Showing posts with label Matt Cooke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Cooke. Show all posts

Monday, June 22, 2009

What makes a Canucks fan a Canucks fan?

Puck the Media has posted a quite hilarious NHL Fan Glossary (H/T Puck Daddy for the link). Here is what they have to say about Canucks fans:

"Canucks, Vancouver. Is kind of embarrassed that the team is basically a different way of saying Canadiens. Thinks Steve Moore had it coming. Owns every one of the teams 27 different jerseys."

Okay, "had it coming" might be a tad strong, though I was quite upset by Moore's previous hit on Naslund. And, personally, I'm not at all embarrassed that Canuck means Canadian! It means we don't have to resort to putting the Canada flag on our jerseys like a certain Alberta team I can think of (anyone else think the Flames come off as a bunch of college kids travelling around Europe who try to be "cool" by rocking the maple leaf on their backpacks?).

And yeah, the team has had a veritable colour prism of jerseys over the years. All of which make appearances in the stands at games. Bonus points if you own the salmon-red third jersey from the mid-90s. Extra bonus points if you actually wear it outside the house.

Unfortunately the entry on the Canucks appears to be the second smallest after the Maple Leafs ("Cherishes the team’s most recent Stanley Cup win in “The Love Guru”"). Surely there is more that makes up the identity of Canucks fans? Here are my suggestions for further entries (some serious, some humorous):
  • Still has mixed feelings about the Orca.
  • Still talks about the '94 Stanley Cup run like we actually won the Cup.
  • Will always hate Mike Keenan for coaching the Rangers in '94, for the way he treated Trevor Linden, and for recently coaching the Calgary Flames. And for just being Mike Keenan.
  • Conveniently forgets that Linden is actually from Alberta and grew up a Flames fan.
  • When speaking with Leafs fans will counter the "Well the Canucks have never won a Stanley Cup" argument by noting that Toronto has not won one since before the Canucks existed as an NHL franchise.
  • Has thought "we have a chance this year!" every season since 2001, only to be bitterly disappointed come April/May.
  • Loves Stan Smyl even if he/she never saw him play.
  • Regularly contemplates what could have been in the 2003-04 season if Todd Bertuzzi hadn't, well, you know...
  • Knows that the 7th Man banner at GM Place was really, really lame and avoids talking about it all costs.
  • Is happy that Matt Cooke won a Cup, even if it wasn't with the Canucks.
  • When complaining about Roberto Luongo having an off game, forgets that his predecessors included Felix Potvin, Dan Cloutier, Bob Essensa, Peter Skudra, Garth Snow, Arturs Irbe and Alex Auld. Upon remembering this fact, kisses the ground and thanks his/her lucky stars.
Do you have suggestions for the list? Any defining Canucks' fan characteristics you care to share? use the comments section to add suggestions to the list.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence?


I had a random thought today: at one point (2005-06) the Canucks roster featured four of the more hated players in the game: Jarkko Ruutu, Matt Cooke, Alex Burrows and (oh yeah, him) Todd Bertuzzi.

While Brian Burke was no longer the GM at this point, his right hand man Dave Nonis had taken over the reigns. The squad still had Burke's fingerprints all over it though. And we all know what Brian Burke wants in a hockey team: "proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play." That, and polysyllabism.

Given the amount of peskiness and cheap-shottery on this 05-06 squad (a 24-year old rookie named Kevin Bieksa also played half the season, racking up 77 penalty minutes in 39 games) how were the Canucks not the absolutely most reviled team in the NHL?

I figure it must be the fact that there were four affable, neutral Swedes on the team as well. Everyone loves the Swedes, right?