Vancouver Canucks: How This Version Stacks Up Against the 1994 Team
The Vancouver Canucks are headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994. Over the last 17 years a lot of things have changed.
In 1994, gas was $1.21 a gallon, you could buy butter, milk, and eggs for under ten dollars, and Bill Clinton was in the White House.
Presently in 2011 the national average gas price is around $4.00, the cost of living and grocery prices have skyrocketed and Barack Obama is President of the United States.
The question at hand is how are the 2011 Vancouver Canucks any different than the 1994 Vancouver Canucks. At the same time how are the 2011 Vancouver Canucks are similar to the 1994 Vancouver Canucks.
Offensive Production
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1994 Canucks Top Scorers
- Pavel Bure- 107 Points
- Geoff Courtnall- 70 Points
- Clifford Ronning- 68 Points
- "C" Trevor Linden- 60 Points
2011 Canucks Top Scorers
- Daniel Sedin- 104 Points
- "C" Henrik Sedin- 94 Points
- Ryan Kesler- 73 Points
- Mikael Samulesson- 50 Points
- Christian Erhoff (D)- 50 Points
The '94 Canucks had Pavel Bure, Trevor Linden and Geoff Courtnall. The '11 Canucks have Sedin x 2 and Ryan Kesler. In terms of offensive fire power, it appears to be a pretty even match when looking at statistics.
In this scenario it is a dead heat. Pavel Bure is to Daniel Sedin as Ryan Kesler is to Geoff Courtnall. What should be dually noted is that back in the 1990's it was harder to score with both red lines. Post-lockout these lines were obviously eliminated to increase scoring.
Defensemen
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The 1994 Canucks allowed a total of 276 goals. These stats also correlate with the goaltending slide. They were 12th overall in the league with a penalty kill success rate of 79.8 percent.
The 2011 Canucks allowed a total of 185 goals this year which contributed to Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider's William J. Jennings Trophy win. This year's Canuck team was also tied for 2nd in the league with a PK success rate of 85.5 percent.
What made both teams good was the offensive production of their defensemen. The 1994 Canucks had success with Jyrki Lumme and the 2011 Canucks had similar success with Christian Ehrhoff.
- Jyrki Lumme -55 Points
- Jiri Slegr- 38 Points
- David Babych- 32 Points
- Christian Ehrhoff- 50 Points
- Alexander Edler- 33 Points
- Dan Hamhuis- 23 Points
- Kevin Bieksa- 22 Points
Advantage- 2011 Canucks
When you take into consideration the effectiveness of the 2011 Canucks' defensemen both offensively and defensively this one was a no-brainer.
Top Lines
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1994- Top Line
Adams-Linden-Bure
Pavel Bure and Trevor Linden were a great tandem. The two connected many a time for a big goal en route to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While this was certainly an impressive line the 2011 Canucks have a better one.
2011- Top Line
Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
There is simply no competition when your top line is a pair of offensively talented brothers. The pair of Sedins have a chemistry that is unmatched by any other line in the league. When you throw Burrows into the mix things really start cooking.
Successful hockey lines usually consist of players with great talent and great chemistry. It is hard to argue that the Sedin brothers line is not better than the Bure and Linden line.
No.1 Gunslinger- Sedin vs Bure
4 of 9There is no doubt that the 1994 Canucks were led by Pavel Bure. In his prime Bure was one of the best in the league. When you take his lightning speed, his agile hands and lethal shot into consideration, Bure was one of the most feared scorers in the league.
Daniel Sedin is a an explosive player to say the least. He is a great player and has a lot of talent and skill. He has come a long way with his brother Henrik since the Swedish duo were drafted back in 2000.
However, when it comes down to who was the bigger gunslinger of the two, Bure reigns supreme.
Advantage: Pavel Bure
My reasoning is this: I feel that Henrik Sedin makes Daniel Sedin more of a better player than Trevor Linden did for Bure. Both Bure and Daniel Sedin are wingers who had great setup men. While 1994 was a down year for Trevor Linden points wise, it can be explained by the explosiveness of Bure.
While both players are very talented I feel Bure wins this round. The video above displays how dangerous he was. If I were to vote on a scale of 1-10 Bure would be a 10 and Sedin a 9.5. That's how close the two players truly are.
However, over time, barring injury, Sedin will probably have a more successful career than Bure did.
Captains
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The 1994 Vancouver Canucks were led by 23-year-old Trevor Linden. Linden had been one of the three rotating captains for the Canucks before winning it outright.
Trevor Linden was a member of the Canucks from 1988-1998 and rejoined them in 2001. Linden played with the Canucks until his retirement in 2008.
He was a fan favorite and loved by the Vancouver faithful so much he was bestowed with the moniker of "Captain Canuck". He is arguably one of the greatest captains in Canuck history.
Henrik Sedin on the other hand was named the 13th captain in Canucks history at the beginning of this season. He has been a Canuck since 2000 when he was drafted with his brother Daniel.
Henrik Sedin has been nothing short or extraordinary over the last few seasons. He has played extremely well thus far in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and wants to bring the cup home to Vancouver.
For this slide I can't really see what has changed. In both cases the captain is, a talented player, a fan favorite and a great ambassador for the game of hockey.
Goaltending
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The 1994 Vancouver Canucks had Kirk McLean in net for the majority of the season. He posted a losing record of 23-26-3 with a G.A.A of 2.99 and .891 SV%.
However McLean elevated his game and to his credit he played well enough to get the Canucks to Game Seven of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.
Roberto Luongo was between the pipes for the 2011 Vancouver Canucks. He had a great season overall posting a 38-15-7 record with a G.A.A of 2.11 and a .928 SV%
Goaltending is a big reason why the 2011 Canucks won the Presidents' Trophy and the 1994 Canucks finished seventh in the Western Conference.
Goaltending is a huge reason why the Canucks have a good shot of winning the Stanley Cup this year. Kirk McLean was simply not a match for Mike Richter back in 1994.
Advantage: 2011 Canucks
Coaching
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Pat Quinn is one of the better coaches in NHL history. He is a two time Jack Adams Award winner, and coached Team Canada to an Olympic Gold Medal in 2002. While he may have never won a Stanley Cup, he had a great hockey mind and was well respected by his peers. In 1400 career games coached, Quinn has an overall record of 684-528-154.
Alain Vigneault set a franchise record for wins in a single season with 49 in his first year coaching the Canucks. As a result, he received his first Jack Adams Award. This season Vigneault coached the Canucks to the best record overall in the NHL.
Advantage- Pat Quinn
At this time in his career, Pat Quinn had years of playoff experience. Alain Vigneault has gained a lot of experience through coaching the Montreal Canadiens and now the Canucks but Pat Quinn edges him out this time.
End Result
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1994 Vancouver Canucks lose to New York Rangers in Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 (4-3)
2011 Vancouver Canucks face Boston Bruins/Tampa Bay Lightning.
Prediction- Vancouver Canucks win Stanley Cup
Comments,Questions, Concerns?
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