Ah, the sweet, sweet days of Summer! What a perfect time to fill the void left by hockey’s absence with some tantalizing listicles focusing on our favorite sport. Taking a page from Rhoit Bhamra’s Pittsburgh Penguins article – or, as some might say, shamelessly borrowing – let’s take a deep dive into the Vancouver Canucks’ best players by their jersey numbers. And hey, with the amount of talent the Canucks have poached from the Penguins in recent seasons, it seems only fitting.
Let’s start slow and easy, shall we? The high jersey numbers tend to be reserved for late draft picks, try-outs, or players who aren’t expected to make a significant impact on the team. But fear not, we’ll breeze through this part quick as lightning.
Well, it’s no surprise that we won’t find anyone at number 99 – a number forever immortalized by the Great One. And it seems like no one has dared to don the number 98, and the less said about 97, the better. Oh wait…what’s this?
Breaking the mold of unremarkable high-numbered players, we have a controversial yet undeniable presence at number 96 – Pavel Bure. Sure, there were other choices like Andrei Kuzmenko or Adam Gaudette, but in the end, Bure’s electrifying play and goal-scoring prowess set him apart. Before Bure’s arrival in 1991, the Canucks had talented players, but they never had someone quite like him. His speed and scoring ability were out of this world, with 60 goals in each of his second and third seasons – a feat that Tony Tanti, the Canucks’ previous single-season record holder, couldn’t match.
Fast forward to the ’90s, and Bure was not just a standout player; he was the only Canuck to boast a career average of over a point per game. While players like J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson have since joined the club, Bure’s legacy as the best number 96 still holds strong, despite his retired number being 10.
Now, onto a more familiar territory. Justin Bailey, a solid AHL forward known as a “Quad-A” player, found himself in the spotlight with the San Jose Sharks last season, tallying five goals and 14 points in 59 NHL games – numbers that overshadow his previous stints with the Canucks where he struggled to find the scoresheet in 19 games.
So there you have it, folks. The Canucks’ best jersey numbers from 80 onwards, filled with legends, controversies, and perhaps a glimmer of hope for the future. Let the debate begin!
