1998-1999: MIKE AND MARK TAKE OVER
After a disappointing season, it was apparent that the Canucks were not going to go far with its current lineup. The general consensus was that there was plenty of talent on the team, but some kind of presence was needed to put the team over the top. Management saw New York Rangers' free-agent C Mark Messier as the solution to this problem and, on July 14, made big news in the hockey world by announcing that they had signed him to a three-year, $21 million contract with an option. Team Captain Trevor Linden graciously passed his captaincy onto the man considered by many to be the greatest leader in the game. Did the 36 year old Messier have what it takes to take this team to the next level? Time would tell. In the meantime, there were other things happening to pique fan interest. The change in uniforms was met with mixed reviews. Most liked the color scheme and design, but the whale logo was seen as being too corporate and met plenty of opposition among fans. The Canucks were also going to be NHL pioneers, opening the season with a two-game series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Tokyo, Japan. Alexander Mogilny was still unsigned and through training camp and the pre-season, it was rumored that the team's other superstar, Pavel Bure, was requesting a trade and may not make the trip to Japan.
Bure was in uniform, however, when the Canucks took to the ice at Yoyogi Arena on October 1, returning to his familiar number 10. RW Scott Walker scored the first NHL regular-season goal outside North America, beating Guy Hebert at 5:44 of the first period. The Canucks would win the game, 3-2, but not before the poor ice conditions would claim Messier for the rest of the game and the next one. The poor ice was no hindrance to Bure however, as he scored on a spectacular individual effort, signifying that perhaps he had returned to the form he had shown seasons earlier. Anaheim won the second game by the same 3-2 score, which evened the Canucks record at 1-1. Bure tallied a hat-trick on October 21 in a 5-1 win in Dallas to give the team a 3-3 record. Two nights later a 4-1 loss in St. Louis would begin a slide from which the team would not recover. On November 4, after seven losses in a row, Pat Quinn planned to fire Tom Renney and replace him behind the bench. But before he could do so, Orca Bay executive Steve Bellringer intercepted him and fired the GM. This meant that, heading into the game against the Capitals, the team had no General Manager and a lame-duck coach, whose firing was imminent. The Canucks lost 2-1 in Washington for their eighth straight loss. Having not been consulted on the Quinn firing, Arthur Griffiths cleaned out his office at GM Place. Between that game and the November 8 game at home against Anaheim, Mogilny was signed to a four-year, $16 million deal and made his debut in that game. The Ducks won 5-3 to extend the Canucks losing streak to nine games, tying a club record. An 8-2 defeat in Los Angeles three nights later broke the record. Finally, on November 12, the Canucks won by a score of 5-2 in San Jose. After the game, Renney was finally fired and Mike Keenan was hired to replace him. There was still no General Manager, however. A five-man team of Keenan, Director of Hockey Operations Steve Tambelini, Chief Scout Mike Penny, and Orca Bay bigwigs Steve Bellringer and Stan McCammon managed by committee.
In desperate need to shake things up, the consortium made its first major deal on January 2, sending veterans Kirk McLean and Martin Gelinas, both of whom had performed well below expectations, to Carolina for G Sean Burke, D Enrico Ciccone, and RW Geoff Sanderson. All three players received would be gone by the trading deadline. It was apparent that there was a changing of the guard in Vancouver. Captain Mark Messier suggested that there had been a country club atmosphere in the dressing room and that a shake-up was needed. McLean and Gelinas were just two of the long-time Canucks who did not see eye-to-eye with Coach Keenan. The most publicized was Trevor Linden, who was having perhaps his poorest season as a Canuck. The Canucks won three of 26 games in December and January and on February 3, Linden was finally traded, heading to the New York Islanders for D Bryan McCabe and LW Todd Bertuzzi. On March 4, the under-achieving Burke was sent to Philadelphia for G Garth Snow, who fared little better. Gino Odjick soon joined Linden on Long Island, being swapped for D Jason Strudwick on March 23. Interestingly, the two teams met the next night and, while it was Linden's name on the marquee, Odjick stole the headlines by getting into a scrap on his first shift . . . with Strudwick. LW Donald Brashear would inherit his position as team enforcer and fight his way to 372 minutes, breaking by a minute the record that Odjick had established the previous season. Through the musical goaltender situation, "backup" Arturs Irbe racked up an 14-11-6 record and a 2.73 goals-against average. His contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. All the while, rookie D Mattias Ohlund had fans on the west coast talking Calder Trophy, and Pavel Bure kept scoring and making highlight reels. On April 17 he scored his 50th goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to Calgary -- the first time he reached that plateau in four years-and added his 51st two nights later in the final game of the season, a 2-1 loss to Toronto. His 97 points was third in the NHL, the highest a Canuck has ever been. The season of bewilderment was over, and Canucks fans were more confused than ever. The 64-point total left them 14 points out of the playoffs and 24th out of 26 NHL teams. Ohlund finished second in Calder balloting to Boston's Sergei Samsonov.
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