The Canucks take to the ice in a midday matinee that was scheduled to be the last home game for the 2020-21 season in what many call “the lost season”
In conversation with some hockey fans, I am told that they are not just frustrated with the team but also the way in which they were handled this season from management down.
We can all speculate that changes will be inevitable for the upcoming season, but to what extent is what we will have to wait and see?
Say what you will, the season for the Canucks has been a season from “hell” and could have been so much worse given what the team has gone through.
Injuries and sickness hit the team like a hammer pounding at the head of the team that drove them past the point of no return.
While I continue to hear about the state of the organization,
let’s not forget that the Leaf’s have not yet won the Stanley Cup since 67 when our family lived in Trenton, Ontario.
True the game has changed since then with the addition of teams to the addition of a four-man officiating system, which depends on who you ask either works or will never work.
Having the luxury of attending Canucks games during the Pandemic has at least brought some normality to life in my house given the state of turmoil it was in and thankfully that’s long past.
As the season comes to an end we all look forward to a future that allows us to get back to a life we have long missed out on.
With the season coming to an end the Canucks sent out the following press release and we wanted to share it with you.
Enjoy the read and thanks to the Vancouver Canucks for the press release.
The Vancouver Canucks announced their annual player awards during their final home game of the regular season on May 18 at Rogers Arena. Among the five awards announced, four were voted on by Canucks fans from May 3 to 9.
Bo Horvat earned the Cyclone Taylor Trophy for the second time in his career (2016.17) as the Canucks “Most Valuable Player,” as voted by the fans.In his second season as Canucks captain,
Horvat has recorded 37 points (18-19-37) in all 54 games played so far. Horvat also appeared in his 500th NHL game on May 16 vs Calgary.
For the second straight year, Quinn Hughes won the fan vote for the Walter (Babe) Pratt Trophy as the club’s “Best Defenceman.”
Hughes is on track to pace all Canucks defencemen in points for the second consecutive season and ranks third overall in team scoring with 40 points (3-37-40) in 54 games.
The sophomore blueliner is also currently one point up on J.T. Miller for the most power play points on the team (19) and ranks sixth in TOI/GP among North Division skaters (22:51).
The final two awards decided by fan voting were each awarded to first-time recipients, as Nils Höglander won the Pavel Bure Award as the Canucks “Most Exciting Player,” while Tyler Motte captured the Fred J. Hume Award as the team’s “Unsung Hero.”
Höglander has enjoyed a remarkable rookie campaign with 26 points (12-14-26) in 54 games played, ranking seventh in league-wide rookie scoring. He has also recorded 25 even-strength points (4th among rookies), 115 shots (3rd), and 41 takeaways (1st).
Motte has seen limited playing time because of injuries this season, but he has made the most of his ice time, registering 9 points (6-3-9) in 24 games. Despite playing the fewest games of his career,
Motte is registering career-highs in TOI/GP (16:01), shooting percentage (15.0%), points per game (0.38), and matched career-highs in game-winning goals (1), most goals in a single game (2), and penalty minutes (14).
Tyler Motte was also the winner of the Daniel and Henrik Sedin Award for community leadership, introduced in 2019.20, for his role as the Canucks Hockey Talks ambassador for mental health advocacy.
Motte teamed up with the Canucks for Kids Fund in February to create “Motter’s Mental Health Fund,” where all proceeds benefit a range of mental health initiatives and foundations.
He has also been an outspoken advocate for women’s hockey and the PHWHA.
Summary of 2020.21 Vancouver Canucks Awards:
- Cyclone Taylor Trophy – “Most Valuable Player” (fan vote): Bo Horvat
- Walter (Babe) Pratt Trophy – “Best Defenceman” (fan vote): Quinn Hughes
- Pavel Bure Award – “Most Exciting Player” (fan vote): Nils Höglander
- Fred J. Hume Award – “Unsung Hero” (fan vote): Tyler Motte
- Daniel and Henrik Sedin Award – “Community Leadership”: Tyler Motte
- Cyrus H. McLean Trophy – “Leading Scorer”: *to be announced May 19 postgame
- Three Stars Award – “Most Three Stars Selections”: *to be announced May 19 postgame
