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Win One for the World, Canucks

When they say we're not Canada's team, just smile. We're bigger than that.

By Mark Leiren-Young, 20 May 2011, TheTyee.ca

Jannik Hansen

Jannik Hansen: Made Denmark proud with his first.

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So apparently not only are the Vancouver Canucks not "Canada's team," but Vancouver isn't actually Canadian.

It started with a couple of writers for Toronto's two allegedly national newspapers trying to stir the pot -- or as we prefer to call it in B.C., "bud" -- by listing off reasons not to cheer for the Canucks.

But by the time the New York Times latched onto the story people had begun questioning whether Vancouver was still part of Confederation. Perhaps if Sarah Palin becomes America's president we can create a country with L.A. and New York since the moose-hunting hockey mom declared they're not part of the "real America." No wonder people are so excited about Winnipeg potentially taking over the Atlanta Thrashers -- that way Canada will be back to having six teams.

It's not too surprising to hear the Canucks aren't Canada's hockey team, they're certainly not Hockey Night in Canada's hockey team. That's apparent watching CBC war correspondent Don Cherry gleefully mangle the names of Kevin Bieksa and Roberto Luongo. Part of the former hockey commentator's shtick has always been mispronouncing the names of players from other countries and/or "distinct societies," but he generally seems to make an effort with good old English Canadian boys.

But apparently it doesn't matter that Bieksa hails from Grimsby and Luuuuu was born and raised in Montreal -- if they're wearing the whale on their jersey, their names aren't worth learning. This is the same cornered coach who dubbed Canucks' superstar Pavel Bure, "a little weasel."

Cherry's side-kicker Ron "The Ref's Always Right" MacLean spent a whole segment last season dissecting the play of Canucks' left winger Alexandre Burrows with a savage righteousness not seen on TV since Edward R. Murrow's evisceration of Senator Joe McCarthy (who played right wing). The Canucks were so impressed with the coverage that they briefly boycotted interviews on Canada's iconic hockey showcase.

The schadenfreude factor

In the Times piece, André Richelieu, a professor of marketing at Université Laval, declared the Canucks a "regional brand" and said if Vancouver faced off against Tampa Bay, "a lot of Quebecers would support the Lightning, just as they did in 2004 against the Calgary Flames. They have Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier -- even the coach, Guy Boucher. That has a strong resonance here in Quebec." Unlike the Canucks who have Burrows, Maxime Lapierre and coach, Alain Vigneault.

The Edmonton Sun ran a reader poll where 55 per cent of respondents from the City of Former Champions declared they were rooting for anybody but Vancouver.

As a lifelong Canucks fan who has cheered (at least once) for every Canadian team in the playoffs, I'm disappointed by the national diss, but not surprised. Since the Oilers era ended Canadian Cup contenders have usually been underdogs, and this year the Canucks have been Vegas favourites since before the first puck dropped. The Globe's Gary Mason suggested that's why some Canadians are experiencing schadenfreude, which is German for, "the Leafs won't win another Cup 'til Bill Barilko comes back as a zombie and eats the brains of at least one member of the Tragically Hip." He also repeated the case against the Canucks that the team has fewer Canadians in the lineup than the Sharks and, I suppose, that the ones we do have aren't pure laine.

Multinational operation

The temptation is to respond by rattling off all the Canadians on the roster and pointing out that there's at least one player from every province west of New Brunswick. But to me the player who says the most about what kind of team the Canucks are -- and have been for decades -- isn't our gold-medal-winning Canadian goalie, but Jannik Hansen, the first Dane ever to get a point in an NHL playoff game.

The 1978 Canucks started three Swedes -- Thomas Gradin and a pair of Larses -- Zetterstrom and Lindgren. Gradin still scouts Europe for the Canucks and his wacky ideas for potential draftees included the Sedins and Alex Edler.

In the 1990s while Harold Ballard was vowing that no Russian would ever be allowed to disgrace a Maple Leaf uniform by scoring goals and winning games, the Canucks were Team Glasnost, outfitting Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov in black and gold pyjamas. The Canucks drafted Larionov in '85 when the chances of a Russian playing for an NHL team were more remote than an NHL team playing in Florida.

During the 2010 Olympics, the Canucks had seven players named to their respective national teams and the Swedish general manager was mercilessly abused for not including Mikael Samuelsson in his line up. Only one team had more players in the Olympics, the San Jose Sharks -- with eight, four on Team Canada. The Canucks had to settle for seven players, spread across six teams. And the Canucks weren't just on the teams, most of them were standouts -- including gold-medal round rivals Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo.

So I guess that means if the Canucks can't be Canada's team, they'll just have to settle for being the world's. [Tyee]

Mark Leiren-Young attended the two longest overtime games ever played on Canucks' home ice. He co-wrote the song "Hockey Nut in Canada," which was played at Vancouver home games throughout the '94 playoffs.

12 Comments:

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  • notdarkyet

    1 year ago

    Team Identification

    I have hoped for teams - it does make the games more meaningful if you have some emotional interest in the outcome - but I have never understood why we are supposed to have a geographical allegiance.

    Just because I am Canadian doesn't mean I have to hope for Canadian teams and just because I am from BC doesn't mean I have to hope for the Canucks.

    My Canadian identify may - emphasis may - be bruised if the Canadian National team loses at the Olympics or the World Juniors, but how and why does it matter that no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup in 18 seasons.

    I realize that many if not most professional athletes try their best to give back to the community through charitable and volunteer work but for the most part they are still mercenaries. We attach ourselves to people who we don't know and never will and somehow their success is our success.

    The Canucks will likely win the Cup sometime in June, but once that night's celebration is over, it really won't matter much after that.

  • Art the Green

    1 year ago

    its hard to pinpoint what

    its hard to pinpoint what the stupidest thing about this is.. but always be suspicious of a national post writer who tells one side of the country that bc and alberta are the black sheep, then tells the other sides that toronto and ottawa are entitled.. not to mention quebec. vote for fake populist fascists and we'll clean up city hall/parliament whatever..

    is divide and rule the purpose of hockey? i already think yes.. even though it was a surprise to learn of this canucks disdain. maybe now is a good time to mention the similarity between cheering for a hockey team and voting.. and how quick we are to resent based on province

  • bluerev

    1 year ago

    Happy not to be Canada's team

    As a Vancouverite, I would rather be associated with the world than just Canada. Who cares what those on the other side of the rockies think, when we are connected by water to a much greater place. The boundary between BC and Alberta is called the great divide for a reason.

  • Ricky

    1 year ago

    It's Great

    The more they diss us out East the fewer of those whiny babies will migrate out here and complain about the rain and the wonderful quality of life and the fact that we're all so pretty. The nerve of these jerks. How many times have us Vancouverites had to sit and listen to some whiny transplant bitch and moan about our excellent city and province because they didn't have the character to make it their own? Go home, go home, go home!

    We need more West Coast pride! I'm a Vancouverite to the bone and I'm happy to say that I'll take a Surrey over a Montreal or Toronto any day... that's right I said it. I prefer Surrey.

    Inevitably there will be comments here lambasting professional sports - corporate this, herd mentality that, maybe some cryptic political stretch will be explored, blah, blah, blah... but the fact is that we should be proud of any experience that brings us together out here, that strengthens our unity in such a positive way. It's not us worshiping the team, it's the team acting as our mascots, our will to collective glory over the other cities and places, like Toronto, and Montreal, and Boston... all of which totally suck.

    As for our team lined with foreign mercenaries, I call your attention to a beautiful city in Italy: Sienna. For hundreds of years now, twice a year the 16 neighborhoods of Sienna each hire a foreign jockey of the highest caliber available, along with - more importantly - the finest horse possible, to represent them in the balls-out race around the main piazza in town, known as the Palio. No one complains about the use of condottieri, in the form of men or horses, as who wouldn't do what is needed to win the race? They are honoured and handsomely rewarded, blessed and fawned over.

    Win one for the world? Win one for the West!

  • gerard

    1 year ago

    Thin Skins

    Although this article begins with a subhead saying "we're bigger than that", what really comes through is the same thin-skinned insecurity about how others might see us in a place like New York. Reminds me of the hand-wringing at the beginning of the Olympics. If we're so big in our views, we'd recognize it's simply true the Canucks aren't a team particularly known or loved nationally. Who cares? We're in the conference finals.

  • North of Hope

    1 year ago

    MacKinnon cartoon

    I hope this address works to show you how cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon depicts the Canucks.

    http://zone.artizans.com/image/MAC2118/national-unity-results-when-canadian-fans-get-behind-vancouver-canucks/

    I think THe Tyee should work out a deal with him and post his cartoon daily.

  • Dadarian

    1 year ago

    Not so wrong

    Yeah, I wish to say you were wrong, but your not. I lived in Halifax, Ontario, now on the Island I can say this. If they play Boston, I'll not be cheering for the Canucks. On the other hand, Tampa doesn't deserve to win, so I'll be placing my vote for the Canucks if they play the Lightning.

    But, Canucks will most likely win the cup, for the first time, which will be grand. The first time the cup comes home to the Great Green Coast.

    Btw, I don't cheer for the Leafs, and never will. Canadiens all the way :).

  • Ramone

    1 year ago

    "Win one for the world"

    Most of the world couldn't care less about hockey or the Canucks. In fact, most of the world doesn't even know the Canucks exist.

    What a whiny piece

  • Jesper Haaps

    1 year ago

    In answer to notdarkyet's

    In answer to notdarkyet's question about geographical allegiances, nobody *has* to root for a local team if they don't want to, of course, but I choose to as I identify not so much with the players but with the club itself, and therefore the entire community it represents. Players come and go, after all.

  • EcoCollectivist

    1 year ago

    Montreal over Surrey?

    I would take Surrey over Toronto but not Montreal.

    I suppose the 2010 Olympics weren't Canadian either.

    Furthermore, last time I checked, Canada was a multicultural society with residents from around the globe. So in a way, Vancouver is truly a Canadian team, at lest in philosophy.

    Toronto is just pissed off because Vancouver and Coastal BC isn't a shit Corporate Conservative hell hole like Toronto is. Sorry we are not a bunch of Corporate fascists like you Toronto. Please piss off and leave us loony coastal "eco-zealots" alone.

    As a born and raised Vancouverite, and a proud Canadian who despises our degenrate Prime Minister Harper, I would like to give a big middle finger to Corproate Canadian Media and its Toronto/Alberta alliance!! Go fuck yourselves!

    Much love to Quebec though.

  • G West

    1 year ago

    Guys! I think you're missing the real point

    Anyone who's ever lived in Toronto or Ottawa knows that, from their point of view, Vancouver is simply an overpriced after-thought.

    It's hardly surprising folks who live in the 'center of the universe' couldn't care less about the Canucks.

    For those with a good memory, this is hardly a new phenomenon...When the Whitecaps beat Tampa Bay to win the 1979 Soccer Bowl the main reason anyone in New York noticed was simply to complain because the Cosmos weren't in the final.

    We're simply a small, too highly priced real estate haven on the far west coast of nowhere to most of the rest of the country and the world..

  • dorothy

    1 year ago

    Why is no one saying

    "We're simply a small, too highly priced real estate haven on the far west coast of nowhere to most of the rest of the country and the world.."

    Good thing that they don't define us, then. We know who we are, and the individual members of the Canucks have proven time and again that they are so members of this community. Always there to put themselves out and go the extra mile for people who need their help and support locally. I don't care about 'opinions' and 'dissings' of people not living here. They're my team and no two ways about it. I hope they win the prize they worked so hard for, and screw those who can't pronounce their names. They merely show their own size, very small.

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