The Lost Shifts Ep. 2: Mark Messier, the Anti-Canuck - Vancouver Is Awesome
In the storied mythos of the Vancouver Canucks, Mark Messier is undoubtedly the team's greatest villain. No coach, no general manager, nor any other player remains as reviled as the notorious Messier. If one were to consult any lifelong Canucks supporter for their opinion of their team's captain from 1997 to 2000, the responses would be unanimous: he epitomizes the injustices that have maligned the team throughout their fifty-year history.
He was always known for his gritty style. He was a talented playmaker, and he also possessed an excellent wrist shot. He was intelligent with the puck and reliable defensively. However, he punished opponents with vicious elbows, body checks and a malicious, physical approach. He was the ideal two-way forward.
In Vancouver, his physicality was absent. From the very beginning, commentators noticed a complete lack of intensity from the player frequently regarded as fierce and passionate. He was passive and lethargic. His words were hypocritical. His conduct destroyed his reputation in Vancouver.
In Episode II of The Lost Shifts, we examine Messier's play in one of his earliest performances with the Canucks: a home game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 26, 1997. It became clear within only a month that this acquisition was a blunder of catastrophic proportions.
Our format today deviates from that of our Pavel Bure episode (Episode I). In order to illustrate Messier's apathetic conduct in the most effective and concise fashion, today's presentation features every piece of footage from the match in which he appears on-screen as well as a few extended shifts where his absence from the frame should be considered troublesome.
Interview audio from Dan Russell's CKNW 980 show Sportstalk, as well as the insights of numerous commentators can be heard throughout the video. Episode II concludes with a five-minute montage feature.
Read the full article detailing his story of betrayal and sabotage at Pass It To Bulis: The Lost Shifts Ep. 2: Mark Messier, the Anti-Canuck - Vancouver Is Awesome
I am @CambieKev on Twitter.
In the storied mythos of the Vancouver Canucks, Mark Messier is undoubtedly the team's greatest villain. No coach, no general manager, nor any other player remains as reviled as the notorious Messier. If one were to consult any lifelong Canucks supporter for their opinion of their team's captain from 1997 to 2000, the responses would be unanimous: he epitomizes the injustices that have maligned the team throughout their fifty-year history.
He was always known for his gritty style. He was a talented playmaker, and he also possessed an excellent wrist shot. He was intelligent with the puck and reliable defensively. However, he punished opponents with vicious elbows, body checks and a malicious, physical approach. He was the ideal two-way forward.
In Vancouver, his physicality was absent. From the very beginning, commentators noticed a complete lack of intensity from the player frequently regarded as fierce and passionate. He was passive and lethargic. His words were hypocritical. His conduct destroyed his reputation in Vancouver.
In Episode II of The Lost Shifts, we examine Messier's play in one of his earliest performances with the Canucks: a home game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 26, 1997. It became clear within only a month that this acquisition was a blunder of catastrophic proportions.
Our format today deviates from that of our Pavel Bure episode (Episode I). In order to illustrate Messier's apathetic conduct in the most effective and concise fashion, today's presentation features every piece of footage from the match in which he appears on-screen as well as a few extended shifts where his absence from the frame should be considered troublesome.
Interview audio from Dan Russell's CKNW 980 show Sportstalk, as well as the insights of numerous commentators can be heard throughout the video. Episode II concludes with a five-minute montage feature.
Read the full article detailing his story of betrayal and sabotage at Pass It To Bulis: The Lost Shifts Ep. 2: Mark Messier, the Anti-Canuck - Vancouver Is Awesome
I am @CambieKev on Twitter.
