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14 of the strangest things to ever happen at a Canucks game

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Jan 14 2022, 6:07 pm
14 of the strangest things to ever happen at a Canucks game
Michael Jackson (or was it an impersonator?) drops the puck at a Canucks game at the Pacific Coliseum in 1984 (Vancouver Canucks)

Sometimes, hockey is weird.

Take Tuesday’s incident at the Vancouver Canucks game against the Florida Panthers, where Kodak Black was caught on camera having a “sexy good time.”

There have been many strange moments throughout Canucks history. What you’ll read below is a sampling of some of the most bizarre.

For this list, we’re sticking with moments that happened during the game itself. That’s why you won’t find hilarious videos such as Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider’s “feud” or any funny off-ice interviews.

So, in honour of Kodak Black’s shenanigans, here are 14 of the strangest things to ever happen at a Canucks game.

14. Vernon Fiddler sends Alain Vigneault into hysteria

Kevin Bieksa had a knack for getting under the opponent’s skin. However, no one retaliated against Bieksa quite like Vernon Fiddler.

During a Canucks game against the Dallas Stars in 2012, Fiddler did what he called his “caveman” impression of Bieksa.

“It’s part of the game. Obviously, it hurt the caveman’s feelings,” Fiddler told the media back in 2012.

Nearly a decade later, Bieksa brought back memories of the incident by trolling Fiddler on Hockey Night in Canada.

13. Jarkko Ruutu fools Dion Phaneuf

Finnish forward Jarkko Ruutu was known as an agitator, and this has to be his most memorable moment as a Canuck.

Ruutu tricked Calgary Flames defencemen Dion Phaneuf into thinking he wanted to fight. Instead, he gets the stick between his legs, which sent Phaneuf sprawling onto the ice.

What made this even funnier is that Phaneuf was the only player to get a penalty on the play.

12. You got the wrong Sedin…

Although Henrik and Daniel Sedin sometimes made the game of hockey look easy, being identical twins in the NHL isn’t always a breeze.

There were stories about how their former head coach, Marc Crawford, screamed at the wrong Sedin. Another viral clip shows them being the perfect twins, drinking out of their water bottles in unison.

For this list, let’s go with this hilarious in-game moment when referee Francois St. Laurent put Henrik in the box instead of Daniel.

11. Torts tries to fight Hartley

There aren’t many coaches as animated as John Tortorella.

For a guy who often steals the spotlight, Tortorella’s actions against Flames head coach Bob Hartley and the Flames stands out as one of his most bizarre moments.

The fury he directed at Hartley could be seen across Rogers Arena. He elevated the drama shortly thereafter by attempting to charge the Flames locker room during the first intermission.

10. Gino loses equipment, fights three Blues

Gino Odjick is easily one of the most iconic characters in Canucks history.

He had many memorable moments with Vancouver, but one that stands out the most occurred during Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the St. Louis Blues.

In the third period with the Blues winning 8-2, forward Glenn Anderson tried to poke at a puck that was underneath Canucks goaltender Kay Whitmore. That sparked a brawl, with Odjick being the star of the show.

Odjick fought three Blues players during the incident, while also losing everything from the waist up.

9. Gone streaking

The oldest mention on our list includes not one, not two, but three female streakers at a Canucks game.

The women, who apparently worked at the Penthouse Nightclub, ran onto the ice during a game. According to former Canucks broadcaster Jim Robson, someone was in on the prank.

“Mysteriously, the gate was neatly left open just past the bench so they could run off the ice,” Robson told Global News.

“It added a lot of entertainment to a very mediocre first period of hockey,” former Canucks defencemen Tracy Pratt added.

8. Conference Final flasher

Ben Eager was someone who often frequented the penalty box, but this trip to the sin bin must’ve stood out.

During Game 2 of the 2011 Western Conference Final, one fan went viral after this flashing incident was caught on national television.

“It was an interesting night for sure,” Eager said following the incident.

7. The Green Men

Speaking of drawing attention from the opposition penalty box, no one did that better than the Green Men.

From 2009 to 2015, Adam Forsyth (Force) and Ryan Sullivan (Sully) tormented oppositions in the penalty box. They even drew the ire of the NHL, who told them to “tone down their antics” back in 2011 after a complaint was filed.

6. Michael Jackson drops the puck…or does he?

Michael Jackson Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

During a Canucks game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 16th, 1984, Michael Jackson was photographed dropping the puck pre-game.

The question is, was that really The King of Pop himself at centre ice?

Jackson was in town for a tour that week, but there’s a lot of mystery surrounding whether it was actually Jackson or an impersonator at the Canucks game.

Derek Jory dug into the story back in 2009, but to this day, no confirmation has been made either way.

5. Roberto Luongo has to poop during game

For 3:34 of overtime action, the fate of the Canucks’ season was in the hands of seldom-used backup goaltender Dany Sabourin.

During overtime of Game 5 in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals, onlookers were dumbfounded to see Sabourin begin overtime in net.

Luongo was nowhere to be found.

Saboruin made five saves during his brief stint of relief before Luongo returned to the action.

Luongo had been in the bathroom.

“I was there doing my business and I hear the play starting in the arena,” Luongo told Sports Illustrated in 2016. “So I panicked there. I don’t remember if I wiped. I just put my gear back on, tried to get out there as soon as I could.”

4. The “Brabarian” is born

On December 29th, 2006, the Canucks plucked enforcer Jeff Cowan off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

Heading into a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on March 1, 2007, Cowan had no goals and two assists in 42 games.

He then proceeded to score six goals in four games.

After netting his fifth goal in three games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 7, one ecstatic fan tossed her bra onto the ice.

The Brabarian was born.

3. Roger Neilson waves the white towel

One of the most iconic moments in Canucks history was also one of the strangest.

During the 1982 playoffs, Canucks head coach Roger Neilson became fed up after a disallowed goal and multiple penalties went against his team. After the Chicago Blackhawks scored to go up 4-1, Neilson put a white towel on a hockey stick and raised it over his head.

Some Canucks players also put towels on their sticks to show their displeasure towards the refs.

Although Chicago went on to win this game, the Canucks won the next three contests, which put them in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

2. Linden drops top of Clarence Campbell Trophy

To this day, there’s an aura of superstition about whether teams should lift the Clarence Campbell Bowl or the Wales Trophy when they advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Back in 1994, Linden decided to lift the Clarence Campbell Bowl. He didn’t realize the lid came off though.

As Linden skated back to his teammates with the trophy, they motioned to him to pick up the the lid.

1. Kevin Bieksa stanchion goal

Apparently, the Canucks can’t advance to the Stanley Cup Finals without something strange happening.

Bieksa gave Canucks fans one of the strangest and most memorable moments in team history when he scored on Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi in Game 5 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals.

Niemi, and many other players on the ice, had no idea where the puck was. Luckily for the Canucks, Bieksa did.

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