Former Canucks Thread 2023-24 Off-Season Edition

[4th line culture]

Jovanovski was a superstar if all you ever watched was Rock’em Sock’em tapes.

Was there anything else to watch back then?

 

[Curm]

Yeah, this is the problem with the Bure trade.

We inexplicably threw Bret Hedican into the trade, who was a 28 y/o top-pairing defender and was the 1D on a Cup winner 8 years after this trade was made. Hedican was nearly as good a player as Jovanovski, and honestly when you take into account Jovo's general braindead-ness was probably more of a player you could win with.

Then we lost the Ference-Brown prospect swap.

So that means that we essentially traded the best goal scorer in the NHL, at age 27, for Kevin Weekes, a Dave Gagner cap dump, and a 1st. And that's bloody awful.

If we didn't include Hedican it was defensible but that inclusion was colossally underrated and Hedican was hugely underrated as a player, then and now.

No question, as an all-around defender with terrific wheels, Hedican was easily one of the most underappreciated d-men in franchise history. I hated that trade.

I liked Jovo, but 5 on 5 he could be a real adventure, and he was far closer in value to Hedican than he was to Bure as the centerpiece.

Another underappreciated guy who only gave them a couple of years was Scott Lachance.

 

[Jyrki21]

Another underappreciated guy who only gave them a couple of years was Scott Lachance.

Great call. Even Bryan Helmer held his own on that 2001-02 team.

 

[Frostage]

No question, as an all-around defender with terrific wheels, Hedican was easily one of the most underappreciated d-men in franchise history. I hated that trade.

I liked Jovo, but 5 on 5 he could be a real adventure, and he was far closer in value to Hedican than he was to Bure as the centerpiece.

Another underappreciated guy who only gave them a couple of years was Scott Lachance.

Wasn't there something about Hedican beating Bure for fastest player on the Canucks?

 

[F A N]

Aside from the fact that we gave Florida the option to choose which 1st round pick they gave up, I think the Bure trade to Florida aside from getting Jovo back in return was doomed from the start. Like look at the Panthers' roster and list of prospects and tell me who the Canucks could have realistically and reasonably asked for that would have changed everything? Like aside from Jovo, who would you say "If only he was included in the trade?" The only player I can think of is Ray Whitney.

As for Hedican, I think the rule changes changed everything for him. I don't recall Hedican being the equivalent of a Chris Tanev back in the day.

 

[Curm]

Wasn't there something about Hedican beating Bure for fastest player on the Canucks?

I don't know about that, but he was a great skater with decent size and a quality defender. Not sure what Burke was thinking, including him in the deal.

 

[Nuckles]

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Wasn't there something about Hedican beating Bure for fastest player on the Canucks?

i’m pretty sure one year early on garry valk beat bure in the team skills competition

but hedican, i don’t know if he has any kids but considering who his wife is, they must be absolutely fantastic skaters. his speed and her footwork, i’m imagining someone quinn hughes-like.

 

[Jyrki21]

i’m pretty sure one year early on garry valk beat bure in the team skills competition

I was there! It was either Bure's rookie or second season, when the skills competition began featuring players who actually topped out in those skills (in their own team competitions) rather than just picking from among the All-Star Game participants. So for example you had Gerald Diduck and Jon Rohloff participating in the hardest shot competition, or a very young Hedican (with St. Louis) competing for fastest skater.

So the crowd really wanted Bure to win fastest skater so that he would have the opportunity to compete in the league-wide event. And when he didn't win the first time, they actually let him retake it because he kind of stumbled off the whistle and, well, I don't think there are rigid rules for this kind of thing. But he still didn't win when given a second chance.

Bure's in-game speed with the puck was probably the best in the league. But for pure straightaway skating, it turned out there were a number of better guys.

 

[racerjoe]

I was there! It was either Bure's rookie or second season, when the skills competition began featuring players who actually topped out in those skills (in their own team competitions) rather than just picking from among the All-Star Game participants. So for example you had Gerald Diduck and Jon Rohloff participating in the hardest shot competition, or a very young Hedican (with St. Louis) competing for fastest skater.

So the crowd really wanted Bure to win fastest skater so that he would have the opportunity to compete in the league-wide event. And when he didn't win the first time, they actually let him retake it because he kind of stumbled off the whistle and, well, I don't think there are rigid rules for this kind of thing. But he still didn't win when given a second chance.

Bure's in-game speed with the puck was probably the best in the league. But for pure straightaway skating, it turned out there were a number of better guys.

I vaguely remember being there for this, but what I really remember was the stick handling relay where the race with the puck through the cones, and bures tea. was out of it after a fumble (actually DQ'd). anyway he comes back from a huge deficit, to make it really close. he may have even won it. i just remember watching it and he was so much faster with the puck than any player there.

 

[F A N]

Fastest skating competition results can be unexpected. Sometimes it is as expected (e.g. Raymond winning). Sometimes it is unexpected (e.g. Weise winning). And at the ASG, Petey was pretty fast.

Bure also played in a different era. Certainly I think Bure was the fastest in terms of accelerating with the puck and being able to control it at high speeds.

 

[Hit the post]

Fastest skating competition results can be unexpected. Sometimes it is as expected (e.g. Raymond winning). Sometimes it is unexpected (e.g. Weise winning). And at the ASG, Petey was pretty fast.

Bure also played in a different era. Certainly I think Bure was the fastest in terms of accelerating with the puck and being able to control it at high speeds.

In an era where guys like Bryan Marchment made a career of cheapshot "knee on knee hits". Not that I wish injury to any player but it did seem like karma that Marchment's NHL career ended after trying to attempt yet another knee on knee hit (which ended up badly for him).

 

[I am toxic]

Speaking of the Russian Rocket, out of all my memories of the Canucks, including the first game I watched live back in '74, working out with Tiger Williams, being at ground zero of the '94 riot, tying skatelaces beside Henrik, having Alex test out teaching head trajectory with my kid while I fed him pucks, watching Manny teach my kid faceoffs with Caleb, the strongest memory is not sitting in the Pacific Coliseum whenever Bure touched the puck. Not sitting because even if I wasn't going to stand up, the rows in front certainly were going to. Electric.

Hockey isn't conference finals, and it isnt even Cups. It's amazing plays, made at amazing times. No other human powered team sport moves at this speed and finesse, centered around a mere 3 inch disc.

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise.

 

[4th line culture]

Speaking of the Russian Rocket, out of all my memories of the Canucks, including the first game I watched live back in '74, working out with Tiger Williams, being at ground zero of the '94 riot, tying skatelaces beside Henrik, having Alex test out teaching head trajectory with my kid while I fed him pucks, watching Manny teach my kid faceoffs with Caleb, the strongest memory is not sitting in the Pacific Coliseum whenever Bure touched the puck. Not sitting because even if I wasn't going to stand up, the rows in front certainly were going to. Electric.

Hockey isn't conference finals, and it isnt even Cups. It's amazing plays, made at amazing times. No other human powered team sport moves at this speed and finesse, centered around a mere 3 inch disc.

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise.

This might be your most toxic post yet

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Not sitting because even if I wasn't going to stand up, the rows in front certainly were going to. Electric.

haha, i missed most of the best plays as a kid at the coliseum because i was tiny and people used to always stand up whenever it looked like something was going to happen, because the sightlines were so bad. so i was stuck looking at people’s backs.

such a difference from the garage/rogers. my kid, who’s exactly the same age i was when i saw my first game, went to his first game earlier this season and he could see everything... unless his face was in his tray of nachos.