All-Time Canucks Unsung Heroes

[Canuckle]

A thread to discuss the Canucks unsung heroes of yesteryear. (And not neccessarily just going off the annual  Fred J. Hume Award Winner list)

 

Sure, they weren't the best players around and maybe they didn't have long careers. But they were players that impacted the game resulting some in memorable and/or clutch moments for the franchise along the way.

 

My pick is Tanner Glass.

 

 

Glass signed with the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 2009. He played more of a fourth line role and was in and out of the lineup rather than spending time in the AHL.

In his first season with the Canucks, in 2009-10, he received 115 penalty minutes, but Glass’s best season might have been the following year.

It wasn’t based on points, but playing on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. Glass was a fixture on the 2010-11 Canucks roster, suiting up 20 times in the postseason.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Canuckle

[Jess]

Ryan Johnson. Absolutely loved it whenever that man would lay down the body to block a shot. One of the best forward shot blockers I've ever seen.

[Diamonds]

13 hours ago, Canuckle said:

A thread to discuss the Canucks unsung heroes of yesteryear. (And not neccessarily just going off the annual  Fred J. Hume Award Winner list)

 

Sure, they weren't the best players around and maybe they didn't have long careers. But players that impacted the game resulting some in memorable and/or clutch moments for the franchise along the way.

 

My pick is Tanner Glass.

 

 

Glass signed with the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 2009. He played more of a fourth line role and was in and out of the lineup rather than spending time in the AHL.

In his first season with the Canucks, in 2009-10, he received 115 penalty minutes, but Glass’s best season might have been the following year.

It wasn’t based on points, but playing on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. Glass was a fixture on the 2010-11 Canucks roster, suiting up 20 times in the postseason.

 

 

People like to call that team soft, but I think that's a bit of a misnomer. While we didn't have any outright enforcers, I would still describe the team as pesky. Glass alone had 10 fighting majors that year. The 2010-11 team had 7 guys over 100 hits (8 if you include Ballard's 99) compared to just 4 this past season (5 if you include Lazar).

[Rip The Mesh]

Some pretty good days, alright !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[canuck73_3]

Jarkko Ruutu and Artem Chubarov for me. 
 

Ruutu for humiliating Dion and Artem for the Audi. 

[Nucker67]

Possibly Rypien for me. Ryan Johnson was great too, sacrificed his life to block a puck. 

 

 

[Jeremy Hronek]

Max Lapierre might be my vote.  

 

Our 4th line noticeably improved when he originally came to our team.   

 

Tremendous agitator and spark plug and scored some big goals for us when it mattered most.  

 

Lapierre was a dickhead but he was our dickhead.  

[Canuck Surfer]

Gino Odjick.  

 

Our hero, who art in heaven!

 

[Kevin Biestra]

Truly unsung...  I would say maybe guys like Rich Sutter.

 

Totally unsung relative to their actual very high performance on the ice...  Barry Pederson.

 

Totally unsung relative to their place in the team's history and their legacy...  Richard Brodeur.  Andre Boudrias.  Don Lever.  Gary Smith.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Kevin Biestra

[smithers joe]

i agree with johnson but i also put willie mitchell and igor larinov in the conversation. imo, all three deserved more recognition than they got.

[nzan]

I remember always noticing Marty Gelinas before he got some more notoriety.

He was always picking himself up out of a crumpled heap off the end boards after trying so incredibly hard to get to the front of the net.

I feel like he worked harder than any Canuck I can remember.

[Johngould21]

25 minutes ago, nzan said:

I remember always noticing Marty Gelinas before he got some more notoriety.

He was always picking himself up out of a crumpled heap off the end boards after trying so incredibly hard to get to the front of the net.

I feel like he worked harder than any Canuck I can remember.

Then, along came Keenan.

[Integra250]

Ryan Johnson, Chris Tanev, Jannik Hansen, Jarko Ruutu, Darcy Hordichuk...

[Rip The Mesh]

 

[Rip The Mesh]

Of course we know where his career went from there..

[Rip The Mesh]

 

[Rip The Mesh]

Pat Quinn;

 

[Boudrias]

On 11/14/2023 at 9:31 AM, Rip The Mesh said:

Pat Quinn;

 

What a classic interview. I sure miss Pat Quinn. We sure were excited when we got the Canucks and these 3 were great ones. I always thought Tallon got a 

rough go by fans. The Buffalo envy for getting Perrault lasted for a couple of years. Sabres made the Finals in '75 & '99; Canucks '82, '94, 2011. Measuring the two franchises I suggest Vancouver has done better. 

[bishopshodan]

Gelinas.

 

We sucked as a team at the time and he put us on his back.

[Rip The Mesh]

 

[EP Phone Home]

Brent Dope Sopel! 
 

He wasn’t as popular as Jovocop or Olund or even Salo but he was a good 4-5 guy. Him and Derek Dorset were great unsung hero’s. 
 

 

Edited January 19, 2024 by EP Phone Home

[Rip The Mesh]

 

[Boudrias]

10 hours ago, Rip The Mesh said:

 

Tanti had some banner years in Vancouver. He got lots of attention at that time but I have often wondered why he faded from Vancouver media attention so much. I think he lives in Vancouver but do not know if he is involved with the alumni. Great scorer and had some edge to his game. It was hard for him in the '80's as Van's scoring mostly came thru Tanti. 8 years in Van with 6 seasons of + 20 goals. 3 seasons of + 40 goals. 3 seasons in the OHL with 2.0 ppg, drafted #12 by the Hawks. 

 

There appears to be a problem in his relationship to the Canucks. He is still friends with Dave Babych but I cannot remember the last time he was interviewed. 

[Ghostsof1915]

Igor Larionov, Geoff Courtnall, Ohlund.

[Rip The Mesh]