Even when they’re not playing, the Vancouver Canucks can’t help but be the butt of a few jokes.
During last night’s UFC 289 event in Vancouver, a Rogers Arena railing collapsed during Canadian fighter Mike Mallott’s walkout prior to his fight.
Minor injuries were reported, but thankfully the vast majority of people involved in the fall seemed to be doing alright. Per Global News, one woman was taken to hospital following the incident, injuring her arm.
In place of the old railing, a rope was attached, with stadium security located nearby to make sure no one else took a tumble.
But, with the internet being, well, the internet, people couldn’t help but point their laughter at the obvious parallels of both the Canucks and the railing collapse reflecting a stadium in need of upgrades. Rogers Arena has been slowly undergoing upgrades over the last few seasons, but much like the Canucks, have never really undergone a full rebuild of their venue since its opening as General Motors Place in 1995.
Here’s some of the internet’s best digs at the Canucks as a result of the incident:
Our Facebook page is treating this incident with the seriousness it deserves… pic.twitter.com/rUkFrwWiE7
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) June 11, 2023
Chatgpt show me what the #Canucks rebuild looks like… pic.twitter.com/nF4clzDwSJ
— Adrian 🤦🏻♂️ (@AY604) June 11, 2023
Rogers arena has seem way worse collapses than this https://t.co/WpU5d5ixrW
— ☆Cowboy☆Canuck☆ (@cowboycanuck) June 11, 2023
This must have been the railing holding the Canucks Cap space bubble, It finally gave up couldn't contain the cap any longer. #canucks https://t.co/tYDvg0JDqx
— Rutherford's 2nd Offseason of Cap Hell (@Jhammy51) June 11, 2023
“Normally the Canucks have to be here to see this kind of collapse in Rogers Arena” was right there Wyatt. You idiot!
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) June 11, 2023
Q: Did you hear about that epic collapse at Rogers arena?
A: You’re going to have to be much more specific.
— AJ (@Ace2SO) June 11, 2023
When Canucks try to retool on the fly. https://t.co/k51bd5C12A
— Taj (@taj1944) June 11, 2023
There’s a case to be made that UFC has actually had considerably more success in Rogers Arena than the Canucks since, well, about 2011 or so.
While the event has seen multiple championship belts be handed out and a number of classic fights have taken place in Vancouver at six different events since 2010, the Canucks haven’t celebrated a playoff series win on their home ice in some 12 years now.
It’s not hard to imagine the situation could’ve been a lot more serious had the railing been located higher up, or had there been any people closer to the railing that would end up landed on.
Generally, fans expect a venue to have railings that don’t collapse, and it seems like a preventable problem.
With about four months until next year’s regular season, it doesn’t appear that the Canucks will exactly be free from jokes anytime soon until their on-ice performance. Sure, there’s the draft, and free agency around the corner, but nothing quite stops a team from jokes until they actually start, you know, being a competitive roster once again.
But even if things might be a bit messy around the Canucks right now, at least they’re not getting Messier.
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