Well, the season has come to an end. A disappointing one. But what I intend to do here, is give out Canuck awards for the year. The winner will be in bold font, the runners-up will be below the winner in italic font.
Martin Gelinas. There is no doubt in Canucks fans' minds that Martin Gelinas was extremely valuable to thh club this year. I can't imagine where the Canucks would have been without Gelinas.
Trevor Linden. It was noticeable that when Trevor Linden was out of the line-up, the canucks suffered. Linden brings so much to this hockey team, he is extremely valuable.
Kirk McLean. It is hard for a goaltender to play so well when his defenceman in front of him pretty much suck. Kirk McLean has been on his own during parts of this season, and he has rebounded well from last year.
Lonny Bohonos. Bohonos has been the best rookie to step into the line-up since Dixon Ward. Although going back and forth from Syracuse to Vancouver, he took advantage of Canucks' injuries by stepping in and showing offensive flash.
Larry Courville. This guy has a big heart and is very gritty. He could be a player for the future for the Canucks. He's come along way from his tantrum on draft day.
Mark Wotton. Definitely will be back next year. Wotton combines skill with heart, desire and leadership. He is a great captain in Syracuse, and presents himself in a positive way in Vancouver. Consistent while he was up here.
Alexander Mogilny. Doesn't deserve it, but still gets it.
Martin Gelinas. Deserves it, but doesn't get it.
Pavel Bure. Despite injuries, Bure was still able to obtain 3rd place. I'm still contemplating whether he will ever score 60 goals again.
Jyrki Lumme. Jyrki is always, always a prominent defenceman and no doubt the best one the Canucks have. His defencive skills have improved, and his offensive skills seem to be getting better every year.
Dave Babych. Probably the most consistent defenceman the Canucks have, Gramps logged lots of ice time and played on both special teams in addition to his regular ice time.
Adrian Aucoin. Debating between Aucoin and Wotton, I'll give this to Aucoin. He showed signs of development late in the season, and his defencive play has picked up as well. He's getting more ice time and playing with a good defenceman in Dave Babych. He's finally using his booming shot as well.
Kirk McLean. Coming off of a terrible season last year, McLean has worked through his personal problems and bounced back well, some nights seemingly a wall. He is the last line of defence, and a strong one at that. Mind you, he has to be.
Corey Hirsch. Despite the fact that he is not in great athletic condition, and despite the fact that he has been plagued with injuries all year, Corey Hirsch has had his good points this year. Look for him to bounce back next year though.
Mike Fountain. Getting a shutout in your first ever game looks great on your resume. However he still only got to play 4 games this season. He is a good goaltender, and showed it, but unfortunately it is doubtful he will be back next year.
Alexander Mogilny. Mogilny almost NEVER will take a penalty, and while he does have a mean streak, Mogilny is a clean player. Never a cheap shot.
Trevor Linden. It would be no surprise that a player who is so generous, giving and helpful off the ice would be sportsmanlike on the ice. Trevor had only one fight this year, and few penalties.
Mike Ridley. Ever remember Mike Ridley taking a penalty? Thought so. Ridley is known for is sportsmanlike play and has shown it again this year.
Mike Ridley. Ridley is one of the better two-way centers in the game. His defencive play this year has been excellent. Ridley always manages to get back in the play.
Trevor Linden. Linden is another great two-way player and also manages to get back in the play all the time. This makes Linden even more valuable to this team.
Dave Roberts. The under-utilized Dave Roberts had great success this season because he excelled both ofensively and defencively. He reminds me of a younger, better John McIntyre.
Mike Ridley. How Ridley was able to play so many games with a bad back was amazing. The fact that he was still an offensive and defensive force makes it even more amazing.
Pavel Bure. Perhaps you won't know how hard it is to come back from a torn ACL until you experience it yourself, but nonetheless Pavel Bure managed to come back from a serious injury, then got hit with a whiplash injury, and still put up half decent numbers
Kirk McLean. Many don't really know what happened to him last year. His marriage fell apart, his hockey fell apart and he had a million reasons to quit. But he didn't. It's great to see players out there who still truly love the game.
Trevor Linden. Linden runs away with this award. No doubt. Considering he was voted the best ATHLETE in this category in a different award, he definitely deserves it here. His contributions off the ice are unbelievable, from the Captain's Crew, to Canuck Place.
Dave Babych. Gramps always contributes off the ice, and his humanitarian conduct continued throughout this year.
Gino Odjick. It's one thing to ditch the bottle. It's another thing to walk accross BC for a fundraiser to help others. Gino's actions this year off the ice were very much in good nature.
Donald Brashear. Ouch. Let's just say I NEVER want to take a punch from this guy.
Gino Odjick. Gino has lead the NHL this season in penalty minutes. Odjick has been a strong physical force throughout the season.
Scott Walker. The 'Wild Thing'. Is insanely tough, mentally and physically. He takes on anybody, and I can't tell if he is really really brave, or really really stupid.
Mike Sillinger. After having the embarassment of being put on waivers and not tooken, Sillinger bounced back with an awesome seasona nd proved he deserves to be here.
Donald Brashear. In addition to his physical presence, Brashear has the ability to stick-handle, go end to end, and show offensive spark. Pretty good for a fighter huh? Great addition to this team.
Dave Babych. Still motoring at 36, he was one of the Canucks' better, more consistent players this year. Unfortunately most fans under-estimate his value. Babych edges out Dave Roberts in this category.
Mike Burnstein. Talking about unsung heroes, Mike Burnstein, the Canucks' trainer has had to put up with 256 loss of man-games. He has worked extremely hard and done the best he can. Excellent job by Mike.
Ross Davidson. Another medical help, the Canucks' doctor has been such a great help this season, even other teams are requesting his aid.
Pat O'Neill. Being an equipment manager is a tough job, and he is not recognized as much as he should be. His work, much like other years, has been exemplary. He is another unsung hero on this team
Martin Gelinas. things always seemed to happen when Marty was on the ice.
Donald Brashear. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't looking forward to every time he was on the ice. His fights were awesome too.
Pavel Bure. Despite his injuries, he still occasionally treated us to some magic shows, with a combination of his speed and skill.
Bret Hedican. It seems Heddy's play has gotten worse this year, ESPECIALLY his defensive play which has been terrible.
Alexander Mogilny. what the hell happened to his play? He was AWFUL this year, a year which he should have been trying to prove himself for more money. His off-ice antics did not help either.
Alexander Semak. What a total waste of money!
Markus Naslund. Still young and has lots of promise, Naslund was excellent in the later part of the season, and will surely be an asset to the team in teh future.
Lonny Bohonos. Bohonos is good in so many different types of ways. There really isn't a category at which he doesn't excel at. The scary part is he was signed as a free agent.
Adrian Aucoin. Showed signs this year of improvement, and there should definitely be a player to watch in the future. He beats out Mark Wotton by a small margin.
Get your own Free Home Page