Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watrose.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watrose!absary
From: absary@watrose.UUCP (Al Sary)
Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey
Subject: Let's give some respect to the Vancover Canucks
Message-ID: <7564@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 17:49:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: watrose.7564
Posted: Fri Sep 27 17:49:27 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 07:35:10 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 37

Why does everybody keep putting down the Vancouver Canucks?  Recently,
on TSN sport news, one of the reporters made the following comment:

  The only reason the L.A. Kings are safe in the Smythe division is
  the Vancouver Canucks.

Statements like this are not only offensive, but simply not true.
I think a sportscaster should know more about a team than that (or not say
anything).

Even though last year the Canucks really sucked, you can't disregard the
fact that in the previous two years they finished third in their division,
and in 1982 they finished second.  The 59 points they got last year is about
20 point below their usual (mediocre) performance (which may still have left
them in last place in their division, but at least they would have been
competitive, not to mention avoiding a lot of embarrassment).
Last year they had a bad start (the reason
may or may not be their new coach), and after loosing 20 or so games in a
row, it is hard to recover for a mediocre team (let's face it, the Canucks
were never great, except maybe in the 1982 playoffs).  The team didn't
change much from 1983-84 to the 1984-85 season, except for the coach, so
the big letdown of last season can't really be explained just by saying
they didn't have good players.  I don't really know how much changes
are being made for the upcoming season, but I don't think you can count
them out like the statement above (and similar statements I've read in
newspapers).

What I am trying to say here is that even though they may suck even more
than last year, their previous history does not place them in the same
category as New Jersey (Colorado when the playoff birth for the other
four Smythe division team was assured before the season), Pittsburgh (although
they seem to be improving slooowwwly), Hartford (well, maybe not any more),
or Toronto (in the last few years); these teams start out each year, year
after year, looking at the best draft choices from the next amateur draft.
(This may sound a bit offensive to these teams; sorry, I didn't mean
to offend anyone.  Also, notice that Edmonton used to be in this group
just a few years ago, and so did Winnipeg).