It's almost puck time again.
The Canucks are preparing for the 2022-23 season with the first preseason game tonight (Sept. 25) and opening night for the NHL less than a month away.
Over their 51 seasons on the ice there have been dozens of stories that played out. Some are well known, like the white towel or the riot or the other riot.
These are not those.
1. The Canucks' name was originally suggested by a bootlegger
As the story goes, Coleman 'Coley' Hall needed a name for the new Pacific Coast League franchise he'd landed in 1945. He turned to a bootlegger Art Nevison who told him about the wartime comic character Johnny Canuck.
Hall liked it.
That team later joined the Western Hockey League (not the one the Vancouver Giants play in, though) and when the NHL finally granted Vancouver a franchise, the new team took the name and the WHL team shuttered.
2. The Canucks mascot was nearly a lumberjack beaver
In 2001, the Canucks decided they needed a mascot, and while Fin the Orca seems like an obvious choice now, he wasn't at the time.
Among the other choices were some truly bizarre concepts, including several different goalie characters and a beaver that looked like Johnny Canuck's animal sidekick.
As were these four characters. Beavers, a bear (?!) and robot, oh my! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7SXUmVeTti
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) June 4, 2019
3. A pseudo-Michael Jackson dropped the puck
In the 1980s Michael Jackson was a massive star and when he came to play in Vancouver he booked BC Place for three nights in a row.
On one of those nights, the Canucks had a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Pacific Coliseum and who other than the King of Pop showed up to drop the puck.
Except no, it wasn't him.
In an archived Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, the opening line notes that it was a look-alike, and the real Jackson wasn't there.
4. Roberto Luongo missed the beginning of overtime in a playoff game because he had to use the toilet
During the 2007 NHL playoffs, Roberto Luongo was the go-to goalie for the Canucks, starting every game. So, there were a few raised eyebrows when he didn't return to the ice at the beginning of overtime in Game 5.
Luckily, Dany Sabourin was up to the task and held strong for several minutes against the Anaheim Ducks' attack until Luongo could return.
The reason for his delay?
Emergency bathroom break.
And this is where the magic happened...... #anaheim #playoffs2007 #squirts #💩 pic.twitter.com/TZmjhnOJ
— Strombone (@strombone1) January 26, 2013
5. Henrik was punished for Daniel's penalty
Twins can be hard to tell apart sometimes, even when they're wearing different numbers on their jerseys.
That was the case in a 2014 game against the Los Angeles Kings. Daniel Sedin had a penalty called on him by François St-Laurent for interfering with Kings star Drew Doughty.
However, as the camera shows, it was his twin Henrik that ended up in the box.
