1995-1996: A NEW ARENA, A NEW SNIPER, A NEW HOPE?
The summer of 1995 was an exciting time for Canucks fans. First of all, there was the anticipation of moving into the brand new, state-of-the-art, downtown arena: General Motors Place. More excitement came on draft day, when the Canucks traded the gritty, up-and-coming Mike Peca, C Mike Wilson, and a draft pick (Jay McKee) for RW Alexander Mogilny. Though fans were forlorn at the loss of Peca, the thought of re-uniting Bure with his former Soviet linemate drove season-ticket sales to an unprecedented level. John McCaw had now obtained majority control of the team and the Mogilny acquisition indicated that he was willing to pay big money for big stars. McCaw's new empire, which included the Canucks, the NBA Grizzlies, and GM Place, was named Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, and Steve Bellringer was hired as President.
On October 9, the Canucks debuted in General Motors Place against Detroit. Steve Yzerman scored the first regular season goal in the new building in the final minute of the first period and C Mike Ridley scored the Canucks' first goal at 5:44 of the second period. Detroit won 5-3. The fans were still waiting for the team to get on track on November 9 when Pavel Bure was slew-footed by Chicago defenseman Steve Smith at the United Center. Bure would be lost for the season. Shortly thereafter, Mogilny really started to light the lamp. On February 29, the Canucks played host to the St. Louis Blues. Wayne Gretzky made his debut in a Blues uniform and scored a first-period breakaway goal to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. Mogilny came back, though, scoring his 50th of the season in the second period and his 51st in the third. The game ended in a tie, and the fans in attendance would certainly agree that they got their money's worth on that night. Mogilny finished the season with 55 goals and 107 points, while Trevor Linden had his best season, registering 86 points. Alas, the team was still not performing up to expectations. Jeff Brown continually feuded with management in the papers and was finally traded to Hartford on December 20 for D Frantisek Kucera and LW Jim Dowd. Kirk McLean was battling injuries and personal problems and did not have a good season, though rookie G Corey Hirsch would make the All-Rookie Team with some timely goaltending. Down the stretch, it was not certain that the Canucks would make the playoffs. With six games remaining in the season, Pat Quinn replaced Rick Ley behind the bench. The Canucks found themselves needing to beat Calgary in their final regular season game on April 13 to qualify for post-season play. Fortunately, McLean turned in possibly his best performance of the season, shutting out the Flames, 5-0. The Canucks finished the season with 79 points, the first sub-.500 finish for the team in five years and seventh in the conference. Nonetheless, more fans came out to see the Canucks that season that in any other in their history. GM Place averaged 17,865 fans per game during the season, breaking the old record set in 1991-92 by almost 2,000. The playoff opposition would be the second-place Colorado Avalanche.
The series opened up in Denver and Kirk McLean was shelled for four goals in 21 minutes, forcing Corey Hirsch to relieve him. The Avalanche won the first game, 5-1, but the Canucks won the second, 6-5, thanks to two goals from Gino Odjick (one coming after he committed a vicious cross-check that should have had him ejected from the game). The Avalanche outclassed the Canucks in Game 3, winning 4-0, but the Canucks rebounded two nights later. Sniper Peter Forsberg was kept in check all night long by LW Esa Tikkanen and Gino Odjick tallied his second game-winning goal in three games as the Canucks won 4-3 to even the series. Game 5, back in Denver, was a wild affair. The Canucks trailed 3-1 but came back to take a 4-3 lead on a Trevor Linden goal in the third period. Colorado tied it up, though, to send the game to overtime. Only 45 seconds in to the extra frame, Joe Sakic beat Hirsch with a perfect wrist shot to win the game for Colorado. In Game 6, the Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Colorado came back to tie it after two periods. Late in the third, Sakic struck again, netting the game and series winner with less than three minutes to play. The Canucks had lost, but had put up a gallant fight against the eventual Stanley Cup Champions.
|
