[quote="Farhan Lalji"
I have nothing much to say about Calpuck these days. They are what they are: A fanbase that is frustrated by their team's lack of success, and now feels the need to attack Vancouver to feel better about themselves. They are not alone in this regard....as Edmonton and Toronto do the same thing. Outside of Boston, the media and many fans in those three cities were the happiest to see the Canucks lose in the finals last year.
Unfortunately - the media's in these 3 cities were the ones that perpetuated the myth that the Canucks were the most hated team in the league....and one of the most despised franchises in pro sports (as evidenced by all of those fans wearing Canuck jersey in many of our road games
).[/quote]
I have an interesting story to share. Because that is what I do, share. Anyway...
A friend of mine had the pleasure of meeting Ken Holland the last time the Wings were in town. They were sitting around shooting the shit when they had an interesting conversation:
Friend: So Ken why are the Canucks the most hated team in the NHL?
KH: They're not. Whenever you go into cities with championship teams you hear all about how hated they are but they are envied more than anything else. They are what other teams aspire to become.
Friend: But all we hear about is how much the Canucks are hated and are whinny divers. What about that?
KH: Well to be honest you have three players that have helped Vancouver get that reputation, Kesler, Burrows and (only because I can never spell his name, my comments), Lappy. These three players get under the skin of other teams and trash talk and draw penalties and just plain are tough to play against. They are hated by most opposition players not because they are bad players but because they are doing the jobs they are paid to do and they would be welcome on most teams. I would take 2 of the 3 in a heartbeat, but I won't say which two. But two of those players would be welcomed on the Wings any day, any year. And I would venture a guess that the other 28 teams would make room for them too and they would be fan favourites no matter where they played. That is the nature of sport.
Friend: But Ken we all here how the Wings are admired and their management style applauded and should be emulated if you want to be successful. Why are the Canucks not so honoured?
KH: The Wings were pitied for years of futility. Then we built championships and we were hated. The most hated team in the NHL. We only became admired when we stopped dominating the league. I say that with respect and humility. (True quote) Before we became admired we were winning not only Divisions but Conferences and Stanley Cups. Once that happened no one liked us and there was not a lot of love in the press. Once we became one of several good contenders we then became admired and teams wanted to emulate us. But if we make the Finals again we will be hated again. Thats the way it goes. And i'll tell you what, I would rather be hated then admired. They can admire me when I retire. If I, or my team is hated it means we are champions again and that is what I would take. And another thing, Mike Gillis is doing his job. He is building something special here in Vancouver but until you win it all you won't be admired. You will be ridiculed and second guessed day in and day out. But once Vancouver wins the cup it will change, slowly, and people will look back at what was accomplished here with admiration but you have to go through the wars first. Enjoy being hated. It means you are noticed. Your players are known throughout the league. Opposing fans know who you are. It means you are contending and are a favourite to win year in and year out. Every other team, and their fans and the media would take that in a heartbeat. The alternative is to have a losing franchise and losing franchises are only loved for so long.
KH: Do you think we have what it takes to win?
KH: I thought you would win last year and I think you should have. You could have. I can't comment on the officiating but lets just say we went through that too. You build a team with speed and skill and then the playoffs start and suddenly you are not tough enough or you need a fighter or whatever. But we stayed the course, yes we had our role players, but they were not the reason we won the Cup. They helped us get there but it was our skill and talent that won us those cups. Yes, I think Vancouver has the players to win it all and if Mike was asking for my advice I'd tell him to stick to the course he has set. Don't panic. Stick the course. So many things happen in the playoffs that you cannot control and it does take some luck to reach the final goal. But the best way to get there is to stick to the plan you have set. You can be a one year wonder or you can be a yearly competitor. Being a yearly competitor is the best way to give yourself the chance to win the Cup, not just once, but to compete for it every season.
Friend: If you were the GM of Vancouver what changes or moves would you make?
KH: No comment.
