Vancouver Canucks' on-ice woes prompts calls for off-ice changes

Vancouver Canucks players leave the ice after their loss to the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP / Jae C. Hong)

VANCOUVER -

It’s not the start to the hockey season fans were hoping for.

The Vancouver Canucks have won just five of their first 16 games, and as they return home from a woeful three-game road trip, some fans are calling for major changes off the ice.

“I am frustrated. I am disappointed,” says Clay Imoo, a Canucks superfan and co-host of the Canucks After Dark live podcast.

“It’s almost like the season’s already slipping away.”

Imoo isn’t the only one who feels that way. Through his podcast and YouTube channel, he hears from hundreds of other Canucks die-hards. Many of them, he says, are calling for General Manager Jim Benning to be fired.

“i think a lot of peoples’ problem with Benning is he’ll say something that’s good for the short-term but he doesn’t have that long term foresight. And that’s why it feels like every year, we’re putting out new fires,” Imoo explained.

The Canucks have made it to the post-season just once in the past six seasons, and two times since Benning was made Canucks GM in May 2014.

“We’re potentially wasting away the prime years of some really good players,” said Imoo. “(Canucks Captain) Bo Horvat is already in his seventh year in the NHL, and he’s only been to the playoffs once.”

If the team continues losing at this rate, any hope of making the post-season this year would be dashed.

“They’re in a tailspin right now,” says veteran Vancouver-based broadcaster Scott Rintoul. “They gave up 19 goals in three games.”

However, Rintoul doesn’t believe the Canucks’ losing record will be enough to convince team owner Francesco Aquilini to abandon management’s plan for the team and move on to a new GM.

“If (ownership) allowed the general manager to make these kinds of moves, and think something can still be made of this season, then salvaging it 15 games in probably isn’t the solution.”

After COVID-19 pandemic restrictions kept Canucks fans out of the arena for nearly two years, spectators are once again welcome in the stands, and the team is earning revenue from ticket sales. However, if poor on-ice performance persists and fewer fans buy tickets, Rintoul says it could force ownership to make changes.

As a superfan, Imoo maintains he would never stop supporting the Canucks, but says it’s critical the team finds a way to win more games before the fanbase loses hope.

“When you make an emotional investment and a monetary investment, you definitely want to cheer for a winning team,” he said.

The Canucks kick off a three-game homestand on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.