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The Vancouver Canucks have a lot to be proud of this season. It may take a few days for the pain of tonight’s 3-2 loss to fade but when it does, it’ll become clear how special this season was.
After a decade of failure and half-hearted attempts at contending for the Stanley Cup, this year’s Canucks team made watching hockey in Vancouver fun again.
“They put respect back to this city and this jersey. Let’s face it,” said Rick Tocchet after the loss. “Fans have got something to be proud about and it’s all because of the players.”
It was this year’s team that got fans across the city to bring out their old car flags and cheer passionately. It was the sprit of this year’s group that had fans packing Rogers Arena even when the games were taking place thousands of kilometres away.
The official record will say the 2023-24 Canucks played 13 playoff games but the many memorable moments during this run made it feel like so much more.
No matter if it was Brock Boeser’s solo effort to win Game 4 in the first round, the dramatic comeback over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the second round or Arturs Silovs’ unexpected brilliance, the list goes on and on.
“I love the team. I just love that we don’t give up ever,” said J.T. Miller. “It’s a good sign.”
“We got a lot of balls here, played [with] a lot of resiliency and we’ve come back a lot of times. For the game to end like that I think is a good representation, I know we didn’t win, but representation of the culture that we’re trying to build here.”
The Canucks will come back next season wanting more. This was the first taste of real playoff hockey for many of the core players and will mark a significant checkpoint in their NHL careers.
Next year will indubitably bring new players and new challenges but the foundation was made this season to continue building.
“Losing always sucks, it stings but it makes you even hungrier. I’m lucky I’ve got the staff I have they were unreal. The organization has been unreal,” said Tocchet.
There are no guarantees in hockey. The NHL is a cutthroat business. In five years time, this playoff run could very well be looked back upon as the high water mark for this group.
Even if that is the case, it will be impossible to strip the shine from this season. There is too much to be proud of.
“I think we have a good thing going here,” finished Miller tonight.
“I just believe that we’re going to be a good hockey team and we’re going to have another opportunity like this.”