On the heels of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg talk, Damien Cox discussed the idea that Canada might be entering another hockey “golden era.” That is an intriguing point to make, but perhaps the most interesting developing story is the rare two-year run of hockey in the city of Vancouver.
While it’s far too early to assume that the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup in 2011, they’re only six wins away from doing just that for the first time in franchise history. That would put a silver cherry on top of the greatest regular season in the club’s history, with a Presidents Trophy win and players such as Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo and Ryan Kesler earning major award nominations.
That run would be impressive enough, but when you combine the first quarter-plus of 2011 with the highest moments of 2010, it’s clear that Vancouver is having a hot run of heady hockey play that may never be duplicated. Let’s not forget what happened in the 2010 Olympics: Team Canada won the gold on its own soil in Vancouver as Sidney Crosby scored that iconic overtime goal. The Canucks’ own Luongo was in net for that gold medal win, capping a dream-like scenario for Vancouver hockey fans.
While their postseason ended in disappointment against the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2009-10 Canucks boasted some high points that this year’s team is building on. Henrik Sedin earned the Hart and Art Ross Trophies and ultimately sealed his fate as the Canucks’ captain. For all the talk about choking during the last two seasons, I’ll never forget the way the Canucks fought through a 14-game road trip caused by the Olympics.
No doubt about it, the San Jose Sharks could make a series out of the Western Conference finals with a win in Game 3 tonight. Even so, this stands as the Canucks’ best chance to win a Stanley Cup since Mark Messier buried their hopes in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals. It would be a memorable span either way.
That being said, if this Canucks team does manage to win the Cup, it might be time to christen Vancouver hockey’s “Gold and Silver City.”