Vancouver Canucks' on-ice woes prompts calls for off-ice changes
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING 6 injured in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash; 2 in life-threatening condition
Ontario Provincial Police say six people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont, including two in life-threatening condition.