This is it. Our esteemed panel of Canucks writers has made their picks for their All-Time Canucks Fantasy Teams and it’s time for you, our equally-esteemed readers, to pick your favourite. Who ended up with the best team?
Before we get to each team’s respective lineups, there is one more draftist who needs to make his selections. Patrick Johnston missed the draft, but still wanted to pick a team, so he got to make his selections from whoever was left over after the eight rounds of the draft.
Here are Patrick’s picks:
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My first forward is Patrik Sundstrom. If it’s not Thomas Gradin, then Sundstrom was the . He played in the high-octane 80s and put up the points to prove it. And on a weak squad, he often got the toughest matchups in the league, given how much the Canucks faced the Oilers and Flames. He battled injuries, especially in the latter half of his career, but drew great praise in New Jersey, where Pat Quinn traded him in 1987 for Greg Adams and Kirk McLean.
Next up is Geoff Courtnall: speedy skating and great hands were his calling cards, but he also played a very gritty game. He scored some big, big playoff goals, especially in 1994. He could really rip the puck and while was mostly used as a second line winger on the deep Canucks teams of the early 90s, there’s no doubt he could have been a first line guy.
My third forward is the perpetual unsung hero, Jannik Hansen. I spent a long time mulling him over versus Andre Boudrias. In the end, Hansen’s versatility and the fact I saw him play won out. Boudrias was the Canucks’ first true scoring star, but Hansen was the ultimate great scouting find. A hilariously late draft pick from a country not known for hockey, he brought a strong work ethic to the table and he just got better and better. By the end of his time in Vancouver, he was on the first line.
On defence, I’m going with a great Canucks defenceman who has become a bit forgotten because he wasn’t involved in the 1994 run: Doug Lidster. He could really dish the puck and put up some big point totals on the woeful mid-80s Canucks. After the turnaround under Pat Quinn, he remained a key defenceman and even wore the C at times before Trevor Linden was made the permanent captain in 1991.
Alongside Lidster will be Chris Tanev. A late bloomer, the Canucks landed him after just one year of NCAA hockey and he was quick to press for regular playing time and played a handful of games during the 2011 playoff run. Since then he’s emerged as a vital component on the Canucks’ blueline. He doesn’t have a ton of offensive zip, but he more than makes up for it with his steady defensive game, which once led to Kevin Bieksa’ to famously quip that Tanev was so calm, he could and have no problems.Ěý
In goal is Ryan Miller, truly a great all-time Canucks goalie but we’ll never remember that, given his arrival came in the shadow of the departure of goalies Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider. But in his three years, he was consistently very good, if not great. He proved to be a and earned a reputation as a thoughtful conversationalist with the media. Is he the third-best goalie to tend the crease in Vancouver? There’s a strong case for it.
My coach has a statue outside Rogers Arena: Roger Neilson. In an era with wild personalities, Roger Neilson still managed to stand out. He, of course, was the man responsible for . But he was also famously nicknamed Captain Video because of his innovative use of video as a teaching tool.
The idea of re-watching things was new to most, but now it’s an assumed part of skill development, both for coaches and for players. Neilson had a long career as a head coach and assistant coach and won many friends, made obvious by the outpouring of grief following his death from cancer in 2003.
Finally, my wild card: Rick Rypien. I’m not a fan of fighting, but I always admired his pluck. His death shattered the Canucks, who knew the personal struggles he was facing. The team has become a leader in public mental health advocacy, and in a number of local and league-wide initiatives.
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With Patrick's picks locked in, we've got seven teams. Here they are:
Patrick Johnston
Forwards: Geoff Courtnall - Patrik Sundstrom - Jannik Hansen
Defence: Doug Lidster - Chris Tanev
Goaltender: Ryan Miller
Coach: Roger Neilson
Wild Card: Rick Rypien
For a team of leftovers, Patrick ended up with a strong team, including a legendary coach and a fan-favourite wild card. I still would have picked Andre Boudrias over Jannik Hansen any day of the week, though.
Rob Williams
Forwards: Greg Adams - Trevor Linden - Pavel Bure
Defence: Jyrki Lumme - Dan Hamhuis
Goaltender: Gary “Suitcase” Smith
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Wild Card: Robin Bawa
This is a strong contender for the crown, with the complete first line from the 1994 playoff run, which includes two retired numbers, and the coach from the 2011 playoff run.
Ryan Biech
Forwards: Ryan Kesler - Henrik Sedin - Alex Burrows
Defence: Christian Ehrhoff - Sami Salo
Goaltender: Tyler Weiman
Coach: Newell Brown
Wild Card: Victor Oreskovich
Ryan’s attempt to create a 2011 dream team fizzled when he had to settle for the fourth-string goaltender, but he still has a formidable power play, as well as both Frick and Frack.
Jeremy Davis
Forwards: Daniel Sedin - Brendan Morrison - Stan Smyl
Defence: Matthias Ohlund - Kevin Bieksa
Goaltender: Cory Schneider
Coach: Mike Sullivan
Wild Card: Raffi Torres
Jeremy either showed too much commitment to his redhead theme or nowhere near enough. In any case, that’s a solid top line and he snagged arguably the best defenceman in franchise history, Ohlund, in the fifth round.
Daniel Wagner
Forwards: Markus Naslund - Thomas Gradin - Cliff Ronning
Defence: Alex Edler - Dennis Kearns
Goaltender: Kirk McLean
Coach: Pat Quinn
Wild Card: Gino Odjick
I did my best to select a well-rounded team, with players from every decade, and I’m pretty happy with the result, particularly the forward line of Naslund, Gradin, and Ronning. If I had managed to snag Ohlund, I would have committed to a more Swede-heavy lineup.
Wyatt Arndt
Forwards: Cody Hodgson - Mark Messier - Mats Sundin
Defence: Jim Benning - Dana Murzyn
Goaltender: Dan Cloutier
Coach: Mike Keenan
Wild Card: Nathan Lafayette
I’m not even going to try to defend this one, so here’s Wyatt:
You have to see what I did here. I took the bullet for Canucks Nation on this one. I hated picking this team. I dry heaved 13 times before I was able to type out Mark Messier's name. His stupid laughing face mocking me the entire time. The PTSD I experienced while choosing this team has probably set me back years in therapy.
But I chose this team so that none of the other people would be tempted to take one of them for their teams. I didn't want them to taint their talent pool. Imagine seeing a super unit of Mogilny, Linden, Jovo....Messier? Imagine the heart wrenching soul searching you would have to do to come to terms with that kind of cognitive dissonance. I couldn't let that happen.
So I took the bullet for you. I jumped in the ship with the giant nuclear bomb on it. And I flew it out into the ocean, knowing full well I'd never be able to come back. Except maybe in a cafe in Europe, having coffee with an attractive lady while my former butler looks on with approval.
I was the hero you needed.
I am Batman.
Right. At the very least, you could argue that Wyatt’s team most truly represents the Canucks and their history of heartbreak.
Omarcanuck
Forwards: Tony Tanti - Todd Bertuzzi - Alex Mogilny
Defence: Ed Jovanovski - Adrian Aucoin
Goaltender: Roberto Luongo
Coach: Marc Crawford
Wild Card: Eddie Lack
Omar’s team has a lot going for it, mostly offence. And who needs defence when you have Luongo in goal? And, between Luongo and Lack, Omar’s team rules the Twittersphere.
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There you have it, the first ever All-Time Canucks Fantasy Draft. Whose team do you choose? Which draftist put together the best lineup? And which Canucks deserved to be selected, but got left out?
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