The Vancouver Canucks have been so surprising early in the season that they seem like they could be aiming for greatness. Their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Final dates back to 2011 and a certain Connor Bedard remembers it very well.
The British Columbian was not yet 6 years old at the time, but he was already a big fan of his home province’s team. He was therefore very disappointed when his favorite lost to the Boston Bruins in the last playoff duel.
“I still remember their trip well. They defeated Chicago with the overtime goal of [Alex] Burrows, he was great. Then I was in the audience at the fifth game against San Jose [Kevin] Bieksa scored [en deuxième prolongation]. Eventually the Bruins won and I remember crying for a week. I was a big fan,” the Chicago Blackhawks player said during an episode of the What Chaos! podcast on Tuesday.
The disappointment in Vancouver was great and there were major riots by frustrated fans. The club’s big stars – brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin, goalkeeper Roberto Luongo and striker Ryan Kesler – never reached the final again.
The Canucks are trying to return to the playoffs after a three-season absence. After 12 games, they are in second place in the Pacific Division, behind only the defending champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.