Is this the hardest season ever to be a Canucks fan?

[DSVII]

10 hours ago, Dazzle said:

I've been watching this team since the early 90s. I'm aware that this team was virtually unwatchable in the 80s though. I've seen the ups and downs.

 

This is a pretty bad time for the team, but I am looking forward to tanking so we can look to the future.

 

We really have to point the finger squarely at Gillis. The playoff contending years mixed in with dreadful draft picks and development during this time period have crippled us for the future.

 

His time may have been 8-10 years ago, but had he drafted some players besides Hodgson and Horvat (both were high 1st rounders), we'd have some useful depth. He absolutely mucked up all the other picks in the later rounds. That's a lot of failed picks. We could have saved a ton of UFA money or avoided trades if we had depth.

Right.  Blame the guy who took the team to the finals and won the presidents trophies and divison titles even up to 2013.

 

I'm apathetic to the point where I almost wish Benning was still the GM so I can see how many more years you blame Gillis. I'm genuinely morbidly curious.

 

Not to mention your other take on how the Forsling trade was Benning's biggest mistake over OEL. You have no idea what crippling a franchise means.

 

Gillis sacrificed the prospect pool. Giving us a 28th ranked pool for a SCF finals appearance.

 

Benning gave us a 28th ranked prospect pool for a 26th place team. Even after his 'graduations'.

 

I'll take the former.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by DSVII

[Brad Marchand]

I don't really care about the losing itself anymore. It's been going on for so long that I've just become used to it.

 

It's everything else:

• It would be one thing if the team was bad because of young players trying to learn the ropes, but it's the opposite. The expensive, well-paid veterans are consistently underperforming. This is a team that was built to win now and it's doing the exact opposite. Over and over again, we hear about how they have no structure and no consistent work ethic.
• This team was built to compete now and the fact that it isn't reflects a complete failure from multiple management groups to execute a coherent plan. They aren't losing on purpose. This organization has repeatedly failed to successfully do anything on purpose. Their prospect pool is depleted and this is the best that they have been able to build, which is frankly ridiculous.
• You have a team president that repeatedly throws his head coach under the bus in the media and publicly leaks hiring his replacement. Then there's all the other drama BS (Doerrie's firing, Pearson's botched hand surgeries, Horvat's contract negotiation etc.) that seems to leak out of the organization on a weekly basis. Every team has turbulence, but it seems this team can't keep a lid on any of it and often creates the drama themselves.
• There are many conjectures about the owner floating out there, but at the very least, he has been complicit in letting all this happen under his watch.

The entire organization is broken from the top down and that's the most demoralizing part. I don't have any faith right now that the people currently in charge are the ones who can fix it.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Brad Marchand

[OldFaithfulCap]

I was more hurt by playoff loss seasons myself. This team started badly and while it gave me hope it was false.

 

There's young talent here and they score a lot. I'm ok with that for my first season back in a while but i get why others are more depressed.

 

If they try and win a few meaningless games, re-sign Bo and keep the group together and try Tocchet then i'll actually be more depressed. We need change, and i'm hoping that JR/Alvin can realize the benefit of a high draft pick this season in a stacked draft and the need to move a bunch of guys with value (Bo, Boeser, Garland, Schenn, anyone but pettey).

[danjr]

I used to listen to games on the radio with my Grandmother.  "Dennis Kearn's rushes the puck up the ice"  That is from the mid 70's.
My expectations for this season were so bloody high.  Actually thought we had a shot at stealing the division.  Just amazing the smokeshow that developed from training camp onward.

These historic game blowing gaffs, the mind numbing penalty kill.  Why haven't we fired the PK coach after the 20 game mark.  How can you keep someone on staff, that is among the worst that has ever stood behind the bench.  If we had even an average PK we would have shots at winning games.  Not shutting off the tv 10 minutes into the first period.

How can the coaches not see or correct the players in the first few minutes of the game.  I see how bad we start games and shut them off.  I know 100% we are going to lose that given game.

The only thing that kind of saves it for me.....is that this may be a masterclass in stealth tanking part 1.   Part 2 will a firesale of assets before the deadline to really derail the team, plus a few injuries to key players.

[DSVII]

Question to Survivors of the Messier era. Is this worse?

[tas]

this is the lowest valley for me since the keenan years, when 13 year old me decided attitude era WWF was a better proposition than an unwatchable canucks team. 

[Provost]

I came into the season with low expectations and even those seem to have been destroyed.

 

It isn’t losing as much as the big helping of sleaze that seems to regularly come along with it.

 

The only comparable season to me was the Messier era when I still clearly recall driving over the Cambie bridge to work and heard on the radio that Linden had been traded.  I had to pull over as I started crying.

 

I didn’t mind the many years of losing when we were a classy organization and the team was a bunch of blue collar scrappy underdogs.  It is a tough league, teams lose all the time.

 

This year is just shitty all around and made worse because there is no glimmer of that being any different in the foreseeable future.

 

I can’t even bring myself to wear my Canucks ball cap out as I don’t want to be affiliated with the sleaze surrounding the team.  I have switched it up.

 

 

[tas]

4 minutes ago, Provost said:

 

It isn’t losing as much as the big helping of sleaze that seems to regularly come along with it.

this is it. the organization, top to bottom, has become unlikeable.

[OldFaithfulCap]

34 minutes ago, Provost said:

I came into the season with low expectations and even those seem to have been destroyed.

 

It isn’t losing as much as the big helping of sleaze that seems to regularly come along with it.

 

The only comparable season to me was the Messier era when I still clearly recall driving over the Cambie bridge to work and heard on the radio that Linden had been traded.  I had to pull over as I started crying.

 

I didn’t mind the many years of losing when we were a classy organization and the team was a bunch of blue collar scrappy underdogs.  It is a tough league, teams lose all the time.

 

This year is just shitty all around and made worse because there is no glimmer of that being any different in the foreseeable future.

 

I can’t even bring myself to wear my Canucks ball cap out as I don’t want to be affiliated with the sleaze surrounding the team.  I have switched it up.

 

 

Do you think Wrexham may be cursed? I mean all that hype and $ and they are still in second.

[CanuckFan1123]

49 minutes ago, danjr said:

I used to listen to games on the radio with my Grandmother.  "Dennis Kearn's rushes the puck up the ice"  That is from the mid 70's.
My expectations for this season were so bloody high.  Actually thought we had a shot at stealing the division.  Just amazing the smokeshow that developed from training camp onward.

These historic game blowing gaffs, the mind numbing penalty kill.  Why haven't we fired the PK coach after the 20 game mark.  How can you keep someone on staff, that is among the worst that has ever stood behind the bench.  If we had even an average PK we would have shots at winning games.  Not shutting off the tv 10 minutes into the first period.

How can the coaches not see or correct the players in the first few minutes of the game.  I see how bad we start games and shut them off.  I know 100% we are going to lose that given game.

The only thing that kind of saves it for me.....is that this may be a masterclass in stealth tanking part 1.   Part 2 will a firesale of assets before the deadline to really derail the team, plus a few injuries to key players.

I think this comment is spot on. The penalty kill is so bad and yet we keep doing the same thing over and over with no change in results. Change the lines. Give players an opportunity. Do something. Do anything. Just do it differently. 
 

I love Boudreau and the hype last year when he came in was incredible. However, he’s been drastically outcoached all year and seems like he’s waiting for his inevitable firing right now. That is costing us dearly. The fact that management keeps stringing us along instead of making a move is costing us so much. It’s actually gut wrenching and so frustrating. This management group sees a problem and does nothing to fix it. 
 

I think Boudreau finally gets the axe after the road trip and honestly, I’d be shocked if Rutherford and Allvin are still here in a year or two. Sad excuse of a management team. 

[Toyotasfan]

Last year the team seemed to be emerging from rebuilding, this year time to rebuild again 

[Provost]

6 minutes ago, OldFaithfulCap said:

Do you think Wrexham may be cursed? I mean all that hype and $ and they are still in second.

Not even remotely.  

They are in first when you consider games in hand and that is a quick turnaround from being a bad team.

 

Lots or other teams in the league have highly paid players as well.  It isn’t like the Yankees paying 10 times the payroll as other teams.

[HKSR]

I've been a die hard fan for nearly 40 years.  I've had no urgency to watch any games for the past couple weeks.  I think the biggest issue is there is no hope for anything to improve right now.  Management has done nothing to instill a sense of hope.  If they made trades for futures, then at least there's some hope and excitement.  Right now, it's like they're happy to just sit status quo... which impacts the product on the ice.

[OldFaithfulCap]

Just now, Provost said:

Not even remotely.  

They are in first when you consider games in hand and that is a quick turnaround from being a bad team.

 

Lots or other teams in the league have highly paid players as well.  It isn’t like the Yankees paying 10 times the payroll as other teams.

Alright, just makes me worried for their fans. I loved the tv show and wales is a great place but worried that ryan will get sick of spending that money unless they go up.

 

 

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, HKSR said:

I've been a die hard fan for nearly 40 years.  I've had no urgency to watch any games for the past couple weeks.  I think the biggest issue is there is no hope for anything to improve right now.  Management has done nothing to instill a sense of hope.  If they made trades for futures, then at least there's some hope and excitement.  Right now, it's like they're happy to just sit status quo... which impacts the product on the ice.

That’s the path followed since our owner bought the club 20 years ago.  It worked with Gillis as GM.  

[Baggins]

1 hour ago, DSVII said:

Question to Survivors of the Messier era. Is this worse?

The big frustration with the Messier period was the talent on the team. You looked at the roster and wondered - how could this team possibly miss the playoffs? It didn't help that I didn't like Messier or Keenan at all before they were even brought in. You look at all the miserable seasons they had since joining the NHL and that's the only period I didn't care at all if I missed a televised game. 

[Coconuts]

Depends on who you ask I guess, and how long they've been following the team. 

 

I wouldn't say so, but my expectations weren't high for this season to begin with as I figured we were a fringe playoff team at best. When you don't get upset at losses it doesn't really matter, I've been having a laugh at this team all season, it's just part two of last season. 

 

The first couple months of last season were harder imo, took me a while to embrace the fact that we were a joke and that this team isn't good enough. The Bruce bump was entertaining but the problems that plagued this team under Green still continued to a degree under Boudreau. Last season wasn't a tale of two teams, we're the same Jekyll and Hyde team today. We just don't have Vezina caliber goaltending covering the warts anymore. 

 

Losing with this group doesn't phase me because I don't really expect them to have success. They'd be better off ejecting the veteran pieces of this core and starting over with Pettersson, Hughes, and the other youth. This team ain't going to contend any time soon let alone be a surefire playoff team. 

 

What really bothers me is the continued failure of our management groups, and the meddling of ownership if there's any truth to that. We've been mediocre at best most of the past ten years and it doesn't look like that'll change any time soon. Money tied up long term in vets when we're not going to really be competitive, a capped out bottom feeder, a shallow prospect pool, our inability to effectively draft and develop our own prospects, our continued mismanagement of draft picks and our historical unwillingness to sell players. 

 

We've done everything but actually try to rebuild, we've spun our wheels just trying to get into the playoffs because "anything can happen" but fallen on our face and missed out on that goal despite the best efforts of management. We haven't been trying to rebuild the past ten years, we've just sucked. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Coconuts

[Alflives]

I’m guessing there are fans who have other teams they cheer for, so when we are doing poorly they just switch allegiance.  Not really a fan IMHAO.  But for those types losing means a lot less.  They just cheer for another team.  

Then ther3 are those fans who only cheer for us and hate all the other teams.  So for us losing is harder.  We don’t just easily switch to cheering for another team.  Don’t understand those types of fans.  But maybe they don’t live here, so they aren’t as connected to the city and club?  Or maybe they moved here from elsewhere and adopted the Canucks as their second team, but still prefer their original home team?  

[Guest]

15 hours ago, CanuckFan1123 said:

I’ve been watching the Canucks and rooting for the Canucks since I was a young boy growing up in Los Angeles in the 1990s. Despite living a short 25 minutes from an arena that hosted the likes of Gretzky, Robataille, Blake, McSorley, and so many other big names and great players, my passion for the Canucks has always been strong. I’ve always been an outcast wherever I’ve lived. I’ve never once known what it’s like to love my hometown team. But those who know me well know I love my Canucks and always have and always will. The Canucks have always been a crucial part of my life. 
 

Having been through some 30 years of Canucks hockey now as an adult living in 2023, I’ve seen Many ups and many downs. I’ve watched the team rebuild on multiple occasions and end up drafting incredible players like the Sedins, Pettersson, and Hughes, and of course my all time favorite and definitely most elite player, Jannik Hansen (jokes about the elite part but god I love that man). I’ve watched the team come close to holding up the Stanley Cup. I feel like I had been through it all except for one thing. I’ve never seen my team hoist the Stanley Cup. That’s what I thought was the only thing missing. Until this season.  
 

As a fan, I’ve had many disappointing times. But I’ve understood and accepted them all. The rebuilds are a part of hockey and it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen. Every team has a window to win. The down years are always tough but I always know it’s for the greater good of the organization. But this year is different. This year hurts. And in 30 years, I don’t remember anything like this. 
 

Going into this season, I knew our defense was a question mark. But I felt great about our offense and our goalie situation. Watching this team rebound last year after Boudreau was hired, I had a huge sense of optimism and excitement for this season. I felt strongly that at worst we were a wild card team but felt like we could do big things this year. The first real test of my excitement came in game one of the season when the Canucks blew a 3-0 lead in the 2nd and ended up losing. Ok, Rocky start but 81 games left. So much can happen. Game 2 got off to a glorious 2-0 lead and my optimism peaked. Until we found ourselves losing yet again. Suddenly we’re 7 games in and not a single win and I no longer feel so good. We start fighting back slowly and eventually get to a reasonable record through a little over 30 games. 
 

I think about 8-9 games ago, I really felt like maybe finally this team can get a good push and start fighting again. Well, as we know, after the loss to Florida today, we are now 1-7 in our last 8. I can say with all confidence that I no longer feel good about this season. While I love the potential of Bedard, I have never found myself a part of “team tank” this season. Even now, with under half a season to go, I still feel a small glimmer of hope for like a 15 game win streak. But I know it’s not realistic. 
 

Anyway, the point of this thread is that as a fan, I feel lost. I feel like I’m watching a team with no direction. I don’t feel good about management. I no longer feel good about our coach. Outside of a short list of players, I don’t really feel good about our roster even. Everyone seems to be lacking heart and enthusiasm both on the ice and in interviews. I just hate it. This is truly the first time in my life I can say this. During the rebuilds there was always a direction. During the fringe years, there was always hope and optimism. During the playoffs years, there has always been a reason to hope and cheer and have fun. Right now, I have trouble watching games. I find myself disinterested and unexcited. I’ve never felt this as a fan before. I love this team but the passion is dwindling. I don’t want another rebuild. I don’t want to watch this team start over. I want the team to find a solution. Right now, I feel that there has never been a lower time for this fan base and organization. Am I wrong? 

Your expectations and outlook mirror mine exactly. 

 

My first cutoff was the 20 game mark, which got pushed to 25 games and I thought that it was it.  

 

The recent flirtation with .500 was the last straw and there's no coming back this year.  

 

Worst year ever? I found 2016-17 extremely hard to follow along, so I'll say no. I might be off by a year but it was the year right after making the playoffs with Willie. 

[spur1]

I have worse years as a fan. However this year is tough because the Flames are ahead of us.