A history of the bizarre Basant Motors curse on Vancouver Canucks players
Most Vancouver Canucks fans probably know the name Basant Motors.
And while that’s great for Basant Motors, the reason most fans know the name isn’t necessarily what they envisioned.
Basant Motors, a used-car dealership in Surrey, B.C., has been employing Vancouver Canucks players as brand ambassadors for their dealership since 2016.
The issue? Almost everyone they recruit ends up departing the Canucks. And usually in a quick manner.
We were able to verify 15 players who struck a deal with Basant Motors, and 13 of them are no longer with the team.
Of those 13 players, eight were gone less than one year after linking with the dealership. That includes three who were gone within a month and one who never played a game for the Canucks again following their Basant Motors deal.
On average, Canucks players who partner with Basant Motors end up leaving the organization within two years.
Here’s a look at 15 Canucks players who have partnered with the dealership.
1. Alex Burrows (2016)
Perhaps this was a sign that the Basant Motors curse was going to be a thing.
Alex Burrows became the first known brand ambassador for the car dealership at the beginning of the 2016-17 season. This was Burrows’ 12th season with the Canucks.
The Canucks legend didn’t finish the season in Vancouver, as he was dealt at the 2017 trade deadline to the Ottawa Senators, kickstarting the Basant Motors curse.
2. Alex Burmistrov (2017)
The Canucks took a flier on Alex Burmistrov during the 2017 offseason, seven years after the Russian was drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.
Burmistrov appeared in a radio commercial for Basant Motors during the 2017-18 season. He lasted just 24 games with the Canucks before he announced his retirement from the NHL.
He’s currently playing in the KHL with the Shanghai Dragons.
3. Antoine Roussel (2018)
Antoine Roussel signed a four-year contract with the Canucks on July 1, 2018. Shortly thereafter, the French winger joined the Basant Motors lineup.
Roussel had a longer Vancouver stint than most Canucks who worked with Basant Motors. He was part of the 2021 blockbuster trade that saw Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland become Canucks.
4. Michael Del Zotto (2019)
Another Jim Benning special, Michael Del Zotto signed with the Canucks as a free agent in the summer of 2017.
He was first spotted wearing the Basant Motors jersey in January 2019. Later that month, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
5. Adam Gaudette (2019)
Adam Gaudette enjoyed a solid rookie season with the Canucks in 2018-19, the same year he joined the Basant Motors lineup.
The following season, Gaudette was at the epicentre of the largest COVID-19 outbreak among North American sports teams. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks shortly thereafter.
Antoine Roussel and Adam Gaudette were both traded off the Canucks roster in 2021. (@basantmotors/Instagram)
6. Tyler Toffoli (2020)
Yes, even Tyler Toffoli became a Basant Motors brand ambassador during his 17-game Canucks career.
Despite looking like a perfect fit, the Canucks let Toffoli walk as a free agent following the 2019-20 season.
7. J.T. Miller (2021)
J.T. Miller morphed into an absolute star during the year in which he joined Basant Motors. In 2021-22, he broke out and had a 99-point season. At the time, it stood as the seventh-most productive season in Canucks history.
The East Palestine, Ohio native had two more incredibly productive seasons before he was traded by the Canucks on Jan. 31, 2025.
8. Conor Garland (2021)
Finally, one Canucks player who has survived the Basant Motors curse.
Conor Garland became a brand ambassador for the dealership after being acquired by the Canucks in a blockbuster deal from the Arizona Coyotes.
Since joining the Canucks, Garland has led the team with 336 games played.
Conor Garland is a rare Canucks player who isn’t a victim of the Basant Motors curse. (@basantmotors/Instagram)
9. Tyler Motte (2022)
Tyler Motte was never pictured on Basant Motors’ social media page as a brand ambassador, but he did shout them out on Instagram in February of 2022 for giving him and a few teammates cars to drive.
Literally a month later, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
10. Zack MacEwen (2021)
Zack MacEwen might be the only Basant Motors victim on this list to never play with the team following his recruitment from the dealership.
After being named a brand ambassador in the summer of 2021, he never played another game for the Canucks. He was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
11. Vasily Podkolzin (2022)
With Motte and MacEwen departing in the 2021-22 season, Basant Motors recruited new players ahead of 2022-23.
That included Vasily Podkolzin, who just capped off a solid rookie season for the Canucks in 2021-22.
It was all downhill for Podkolzin in Vancouver after his Basant Motors deal. He registered just four goals and nine points in 58 games during his last two seasons in Vancouver before being dealt to Edmonton in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
12. Dakota Joshua (2022)
Dakota Joshua joined the Basant Motors team after signing with the Canucks in the summer of 2022.
And, just like Motte and Podkolzin before him, Joshua was traded away in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
13. Elias Lindholm (2024)
It was always going to be a long shot for Elias Lindholm to sign with the Canucks in the summer of 2024.
But perhaps his fate was sealed when he joined the Basant Motors lineup just weeks after he was acquired by the Canucks. Lindholm departed as a free agent for the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2024.
Elias Lindholm left Vancouver less than four months after this photo was posted. (@basantmotors/Instagram)
14. Jonathan Lekkerimäki (2024)
Aside from Garland, Jonathan Lekkerimäki is the only Canucks player remaining with the organization after joining Basant Motors.
He’s played 28 career games for the Canucks, scoring four goals while adding seven points.
15. Erik Brännström (2024)
While he never appeared in any promotional material for Basant Motors, Erik Brännström, Joshua, and Lekkerimäki were spotted at an event for the dealership in January 2025 as brand ambassadors.
Brännström was traded later that month in the blockbuster Miller trade.
The 2025 Basant Motors lineup
So, who’s the next victim?
Basant Motors posted that Teddy Blueger, Drew O’Connor, Victor Mancini and Tom Willander are the brand ambassadors for 2025, in addition to Lekkerimäki.
Perhaps it was a smart move for Basant to bring aboard a player like O’Connor, who has a no-move clause for the next two seasons.
But as we’ve seen for most of the last 10 years, any Canucks player who joins Basant Motors can fall victim to the curse.