Think about that is additionally Vancouver’s second win streak — outlined right here as any run of 4 or extra victories — to happen over 20 years
With their victory Thursday over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks prolonged their present win streak to 6 video games.
If that’s not spectacular sufficient for you, take into account that it’s additionally Vancouver’s second win streak — outlined right here as any run of 4 or extra victories — to happen over 20 years: the 2009-10 Canucks went on a four-game run from New 12 months’s Eve, 2009 to Jan. 7, 2010, earlier than struggling their first lack of the twentyteens two days later.
Historical past might very effectively repeat itself, 10 years later to the day. The Canucks are scheduled to go to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 7 and the Florida Panthers two days after that.
However let’s not get too far forward of ourselves. If Vancouver arrives in Dawn nonetheless unbeaten in 2020, they’ll boast an eight-game win streak, an achievement this franchise has unlocked simply twice: in April 2009, and over the vacation season of 2010-11, the latter a streak from the longer term Stanley Cup finalists that additionally lasted, coincidentally, by Jan. 7.
A loss to the Panthers can be a enjoyable little bit of happenstance, marking as it could the fourth win streak in franchise historical past to final by Jan. 7 (Vancouver’s most auspicious day of the yr, it seems), however let’s hope it doesn’t go down that means: if these Canucks repeat the best regular-season run of the best staff in franchise historical past 9 years later to the day, individuals will get concepts.
Plus it’s extra enjoyable in the event that they push previous that to 9, eclipsing the 2011 staff and matching a feat just one group — the West Coast Specific-era Canucks of November 2002 — has completed in its 50-year existence. They received a report 10 in a row.
Ten is perhaps pushing it. However even yet one more victory would put these Canucks into some rarefied air. Vancouver has handled followers to a seven-game streak simply eight instances of their historical past, and as we wait to see if the 2019-20 staff can be a part of the membership Saturday versus the New York Rangers, let’s have a look again on the others.
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1 | Feb. 10, 1989 – Feb. 23, 1989
It took the Canucks 18 seasons to string collectively their first seven-gamer, so the following time somebody from the older set tells you he’s a long-suffering fan, that is the struggling he’s speaking about. The streak started with a 5-Four win over the Buffalo Sabres that noticed 5 completely different gamers rating within the first, and get a load of those names: Phil Housley, Paul Reinhart, Tony Tanti, Pierre Turgeon and Jim Benning.
Kirk McLean led the way in which for the Canucks in aim, holding every ensuing opponent in the course of the streak to 2 targets or fewer. That was a giant a part of the Canucks’ success all season — solely Montreal and Calgary surrendered fewer targets than the Canucks in 88-89. One other main side was grit. These Canucks had been huge and imply, they usually averaged 12 penalty minutes an evening over this streak, which ended, as many win streaks did throughout this period, with a loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Up entrance, Tanti and Trevor Linden every registered six factors in these seven video games. The play of Linden particularly was a revelation, and he would go on to complete second in rookie of the yr voting. That’s how way back this was.
2 | April 5, 2002 – April 19, 2002
It was a protracted watch for the primary one, and it took the Canucks nearly as lengthy to repeat the feat. But it surely was definitely worth the wait: the second seven-gamer got here within the final month of the 2001-02 marketing campaign, because the Canucks closed out the common season with 5 straight wins — a part of a surprising run the place they misplaced simply twice of their final 14 video games and went unbeaten over the ultimate 9 — to squeak into the postseason as an eighth seed. The West Coast Specific led the way in which, because the trio of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison mixed for 28 factors over the ultimate 5.
Then Vancouver prolonged the streak to seven once they took the primary two playoff video games versus one of many best groups of all-time, the 2001-02 Detroit Crimson Wings. After all, everyone knows what occurred subsequent:
In that second, which introduced the momentum to a screeching halt, one of many Internet’s first hockey memes can be born and a surprised Canucks staff would go on to lose the following 4.
three | March 24, 2004 – April 7, 2004
It’s one other seven-game win streak that begins within the common season and ends within the playoffs, however that’s hardly what’s notable about this seven-gamer. This streak is generally memorable for what preceded it: the non secular demise of the West Coast Specific period, which got here to an unsightly finish when Bertuzzi ended Steve Moore’s taking part in profession.
That mid-March recreation went off the rails, with a discombobulated and albeit horrified Canucks group dropping 9-2, and their season almost adopted — they received simply as soon as within the subsequent seven earlier than righting the ship down the stretch and rattling off six straight wins to tug forward of the Avalanche on the ultimate day of the season to win the Northwest Division by one level. Then they took Recreation 1 versus the Calgary Flames to make it seven in a row. The Flames evened it up the following outing and that was that.
Matt Cooke made the distinction. After being promoted to the highest line to interchange Bertuzzi (suspended indefinitely), Cooke scored the lone aim in a 1-Zero win over the Los Angeles Kings, and Vancouver pulled it collectively simply within the nick of time. He scored one other huge aim late within the collection, too. You would possibly bear in mind:
The Canucks misplaced the sport nearly instantly afterward, however nonetheless.
Four | Dec. 26, 2006 – Jan. 7, 2007
Right here’s that third streak that lasted by Jan. 7. We take you again in time to Luongo’s first season in Vancouver, which was a roaring success from recreation one, when he impressed Jim Hughson’s first of many “nice save Luongo” calls.
Why, on Jan. 9, the identical day this seven-game win streak lastly got here to an finish, the NHL introduced that Luongo had been voted by the followers to begin in aim within the 2007 All-Star Recreation in Dallas, a metropolis that may come to know Luongo intimately over the following a number of months.
It was a well-deserved honour, as this streak was just about all Luongo. The Sedins had been there, sure, combining for 17 factors, however the Canucks outshot their opponents simply as soon as over this span and nonetheless couldn’t lose. Luongo confronted a median of 33 pictures an evening, together with 35 or extra 4 instances. He was unbelievable that season, main the Canucks to a division title and a first-round playoff win their skaters hardly deserved, and it’s a rattling disgrace that 2006-07 Luongo is greatest remembered for pooping his pants.
5 | Jan. 16, 2010 – Jan. 30, 2010
This streak, which carefully adopted the four-game streak we mentioned within the intro, might be greatest remembered for the play of Alex Burrows, who scored 5 targets and 11 factors over this seven-game run, together with as soon as in every of the primary three video games and twice as a part of a four-point night time within the seventh and remaining win of the streak.
Burrows was sizzling all month. The agitator-turned-scorer was named the NHL First Star of the Week on Jan. 11, after back-to-back hat tips in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes on Jan. 5 and seven, respectively.
And the night time of his first star nod, the night time the decade-spanning streak ended, he grew to become the discuss of the hockey world when he informed the assembled media what Stephane Auger had stated to him previous to a penalty name that handed the sport to Vancouver’s opponents. You’ll recall the hit job that adopted on CBC and created a rift between the Canucks and the broadcaster that took years to heal, and prompted an irate response from Burrows’s dad, Rodney.
“Ron MacLean, I didn’t actually like him as an individual earlier than. He simply looks as if a puppet to Don Cherry and the CBC,” the elder Burrows told Postmedia. “He’s a puppet to most individuals, I assume. It was simply very, very unprofessional.”
The seven-game win streak ended, as normal, in Montreal — the second cease on a historic, 14-game street journey because the Canucks had been displaced from Rogers Enviornment by the Vancouver Olympics.
6 | March 5, 2011 – March 16, 2011
The 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks had been infamous streakers. This seven-game run was one in all eight streaks of 4 wins or extra within the yr, the longest being the eight-gamer mentioned within the intro. However this was essentially the most spectacular streak, because it showcased the Canucks’ nigh-infallible offence, which scored no fewer than three targets in every of those seven wins and 27 over the span and it appeared like they had been all fairly.
Largely it was the Sedins. The start of this win streak coincides with the start of a nine-game level streak from Daniel Sedin, who mixed together with his brother to pour in a surprising 25 factors over these seven video games, and would end the season with 104, sufficient to win the scoring title.
7 | March 22, 2012 – April 03, 2012
Their playoff run was painfully quick, however the 2011-12 Canucks seemed like a formidable foe, clinching their second consecutive Presidents’ Trophy by successful eight of their final 9 common season video games, together with seven straight. This streak is credited principally to goaltenders Luongo and Cory Schneider. Whereas the remainder of the staff had already begun to give attention to the postseason, and it confirmed, the goalies had been locked in a battle for the beginning job come playoffs, and that confirmed, too.
Schneider received the primary recreation, permitting only one aim. Luongo received the following two, stopping 38 of 40 one night time, and 38 of 38 the following. Schneider responded to the 38-save shutout with a 43-save shutout of his personal, then began and received the sport after that, and on and on it went till Schneider took the L to finish the streak, and Luongo responded by shutting out the Oilers to win the final recreation of the season and earned the best to begin the playoffs.
It was some contest, and along with giving us this storied win streak, it additionally yielded this basic intermission bit from TSN’s James Duthie:
eight | Dec. 01, 2013 – Dec. 14, 2013
Lastly, and extremely, the newest seven-game win streak is a product of the John Tortorella season, which we’ve already topped because the worst Canucks season of the decade. How unhealthy was it? We’ve all forgotten that, at one level, Tortorella truly coached the Canucks to seven straight wins, and no surprise: it barely is smart.
The Canucks of this December win streak had us all fooled. They performed sound defensive hockey, holding all seven vanquished opponents to 2 targets or fewer and shutting out two, they usually bought huge performances from their stars, particularly Ryan Kesler, who contributed 5 targets and eight factors throughout this run. Plus the streak culminated in a 6-2 rout of the Boston Bruins, which was satisfying as a result of no person was over 2011 but.
The wheels got here off the bus quickly after, nevertheless. Luongo was injured every week later, Eddie Lack struggled to carry down the fort, and by the date of the Jan. 18, the Canucks had misplaced eight of 9. Little doubt all of us bear in mind every little thing that got here after, from the top of Tortorella’s tenure to the years of playoff-free hockey, attempt as we’d to neglect.
The lesson, if there may be one: get pleasure from this win streak whereas it lasts, nevertheless lengthy that seems to be. You by no means know what’s subsequent.
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