Canuck Memories

[donlever]

This thread could float around for years and any one and every one could add things that pop into their mind basically whenever.

They may be items we all recall....they may be a reminder of things some may have forgotten.

For all the woeful history this organization has been involved with since day 1 (spinning roulette wheels ffs - we got fucked over just like the Grizzlies) there are some highs that have provided a rush to all.

I saw my first Canuck game in 1970....I was very young and can not recall at what point of the season it was nor who they played but I do recall it being pretty cool to be there with the old man and being enamoured by not only the entirety of it but also by #"s 25 and 7.

Kurtenbach was a tough, rugged dude who owned the ice and Boudrias was a little water bug out there....shades of future Ronnings and Garlands.

The Coliseum had a real hockey barn smell to it....

The only other (non playoff) game I was at that gave me a similar feeling of elation in the pit of my gut was Bures first game.

What an absolute rush that was after the sorrow of the first 20 years in the league.

Feel free to add....

[Cousin Strawberry]

My first game was dad taking me to sit directly behind Rick Heinz letting in like 6 bad goals to the purple clad Marcel Dionne led Kings

It was the start of a lifetime of disappointment as a fan lol

[donlever]

Lofl....you should have quit then.

Speaking of which.

Marcel Dionne.

There is a player who doesn't get the credit deserved when talking all time greats.

Taylor Dionne Simmer

Triple Crown Line.

[Lancer]

This one you can file in the "Never Saw This Happening" category of stories:

I was living outside Montreal in 2001 when the team was doing its Eastern Canada road swing. I had tickets for their game in Ottawa, but figured fuck it - go catch the team last-second at the Molson Centre/Centre Bell, see what I could get from the scalpers. Paid about $100 for a lower bowl seat from this dude at the subway station and figured I did alright.

Until I got to the entrance, when the guy scanned my ticket and asked me to follow him. Next thing I know, I'm in the security office answering questions. Turns out the ticket I bought was reported lost/stolen. I owed the scalper nothing, so I sang for the security dudes. At the end, the guy is walking me out of the office and I mention that it sucks because I only see the Canucks maybe once a year. Dude then has me follow him to the wheelchair accessible area in the stands, grabs a folding chair and says, "Enjoy the game."

Over the course of the game, I find out I'm sitting next to some of Matt Cooke's family friends who drove in from Sterling, Ontario - the guy had health issues and couldn't sit in a normal seat. We start shooting the shit, and he asks me if I wanted to come out back after the game and meet some of the players; I guess he and his friends had passes courtesy of Cookie. The lads win, Nazzy and Danny scored - the Twins looked special even back then - and I follow the guy and his buds to where the team busses were parked. He just kept telling security "He's with us" any time security looked at me.

Ended up chatting with Bryan Helmer and Cookie, said hi to a couple of the guys. Seeing Bertuzzi up close without pads on, he looked even bigger than when he was on the ice. Brashear is a scary-looking mofo who looked even bigger than Bert.

It was something I'll never forget - and it happened purely by accident.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Great story Lancer.

[donlever]

Great story Lancer.

Life's unusual moments....

Cool....

(...Canuck fans do get some luck apparently....)

[Meds]

First memory for me was at the Coliseum watching the Super Series.

Dinamo Riga were in town and my dad took me down there and surprised me with tickets. We throat pumped the Reds 6-1.

I'll never forget that one.

[theman]

Think my first time to a Canucks game was with my grandpa, we went to a NYR game and got to see Guy Lafleur on his comeback tour. Saw a guy in our section get kicked out for constantly swearing. Doubt we would see that happen now.

Another thing that makes this time memorable for me was after the game we were walking to our car and I asked my grandpa “Can I drive home?” This couple walking to their car, who were about 5 feet in front of us, froze and turned around looking stunned. My grandpa just laughed and everyone kept walking to our car.

[Cornuck]

Great thread.

I'll add a few when I'm not typing on my phone!

[Lancer]

First memory for me was at the Coliseum watching the Super Series.

Dinamo Riga were in town and my dad took me down there and surprised me with tickets. We throat pumped the Reds 6-1.

I'll never forget that one.

Dinamo Riga was always staffed as one of SKA Moscow's punching bags, unfortunately.

[Meds]

First memory for me was at the Coliseum watching the Super Series.

Dinamo Riga were in town and my dad took me down there and surprised me with tickets. We throat pumped the Reds 6-1.

I'll never forget that one.

Dinamo Riga was always staffed as one of SKA Moscow's punching bags, unfortunately.

It’s true. But a 10 year old Mëds didn’t know that at the time.

[donlever]

Or care.

Nor does it matter.

A life experience worth remembering...

...and a story shared.

[Lancer]

First memory for me was at the Coliseum watching the Super Series.

Dinamo Riga were in town and my dad took me down there and surprised me with tickets. We throat pumped the Reds 6-1.

I'll never forget that one.

Dinamo Riga was always staffed as one of SKA Moscow's punching bags, unfortunately.

It’s true. But a 10 year old Mëds didn’t know that at the time.

This is also true. Besides, beating commies was always fun! Still is, I say...

[UWSaint]

I'm gonna expand this to hockey memories, but I'll tie it to the Canucks....

I grew up in Minnesota. One year for my birthday, my dad gets us tickets to the Met Center to see the North Stars take on the very hapless (and young) Winnipeg Jets. This was the first NHL game I ever attended live. The year is 1981 and its pretty early in the season (November); the North Stars were coming off a Stanley Cup appearance where they rolled over to the Islanders because, well, the Islanders.

Our seats were on a couple rows up from the glass, behind the net but towards the corner. And the North Stars scored 15 goals. 15! Many right in front of me. Bobby Smith led the way with 4 goals and 3 assists, but there were also big contributions from the guys on that team that you'd expect to contribute (Ciccarelli (5 points), Broten (3 points)). With that score, though, everyone was on the scoresheet.

That score stuck in my head, but I started doubting that it actually happened. It was so improbable, and I was a kid, and kids make things up or exaggerate them. Was that really the score? Was I really there?

Years and years later, when the internet was a thing, sure enough, I found an archived pdf of the Minneapolis Star Tribune the next morning. And it confirmed I remembered the score correctly, and the game was very close to my birthday (so the present thing checked out). (Here's a site describing the game with the box score: https://www.prohockeyalumni.org/pro-hoc ... ov-11-1981)

I owe my Canucks fandom to the North Stars. See, when they announced they were moving out of Minnesota -- I think it was announced a year after another Stanley Cup run that had them cast as cannon fodder for Lemieux and the Pens -- I was sickened by it. I had no right to be -- I left Minnesota in 1984 myself and can understand why.... -- but I decided that I needed a new team to follow. I chose the Canucks because of Pavel Bure. I had seen him play a couple of times on tv and was enthralled. By 1993, I had the internet -- well, AOL -- and it made it possible to read the Sun and the Province to get my Canucks news and "follow" the team. Pages loaded by the minute.... The Spring of '94 they are in the Cup Finals and I stupidly thought I had chosen wisely.... What a finals, though. It is much more satisfying to be a slight underdog and hang in there than the favorite and piss it away. One of my best buddies at the time was a big fan of the Rangers and we watched every game together; I can still hear the sound of the Lafeyette's shot clanging off the crossbar and my buddy's exuberant yelp....

[Megaterio Llamas]

Great origin story there UW.

Thanks for sharing it brother