A Flying Skate Down Memory Lane

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In 1989, Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov led the first wave of players to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain. In order to secure their services, Canuck management traveled to Moscow, where they agreed to large transfer payments that matched whatever the players were paid dollar-for-dollar. The governing body of the Soviet Hockey Federation was strapped for cash, and while the terms were distasteful, there was no other way to get the players released.

To make matters worse, there was a clause in the original contracts extending the transfer payments in the event of either player resigning with Vancouver. Larionov was dead-set against this notion, so having any chance to keep our players required a legal solution. Getting this situation resolved was near the very top of our agenda almost from day one. As a result, we retained an expert law firm and assigned them the task of negotiating a settlement with 'Sovintersport.'

Time was of the essence. We needed this resolved ASAP to give us a window to negotiate extensions with the players before they became UFA's. After months of tedious deliberations, we finally reached an agreement to buy-out the royalty clause for $150,000. With the way the two former-Soviets were performing, we were more than happy to sign the check that set them free.

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It was without a doubt, our most disappointing loss of the season. In terms of motivation, we were having a hard time getting up for the expansion Sharks, and it's entirely possible we took them too lightly. That said, we weren't about to lower the boom on the guys as we did pepper San Jose with 42 shots, (meaning the effort was there), it's just Jeff Hackett stood on his head and stopped 41 of them.

No matter how hard you try, there really isn't a lot you can do when a goalie is that deep in the zone. Looking at the stat sheet, Hackett stole the game for the Sharks with a near-perfect game rating of 100. (Though somehow he was only named second star). To be perfectly honest, from where we were sitting, he looked a lot better than that.



Player in the Spotlight: Jeff Hackett | GR 100 | SA 42 | GA 1 | SV 41 | SV% 976 | 2nd Star

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The New York Rangers came to town and handed us our third loss in four games. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially since we'd only been able to score two goals in two back-to-back defeats. It felt like a sobering wake-up call, almost as though we'd taken the league by storm in October, but since the calendar flipped to November, we were no longer catching anyone by surprise. Word had gotten out, and everyone was prepping their 'A' game when they saw us coming.

On the Ranger bench, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch both played exceptionally strong defensive games, with DGR ratings of 99 and 90 respectively. Leetch in particular was so good in his own zone that Pavel Bure had a tough time getting open throughout the evening. And for the second time in as many games, another hot goalie (this time named Mike Richter), took great glee in slamming the door on our league leading offense.

VIDEO: Gartner from Messier!



Player in the Spotlight: Mike Richter | GR 91 | SA 40 | GA 1 | SV 39 | SV% 975 | 3rd Star

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The next day at practice, we worked hard on getting back-to-basics. Traffic to the front of the net, tip drills and screening the goaltender. We'd all watched our offense dry up like a puddle in the desert, so even a garbage goal would quench our thirst at this point. After practice was complete, we called a special team meeting to steady the troops.

GM/HC: "In the last two games, we fired 82 shots on goal. That tells the entire staff that you guys are still working hard, and that's why no one is yelling and screaming in this room... For us to get where we all want to be, we need to work together to establish and maintain good winning habits. That means doing all the little things you did so well in October. We've watched you do it, we know it's in you, and we have full confidence this group will continue to do it. 'Cause that's how we win, and that's why we play the game."

(Week seven record 1-2).

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Week: 7

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The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of one of our largest corporate partners was talking frantically on the speakerphone. He sounded quite agitated over a story on the front page of the Vancouver Province newspaper. A story written by sports reporter Tony Gallagher. Apparently Gallagher had gone to great lengths to point out that our record over the past three weeks was only .500, and in his opinion, it was a clear sign the sky was falling.

This all came as news to us, as our usual policy was to try and ignore the negative speculations of the local media. As fate would have it, Brian Burke happened to be in the office that day, and he overheard the entire conversation. Since day one, we'd always encouraged our people to speak their minds, so Burkie flashed a baffled expression and then declared newspapers were only good for puppies and parakeets.

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Week eight saw some major milestones as well as some great individual performances. First Paul Coffey, a key member of the Edmonton dynasty of the 80's, racked up his 750th career assist. Not to be outdone, another prized member of an 80's dynasty, John Tonelli (formerly with the Islanders), played in his 1000th game. Tonelli was now a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, (who were on their way to Vancouver for a marquee match-up). But more on that next time.

As for individual performances, Dino Ciccarelli scored a natural hat trick in a 5-2 Washington win over Detroit, and Randy Wood, (who you may remember was recently involved in the Pat LaFontaine trade), chalked up 4 assists in a single game. And what of the Canucks you may ask? Well so far week eight witnessed a good response from our players and much better results. With just the Chicago game to go, we were sitting at 2-0-1.



(Mini Bio: John Tonelli was the ultimate mucker. If you needed someone to go in the corner and dig out the puck, there was a time when Tonelli was the absolute best).

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Our entire coaching staff was huddled together trying to formulate a game plan. At the front of the coaches room, stood our video guru Ron Wilson, who was showing us what seemed like endless footage of the Chicago Blackhawks. "Right there!" Ronnie exclaimed with excitement, "See how they turn it over in transition? We gotta watch for that."

"Yeah, got it." Pat Quinn muttered in response.

The more we watched the Hawks on video, the more impressive they looked. The game itself promised to be one of the biggest of the year, featuring a collision of the top two teams in the league. (With the Hawks only two points back, and currently riding a nine game winning streak). By comparison, we barely managed a tie in our last game, but even worse than that, all our losses had come on home ice, so we were definitely feeling pressure to improve our home record.

As the lights came on in the coaches room, so too the Hawks could no longer hide.

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Chicago's coach, 'Iron' Mike Keenan, had a savage reputation as a tough disciplinarian. He was crafty, highly successful and extremely volatile. Keenan knew the importance of this game and he was clearly looking for a competitive edge. What better way, he must have thought, then to test our young rookie and see if he could rent space in his head. Right from the opening faceoff, 'Iron' Mike chirped Pavel Bure at every opportunity. He kept up a steady verbal assault while skirting the limits of what might draw a penalty.

For his part, Pavel Bure had a humble disposition. On the outside he seemed a bit shy, but on the inside he was a fierce competitor. Pavel would take it and take it, until eventually he'd snap and give as good as he got... In the dying moments, with the game out of reach, Pavel skated over to the Chicago bench and challenged Keenan to his face.

'Iron' Mike lost it. He tried to get over the boards so he could get at Pavel, but his players held him back. Still irate that a rookie would dare challenge him, Keenan rushed the divider between the benches and started pounding on the glass. From our perspective, it looked like a guy with a bruised ego having a temper tantrum. Keenan tried all night to get Pavel off his game and he failed miserably.

VIDEO: Bure with a Sweet Tap in!

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Week: 8

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The second month of the season was in the books, which could only mean one thing, a sea of paperwork from the Analytics Department. As we began sifting through the stacks of reports on our desks, we couldn't help wondering if there wasn't a better way to do this? A way that didn't involve cutting down a small community of trees?

So we called in Ron Wilson, (our resident tech-guy), and asked him if it was possible to digitize our reports. Ron told us IBM was just about to release their first-generation laptop, the 1992 ThinkPad. As the inaugural model, it was sure to be pricey, (and we'd have to hire a software engineer to write custom code), but other than that, digitization was absolutely doable.

With barely a pause to consider, the GM blurted out: "Okay then, let's do it!"



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Month: 2

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GM/HC: "All eyes up front and quiet in the room, NOW!!!"

"First off, we could not have been prouder of you than we were after the Chicago game. You rose to the occasion against one of the best teams in the league, and showed everyone what Canuck hockey is all about. You went out there and dominated!... Now here we are, two nights later, playing one of the worst teams in the league and we're down 5-0 after 40 minutes."

"Now we don't expect you to win every game, but we do expect effort every time we play. Right now, for the first time all year, we're not even in the game and that's completely unacceptable!! It looks like we all thought this would be an easy one so we decided to take the night off. But not on this team. You're all going to break this habit right now!! We will not be a bi-polar team! Not on our watch!"

"So... We expect you to go out there and win the third period. NO EXCUSES!! This game may be out of reach, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is we're not leaving here tonight until we see heart and effort! We'll keep you here all night riding the bikes if that's what you want, but we'd rather you leave it on the ice. Your choice."

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After giving our team an earful in the second intermission, they responded well, going out and scoring twice in the third while blanking the opposition. Pavel Bure stepped up scoring both goals, so his teammates definitely owe him big-time for saving them from the bikes.

But even better than that, the team bounced back in our next game with a tremendous effort, hammering the Quebec Nordiques seven-to-one. We came out of the gate charging and were up 4-nothing after one and 7-zip after two. The entire coaching staff was so pleased with the effort that we made sure to pour lots of positive reinforcement on the guys. They probably still have "Way to go" and "Great Job" ringing in their ears!

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Home to 24 Stanley Cup championships, the Montreal Forum was one of the true cathedrals of the sport. As we walked along its fabled halls, we could almost hear voices from a bygone era usher us in. Young players never forget their first game in the Forum, and even veterans could be intimated by the ghosts of champions past.

As we took to the ice, our job was to put history aside and focus on the task at hand. It was our second game in as many nights, so we needed to find the energy to upset the home team. Fortunately, we did just that, playing a strong defensive game to compliment an outstanding performance from our Latvian 'keeper Arturs Irbe. When the final horn sounded, the scoreboard read 3-0 Canucks, and we gave the players a big pat-on-the-back for a great effort!

VIDEO: Brown Scores from the Point!

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Week: 9

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Our schedule called for a four game cross-Canada road trip, but we decided to make an extra stop so we could watch our farm team. The Milwaukee Admirals had been sending weekly progress reports since they started playing, but it was always better to see young players with your own eyes. As we watched the game from the team box, Eddie Atchison (the Admirals GM), explained the dire financial situation they were operating under.

Part of our philosophy had always been to help young players experience a winning culture even before they got to us, so we told Eddie we'd speak with Canuck ownership about increasing the affiliate budget as soon as we got back to Vancouver. (More money equaled more resources and a better chance to create a winning environment).

All of a sudden there was a loud outburst from the crowd. Knowing we were in the building, Gino Odjick, one of our toughest kids, was trading shots with a heavyweight on the other team. Gino won the fight handily, and with the crowd chanting his name, he must have felt good about standing out and improving his chances for a call-up.

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Our four game road trip was winding down, and a lot of guys were feeling bored after being cooped up in hotel rooms for so long. We usually had team meals together, but on this particular night, we let the players order room service so they could turn in early for sightseeing in the morning.

What we didn't know was a couple guys had devised an ingenious plan to prank Vladimir Krutov. Earlier in the day, they waited until 'Tank' left his room so they could sneak in and take his best pair of dress shoes. Then, later that evening when the food trolley emerged from the elevator, they intercepted the waiter, telling her they'd take care of it.

Once the coast was clear, they lifted the lid off Vlad's plate and tossed his meal in the garbage. Next came the dress shoes, by this time full of yogurt, which they placed on the empty plate. Finally, they replaced the lid, wheeled the cart to Krutov's door and knocked loudly before running for cover. While they never got to see the look on his face, they were certain the grizzled vet was suitably ticked.

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From the moment we touched down in Vancouver, we were anticipating the media asking about our next home date with Edmonton. We didn't want to give the Oilers any bulletin board material, so we were very careful to say all the right things. "Oh, it's just another game," and "They're a good team and their play is really improving." Basically, whatever it took to make nice.

In reality, ever since the Oilers completely blew us out last week, we were riding a three-game winning streak and feeling very hungry for revenge. We just didn't want them to know that. Revenge they say is a dish best served cold, and for this occasion, we were determined to make the Pacific Coliseum extra cold.

Igor Larionov broke the ice with a powerplay goal at 17:11 of the first. Then in the second, Geoff Courtnall, Vladimir Krutov and Cam Neely all tallied goals in succession to break the game wide open with a 4-nothing lead. The Oilers got one back late in the second, but that's as close as they would get. Final score: 4-1 Vancouver. And yes, the dish was very tasty!

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By this time, six more GM's had taken the plunge to improve their rosters via the trade route. In a one-for-one deal, the Boston Bruins sent Petri Skriko (1.5/1.5) to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Brent Ashton (2.0/2.0). Then in a two-for-one swap, Philadelphia gave up Murray Craven (3.5/3.5) and prospect Kevin Smyth (0.5/0.5) in order to obtain Whalers alternate captain Kevin Dineen (3.0/3.0).

Finally in a two-for-two transaction, the New York Islanders acquired Adam Creighton (3.0/3.0) and Steve Thomas (3.5/3.5) from Chicago in return for Brent Sutter (3.0/3.0) and Brad Lauer (2.0/2.0). Sutter and Dineen were both captains, so while the trades involving them may appear unbalanced, they did bring extra intangibles above and beyond their consensus Ability/Potential ratings.

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It was a night of tributes and celebrations... The Minnesota North Stars were in town, which meant 'Gus' Adams was back in Vancouver for the first time since our late summer trade. As is customary, we put together a video package of Greg's highlights in a Canuck uniform, which played on the overhead scoreboard during the first TV time out. The crowd gave 'Gus' a warm ovation and he was grinning ear-to-ear while acknowledging the Coliseum faithful. With the pleasantries out of the way, the teams got down to business.

The Stars scored first to take a one goal lead after one, only to see us battle back and tie after two. Next came an explosion of six goals in the third. Four for us, and two for them. Included in all the action were two individual highlights:

2) As is often the case when a traded player returns to play his former team, 'Gus' was extra motivated to show us we'd made a mistake. So he had a strong outing, racking up 2 assists on the way to being named the game's second star.

1) To the surprise of many, the first star was none other than our designated Enforcer Shawn Antoski. More accustomed to racking up fights than points, Tough Guy Shawn played the game of his young life scoring a goal and two assists. We were so happy for him that we called upstairs in the dying minutes, and asked them to rush a few bottles of bubbly to the dressing room. We shook them up real good and when Shawn entered, he got hosed down while the whole team shouted in celebration!

VIDEO: Antoski Picks the Corner!



Player in the Spotlight: Shawn Antoski | GR 70 | G 1 | A 2 | +/- 4 | SOG 4 | TOT 8:11 | 1st Star

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Christmas was fast approaching and we planned to celebrate with two major events. First was a visit to B.C. Children's Hospital where we posed for pictures with young patients, autographed jerseys and brought smiles to many adorable faces.

Second, a corporate party for the Griffiths and their many wealthy friends and families. The Griffiths owned the team so we were obliged to attend, but the truth was, none of us really wanted to be there.

When it came time to dress like Santa, someone thought it would be funny to get Pavel Bure to do it. Pavel was a great kid who liked to try new things to fit in, but as a rookie from Europe, his English was still a work in progress. Pav had come a long way in terms of understanding hockey words, but his general conversational skills were still lacking.

As Pavel sat down in the red suit, with the white beard and the giant pillow, one-by-one the rich kids came and told him what they wanted. The problem being, Pav didn't have a clue what they were saying, so he just kept repeating the same few words over and over. "Yeah, good, okay. Good, okay, yeah." And on it went. Standing there watching the scene unfold, it was hard not to smile. And to all a good night!



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Week: 10

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It was a mild yet clear night in Southern California, when Wayne Gretzky did what Wayne Gretzky does. (Set records and achieve milestones). While no one can say exactly why, for some reason over the years, a disproportionate number of Wayne's records were set against Vancouver. It was anyone's guess why we deserved such an ignominious 'honor,' but it was definitely a reputation we'd be happy to lose.

Alas, once again, it was not to be. In the midst of a narrow 5-4 loss, 'The Great One' scored his 750th career goal, while also adding two assists. Looking back, it was one of those rare moments when time stood still and everyone, (teammates and opponents alike), stopped to admire what Wayne had accomplished and what he meant to the sport. When they announced his milestone, the home crowd responded with a heart-warming ovation.



Player in the Spotlight: Wayne Gretzky | OGR 93 | G 1 | A 2 | SOG 5 | TK 1 | TOT 20:33 | 1st Star

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Week 11 was off to a bit of a slow start with a record of 0-1-1. As we liked to remind our players, you can never guarantee results, but you can always guarantee effort. So far, the Week 11 scores were 5-4 and 4-4, so it was all good in the dressing room as there was no doubt the effort was there. With one game left in the week, there was still time to right the ship, but doing so would require turning around the season series with Winnipeg.

As you may remember, the Jets were thus far undefeated against us in the season series. This alone was reason enough to provide extra incentive for the coming contest. It was one of those games where everyone was eager to redeem ourselves and set right the wrongs of the past. Little did we know, an incident was about to occur that would add even more fuel to our emotional fire...