What's your favourite Canuck related memory or experience?

[Darius]

Being in the Pacific Coliseum 1994 - Game 5 Canucks vs Leafs.

 

Canucks were down 3-0 after the first.   They came back and tied it.  Greg Adams scored in OT to send the Canucks to the finals.  The crowd went absolutely nuts.

 

I read later that Tim Hunter skated by the laffs bench and told Pat Burns (RIP) to go warm up the bus after the Canucks scored.

 

 

[J.I.A.H.N]

4 hours ago, Boudrias said:

We need more fans willing to defend the colours like Deb. 

 

Living in the Interior I never got to many games. Before the Canucks came into the NHL I was a Habs fan. I was in Van on a trip and got to go to a Canucks-Nordique game and my Habs idol Guy LaFleur was playing for the Nordiqie. It was the twilight of his career but he drifted/glided around the ice, his hair flowing, and yes he scored! Cannot remember who won.

 

Of course before LaFleur it was the Le Gros Bill, Jean Beliveau. A buddy of mine was flying on a RCA (stereos sales, don't you know) junket his business had won. Beliveau worked for RCA in retirement and was on the flight. Typical of him he walked thru the airplane and talked to most of the passengers including my buddy. RCA had a picture of Jean inserted in their prom literature for the trip. My buddy was telling Jean what a big fan I was and seeing the picture Beliveau signed his autograph to give to me. I still have that pic today.      

 

I met Henri Richard at YVR one time. What a classy guy! Met Reggie Houle in Moscow at the '74 WHA series. He told me he had to leave the Canadians because the WHA was paying way more. It took me years to forgive him. Tardiff-LaFleur-Houle, what a line. 

Great mems for sure!

 

So,  my buddy is a huge Maple leaf fan.............we never watch a game together.............I could not stand it..............but here is his story..........

 

So, he is sitting at home in Nanaimo, and the phone rings, its his brother in law from Port Alberni, who is dropping a friend off at the airport, and they have time to stop by for a 1/2 an hour.............

 

So the door bell rings, and Steve answers it, expecting to see his Borther in law..................standing in the door way is Daryl Sittler, who says, HI! Steve! Can I come in?

 

Well, as Steve tells it, he can't talk, but opens the door, and welcomes him in, without saying a word, and tears falling down his face. Steve thinks he said something about Silter being his favorite hockey player, ever!

 

It must have blown him away...I wish I was there..............Steve is normally a pretty reserved guy. I doubt he was that day.

[Boudrias]

4 hours ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

Didn’t Henri Richard get Al McNeil fired after coaching them to a Cup in his rookie year as head coach.  Ok, not fired but demoted.

 

Beliveau was pure class.  Always felt they should change the name of the Lady Byng trophy to his to give that trophy some prestige (and the way he played the game personified what it takes to win that trophy).  Nobody really treats that award seriously.  But he would be dead set against it given his humility.

Word was they had words in the Habs dressing room after a loss. Maybe even blows? MacNeil coached the team to a CUP but the negativity in the dressing room made him quit in the off season. A team of vets who questioned his coaching but had also drove Claud Ruel away earlier. 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

3 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

Word was they had words in the Habs dressing room after a loss. Maybe even blows? MacNeil coached the team to a CUP but the negativity in the dressing room made him quit in the off season. A team of vets who questioned his coaching but had also drove Claud Ruel away earlier. 

I think he (McNeil) made the decision to go with a rookie near the end of the regular season or start of postseason.  That rookie was Ken Dryden (ironically a former Boston Bruins draft pick)

 

re: losing the vets...I think it was Harry Neale who said most coach's have one third of the lineup for you & one third against you.  With one third neutral.  The key is to win over other that neutral third.  Granted, a guy like Henri Richard would carry ALOT of stroke in the team.

Edited November 1, 2021 by NewbieCanuckFan

[JayDangles]

23 hours ago, IBatch said:

Ok ... I'm ok with Torts coming back.   And want to see this on the big screen.   Just hilarious. 

As a fan I really enjoyed Torts as a coach. However I cant speak to what its like being a player under him. i got the impression that those were difficult times for a lot of canucks players. I don't think guys like Petey, Hogs of podkolzin and to a lesser extent Miller, Huggy and Boes would respond well to his "in your face" style of coaching.

 

Take into account the world has become a very sensitive place, where anyone who has an opinion or style that challenges someone's feelings or perspective, Torts would be even more of a disaster in Vancouver.