TheCammer Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Those were the dark years...I don't like to talk about them much at all....tbh... Mark Messier: The most hated Vancouver Canuck of all-time? December 13, 2012. 2:42 pm • Section: Hockey <span st_url="http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/12/13/mark-messier-the-most-hated-vancouver-canuck-of-all-time/"st_title="Mark Messier: The most hated Vancouver Canuck of all-time?" class="st_twitter_hcount" displaytext="Twitter" st_via="theprovince" "="" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; display: inline;"> While the rest of the hockey world idolizes him, Canuck fans may have a different opinion of Mark Messier. (Getty Images) To virtually everyone else, he’s one of the greatest hockey players of all-time. To Canuck fans, he’s the guy who tore the heart and soul out of an entire NHL franchise. On Wednesday, Mark Messier — along with Paul Henderson and Dave King — was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada and will be honoured by Hockey Canada at a ceremony in Ottawa during the 2013 IIHF women’s world hockey championship in April. Everyone knows the story. Messier is considered to be one of the greatest leaders in NHL history and was a crucial part of the Edmonton Oilers’ five Stanley Cup victories in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 as well as another championship with the New York Rangers in 1994 — but let’s not talk about that. Thanks to Mike Keenan, chairman of the Messier fan club, the 36-year-old signed as a free agent with the Canucks on July 28, 1997 and almost immediately started to leave fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. Not only did Messier — and to be fair, Keenan — strip quintessential Canuck Trevor Linden of his captaincy, he also demanded to keep the No. 11 from his days with the Oilers and Rangers even though it was unofficially retired by the team in honour of Wayne Maki who died of brain cancer in 1974. If his off-ice demeanour wasn’t bad enough, his overall plus-minus rating of -37 as a Canuck was laughable and his offensive output was barely average based on a ridiculous five-year contract that paid him $6-million a year in Vancouver. When Messier was finally bought out by the Canucks in 2000 and proceeded to play out the rest of his career with the Rangers, people thought the gruelling saga of the bald-headed bandit was over. Not so fast. In August, the Canucks were forced to pay him a $6-million settlement after a New York-based arbitrator concluded Messier’s grievance over money owed by the team was valid. Here’s a player who has disgraced the Canucks on almost every level. He has no respect for the history of the team and doesn’t seem to care about its future either. He’s shown time and time again that the only reason he ended up in Vancouver in the first place was because of a hefty paycheck. Yet here we are at the Order of Hockey in Canada. Let’s not even get into the validity of the award itself here but I’m assuming that it has something to do with being an upstanding Canadian hockey player and by all accounts Messier proved himself as a legend in Edmonton but you know what city is also in Canada? Vancouver. If the Order of Hockey in Canada wants to do things right then they need the full picture and that includes his time with the Canucks which, if included, would expose him as someone whose personal interests trump his passion for the game. http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/12/13/mark-messier-the-most-hated-vancouver-canuck-of-all-time/ This^. Quite frankly one of the darkest periods in Canucks history. However, I do believe Naslund and others likely learned leadership in part from Messier. To me it was really just the lack of success and the seeming lack of direction associated with his time here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckNORRIS4Cup Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I only started following hockey around 2009ish so I am not too familiar with the team history. I noticed that he gets a lot of hate within the Canucks community. Why is that? What did he do? Don't tell me he totally messed this team up or he was the reason for our downfall back in the late 1990s. What did he do exactly that messed the team up?? Listen to the announcers very closely and see Trevor Linden in the bottom of the screen crawling to the bench because he was cheap shot just before that, and Messier comes in after just listen. BTW Linden had Broken ribs, and Mark Messier knew this knowing they were going to lose game 6 and have to play a game 7, but Messier being Messier wanted to hurt Linden more. Also this is from Cliff Ronning who also played in the 94 playoffs for Canucks. And another reason why Trevor Linden is one of the greatest Captains in Canucks History. "You don't know this, but Trevor Linden had cracked ribs and torn rib cartilage for the last four games of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final," Cliff Ronning said. "You can't imagine what it's like to hear your captain, in a room down the hall, screaming at the top of his lungs as they injected the needle into his rib cage. Knowing him, he probably thought we couldn't hear. He would then walk into our dressing room like nothing had happened. That was inspirational." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoted Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 A lot of went on back then that was the responsibility of management, not Messier. There is enough to blame Messier for, but not everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 This^. Quite frankly one of the darkest periods in Canucks history. However, I do believe Naslund and others likely learned leadership in part from Messier. To me it was really just the lack of success and the seeming lack of direction associated with his time hereThat blog failed to acknowledge that the Canucks brought Messier, as well as all the failures during this time, upon themselves. How is that Messier's fault? It's not. I know it's hard, but we as fans really need to let this go imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pears Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 You remember Biff Tannen in Back to the Future before Marty went back in time and helped his dad grow a pair? Messier was very much like the original Biff and the Canucks were George McFly. That's a pretty accurate comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift-4 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Not only did Messier — and to be fair, Keenan — strip quintessential Canuck Trevor Linden of his captaincy http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/12/13/mark-messier-the-most-hated-vancouver-canuck-of-all-time/ Writer needs to check his facts. That captaincy was gone before Keenan arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoted Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 That blog failed to acknowledge that the Canucks brought Messier, as well as all the failures during this time, upon themselves. How is that Messier's fault? It's not. I know it's hard, but we as fans really need to let this go imho. Even some of the things like the Captaincy or the No. 11 were things the team could have sat down with everyone on and resolve. Even something simple like Messier acknowledging the history of the number and being proud to share or something would have gone a long ways. Things like him suing for the money is pretty fair to me (he had a contract after all). As I have said in other posts, he has a lot to account for, but not everything and there is a fair bit of revisionist and incorrect history around it. Yes, the whole situation was a long time ago and the time to move on was a long time ago as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Standing_Tall#37 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Back in those days the Canucks were young. He violated them and robbed them of their innocence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higgyfan Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Back in those days the Canucks were young. He violated them and robbed them of their innocence So well said, man. To sit back and watch our all time favourite captain be stripped of his captaincy and given to Mark the Mess and the finally shipped off. Shudder. Really sucks to see his name on the main board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGillis58 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 His Lays potato chips poisoned the team for 3 years. Everybody got sick and moved away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 This is why Trevor is like a God in this town. And it's all well earned. Quote "You don't know this, but Trevor Linden had cracked ribs and torn rib cartilage for the last four games of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final," Cliff Ronning said. "You can't imagine what it's like to hear your captain, in a room down the hall, screaming at the top of his lungs as they injected the needle into his rib cage. Knowing him, he probably thought we couldn't hear. He would then walk into our dressing room like nothing had happened. That was inspirational." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoted Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 His Lays potato chips poisoned the team for 3 years. Everybody got sick and moved away! If only they were able to just have one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Question are we not in a bit of a dark age like the late 90's right now? Last year was like history repeating itself with the whole loungo, torts, and gillis fiasco, and now things still seem uncertain. It seems like lessons were never learned.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneypuckOverlord Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 feedback from former Canucks, they were saying he is the best captain they've ever played for. Take that for what its worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Goose Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Sucked The movie The Mist. Don't watch it.. it sucks... Example: Dude 1 "That movie sucked!" Dude 2 "Must have been the movie The Mist?" by Tyler Molloy April 27, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nooks Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I heard he punted Baxter off the Burrard bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynysterGates Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Yes, the pressure on Linden must have been high to give up the C to Linden. In the same respect, would the pressure not have been high on Naslund to give Trevor back the C when he came back? No, because Trevor isn't an arrogant piece of sh*t like Messier is. I'm sure Naslund probably offered it, but Linden would never allow it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcfly Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Everyone's forgetting the cherry on top... after all these years, he invades our tv screens again in the form of cable company commercials. Always great to be watching a game, only to see his smug mug hawking his wears. Thankfully, somebody re-dubbed the audio in this one so it's more watchable and truthful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokes Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Simple- he destroyed the Canucks when he was an Oiler, he destroyed the Canucks when he was a Ranger, he let other teams destroy the Canucks when he was a Canuck. In regards to the captaincy, from what I remember it wasn't management or Messier who really put the pressure on Linden to give up the C, it was the media. Every time Linden was interviewed the press went for the same questions. "Are you giving Messier the C" " Don't you think Messier is a better and more deserving captain?" "Why don't you give him the C" that had more to do with the stripping of the C than Messier. Also I heard a nasty rumor that he would not share his potato chips with Linden. Linden got mad cause he really liked potato chips and demanded to be traded. Bure left Vancouver because Messier kept trying to Lay with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neko Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I don't know which is worse, the rapid downfall of the Canucks post-2011 or post-1994. I didn't like Messier, he didn't help the team at all and who's decision was it to give him Maki's number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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