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Bieksa calls out quiet Canucks fans

Canucks fans

The same time the coach is calling out Vancouver’s best players for their lacklustre performance, Kevin Bieksa is calling out the fans for the exact same thing.

The Canucks’ defenseman decided to go on the record with his concerns after Thursday’s game at Rogers Arena when Winnipeg Jets fans out-cheered the regulars.

“When you’re at home and the road team has a louder crowd, it’s a little embarrassing,” Bieksa told The Province. “I don’t think we want that to happen to us.”

He added: “A lot time when you’re down in the game or you’re going through a lull in the second period, the crowd can give the team a boost. We’ve got to be working together here. We both want the same thing which is the Stanley Cup. So we’ll work for you if you work for us.”

Bieksa’s playing with fire by criticizing the paying customer, and the “we’ll work for you if you work for us” comment might rankle some. That said, most Canucks fans would agree that Rogers Arena can be rather, um, tranquil at times.

Predictably, the same-old excuse is being trotted out in the comments section below the column – the crowd would be plenty loud if it were “real” Canucks fans in the lower bowl, not a bunch of suits entertaining clients.

But that’s a copout. There are plenty of corporate types at rinks like Madison Square Garden, and they still manage to make noise.