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."

WWTD: What Would Trevor Do?

In a crazy game that was more than worthy of Halloween, the Canucks got themselves in a hole, opened up a wide lead and then gave it up, all before two periods were said and done. By the end of overtime, it was 6-6 and time for a shootout, one that was tied 1-1 after two shooters apiece... And then it was a cardio workout for the goaltenders as it went to the 13th round without another goal being scored.

The Ducks resorted to Francois Beauchemin. The Canucks stooped as low as Henrik Sedin. I was waiting for Garth Butcher to step on the ice until Mattias Ohlund skated in from center ice and ended a 22-shot scoreless drought for both teams with nothing less than the patented Trevor Linden laser-sighted shootout wrist shot. When all else fails, ask yourself... What would Trevor do?