2011-12 NHL Season

[Brendan]

I can't help but laugh at all the Canucks hate.  Brad Marchand committed the biggest bitch move on Sunday and has rightfully been suspended.  Players like Colton Orr aren't needed if it isn't for players like Marchand.  The Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect.  I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?  Is Wayne Gretzky a coward and a girl because he didn't fight and stayed away from physical altercations?  The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them.  You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.   

Also, how about Shawn Thorton claiming he got slashed in the throat, I watched the whole game but somehow missed that.  

Finally, in response to the post that said "the riots further humiliated the city" I don't understand that.  Sure the riots were terrible but the city was angry more than embarrassed.  People came out in the thousands to clean the streets and people gave tips and photos to police to help get people charged.  The city was, and has never been humiliated by the Canucks.  Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

[Kevin W.]

the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

I'll gladly trade fan support for Stanley Cups and I'm sure most Canucks fans would too.

[CS85]

I can't help but laugh at all the Canucks hate.  Brad Marchand committed the biggest bitch move on Sunday and has rightfully been suspended.  Players like Colton Orr aren't needed if it isn't for players like Marchand.  The Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect.  I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?  Is Wayne Gretzky a coward and a girl because he didn't fight and stayed away from physical altercations?  The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them.  You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.   

Also, how about Shawn Thorton claiming he got slashed in the throat, I watched the whole game but somehow missed that.  

Finally, in response to the post that said "the riots further humiliated the city" I don't understand that.  Sure the riots were terrible but the city was angry more than embarrassed.  People came out in the thousands to clean the streets and people gave tips and photos to police to help get people charged.  The city was, and has never been humiliated by the Canucks.  Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

My use of "humiliation" was regarding that they had just lost to the Bruins in 7 games with home ice. Thus when the riots broke out it took the bitter anguish of losing and made out the town to be full of drunken ass-hats (which, as you've said and I agree with is unfair). That being said, I have only seen one team get whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct for taking dives, and that's Vancouver. The Sedins are two of the most disrespectful, wimpy, jerkoffs to ever pick up a stick. Now that Torres is gone, the Sedins are pretty much the only 100% targets they currently have that I dump my vitriol onto, but yeah. Not a fan, obviously.

Until the Sedin-led Canucks win 4 titles, I'd rather not lump them in the same paragraph with Gretzky.

[The_Admiral]

Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect. I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?

No, because they dive, whine, and play dirty, they're cowards.

The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them. You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.

The Canucks represent a fundamental philosophical departure from the majority of North American sports, especially hockey. The ideal in North American sports is to feign health through injury so one can, if not win, at least lose with dignity. The Canucks represent a more European mentality of feigning injury to win with shame. They're the worst of soccer, on ice. That's why nobody likes them. You can play with discipline and a strong power play without diving on every play and bitching to or about the refs all game, through the postgame, and into the morning skate, which the Canucks organization does.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there. Unlike Boston and Chicago.

Support wasn't what it is now during the Mark Messier nadir. Every team in the league has undergone a slump in fan support; most have bounced back. Two of them won Stanley Cups. Yours didn't, and I hope they never do, not with this lot.

[Sodboy13]

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

Cubs haven't won anything in 103 years, but they get 40,000 crammed into that decaying brickpile every day May through August. Good for them?

[Brendan]

Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect. I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?

No, because they dive, whine, and play dirty, they're cowards.

The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them. You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.

The Canucks represent a fundamental philosophical departure from the majority of North American sports, especially hockey. The ideal in North American sports is to feign health through injury so one can, if not win, at least lose with dignity. The Canucks represent a more European mentality of feigning injury to win with shame. They're the worst of soccer, on ice. That's why nobody likes them. You can play with discipline and a strong power play without diving on every play and bitching to or about the refs all game, through the postgame, and into the morning skate, which the Canucks organization does.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there. Unlike Boston and Chicago.

Support wasn't what it is now during the Mark Messier nadir. Every team in the league has undergone a slump in fan support; most have bounced back. Two of them won Stanley Cups. Yours didn't, and I hope they never do, not with this lot.

Sure the Sedins and Canucks occasionally dive, embellish and whine, but you're seriously naive if you think the Blackhawks don't do it. I watch every Canucks game and I really don't see it happen that often. Not a single Vancouver Canuck has been suspended this season, yet both Boston and Chicago have had players suspended so I don't see how you can label the Canucks as dirty without labeling your own team. I'll mention the injuries the Canucks played through during the playoffs as evidence that they're not a soft team. Not once though were injuries given as an excuse during the final. After the loss every player was accountable. I heard no whines. I guess there's really no point in having this conversation because neither of us will change our opinions and it's best to let the players settle it. I love the Canucks players and I honestly don't understand where you're coming from with half of your comments. I follow this team quite closely and have nothing but respect for the players on this team. The Sedins, Keslers and Burrows compete as hard as you want and give it their all on the ice. Despite the loss in game 7 this city still loves this team and while it's true they weren't supported that well during the Messiers years they weren't forgotten about like the Blackhawks and Bruins were.

[rams80]

If the Canucks were owned by a jackwagon like Bill Wirtz, they'd be forgotten too.

[Funky Bunky]

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

Don't forget, Boston and Chicago both have 3 or more other Pro teams. Vancouver really only has the Canucks and the Lions, who play in a 2nd rate league.

[BigBubba]

The state of the NHL in a nutshell: the Panthers are tied for 10th in the east in wins, yet they're the third seed.

[zpqmaowl]

Jack Johnson scored and proceeded to Tebow in celebration. 3-1 LA over Washington in the second.

[RedSox44]

Jack Johnson scored and proceeded to Tebow in celebration. 3-1 LA over Washington in the second.

Jack Johnson is now one of my favorite players in the NHL. I need to go acquire him in my fantasy league.

[NEW.ERA]

These aren't your Trevor Linden Canucks, they day he retired was the day all of what any respect they had from the rest of the NHL died. At least that's how I see it from over the Mountains.

[RedSox44]

This. Is. Awesome.

Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect. I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?

No, because they dive, whine, and play dirty, they're cowards.

The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them. You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.

The Canucks represent a fundamental philosophical departure from the majority of North American sports, especially hockey. The ideal in North American sports is to feign health through injury so one can, if not win, at least lose with dignity. The Canucks represent a more European mentality of feigning injury to win with shame. They're the worst of soccer, on ice. That's why nobody likes them. You can play with discipline and a strong power play without diving on every play and bitching to or about the refs all game, through the postgame, and into the morning skate, which the Canucks organization does.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there. Unlike Boston and Chicago.

Support wasn't what it is now during the Mark Messier nadir. Every team in the league has undergone a slump in fan support; most have bounced back. Two of them won Stanley Cups. Yours didn't, and I hope they never do, not with this lot.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there. Unlike Boston and Chicago.

Cubs haven't won anything in 103 years, but they get 40,000 crammed into that decaying brickpile every day May through August. Good for them?

The Red Sox packed Fenway for 86, it was impossible to get Celtics tickets even during the late 90s-early 2000s down years, same for the Bruins.

The only team that didn't have support throughout their entire history was the Patriots, and now they're easily the first most important team in New England.

Chicago has always supported the Bulls and Bears too, especially recently. I don't get where Brendan's comment comes from. He's clearly biased, even more biased than I am, and that's saying something.

Sure, the Bruins had the lulls recently, but the fans have been packing the Garden since the lockout. Boston is a hockey town again.

[Kevin W.]

Boston and Chicago are just plain great sports towns. After all, Boston won the major league grand slam, and if the Bears had won the Super Bowl in 2006, Chicago would have had the 5-part grand slam (albeit in 12 years as compared to Boston's 10) since the Fire won the MLS Cup the same year that the Bulls won their last title.

When you have cities that are that big of sports cities, someone is going to get thrown by the wayside. In Chicago's case, that's Wirtz's fault.

[Brass]

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

[CS85]

Like I said, they'll always have Campoli's turnover. That's their Great Moment of Canucks Lore.

[Kevin W.]

Like I said, they'll always have Campoli's turnover. That's their Great Moment of Canucks Lore.

Yeah, that's fine, but we'll always have Chelsea Dagger and the knowledge that it makes Canuck fans' ears bleed. :D

[Brendan]

This. Is. Awesome.

Canucks are easily one of the most talented teams in the league and get no respect. I'm sorry but just because they don't play a tough style they're cowards?

No, because they dive, whine, and play dirty, they're cowards.

The Canucks play disciplined hockey and they do try and draw teams into taking penalties against them. You can call that cowardly, I'll call it smart systematic hockey.

The Canucks represent a fundamental philosophical departure from the majority of North American sports, especially hockey. The ideal in North American sports is to feign health through injury so one can, if not win, at least lose with dignity. The Canucks represent a more European mentality of feigning injury to win with shame. They're the worst of soccer, on ice. That's why nobody likes them. You can play with discipline and a strong power play without diving on every play and bitching to or about the refs all game, through the postgame, and into the morning skate, which the Canucks organization does.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there. Unlike Boston and Chicago.

Support wasn't what it is now during the Mark Messier nadir. Every team in the league has undergone a slump in fan support; most have bounced back. Two of them won Stanley Cups. Yours didn't, and I hope they never do, not with this lot.

Sure the Canucks haven't been a great team for most of their existence but the fan support has always been there.  Unlike Boston and Chicago.  

Cubs haven't won anything in 103 years, but they get 40,000 crammed into that decaying brickpile every day May through August. Good for them?

The Red Sox packed Fenway for 86, it was impossible to get Celtics tickets even during the late 90s-early 2000s down years, same for the Bruins.

The only team that didn't have support throughout their entire history was the Patriots, and now they're easily the first most important team in New England.

Chicago has always supported the Bulls and Bears too, especially recently. I don't get where Brendan's comment comes from. He's clearly biased, even more biased than I am, and that's saying something.

Sure, the Bruins had the lulls recently, but the fans have been packing the Garden since the lockout. Boston is a hockey town again.

I was reffering to just the Bruins and Blackhawks. Both cities are world class sports towns butretrain Not pretend that both teams were just as popular before they won their recent cups.

[Kevin W.]

The Hawks' popularity surged the moment Dollar Bill died because people knew things were going to change. That was in September of 2007, so just about three years before they won their Cup. I'd say they were pretty damn popular even in the two years preceding the Stanley Cup season.

[CS85]

The Hawks' popularity surged the moment Dollar Bill died because people knew things were going to change. That was in September of 2007, so just about three years before they won their Cup. I'd say they were pretty damn popular even in the two years preceding the Stanley Cup season.

The day Wirtz died was one of the greatest days in recent Chicago sports history. I don't think people quite realized just how badly he ran the blackhawks into the ground. It wasn't that the blackhawks fans abandoned the team - it was that the team abandoned the fans, or more accurately Wirtz abandoned them.

The very hour after he died that September morning, it was a bizarre celebration across Chicago. Tasteless? Slightly. If you put your ear to the wall you could hear the audible sounds of handshakes, hugs, and high fives. You saw Blackhawks banners and flags being hung on doors and out windows; doors and windows that hadn't featured Blackhawks paraphernalia in about 15 years. There was just an audible buzz of hope, a long-anticipated event had come to pass that opened the door to a true revival for the blackhawks.