The Vancouver Canucks joined the National Hockey League (NHL) on May 22, 1970. Fast-forward 50 years and they have yet to fulfil their ultimate goal: lifting the prestigious Stanley Cup. While they reached the Stanley Cup final three times (1982, 1994, and 2011), they are among the NHL’S two oldest existing teams without winning this trophy (including the Buffalo Sabres). On a more positive note, however, the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup last year after a 52-year drought, meaning the Canucks still have some hope. This inspiring run from the Blues, who were sitting at the bottom of the league standings in January, illustrates the importance of teamwork and grit to overcome some difficult odds. They secured the wild-card spot to clinch a last-minute playoff berth and then swept the first-place team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the first round. Through this belief and team spirit, they did eventually end up making history.
This year, a young Canucks team with some prominent players will look to follow up this unlikely, but well-deserved run. In the early games of the season, the Canucks are off to a tremendous start. After going on a surprising ten game undefeated streak, they are certainly drawing some attention to themselves. With the likes of Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Quin Hughes and Bo Horvat leading the team (and orchestrating a ruthless power-play), they are a team to be reckoned with.
In one particular 8-2 win against their pacific division rival, the Los Angeles Kings, an opposing player (Drew Doughty) commented that “a team like that should not be beating us like that.” Indeed, the Canucks have certainly had a dark past, but their future is finally looking bright as they become a serious contender— and even favourite — in every game.
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