Roger Neilson statue fenced off after Canucks fans climbed it

Apr 27 2024, 9:31 pm


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The Roger Neilson statue at Rogers Arena now sits behind a fence, days after a Vancouver Canucks fan was filmed climbing it.

Following the Canucks’ Game 1 win over the Nashville Predators, a fan climbed the statue to put a 2024 playoff towel on it. Others have been seen climbing the statue, fans say on social media.

A fan attending last night’s viewing party uploaded a photo to social media showing that the statue had been fenced off, with a Canucks spokesperson confirming in an email to Daily Hive that they did so due to safety concerns. They did, however, choose to leave a 2024 playoff towel on it.

Towel power was born during the Canucks’ Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1982. Neilson put a towel on the end of a hockey stick in Chicago during Game 2 of the conference final — a sarcastic gesture to mock the referee who had called a string of penalties against Vancouver. Tiger Williams and some other Canucks players joined in.

Neilson was ejected from the game and Vancouver lost 4-1.

But when the Canucks returned home for Game 3, fans at the Pacific Coliseum were waving white towels. They won the next three games in a row and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Colton PankiwColton Pankiw

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