, let's go!" feeling. And my perception of events is that the Canucks were unable to bring that out of it's potential fans, until Linden arrived and the team we are all familiar with started to take shape. (Bure, McClean, Courtnall, Gino ect) For the first time, whether they were part of that game or not, there were more Linden and Bure Jerseys in the stands then Leafs or Habs jerseys. That team was destroyed and the Canucks returned to irrelevancy till 2000. The WCE. Linden's return and the emergence of the Sedin's has kept this team a top box office attrition for years now. No matter how much you hate Brian Burke, he's the man you have to thank for that. He understood what this market needed and he went out and got it. And what we needed wasn't a Stanley cup, that's what we wanted, what we needed was a team we could "Buy into" To give you a some perspective here's a little factoid for you: The Canucks were eliminated by the Oilers at home in 86 (85?) There were only 6,000 fans in attendance for that game. The night that McSorley hit Brashear with the stick in 98' or 99' (In the middle of the Keenan fall out) there were only 9,000 fans at GM place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 It was a lot like being an Oiler fan now except it was probably even worse in the '80s. The Canucks spent most of the '80s trapped in a division with the 2 best teams in the league(Edm & Cal believe it or not) and for a short time 3 if you include the mid '80s Jets (they were screwed as well) Some of the divisional games at the Pacific Coliseum resembled a Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals tilt or the Kings/Oilers game last night. Gretzky scored more points against the Canucks than any player has scored against any team in hockey history, I think Messier is 2nd, etc... From what I've seen, I don't think a lot of the younger whiny entitled fans here would have had the stones to stick it out. Once I was hooked, I was a diehard for life Though you were obviously there and therefore a creditable voice in this discussion, I disagree with one thing. It's not like being an Oilers fan now. those fans show up rain or shine....maybe they shouldn't? Back in the day, well....., I posted a couple of attendance figures above, which I'm sure you are aware of anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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