Under appreciated Canucks of All Time

[Hit the post]

78-79 was like a seismic shift for the Canucks - and this is fairly bang-on, this is how I experienced it real time.

I look it slightly different.

I consider 74-75 an awakening of sorts. Phil Mahoney gets pretty much zero mention (at least those born after 1980) with respect to the Canucks. BTW, Rest in Peace Phil (he passed away in Feb of this year).

First GM/head coach to lead the team to a .500 record back when a .500 record *meant something* (eg., no circus time points/shootout). Twice. Unfortunately, we didn't have ownership that could spend alot of money and the rival WHA league damaged that promising start (team didn't have depth and losing even just a few players would have noticeable effects for a .500 hockey club).

 

[LuckyDay]

I look it slightly different.

I consider 74-75 an awakening of sorts. Phil Mahoney gets pretty much zero mention (at least those born after 1980) with respect to the Canucks. BTW, Rest in Peace Phil (he passed away in Feb of this year).

First GM/head coach to lead the team to a .500 record back when a .500 record *meant something* (eg., no circus time points/shootout). Twice. Unfortunately, we didn't have ownership that could spend alot of money and the rival WHA league damaged that promising start (team didn't have depth and losing even just a few players would have noticeable effects for a .500 hockey club).

Man, looking back Canucks were poised to be an incredible team and Griffiths made the first of his meddling to pull the rug from under the team.

The loss of Smith for the Canucks was like the loss of Roy for Montreal - literally.

--

I don't think guys like Sami Salo are underrated by fans of this team - the rest of the league maybe (I recall the Blues color guy getting irate learning his nickname being the Finish McGinnis - obviously he'd never seen Salo play. He did that night.)

 

[Zippgunn]

Kyle Wellwood. Posters here lament the fact we didn't re-sign Richardson but the version of Wellwood that left here was an excellent 3rd line C. He was like Chris Tanev in his prime back there. When he got the puck he would just transition it out. Plus he was very good at the faceoff circle.

There was a lot to like about Wellwood; he cost us nothing, was cheap and shifty, was our best faceoff and shootout guy and literally never took penalties. Yet the fanbase AND the coach seemed to hate him. When we cut him loose he went to the Jets on a league minimum contract and scored 18 goals. What's not to like? I certainly thought he was fun to watch. Funny how the Canuck fan base is: they will cut a guy like Tryamkin all kinds of slack when he shows up fat and slow for no reason but when Welly showed up 10 lbs. overweight after re-habbing a foot injury over the summer they never let him forget it, instead giving him stupid nicknames like "cheeseburger" etc. To boot AV used to ridicule him constantly; when Kipprusof made a save on him that was later deemed one of the saves of the year AV went out of his way to criticize Wellwood for not scoring which is IMHO a bush league thing for a coach to do. Sometimes I think this franchise and its fans deserve all the disappointments they have had over the years when I see how they have treated so many of their players here...

 

[TryamkinPleaseReturn]

There was a lot to like about Wellwood; he cost us nothing, was cheap and shifty, was our best faceoff and shootout guy and literally never took penalties. Yet the fanbase AND the coach seemed to hate him. When we cut him loose he went to the Jets on a league minimum contract and scored 18 goals. What's not to like? I certainly thought he was fun to watch. Funny how the Canuck fan base is: they will cut a guy like Tryamkin all kinds of slack when he shows up fat and slow for no reason but when Welly showed up 10 lbs. overweight after re-habbing a foot injury over the summer they never let him forget it, instead giving him stupid nicknames like "cheeseburger" etc. To boot AV used to ridicule him constantly; when Kipprusof made a save on him that was later deemed one of the saves of the year AV went out of his way to criticize Wellwood for not scoring which is IMHO a bush league thing for a coach to do. Sometimes I think this franchise and its fans deserve all the disappointments they have had over the years when I see how they have treated so many of their players here...

Agreed... face-offs, shootouts, offence... you might even say he played like a man possessed

 

[RobertKron]

There was a lot to like about Wellwood; he cost us nothing, was cheap and shifty, was our best faceoff and shootout guy and literally never took penalties. Yet the fanbase AND the coach seemed to hate him. When we cut him loose he went to the Jets on a league minimum contract and scored 18 goals. What's not to like? I certainly thought he was fun to watch. Funny how the Canuck fan base is: they will cut a guy like Tryamkin all kinds of slack when he shows up fat and slow for no reason but when Welly showed up 10 lbs. overweight after re-habbing a foot injury over the summer they never let him forget it, instead giving him stupid nicknames like "cheeseburger" etc. To boot AV used to ridicule him constantly; when Kipprusof made a save on him that was later deemed one of the saves of the year AV went out of his way to criticize Wellwood for not scoring which is IMHO a bush league thing for a coach to do. Sometimes I think this franchise and its fans deserve all the disappointments they have had over the years when I see how they have treated so many of their players here...

Wellwood didn't go to the Jets from Vancouver. He went to the KHL after he couldn't find a contract as a UFA, and then didn't make the Coyotes as a camp invitee.

 

[MS]

Chris Odleiffson is definitely one of the franchise’s “forgotten captains”. Gary Monahan played some respectable hockey for the team, including scoring the franchise’s first ever playoff GWG.

(In general, you’re right - I think partly it’s because it’s a different era of which footage is scarce and some of the people involved have passed on)

One of the more infuriating stories of early Canuck history is how Oddleifson’s career was derailed during a career season when Keith Magnuson broke his face by attacking him with a cast on his hand.

I look it slightly different.

I consider 74-75 an awakening of sorts. Phil Mahoney gets pretty much zero mention (at least those born after 1980) with respect to the Canucks. BTW, Rest in Peace Phil (he passed away in Feb of this year).

First GM/head coach to lead the team to a .500 record back when a .500 record *meant something* (eg., no circus time points/shootout). Twice. Unfortunately, we didn't have ownership that could spend alot of money and the rival WHA league damaged that promising start (team didn't have depth and losing even just a few players would have noticeable effects for a .500 hockey club).

It’s a real shame that Phil Maloney wasn’t inducted into the ring of honour while he was still alive.

 

[bandwagonesque]

Yeah, Torres was fun to watch when he went full wrecking ball out there. After so many years of people taking runs at our star players with impunity, it was kind of nice to have the shoe on the other foot.

I remember once against the Oilers when he crushed someone with a clean hit, immediately had to fight, then complained to the refs that the hit was clean while fighting, and landing punches. Torres was one of the toughest, strongest players in the league. Opposing teams were scared of him.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I remember once against the Oilers when he crushed someone with a clean hit, immediately had to fight, then complained to the refs that the hit was clean while fighting, and landing punches. Torres was one of the toughest, strongest players in the league. Opposing teams were scared of him.

I believe that was Eberle he hit - he got suspended for that, if I recall, and then destroyed a Brent Seabrook with a similar hit in the playoffs. And similarly complained all the way to the box that it was clean. I thought the league was about to throw the library at him, never mind the book, but he got off free on that one.

 

[LordBacon]

Derek dorsett

 

[bandwagonesque]

I believe that was Eberle he hit - he got suspended for that, if I recall, and then destroyed a Brent Seabrook with a similar hit in the playoffs. And similarly complained all the way to the box that it was clean. I thought the league was about to throw the library at him, never mind the book, but he got off free on that one.

You're right.

The Brent Seabrook one was basically clean, I think, but he destroyed him. There was no obvious head contact and this was before blindsiding was a big deal. He hit him again hard into the boards later with a very legal/cool hit and despite being cleaner it seemed to sting him worse than the first. Seabrook missed two games and was invisible when he came back.

 

[F A N]

There was a lot to like about Wellwood; he cost us nothing, was cheap and shifty, was our best faceoff and shootout guy and literally never took penalties. Yet the fanbase AND the coach seemed to hate him. When we cut him loose he went to the Jets on a league minimum contract and scored 18 goals. What's not to like? I certainly thought he was fun to watch. Funny how the Canuck fan base is: they will cut a guy like Tryamkin all kinds of slack when he shows up fat and slow for no reason but when Welly showed up 10 lbs. overweight after re-habbing a foot injury over the summer they never let him forget it, instead giving him stupid nicknames like "cheeseburger" etc. To boot AV used to ridicule him constantly; when Kipprusof made a save on him that was later deemed one of the saves of the year AV went out of his way to criticize Wellwood for not scoring which is IMHO a bush league thing for a coach to do. Sometimes I think this franchise and its fans deserve all the disappointments they have had over the years when I see how they have treated so many of their players here...

I agree with most of what you said. AV is a good coach but like most coaches from his era he sure likes to make fun of and poke fun of certain players.

With that said, Wellwood's game evolved. Let's not forget that. All credit to Wellwood for changing his game. When he first came here he was not the player he was in his last season here. But like you said, people remember the player that was and don't remember how good he was in his last season here.

 

[Zombotron]

Mike Weaver was a very solid defenceman. He would have been a great depth player to keep around instead of acquiring O'Brien, Alberts, Vaananen, etc. He was better than all the depth defenders the Canucks tried to replace him with. Only Rome you could make an argument for being at Weaver's level.

And he played well into the 2010s, which I completely forgot about. Underappreciated as f***.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Lots of Sami Salo mentions, so how about Adrian Aucoin? If you want to talk about goal scoring dmen he has the best single season by a decent margin.

Adrian Aucoin is one of the most underrated defenders in NHL history, tbh. Guy was a legit #1 dman that became a journeyman because he played for terrible GMs that couldn't recognize his impact (Mike Milbury, Dale Tallon, Darryl Sutter, Don Moloney...). Multiple times over his career he was discarded by decent teams that all went on extended playoff droughts without him (Islanders, Flames, Coyotes).

 

[MS]

Adrian Aucoin is one of the most underrated defenders in NHL history, tbh. Guy was a legit #1 dman that became a journeyman because he played for terrible GMs that couldn't recognize his impact (Mike Milbury, Dale Tallon, Darryl Sutter, Don Moloney...). Multiple times over his career he was discarded by decent teams that all went on extended playoff droughts without him (Islanders, Flames, Coyotes).

Aucoin should have been a Norris finalist in both 2002 and 2004.

 

[Zippgunn]

Agreed... face-offs, shootouts, offence... you might even say he played like a man possessed

You could say that... but you would make AV laugh out loud...

 

[Zippgunn]

Wellwood didn't go to the Jets from Vancouver. He went to the KHL after he couldn't find a contract as a UFA, and then didn't make the Coyotes as a camp invitee.

Yes I guess I should have said that he eventually ended up on the Jets after bouncing around a bit...

 

[Zippgunn]

I remember once against the Oilers when he crushed someone with a clean hit, immediately had to fight, then complained to the refs that the hit was clean while fighting, and landing punches. Torres was one of the toughest, strongest players in the league. Opposing teams were scared of him.

So a "clean" hit that got him suspended, eh? Betcha nobody here would be lionizing this goon if he had pulled his crap on Canuck players. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say...

 

[bandwagonesque]

So a "clean" hit that got him suspended, eh? Betcha nobody here would be lionizing this goon if he had pulled his crap on Canuck players. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say...

Yes, it was sort of borderline but basically clean at the time. He didn't leave his feet or extend an elbow, and the rules against head contact didn't exist yet. Gillis agreed and said so strongly in public.

No one here is lionizing him. He was a good, underrated player who helped the team win.

 

[Jyrki21]

Derek dorsett

Possibly the most over-appreciated player in Canucks' history, I'd argue.

Martin Gelinas was a very highly likable player. Always gave 110% on every shift. He's underrated.

Gélinas was awesome, and surely the best waiver pickup in team history. He did win the team MVP in 1996-97, though, which makes it a bit hard to argue for underappreciation. The fact that Keenan shipped him out ASAP (just to piss off the fans?) is such an eye-roller.

 

[Didalee Hed]

 

[Snatcher Demko]

Adrian Aucoin
Bret Hedican
Brendan Morrison
Greg Adams

Off the top of my head. As far as goalies go, Arturs Irbe was underappreciated for his whole career.

 

[Hit the post]

Adrian Aucoin
Bret Hedican
Brendan Morrison
Greg Adams

Off the top of my head. As far as goalies go, Arturs Irbe was underappreciated for his whole career.

heh, looks at your username & wonders why Sergio wasn't list.

Underrated "sheriff" who dealt out justice on the ice when it was required. And he could play hockey.

 

[DFAC]

Alex Edler

 

[RobertKron]

Yes, it was sort of borderline but basically clean at the time. He didn't leave his feet or extend an elbow, and the rules against head contact didn't exist yet. Gillis agreed and said so strongly in public.

No one here is lionizing him. He was a good, underrated player who helped the team win.

I mean Eberle also never touched the puck, IIRC.

 

[bandwagonesque]

I mean Eberle also never touched the puck, IIRC.

He was reaching for it.

I'm walking it back though, it was not as clean as I remembered.