It’s not like I have a difficult time remembering where I was the last two times the Vancouver Canucks managed to make the Stanley Cup finals.
Hey, when it’s only twice in 40 years and you’re a fan, it ain’t that difficult to recall. Kind of like being a B.C. Lions fan for all these years, Grey Cup appearances flow easily from the memory banks and the wins, even more so.
Of course the Canucks haven’t had any of those championship moments that last a lifetime, yet (now that we’ve dodged that apocalypse thing last weekend I’m even more optimistic about our chances), and maybe that’s why the close calls reign supreme in our collective memories.
In 1982 the stars aligned for the barely-made-the-playoffs Canucks to somehow win the West and advance to the finals against the dynasty also known as the New York Islanders. The Kings crowned the Oilers in the first round so the Canucks, backstopped by King Richard Brodeur, could douse the Flames, dethrone the Kings and fly by the Blackhawks to reach the finals.
Two buddies and I were living in a basement suite in Coquitlam at the time going to school during the day and witnessing hockey history every night on my black-and-white Electrohome TV, complete with rabbit ears that thankfully picked up CBC and Hockey Night in Canada (as well as KVOS and The Benny Hill Show every night at 11 p.m.)
Well, it worked fine until, oh somewhere early the first round when it decided to die, much to my disbelief, and we were forced to see the rest of the games at the Boo Pub down the road (which meant us starving students had to buy beer in order to watch the games but somehow we pulled it off).
I still recall one memorable game when Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams, of all people, scored a goal in overtime, which required even more drinking than a regular game, and we all walked home happy.
We even managed to score tickets, and the money to get ‘em, to a game against Chicago in the Western final. You know the absolute back row in the Pacific Coliseum was still a great place to watch a hockey game from when your team was winning in the playoffs.
Of course the winning came to an end in the finals when the Canucks were swept by the Islanders but not before taking the defending champs to overtime in the first game, only to see Harold Snepsts put the puck on Mike Bossy’s stick with mere seconds to go in the first overtime period and wham, bang it was over. The game and the series.
Heavy sigh.
Still, it was a wonderful ride and Harold and the rest of the lunch-kit gang in the ridiculous looking yellow uniforms played their hearts out and captured the hearts of Canuck fans forever.
Which is good because it took almost forever to get to the finals again. And in ‘94 the Canucks were a much better team with Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure and Kirk McLean in goal. Still, they were the underdogs going into the finals even though it took the New York Rangers seven games and a goalpost to beat them.
I remember telling my pregnant wife that if the Canucks won that seventh game we were going to name our first-born after whoever scored the Stanley Cup winning goal.
She didn’t mind Trevor or even Linden, but wasn’t crazy about Pavel or Jyrki, especially if it turned out to be a girl. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why she was so nervous back then, she’s not really that big of a Canucks fan.
But she’s into it this year, no fear of naming anything, as are my kids, who by some birth defect or problem on my wife’s side of the family are actually Leaf and Habs fans respectively. But now, finally, we are all Canucks, as they say. It’s fun, it’s exciting and maybe, just maybe, it will work out differently this time. I just hope my TV, as well as my nerves, hold out for another week or two.
Glenn Mitchell is the managing editor of The Morning Star
