Forty Years, No Cup in B.C.

It might be the Curse of Steve Moore, but that would only cover the playoff failures that have occurred over the past seven years.

In all, the Vancouver Canucks have hit the 40-year mark in terms of unsuccessfully trying to capture the Stanley Cup. So many good players, two Cup final appearances, one horrific incident that stained the game forever in 2004, a lifetime of disappointments. From Orland Kurtenbach to Henrik Sedin, the Canucks have tried it every which way and have yet to come up with the winning formula.

The 2009-10 season ended exactly the way last season ended, with a one-sided blowout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last night at GM Place by a 5-1 score. Just as Roberto Luongo couldn't deliver top-notch goaltending last spring, he couldn't do it again this spring, outplayed by Finnish rookie Antti Niemi in Game 6 with the Canucks facing elimination.

The Hawks go through to the Western Conference final for the second straight year, and will face the San Jose Sharks as the two best teams in the west have pushed their way into the Final Four. It should be a terrific series, with two big lines - Joe Thornton between Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau for the Sharks, Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane-Dustin Byfuglien for the Hawks - set to go head-to-head.

Chicago's blue-chip defensive pair of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook made a huge difference against the Canucks, and they'll need all the rest they can get before the Western Conference final begins in California.

For Vancouver, a blueline that some experts warned last fall was too brittle proved to be just that. Willie Mitchell was lost before the playoffs began, Sami Salo was hobbled before last night and Alexander Edler went down in the first period after a big hit by Byfuglien. GM Mike Gillis chose to spend his big dollars on Luongo - whose 12-year extension kicks in next season - and forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin, leaving the club without anything like a Keith or a Seabrook on the back end. Kevin Bieksa, Christian Erhoff and Shane O'Brien were all game last night, but that's not an elite blueline.

Head coach Alain Vigneault could be faulted for not dressing seven D-men last night, and after four years on the job without getting out of the second round, he may find his time in Vancouver is up.

None of the Canucks big stars came through, yet the club is married to all of them for the long term. Luongo is no longer considered one of the best goalies in the game and will make $10 million next year, the first of his $64 million pact. The Sedin twins, probably signed to below market value at $6.1 per season each, have four more years on their deals. Ryan Kesler, who didn't score a goal against Chicago or do much at all, sees his six-year, $30 million contract kick in next season.

The blueline is thin, although Edler looks like a comer. You might wonder if a good puck handler like the very available Tomas Kaberle could benefit the 'Nucks. Kyle Wellwood did his best but isn't a consistent point producer and Pavol Demitra was a huge disappointment based on how well he played for Slovakia at the Olympics in Vancouver. In the end, this was a team that couldn't win in the pressure cooker of playing on home ice. Team Canada may have won Olympic gold with Luongo in net at GM Place, but the Canucks were 0-3 there against the Hawks, surrendering 17 goals in those three games.

The tragic flaw of this team is that it was completely built around the belief that Luongo was one of the greatest goalies ever to play. They made him captain, and gave him a monster contract, and the result is a netminder who couldn't handle the weight and at 31, isn't as good as he was three years ago.

Now the franchise enters its fifth decade, still waiting for a championship.

Comments

[barclay donaldson]

..now that Vancouver have been brushed aside what will announcers Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson do...after the team photo they probably leave for SJose..I wonder if they put their Canuck sweaters away of wear them in the media room?????????????

[Steve Robak]

According to your article, the Canucks were trying to be unsuccessful.(para. 2, line 1) I'm no English major but that's sloppy writing.

It's pretty obvious that Luongo was exhausted. There is no other explanation for the mediocrity. He's not being paid like a superstar, to be an ordinary NHL netminder. He's supposed to be stealing games by himself. Not every game, but some......and he wasn't. In fact, I was sadly disappointed in his response when after losing in game 4, he was asked about his performance and deflected all blame from himself, citing the fact that most or all of Chicago's goals were scored on rebounds. This, from a guy who is supposed to be a leader. He does after all wear the "C". A good leader takes responsibility for the performance(s) of those he/she leads. IMHO, the Canucks need to re-structure the team, giving the "C" to a gritty guy like Kesler who normally gives 120%. It doesn't have to be viewed as a demotion for Luongo, rather a change in direction. It was a mistake to begin with, making a goaltender captain of a team. What kind of leadership does a goalie provide on the bench, when it's needed most in an important game?

Luongo needs to have a competent back-up capable of playing 25-30 games. This is where Cory Schneider comes in. If they have half a clue, Schneider will get those 25-30 starts next season and Luongo will be fresh heading into the playoffs. No time to delay, because the time is now for the Canucks organization.

Thats my piece.

[Stephen]

CBC is crying in their cereal this morning. After all the ludicrous cheerleading and pandering to the Canucks fans they did, all they got out of it was another playoff failure.

The Canucks were lucky to beat a first-time playoff team in the Kings, and one with more seasoning summarily dismissed them. They have the good luck to play in the worst division in the Conference so they'll probably get a 3 seed next year, but to suggest they're in the same league as the Hawks or Sharks is a joke, and the Kings were equal to them this year and clearly on the upswing.

Vancouver's window has likely shut, and they're obviously built the wrong way - too much money committed to goaltending, not enough depth on D to compete in the playoffs.

And after all the whining their fans have done these playoffs, I'm fine with that.

[Conn Smythe]

'Kyle Wellwood did his best but isn't a consistent point producer' Is this the same Kyle Wellwood that you were ripping the Leafs for not getting anything of value for? Too funny. I was rooting for the 'Nucks, but against a team with Toews, Kane, Seabrook and Keith, they were in tough.

[D Guy]

The Leafs drought is still longer. And the Blackhawks will be 50 if they do not win this year.

[scagneti]

Hands up to all those who thought that Montreal would finish ahead of Vancouver this season!

[James Finkel]

Keep it classy, Damien. Is it really neccessary to kick a team/city while they're down?

[Chris]

I'd just like to point out that Anti Niemi (an undrafted free agent) was better than superstar Roberto Luongo. Why do I point that out? because of all of the flak Burke takes for signing undrafted guys like Gustavsson. Of all the goalies left now you have Niemi (undrafted), Halak (9th round pick), Nabokov (9th round pick), and Fleury; the lone 1st round 1st overall pick.

[Chris]

@JamesFinkel. No it's not necessary to kick a team/city when they're down but considering how much every other team in the league does it to Toronto I think it's warranted and fair. The Leafs miss the playoffs and it's pure ridicule on the team/organization. I know this as I am a Leaf fan living out west. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.

[Brian]

I still don't get why Luongo is or at least was considered the best goaltender in the world. It makes as much sense to me as Mats Sundin being considered a superstar among superstars. Neither one did much of anything when it counted (Sundin made some noise in international competition, but how hard is that when you look at the players he played with...anyone could just be on the ice and get points on a team like that). At the NHL level, neither one did much when the pressure was on. Luongo got a gold medal, but it wasn't his stellar goaltending that stole it for Canada. He looked shaky there too, but the talent on Team Canada made up for it. Until he proves he deserves to be considered one of the best goalies in the world (not even THE best), Vancouver will go nowhere.

[Frank]

I've been a Canuck fan for all 40 of those years and have to say I didn't have high expectations this playoff anyway. Like Jim Robson I believe the Canucks have had way better teams in the past.

I think the local media here are part of the problem, they ignore problems as long as we're beating Edmonton and Columbus. Anyone watching the Canucks in every game could see that their defence without Mitchell was going nowhere. Bieksa and O'Brien are good guys but they're not top three. They remind me .of when we had Gerald Diduck but Diduck was always paired with the always steady Babych. Once we lost the steady Mitchell, it was obvious they'd be exposed. Edler might be great one day but he's too young to take over as a new Jeff Brown type, that puck moving defenceman the team cries out for. I for one thought that Kaberle would have been a good fit here. Even the Coach knew how bad it was as he used a forward on the blue line during power plays.

Luongo's play has also been inconsistent most of the year. Luongo was great when he got here but not now. A few people have said every year you can't let Luongo play every night, it wears him down, but the Coach has let the goalie make that decision. Apologists say Brodeur plays almost all the games too. Well, Vancouver has the worst travel schedule in the league and I have little doubt it would wear Brodeur down if he played in Vancouver. It would take its toll on anyone.

Plus, Luongo is no spring chicken. I don't think we should drop Luongo, I think Schneider should play a third of the games next year and see how Bobby Lou holds up. If he's still looking exhausted then fine, we're screwed, but I think there's a chance playing only 50-55 games a year would help him out immensely.

With the forwards the Canucks are in good shape. The acquisition of Samuelsson was excellent and helped make up for not having Cory Hodgson but we need Hodgson here next year. Lots of young talent that's ready to go such as Grabner and Raymond and lots of promise in Hodgson, Jordan Schroeder and Shirokov. Kesler is a great centreman and I'm not going to dump on him for having a bad series as he had an injured shoulder and shouldn't have even been playing. The Sedins showed up and I have no problems with their effort at all. The only problem is no team can rely on just one line, not even Washington or Pittsburgh and yet with Kesler hurt that's all the Canucks had.

When it comes to Gillis, I can't believe anyone thought this was a step up from Dave Nonis. Gillis has failed to address problems, either that or his coach is part of the problem. We needed a puck moving defenceman so he brought in Schneider whose best years are behind him. But the Coach wouldn't play him. The fault lies with one of those three and I don't think it was Schneider. We needed to replace Mitchell and didn't. Gillis offered a $20 million two year contract to Sundin, fortunately Sundin was too much of a gentleman to make the Canucks pay it or we wouldn't even have been in round 2. Thankfully Demitra's contract is up yet there's no reason to believe Gillis won't offer him a raise to stay in spite of the obvious which is that Demitra's time is also over. Meanwhile Mitchell, the only guy from BC on the team, is said to be gone, unbelieveable. Going back a few years Vigneault didn't want Brendan Morrison even as a 3rd line centre in spite of him being a popular guy and having more skill than anyone else in our bottom 8 forwards. And finally what does it say about Rypien and Hordichuk when they don't play in a physical series? Why else are they here?

If I had my way it would be Gillis and Vigneault who walked the plank, most of the Canuck problems can be laid at their door.

[R AUSTIN]

Another year, another loss bring the kleenex out and wipe away those big tears.. Who in their right mind makes their goalie a captain,goalies are not cut out like the players on the ice they live in another world.Take a look around there are better goalies in these playoffs [ maybe Halek from Montreal] this guy is so overated.Its not rocket science you build a team from the back end forward. As a die hard LEAF FAN for 50 years i have seen it all.I do see playoffs in the very near future with some of the brightest minds in hockey stearing the ship in the right direction.Maybe but maybe you should have gave Sundin another chance and 6 million for nothing.I do not feel bad for your dumb mistakes or the excuses given .See you next year.............

[Bill]

Like Washington, the Canucks aren't going to win with their current goaltending so it's time for a change in net. For both teams the writing was on the wall a year ago.

[other mark]

Luongo is not an elite goaltender in the league? That's your opinion Damien and it may be shared by others, but I respectfully disagree. You said it yourself; the Nucks are short on healthy D-men. More often then not, Loungo was left alone on rebounds and the entire team (not just Defense) did a terrible job defending in close, where 90% of NHL goals are scored. Lastly, as another poster pointed out, has it ever ocurred to you that maybe Luongo might be a bit tired? I don't think anyone would deny we didn't see his best game last night, but let's not throw him under the bus because of that.

[John O.]

You sure like bringing up the Steve Moore incident, don't you. That's long forgotten about around Vancouver. Just shows how little you actually follow the Canucks.

Otherwise, the facts are the facts, you nailed those in this "article". Sounds like you just want to chirp at Vancouver for not winning the ultimate prize, but guess what, only 1 team gets the cup. Are you a Burkie Brigade guy? At least the Canucks made the final 8. Many said the Canucks wouldn't have even made the playoffs this year, but they went and won their division, yet, we're still chokers in your eyes. Sometimes the stars don't align properly. Chicago is a very good team, and the better team won. I still enjoyed watching the Canucks this year, and like the core the team has in place for the future.

[Jeff M]

There is a perfectly good explanation for Roberto Luongo's mediocre playoff performance ... he's a mediocre goaltender. The media have built this guy up to be the second coming when in fact he cannot even turn in an average playoff performance when it matters most. Nothing like letting in 16 goals in three home losses during one playoff series. But like Craig Simpson loves to say "you can't blame that one on Luongo". Uh, yeah you can Craig! Enjoy 12 years of mediocre netminding Canucks fans. And good riddance to the Canucks anyways. Man, they are a hard team for an impartial observer to get behind. Everything was a conspiracy all season long. From the constant whining/diving/flopping of Burrows to the "automatic face wash after every whistle no matter what the situation" O'Brien, there was no way this group was going to win 16 playoff games. Long on mouth, short on heart. Good bye BOBBIE-LOOOOOOOOOO!

[Johnnyk]

I like Luongo but he does seem to whiff on shots he should save with his eyes closed. I'm wondering if he's a wee bit damaged about that, he does seem to be an intelligent guy. A top goalie never puts on the pads doubting himself.

"I'm feeling good, just get me one tonight guys."
- Terry Sawchuk leading his team out of the room

[Rich]

@D Guy: The leafs drought is only longer because the Canucks haven't been in the NHL as long. BC's cup drought stretches back to what? The Victoria Cougars in 1915? or was it the Millionaires? Nucks haven't even been past the second round since '94

[Vaughn Smith]

okay Maple Leaf and Canucks fans (hopefully Burkie and Gillis are listening)....can you say Mason Raymond for Luke Schenn....the leafs badly need a young, speedy potential 30 goal scorer who was drafted by Dave Nonis...and the Canucks need to replace their aging and inconsistent defense with young up and coming d men like Schenn...sounds like a win win....and a step in the right direction for both teams.....

[Lo Code]

So, was Luongo supposed to blank the opposition every game AND score goals?

No team wins when they don't score enough AND give up multiple odd man rushes.

Blaming Luongo is the easy way out, and it's ridiculous as well.

[Chris]

@Vaughn Smith: A blue chip 20 year old defenceman for a second line winger? Dumberst idea ever. Luke Schenn may not be lighting it up like Drew Doughty but you need to remember that defencemen often take longer to develop. Duncan Keith is one of the best defencemen in the NHL. He was a 2nd rounder who didn't even play an NHL game until he was 23 years old; three years older than Schenn is now. Schenn has significantly more upside than Mason Raymond. On some nights he's an elite shutdown defencemen and on other nights he struggles. That should show anybody that his issue at 20 years old isn't ability; it's consistency.

[other mark]

On behalf of all Leaf followers (and now that I have stopped laughing)....No deal Vaughn Smith.

[Neil B]

@ Rich: You're making a lot of sense. You forgot to mention that Raymond kills penalties, too. He'd easilly be the #2 forward on the Leafs, while he's no better than #5 on the 'Nucks. Not sure if I'm the 'Nucks that I take Schenn, though. Free agents at his level are available for not too much more than he's getting now, and you can't buy a puck-moving D-man for what Kaberle is getting. The 'Nucks would probably have to throw in a mid-range draft pick/prospect, too.

[Bob Holden]

The Canucks had a playoff failure, not a meltdown. It is a disappointment, not a disaster.
Luongo did not make it past round 2. Neither did his teammates, Brodeur or Fleury. Olympians Nabokov and Halak did, although Nabokov failed to make it out of the first period against Canada and Luongo at the Olympics.
In the last 40 years, 8 NHL teams have won 2 or more Stanley Cups, 7 teams have one only one, and 15 teams have won a total of zero, so the Canucks although mediocre are close to average.
Chicago, with a host of all-stars have not won in almost 50 years, Toronto, without many, not for 43 years.
I believe, and it is only a belief, that Canucks tragic flaw is not having a Seabrook or Keith on the blueline. Maybe Luc Bourdon could have achieved those heights.
In any event 29 teams are going to go home empty.

[JB]

Wow! You Leafs fans are really upset. I thought you were all golfing having stopped watching hockey in early April. I guess it's annoying when your team is only close to the SC because it's sitting in the HOF down the street from the ACC.

Anywhooo.....Damien you have got to get over the Bertuzzi/Moore incident. It hasn't tarnished the game forever. For crying out loud I remember the Green/Maki incident and that didn't tarnish the game forever.

As for the Canucks...it was obvious their defence could handle the Hawks offence. Luongo had Bugfylien (sp) in his face every night and no one was doing anything about it. Luongo should play fewer games due to the travel Vancouver faces and a new captain should be named.

The Canucks also need to get a bit more physical up front.

Remember Canucks fans there's always next year. Leafs fans...well I won't rub it in any more.