It’s 1994; Pavel Bure blasts out of the Canucks zone at warp speed, weaving gracefully through the opposing team on his way to a beautiful backhand deke on whatever goaltender was unlucky enough to be facing him on that night. He’s wearing the familiar home white jersey with the flying skate, as he raises his arms in celebration of the goal. Yes, that was before the NHL changed to white road jerseys. A story in itself for another time.
That’s where the love of the Skate jersey began for Canucks fans. With that beloved team. Bure and his cast of supporting players, the likes of Trevor Linden, Kirk McLean, Cliff Ronning, Geoff Courtnall, and Jryki Lumme, to name just a few. A team that squeaked into the playoffs by one point then went on an incredible run all the way to Game 7 of the Cup Final.
That team and jerseys endeared themselves to the fans, and were etched in history following their Stanley Cup run, that fell a goalpost short, that year. Sorry, Nathen Lafayette.
The Canucks began bringing them back in 2016, albeit a slightly modified version, and only in black on home ice. Last season the team wore them about 40% of the time, and this year it will be closer to 50%, with 18 home games slated for the jersey, beginning Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Personally, and it is quite a popular opinion, bring back the Skate full time, both home and away. It’s one of the sharpest-looking jerseys in the NHL. It’s also understandable that the younger generation may be more attached to the current Orca whale, and the 2011 Cup runner-up team. Which, don’t get me wrong, was a fantastic team in itself. But to a lot of fans, the Orca whale represents a corporate logo for Canucks Sports & Entertainment, formerly known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment.
The feeling over the past few years is that Canucks Ownership, led by Francesco Aquilini, is giving the Skate a good hard look. And likely gauging merchandise sales against the Orca logo. Or, it’s all for marketing purposes, or even both. But, It’s time. Just bring it back please, Francesco, Canuck Nation is waiting.
Today is a team day off. Next game up for the Canucks is a Hockey Night in Canada tilt, on Saturday night, against the Penguins.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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