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West Coast Express Appreciation


JV77

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With the Canucks honoring the West Coast Express on Dec 7, thought we should have an appreciation thread.  Share some of your favorite moments and memories of the line or each player.  For me this was simply the era that got me into this team and they were so fun to watch.  

Todd Bertuzzi became my favorite of the line and player on the team.  I look at some pictures of him in uniform, and man the guy was huge.  He looked like a bear on skates, and was the best forwards in the game during his peak.

Markus Naslund probably had one of the best shots in the game, and could simply pick spots on will.  A pure sniper.

Brendan Morrison was the small but speedy center, and could do it all.  Good defensively and had great play making skills.  

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Gone, but definitely not forgotten. 

Thanks to Trevor for reminding fans that this club does have some history worth remembering and celebrating.

Wish I could get to some of these games that celebrate the past, brings back some great memories! 

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Best memory is Burkie comparing Morrison to a mouse.

During the summer of 2002, Brendan Morrison of the Canucks was a man being compared to a mouse. During a salary arbitration hearing, an attorney arguing on behalf of the team tried to minimize Morrison’s contributions to Vancouver’s just-concluded season by likening linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund to elephants.

“‘But for the elephant, [Morrison] never would have been able to get across the swaying bridge,’ I still remember the lawyer, in a French accent, telling the arbiter,” says Morrison’s agent, Denver-based Kurt Overhardt. “‘Monsieur arbiter, can we agree that the linemates are the elephant, and player X is the mouse?’ It was hilarious. By then, my client was laughing so hard he was turning beet red. Even the guys from the league who were monitoring the whole thing were laughing.”

Morrison, who had set career-highs for goals (23), assists (44) and points (67) and was +18 that season, laughed last after the hearing. His $775,000 salary tripled as part of a two-year, $4.6 million settlement awarded by an independent third-party. It was the second-highest arbitration increase to that point in league history

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The best WCE moment for me, was when Morrison chopped Iginla stick in the final minutes in game 7, and when he was looking for a penalty he tripped over his own stick. Meanwhile, when all this was happening Naslund rushed up the ice with the puck, put it on net, and Cooke tied the game, with 33 seconds left.

We eventually loss the game and series, but man that was hilarious.

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Childhood memories :wub: Mine was the Matt Cooke goal but it was Naslund who created the opportunity despite the...

...debris on the ice and 15 seconds left, Iginla has the sick knocked out of his hand he falls at centre. Naslund dashing in, 10 seconds left. Markus Naslund to the net. Stopped! SCORES!!! SCORES!!! Matt Cooke!! Cashing in!! 5.7 seconds left! And they're still alive!

I was a young child when I watched Cooke's goal in our living room back in 04. Then I was at the bar when Alex Burrows scored the 2011 dragon goal. But my reaction to both of these goals were nearly identical. 

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To be honest, there aren't a lot of individual memories of the WCE that qualify for me.  I don't think of that line and have images like Tiger or Ronning riding their sticks, Linden's 6 point game, Babych's hat trick, Bure's game 7 breakway against Calgary, Linden's game 7, McLean's game one against the Rangers, Luongo's 70-save game against Dallas, Brodeur in 82...

I just remember them being a really good line that was fun and exciting.

It's sad to admit it, but I remember that as an era of mostly failure.  I won't make a list out of respect, but blowing the series against Minnesota is an example.

They were a line and a team of "what could have been."  But you can't take away Naslund's Pearson award, and for one season there or maybe even two, Bertuzzi looked like the second coming of Cam Neely.

As for Morrison, what I will remember most about him is the "standing on the shoulders of giants" comment from management when it was contract time.  And how I thought (and think) he was a fine player in his own right.  He didn't have the talent of Cliff Ronning, but like Ronning, he was skilled and (more importantly) also was a tough (relatively) little guy that played hard through pain.

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45 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

To be honest, there aren't a lot of individual memories of the WCE that qualify for me.  I don't think of that line and have images like Tiger or Ronning riding their sticks, Linden's 6 point game, Babych's hat trick, Bure's game 7 breakway against Calgary, Linden's game 7, McLean's game one against the Rangers, Luongo's 70-save game against Dallas, Brodeur in 82...

I just remember them being a really good line that was fun and exciting.

It's sad to admit it, but I remember that as an era of mostly failure.  I won't make a list out of respect, but blowing the series against Minnesota is an example.

I totally agree, when the WCE was tearing it up, I was in high school/ early 20's concentrating on girls and bush parties. 

They didn't captivate me like the Bure/ Linden era when I was a kid. I think that if I would have been younger I probably would have had better memories. 

Sadly the first memory that comes to my mind is the Moore incident. After that it's all the disappoints. The biggest one for me was the Detroit series. 

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4 hours ago, Squamfan said:

to bad that hit would be considered dirty and illegal in todays NHL, Man the league has gone soft

I don't understand that either.  Just because the guy doesn't see it coming, doesn't mean it's blindside.

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