Early Canuck memories....

[George]

Thought it would be interesting to hear what some of our earliest memories as Canucks fan are, seeing as there seem to be people of all different ages here....

For me, being fairly young (19), the first memory I can pinpoint was Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs in 92-93, against the Winnipeg Jets. The Canucks have a 3-2 series lead, and the score is tied 3-3 with about 3 seconds to go in regulation and the face-off in the Jets' zone. Vancouver wins the face-off and Sergio Momesso takes a shot that beats Bob Essensa just as the buzzer sounds. I remember the video review to determine whether the puck crossed the goal-line in time seemed to last forever, and the broadcast kept showing different angles with the time-clock running down in the top corner.

I don't remember anything in the game before that, or the Canucks eventually winning in OT, or even whether the goal counted or not (I looked it up years later). But I remember those agonizing minutes as a six- or seven-year old watching the video reviews over and over. And that's my first (somewhat) clear memory as a Canucks fan. After that I can remember the Canucks losing to the Kings in the next round and losing Game 7 of the finals the next year to the Rangers. I have a clear image of Mike Richter stretching out across the crease in that game to rob Pavel Bure of a goal, though I can't recall exactly at what point in the game it was.

Anyway, those are my first memories as a Canucks fan.... let's see how far back you can remember....

[Cornuck]

Geez- I guess my earliest memory was, "Hey Vancouver is getting an NHL team!" - I would have been about 8-9. The extent of my hockey knowledge came from watching the rare game and hockey cards.

I was a Tony Esposito fan back then, so once I year I got to go a game courtesy of my Dad's corporate seats (7th row, centre ice) and see the Blackhawks - usually in March.

After the game of course, it was down below to get autographs.

[MinnesotaCanuck]

I am a 22 year old. I first became interested in the Canucks as an 9 year old while playing EA Sports NHL Hockey '92 on my Sega. I started following the team in the newspaper. Though my experience watching the team was limited to occassional highlights on the nightly news (which were rare, living in Minnesota), I grew very fond of the team.

I remember very clearly the team's play-off run in '94. I was in 4th grade, and I got a black Canucks jersey for Christmas that year. I wore it to school all the time.
Because of the time zone difference, I often had to wait until the morning paper to find out the final score of the games. Sometimes the games ended after the newspaper's deadlines, which would cause me to agonize all day at school until I could get home and find out on the "Sports Score Hotline" we had in our area. The hotline was my other saving grace during that time.

When the Canucks games were televised on ESPN in the states, my dad would take me to my grandma's (his mother-in-law) to watch the games since we didn't have cable TV.

I remember being heart-broken when the team lost to the Rangers in game 7.

[westvandal]

I'm 27, and my first Canuck memories came from the 85-86 season playoffs, where they were killed by the Oilers.

I was born in Edmonton so I was an Oiler fan up until the '89 playoffs. Joel Otto kicked in the game winner, OT 7th game as the Flames went on to win the cup...Canucks fan ever since.

[JCardinal]

Thought it would be interesting to hear what some of our earliest memories as Canucks fan are, seeing as there seem to be people of all different ages here.......

I've been lurking here for years, but I had to sign up for this topic alone!
I'm 37 and my earliest memory and favorite memory of the Canucks is driving home with my dad after working out in the bush all day cutting shake blocks and we were listening to the sports on the radio. Probably 1980 or thereabouts, they were interviewing Tiger Williams and he was always good for a quote. I forget who they were playing or even if it was the playoffs, but it was a big game that night probably the oilers and I remember the interviewer asking Tiger how he was going to cover someone on the other team and he said "I'll be all over him like a bad smell".

Tiger and Linden are probably my all-time favorite Canucks.

The earliest I remember really being a faithful Canuck fan was the '82 season and that great playoff run. I remember watching the series against the Kings when the crowd started singing Na Na Hey Hey on an old black and white TV at a neighbors place it was pretty electric.

So many memorable things happened during that playoff run, the double overtime win in Chicago, Roger Neilson surrenduring in that same series, Brodeur standing on his head in net, the terrible dissapointment when the Isles smothered them 4 straight and the huge parade anyway after it was all done.

I've been a huge fan ever since.

Great thread!

[tey]

ya, I think the 1982 run to the finals were pretty much my first Canucks memories, I was able to watch the road games when they were out east, but the home games that started at 7:30 or so, went beyond my bedtime, so I wasn't able to watch the finishes. I had to ask my dad who won when I got up in the morning.

[Cookie La Rue]

I'm nearly 35 but my first memory was a game played with the C64 in the late 80ies.
Maybe it was destiny but i became a real Canuck fan years later after the 94 run and my first visit to BC in 96. It's a true love story.

[Madcombinepilot]

Being a farm kid with peasant vision (only 2 TV channels) I absolutley hated when my dad would watch hockey on Saturday nights. I hated the players, hated watching ANY sport, and hated I couldn't watch my show on saturday night, and hated that there was nothing else to do on the farm on a winter night when you are 6 years old, and its 40 below.

Then I met Tiger when he was home for christmas a few years later (81)

I was going to get his autograph for my dads christmas stocking and he was at the coffee shop. Super nice guy to a 9 year old. chatted for about an hour, and he bought me a pop and a donut. After christmas, I watched my first game. Great hit another milestone (he did that a lot against us), Tiger had a goal, assist, 2-5-10.

I was hooked.....

Some of my favorite memories of my dad are from the two of us watching hockey saturday night...

[Jyrki21]

I'm 27, born near Philadelphia, raised in Vancouver, living in Toronto.

My first active memory was attending some exhbition game, probably about the age of 8 or so. I have no idea who the Canucks were playing, but it wasn't an NHL team (I remember my sister telling me they were playing the "Edmonton Canucks," some affiliated team, which makes no sense because the Oilers were already in the NHL), and they wore gold-colored helmets to my recollection. I had no idea the guys in the the black 'V' jerseys were the good guys.

I first took any interest at all during the 1989 playoffs, and yes, Joel Otto kicked it in, and yes the controversial call against the Flames in last year's Cup Final was a question of what-goes-around-comes-around!

First game didn't come until the 1989-90 season, when we got pasted by the Bruins 7-2. My first win came in the next game I saw the following season, a 2-1 win over Toronto...

[Media_Man]

My first Canucks memory was watching Jere Gillis score two goals in a game. I was about six years old and I think it was the first or second year of the "V" uniforms. I thought Jere Gillis was the bomb after that, and I had to wear #21 playing street hockey. Little did I know, looking back, how average a hockey player he really was.

My first real journalistic Canucks memory was when I was at BCIT and covering a Canucks practice at 8-Rinks. It was right in the middle of the Mike Keenan era, as short lived as that was, and all the speculation was that Trevor Linden was going to be traded. It was right before the 1998 Olympics. As a student, I was kind of shy asking the players questions. Because there's a transition between going from fan, to non-partial sports journalist. So I'm in a scrum with Linden, and he was deflecting newspaper questions all over the place. And I came in with a simple question that ended up being the front page story in the province the next day. I'll never forget Trevor's reaction.

I asked him....."Trev, is your heart still in Vancouver?".......He sat back, and gave a big sigh, then leaned forward, and said, "You know...(pausing)...this is the hardest thing I've ever gone thru in my career, and I don't feel like I'm wanted here anymore, and that's tough because I've given this team, and this city everything that I can. And I feel if he doesn't want me, then he should move me, because I don't know how much more I can take. And maybe I can get a fresh start somewhere else"

It was heartbreaking for the fan in me to hear this all-time Canuck, so badly beat up mentally, that he couldn't wait to get out. But #16 has never looked better than on Linden's back. Even today, as he sits on the 4th line.

[WCE]

Those were rough times, media_man.

I remember seeing Trevor frustrated, and his confidence was shot.

Keenan was a real asshole.

Trevor has done so much for this organization and this city. We all owe him for it.


Thanks for that post, it was very interesting to read.

[trevor57]

My favorite canucks moment was in the 94 playoff run. Trevor's leadership as a captain showed up in game 7. In my opinion he showed what being a captain is all about.

My sadest days as a Canuck fan was when they signed asshole Messier and Keenan became coach. These two people ruined the team that got the canucks to the playoffs the year before.

[Media_Man]

Not that I want to start a Mike Keenan debate, but before he came along, Aucoin and Naslund went from doghouse, and possible busts, to all-star players. He's the one who had the confidence in Bertuzzi and McCabe when they came over in the Linden trade, which I know Trevor thinks was a great trade for the organization. We also got Ruutu with the draft pick. I just wish McCabe was still here. Granted, we wouldn't have both Sedins, but I thought the defense, after the Bure trade was done, with McCabe and Jovo anchoring it, looked great. You ask both Naslund and Aucoin. They hated Keenan with a passion, but both fully admit, he got the best out of them in his short time in Vancouver. Let's also remember it was Crawford, not Keenan, who wasn't an Aucoin fan and had him traded. So to shit on Keenan fully, for his disasterous time here is not the right thing. Let's also remember that it was Quinn, not Keenan who signed Messier to the deal, which was pretty much compensation for losing the deal they had on the table with Gretzky, which now Washington GM George McPhee screwed up. Hate to tell you boys and girls, if you don't already know, Gretzky was ready to retire as a Canuck and sign the same 3-year deal he got from the Rangers.

[Cookie La Rue]

Hate to tell you boys and girls, if you don't already know, Gretzky was ready to retire as a Canuck and sign the same 3-year deal he got from the Rangers.

But i doubt that would had changed much in terms of team success.

[Media_Man]

Possibly, and possibly not.....But I still would have rather of had Gretzky here than Messier. Gretzky has always had a soft spot for Vancouver, and you have to admit the greatone would have looked great with Bure and Mogilny.