7th Man: Rest in Peace

Well, it's unofficially official. If you whisper the words "seventh man" around the marketing brass at Canucks headquarters, you will probably hear a chorus of, "What? Never heard of it."

The rest of the team will probably take the fifth for fear of self-incrimination.

Never to be acknowledged in public again, the #7 banner will be silently brought down one night in the off-season when the doors to GM place are locked. The banner will be buried and the person who buried it will probably be shot so that its location remains forever secret.

The #7 banner will join Rasputin and Jimmy Hoffa, never to be seen again.

And I almost feel a little bad, because somewhere deep down, I think the masterminds behind the short-lived phenomenon actually meant well. Too bad Cliffy and Gino had to be briefly sullied by the whole experience, but the mud will dry and flake away in a matter of months. By the time the Olympics roll around, if you mention the words "seventh man" anywhere in Vancouver, you will probably hear a chorus of, "What? Never heard of it."

Let's hope nobody got fired over this thing. It really could have been worse. Not much, but it is theoretically possible.

Kyle Wellwood: Memorable World Juniors 2003 Goal

Well, there has been much ado about Kyle Wellwood this year, from his spare tire to his Juice-o-matic diet to his team lead in goals. In a bit of World Juniors trivia, Wellwood is credited with one of the nicest goals in the tournament's history. Here is a clip of his 2003 feat.

7th Man: A Night Off from the Ceremony...

Well, there was no 7th Man ceremony at last night's 4-0 win over the Nashville Predators, marking the first home game without that aspect of scripted fan involvement since the ritual was introduced (a couple games) earlier in the season.

Was it simply a night off to give the fans a couple extra days to adjust to the new "tradition"? Was it a quiet euthanizing of the ceremony, pretending that it had never happened? Was there nobody willing to step into the skates of the 7th man that night and feel as awkward as Gino Odjick seemed to the previous game?

I've been more than a little critical of the way the notion was introduced to the fans...out of left field, involving a Canucks legend like Cliff Ronning in a gimmicky "Let's Make a Deal" style ceremony. But the fact remains that fans shouldn't be all that bent out of shape if the organization wants to celebrate and involve them.

It may well be that the manner in which the 7th man was first introduced will have caused the concept to die on the vine. One thing I learned from the vast wisdom of Head and Shoulders commercials is that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Perhaps if they stick with it, that game show hockey stick thing will eventually become a distant memory and fans will look forward to the opportunity to lace up the proverbial skates as the 7th man for a game. Or perhaps the whole thing will become a distant memory, idea included. Let's see if Number 7 resurfaces at the next game...

Canucks History: Petri Skriko

Before there was the lifeline, the Canucks' offensive fortunes rested largely on the shoulders of three men: Tony Tanti, Patrik Sundstrom and the team's first-ever Finnish player, Petri Skriko.

These three gifted forwards produced a large portion of the scoring enjoyed by Canucks teams of the 1980s. Skriko led the team in scoring twice (1986 and 1989). He was also named NHL player of the month in November 1986.

Petri Skriko played almost his entire NHL career in a Vancouver uniform, a career that saw him score 183 goals and 405 points (373 as a Canuck) in 541 games. He wore a Canucks jersey from 1984-1990 before bouncing quickly between Boston, Winnipeg and San Jose at the end of his NHL run.



His NHL days were, however, sandwiched by two lengthy stints in professional European hockey, from 1979-84 and 1992-99. He finished his competitive European career with impressive totals of 335 goals and 742 points in a mere 438 games.

Skriko was named the Denmark player of the year in 1995 (34 goals and 83 points in 35 games) and 1997 (49 goals and 109 points in 48 games). He was also given the honor of having his #9 jersey retired by SaiPa of SM-Liiga, where he commenced his European career.

He represented Finland twice as an Olympian, in 1984 and 1992.

Martin Brodeur Out: Vezina Up For Grabs

With Martin Brodeur out for 3-4 months, this will mark the first year in a decade where he does not place 70+ games, and one of the few years in recent memory where he will not compete (or be a lock) for the Vezina Trophy.

With that in mind, it's time for the best of the rest to step up and take advantage of the small blessing fate has bestowed upon them. Who is going to seize the moment?

After a slow start, Roberto Luongo now has 3 shutouts at the team's 13-game mark. That puts him on pace to break Tony Esposito's modern record of 15 in a season.

Don't expect him to keep up that phenomenal pace of goose eggs, but it's the sort of statistic that could allow him to do what everyone has been waiting for and scribble his name on what has essentially, for the last decade, been Martin Brodeur's trophy.

Canucks vs. Devils: A New Rivalry?

Whoa, easy guys. One glance at the comments on the last 7TH MAN POST and it's looking uglier than Obama vs. McCain or Stephen Harper vs...whoever that liberal guy was he ran against the other day.

Well, the Canucks already have good rivalries against two New York teams. We went 7 games with the Rangers in the '94 finals. We went...a few less games against the Islanders in 1982 and they were the team to whom we first traded away Trevor Linden.

Now, at least for a couple days on the internet it seems...we have Vancouver vs. New Jersey in a no-holds-barred throwdown of "My Country Can Beat up Your Country." New Jersey fans, you insulted our family and the Shao Lin temple and now the hockey gods have struck down Martin Brodeur as punishment.

I wish Martin Brodeur the speediest recovery possible. But I'd rather endure the 7th man at the beginning and end of every game, between periods and after every offside and icing call than root for a Brodeur-less Devils team.

7th Man: It Sucks But At Least It's Not This...

Could the Canucks' 7th Man be the most unpopular, laughable and despised corporate-generated sports promotion in NHL history?

Nope. It has to compete for 2nd place.



You have to at least respect the Senators players for refusing to look this couch potato "Gladiator" in the eye. You can see this "Spartan" trying to get some sort of acknowledgment by barely turning his head from side to side in their direction.

Not having none of it, pal. You're on your own with this one...

Canucks History: Dennis Ververgaert

He had the misfortune of spending most of his career with teams that never contended for the playoffs, including the early Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals. As a result, he appeared in only 8 career playoff games. But Dennis Ververgaert made his mark on the Vancouver franchise with six strong seasons in a Canucks uniform.

He peaked in 1975-76 with a season that was one of the greatest scoring performances in early Canucks history. In an era where it was virtually unheard of for a Vancouver Canuck to break the 70-point barrier, he scored 37 goals and added 34 assists. He also had three more Canuck seasons with 50+ points, before moving on to the Flyers and the Capitals.

He finished his NHL career with 176 goals and 392 points in 583 games, and once held the record for fastest two goals in an NHL All Star Game, scoring twice in 10 seconds in 1976.

The Canucks drafted Ververgaert 3rd overall in 1973 after a stellar career in junior hockey, which featured two back-to-back 100-point seasons. In 1971-72 he scored 44 goals and 117 points in 62 games with the OHA's London Knights. In his final junior year he raised the bar with 58 goals and a staggering 147 points in 63 games.

7th Man: We're Getting Laughed At by Devils Fans

Yes, it was cheesy. Yes, it was forced, contrived, awkward and maybe even a little embarrassing (except for the chant of Ronning! Ronning! which was very cool and very well-deserved).

I may have rolled my eyes and cringed a little in my seat at the whole slightly patronizing ceremony... "Retiring" jersey number 7 for the fans when the last thing they needed was a Pavlovian cue to applaud the team they have given five straight years of a sold out arena.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to let a bunch of Americans laugh at us! You can see what the New Jersey Devils fans think of the ceremony HERE.

Canucks History: Don Lever

A junior star with the OHA's Niagara Falls Flyers (112 points in 59 games in 1970-71), Don Lever was selected 3rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks and joined the team in only their third year of existence. He promptly made an impact, setting the original Canucks ironman streak at over 400 games. He broke the 50-point mark seven times in his NHL career and flirted with it on several other occasions.

Leaving the Canucks as one of their all-time leaders in goals and points, he moved on to Atlanta (making the transition with the team to Calgary), then Colorado (making the transition with the team to New Jersey), and finally winded up his career with the Buffalo Sabres. He is fondly remembered as one of the strongest pre-Scott Stevens captains of the New Jersey Devils organization, and one of the Canucks' best captains from the pre-Smyl era.

He joined the venerable 1000-game club before his career was out, finishing with totals of 1020 games, 313 goals, 367 assists and 680 points. He also represented the Colorado Rockies in the 1982 All Star Game.

Don Lever went on to a lengthy career as an NHL assistant coach with the Sabres, where he served from 1987 to 2002, interrupted by two years as head coach of their AHL affiliate. This was followed by two seasons with the St. Louis Blues in the same position. For the last three years, he has been an AHL head coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs, which included leading the team to their first Calder Cup in 2007.

"King" Richard Brodeur: Not Just a Goalie

He may have led the Canucks to the first Stanley Cup final in team history. But his accomplishments don't stop there. "King" Richard Brodeur is also an oil painter, and has indeed had showings at Vancouver's DISKIN GALLERIES. Well, in addition to being a great goalie and all-around great guy, it's nice to see that he's been applying his talents creatively in life after hockey.



The image above is a section of "Kids Play Hockey on the Lake."