Mark Messier

[Eye of Ra]

I heard several times he is very hated among Canucks Fans, why is that?

He had 162 points in 207 games with this team, thats not bad.

His playing-style is well known, but did he play the same gritty physical style when he played for this team?

Click to read more...

 

[RandV]

Without getting into details I don't think you're going to find a single Canuck fan who was around at the time who likes Mark Messier. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[racerjoe]

He came he for a paycheque only. We had a team that should have been competitive, yes it was on the downward turn, but he really turned this team into a joke. Like everything he did was bad. He drove players away, was selfish, and that great leader you hear about was the exact opposite. Getting into details is a pain and I am sure someone else will, but there is literally nothing he did that was good for us.

 

[petrishriekandgo]

Why Mark Messier is still the most hated player in Canucks history

 

[petrishriekandgo]

Mark Messier: The most hated Vancouver Canuck of all-time?

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

f*** him

 

[Duckhugs]

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

it's quite shocking just how quickly he gave up and started mailing it in. Maybe not even halfway through the first season? I believe he did play through some kind of shoulder injury that year, but it's more than that. He really was just in it for the money.

Obviously the truth is that he was always overrated as a "leader" or whatever, because that stuff is always bullshit whenever it's said about any player. Expectations for the impact he'd have on-ice were probably higher than they should have been, and so yes, a lot of fans are bitter about that. But he also never committed himself while here, living in point roberts, mailing in performances, sowing discord in management, and so on.

It actually worked out pretty well for the Canucks in some ways, because the chaos that ensued after his arrival resulted in a bunch of moves that worked out for the franchise. But Messier doesn't actually deserve credit for that, it was just a bunch of happy accidents that came out of like three seasons of flaming garbage.

 

[Hit the post]

**** him & **** Lay's chips....

Hated him since the gave that lumberjack chop to the top of Gradin's head.

Sather: What's your @#$%#$ problem? It was only a one hander?


**** Sather as well.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

He's a f***ing scumbag and a fraud.

He had it written into his contract that he would be given #11, despite knowing about Wayne Maki and his family's agreement with the team.

Allegedly colluded with management to strip Linden of the captaincy and drive him out of town.

Caused a rift in the dressing room which resulted in Keenan being responsible for shipping out McLean, Babych, Gelinas among others.

Scored 30 points fewer than his previous season in New York and never broke 60 points over his three seasons in Vancouver.

Had three times less penalty minutes in two of his three seasons here than in his next season in New York (30 vs. 89). He didn't give a shit.

Also managed to profit off the team by having a clause written into his contact that guaranteed a payout if the value of the team rose while he was employed - and ten years later, taking the franchise to court over it.

f*** Messier. Hall of Fame calibre player, shitty narcissistic human being.

 

[hellstick]

Mark Messier, the very pinnacle of leadership in the sport, who didn't make the playoffs the last seven years of his career.

 

[M2Beezy]

I heard that the next core after Mark Messier said that he learned a lot from him and praised his time here guys like Markus Naslund. I wasnt a fan then so cant really say just what Ive heard

 

[Scumbag Frank]

I'm at the point where I don't care what Messier did to Linden anymore. Trevor's as big a fraud as Messier

 

[RandV]

Mark Messier, the very pinnacle of leadership in the sport, who didn't make the playoffs the last seven years of his career.

The way I look at it is Messier was purely a lead by example type. When he could no longer bring it at a high level, he was no longer an effective leader but rather just an asshole. That's why I've always felt that guys like Yzerman or Sakic were better captains than Messier.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Mark Messier Leadership Award - Wikipedia

The Mark Messier Leadership Award is a National Hockey League (NHL) award that recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport, and as a contributing member of society. The award is given to a player selected by Hockey Hall of Fame center Mark Messier to honor an individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes. It was first awarded during 2006–07 NHL season and sponsored by Cold-fX.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

I'm at the point where I don't care what Messier did to Linden anymore. Trevor's as big a fraud as Messier

Love the avatar. Wonder if the guy knows he's hit the big time.

Careful though, you could wake up with a horses head in your bed.

... and f*** Mark Messier.

 

[Zippgunn]

I'm no Messier fan but just about every charge you could make against him as a Canuck you could also make against the Sedins...

 

[Hit the post]

I'm no Messier fan but just about every charge you could make against him as a Canuck you could also make against the Sedins...

lol - Sedins never gave a slash to the head of a Canuck player....Sedins never took a cheapshot/run at Linden when he was essentially defenseless on the ice. **** Messier.

 

[Zippgunn]

lol - Sedins never gave a slash to the head of a Canuck player....Sedins never took a cheapshot/run at Linden when he was essentially defenseless on the ice. **** Messier.

Well that would be tough since they have only ever played for the Canucks. Messier never let a guy facewash him and then go running crying to the refs...

 

[tiny103]

Messier was suppose to be what Sundin ended up being for our guys.

 

[Pip]

I'm no Messier fan but just about every charge you could make against him as a Canuck you could also make against the Sedins...

No you could not that’s absolutely ridiculous

 

[timw33]

***k Mark Messier.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I heard that the next core after Mark Messier said that he learned a lot from him and praised his time here guys like Markus Naslund. I wasnt a fan then so cant really say just what Ive heard

naslund and bertuzzi were very talented players, but supreme losers. i mean naslund even said it with his own mouth: "we choked."

thanks messier

 

[Duckhugs]

The Number 11 in his contract basically tells the whole story in my eyes

 

[Blade Paradigm]

Messier was supposed to push the Canucks -- a fairly young team four years removed from the Stanley Cup Finals -- to the next level.

Instead, he created division in the dressing room and caused the team to be dismantled prematurely. Beloved leadership and community figures were shipped out so that he and Keenan could consolidate control of the dressing room and create their own team culture. He was paid to provide additional leadership and on-ice contributions to help the team, but instead collected his paycheck pretending to be the team's manager for the first year and coasting on the ice for three seasons.

Additionally, he crossed several controversial boundaries, including with his demand of the #11 while ignoring the attempts of Wayne Maki's family to communicate with him about the subject. Messier and Keenan were sometimes spotted hanging around new owner John McCaw during as the team floundered during 1997-98.

He created a very hostile environment from the very start of his tenure in Vancouver, and the negative stigma attached to his name never left. Canucks fans did not accept his presence with the team. The team had sought a skilled center to make the roster better -- Wayne Gretzky, Doug Gilmour, and Adam Oates were all close to becoming Canucks around that time. After all of those failed attempts to acquire an extra piece for a playoff run, the Canucks went all-in for Messier.

People did not want to support the team during the Messier years.

It didn't help either that Messier and Keenan were the faces of the antagonists in 1994. Messier was, until his time in Vancouver, known as one of the meanest players around with a penchant for punishing opponents with dirty plays and big goals. Canucks players, Linden included, bled because of Messier in 1994. Messier didn't even seem awake while playing for the Canucks.