Did Mike Keenan Destory what Could've been a superteam? Or was the situation doomed no matter what?

[CJZizzari]

What did you think of the 96 Cancuks Team and Mike Keenan?

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[MS]

What did you think of the 96 Cancuks Team and Mike Keenan?

Keenan was a complete piece of crap but in hindsight exactly what was needed at the time to tear down the aging 1994 team and start a proper rebuild.

That team was going nowhere before he came.

 

[Zombotron]

@Cancuks

 

[deckercky]

Keenan was a complete piece of crap but in hindsight exactly what was needed at the time to tear down the aging 1994 team and start a proper rebuild.

That team was going nowhere before he came.

Pretty much. His teardown, plus some astute moves by Burke, created the WCE era team, which transitioned into the Luongo era. Without the punishment of Keenan, we would not have had the best ~12 year run in team history.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Keenan lucked into some good deals (well, one big one - the Linden trade) but other than that it was a scorched earth time to be a Canucks fan. Dealt away valuable veterans for lousy returns (Gelinas, for example) and then dealt away those lousy returns for lousier returns. He also came within an injury of dealing away Markus Naslund for a fourth from Ottawa. Burned a lot of goodwill that the team had built up in the province. Between that, Messier’s lacklustre performance on and off the ice and the sagging Canadian economy making the threat of the Canucks relocating seem very real, the Bure saga reaching its apex with him demanding a trade, it was dark times. And Keenan was very much a villain and an asshole through it all.

Did the team need to be rebuilt? Yes. But not by that lunatic. Most of the franchise stabilizing moves occurred when Brian Burke arrived on the scene and cleaned up his mess.

 

[F A N]

Keenan's trading of Linden and applying his application of the Keenan method to Bertuzzi were significant to this franchise's fortunes.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Keenan was a terrible person, wasn't a very good coach here, but the impact he had on this team was felt for decades. We actually could have used a Keenan-like GM over these past few years instead of what we had, as he made one of the greatest trades in Canucks history with the Linden deal. Had he taken the "we want to be competitive now" or "he's a Career Canuck" approach with the team or with Linden we wouldn't have had the Sedins or Luongo. No WCE either.

 

[Zippgunn]

Keenan was a terrible person, wasn't a very good coach here, but the impact he had on this team was felt for decades. We actually could have used a Keenan-like GM over these past few years instead of what we had, as he made one of the greatest trades in Canucks history with the Linden deal. Had he taken the "we want to be competitive now" or "he's a Career Canuck" approach with the team or with Linden we wouldn't have had the Sedins or Luongo. No WCE either.

How did Mike "the eel" Keenean get us the Sedins and Luongo?

 

[The Drop]

@Cancuks

Keenan was def de story of the season

 

[Derp Kassian]

How did Mike "the eel" Keenean get us the Sedins and Luongo?

He traded Linden for Mccabe and Bert, Mccabe was used to get Daniel Sedin and Bert led to Luongo.

 

[Hit the post]

Keenan lucked into some good deals (well, one big one - the Linden trade) but other than that it was a scorched earth time to be a Canucks fan. Dealt away valuable veterans for lousy returns (Gelinas, for example) and then dealt away those lousy returns for lousier returns. He also came within an injury of dealing away Markus Naslund for a fourth from Ottawa. Burned a lot of goodwill that the team had built up in the province. Between that, Messier’s lacklustre performance on and off the ice and the sagging Canadian economy making the threat of the Canucks relocating seem very real, the Bure saga reaching its apex with him demanding a trade, it was dark times. And Keenan was very much a villain and an ******* through it all.

Did the team need to be rebuilt? Yes. But not by that lunatic. Most of the franchise stabilizing moves occurred when Brian Burke arrived on the scene and cleaned up his mess.

You are clearly 100% wrong. Mike Keenan is an honorable man & doesn't deserve to be besmirched this way.

My video tribute of Mike Keenan:

 

[y2kcanucks]

How did Mike "the eel" Keenean get us the Sedins and Luongo?

The assets received from the Linden trade allowed us to make the subsequent trades for the Sedin draft pick, and for Luongo. If we don't have Bryan McCabe I'm not sure we'd have the assets to get that extra 1 in 1999.

 

[JianYang]

It felt like there was a trade every week when Keenan was in town. Highly entertaining for the wrong reasons.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

The assets received from the Linden trade allowed us to make the subsequent trades for the Sedin draft pick, and for Luongo. If we don't have Bryan McCabe I'm not sure we'd have the assets to get that extra 1 in 1999.

While this is true, saying Keenan was good for the team because of this would be like saying Benning’s a good GM for acquiring Pettersson/Boeser/Hughes. The move itself is good in isolation, but his tenure was a disaster. Much like Jim, he had scant few good moves to his name, but managed to knock one out of the park - but also like Jim, he mangled a lot of his other decisions that Burke went about setting right as soon as he got here.

Still highly respect Burke and would love to have him back in Vancouver.

 

[y2kcanucks]

While this is true, saying Keenan was good for the team because of this would be like saying Benning’s a good GM for acquiring Pettersson/Boeser/Hughes. The move itself is good in isolation, but his tenure was a disaster. Much like Jim, he had scant few good moves to his name, but managed to knock one out of the park - but also like Jim, he mangled a lot of his other decisions that Burke went about setting right as soon as he got here.

Still highly respect Burke and would love to have him back in Vancouver.

Mike Keenan did a hell of a lot more "rebuild" type moves in 1 year than Benning has in 5.

Linden for McCabe, Bertuzzi, and a 3 being a huge one that Benning didn't have the guts to ever do.

Babych for a 3, and Sanderson for May and a 3 were good deals as well. As was Odjick for Strudwick.

I'm not seeing these bad, Benning-like moves. Keenan was only GM for about half a season. Quinn was fired mid-season, Keenan took over as interim GM, and then Burke replaced him the following year.

 

[Zippgunn]

I'm willing to bet that a lot of the people who think Keenan wasn't a complete disaster also think Mark Messier was the worst player ever for the Canucks...

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Mike Keenan did a hell of a lot more "rebuild" type moves in 1 year than Benning has in 5.

Linden for McCabe, Bertuzzi, and a 3 being a huge one that Benning didn't have the guts to ever do.

Babych for a 3, and Sanderson for May and a 3 were good deals as well. As was Odjick for Strudwick.

I'm not seeing these bad, Benning-like moves. Keenan was only GM for about half a season. Quinn was fired mid-season, Keenan took over as interim GM, and then Burke replaced him the following year.

He squandered Martin Gelinas for basically nothing after very bizarrely singling him out for doghouse duty early on, gave away Sean Burke (who was actually a decent return for McLean) for Garth freaking Snow, waited all of 9 games to move Geoff Sanderson for Brad May, and gave away the very useful Mike Sillinger for a 5th or a 6th. Each of those moves is lamentably terrible (and I’m a huge fan of Brad May). The fact that he did all of this in a span of months as the de facto GM was nauseating.

 

[RandV]

While this is true, saying Keenan was good for the team because of this would be like saying Benning’s a good GM for acquiring Pettersson/Boeser/Hughes. The move itself is good in isolation, but his tenure was a disaster. Much like Jim, he had scant few good moves to his name, but managed to knock one out of the park - but also like Jim, he mangled a lot of his other decisions that Burke went about setting right as soon as he got here.

Still highly respect Burke and would love to have him back in Vancouver.

Difference between Keenan and Benning was that Keenan was a madman who everyone could tell had to go after the first year, but some good came of tossing chairs around. On the other hand Benning's unoffensive friendly simpleton demeanor has kept him around going 6 years now causing far more suffering to the franchise.

That said concerning the topic I've always felt it wasn't a foregone conclusion that the team needed to be torn down, that a shrewd GM could have kept us competitive, but throwing money at Mark Messier then hiring his buddy Mike Keenan certainly wasn't the way to go.

 

[lawrence]

the only good thing he did was the Linden trade, which helped in landing Bertuzzi,which turned into Luongo which turned into Markstrom. McCabe helped us land the Sedins but overall His coaching style was trash, his hard nose is is border line abusive, his trades never really helped the team and the team didn't play better until Crow got here, and Burke turned Mogilny and Bure into Jovo and Morrison, then things started to turn around and look good. just my 2 cent.

 

[Hit the post]

the only good thing he did was the Linden trade, which helped in landing Bertuzzi,which turned into Luongo which turned into Markstrom. McCabe helped us land the Sedins but overall His coaching style was trash, his hard nose is is border line abusive, his trades never really helped the team and the team didn't play better until Crow got here, and Burke turned Mogilny and Bure into Jovo and Morrison, then things started to turn around and look good. just my 2 cent.

His treatment of Grant Ledyard was disgusting (and it wasn't his only putrid treatment of Canuck players).

 

[lawrence]

He squandered Martin Gelinas for basically nothing after very bizarrely singling him out for doghouse duty early on,

that was not Keenan. Gelinas and Kirk Mclean for Burke, Sanderson and Jamie Huscroft I believe was interm gm Steve Tambelleni.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

that was not Keenan. Gelinas and Kirk Mclean for Burke, Sanderson and Jamie Huscroft I believe was interm gm Steve Tambelleni.

Huh - it’s been in my head for decades as the first of Keenan’s moves.

 

[lawrence]

Huh - it’s been in my head for decades as the first of Keenan’s moves.

my bad. thanks for correcting me.

 

[MS]

Huh - it’s been in my head for decades as the first of Keenan’s moves.

Tambellini made that trade. It might have been influenced but Edmonton’s idiot pulled the switch on that. Keenan fully took over shortly after.

Also Gelinas was the only player traded that year who was remotely regrettable.

 

[lawrence]

If I want to thank Keenan, I will like to thank him for his huge man crush he had on Bertuzzi and traded us Luongo for him. Thanks Iron Mike.