Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa were with the Vancouver Canucks for a similar length of time - each player spent about a decade with the team - but fans greeted their returns very differently.
When Kesler came back with the Anaheim Ducks in November 2014, the reaction was mostly negative, and he admitted it hurt. Then he acted like Vancouver visits became no big deal.
Bieksa made his return visit to Vancouver - also wearing a Ducks jersey - on Friday night, and instead of mixed-at-best reactions, he received a standing ovation.
Standing ovation here at Rogers for Bieksa as a short video tribute of him is shown. Couple of touches to the heart from d-man.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) January 2, 2016
As #Canucks fans saluted Bieksa, he saluted them right back. pic.twitter.com/8mIFLd4XJO
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 2, 2016
You can watch video of the Bieksa tribute above this post’s headline. For comparison’s sake, Kesler’s clip is below; that’s about as warm as it got for him that night, apparently.
To the Canucks’ credit, they seemed to acknowledge both Bieksa and Kesler pretty fairly.
Did we mention there's a few former #Canucks in the building tonight? pic.twitter.com/YtOne5pM8t
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 2, 2016