Canucks Luck: A Mindset That’s Hard to Shake for Vancouver Fans

As a Canucks fan for 30 years, I can attest that Canucks Luck is a mindset that all fans share. Not only have Canucks fans had to endure their team never winning a Stanley Cup, but they have also had the longest time without “earning” a first overall pick. Canucks Luck is very similar to Murphy’s Law – if something can go wrong, it will.

The origins of Canucks Luck date back to the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ existence. Their expansion brother, the Buffalo Sabres, and Canucks management went to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Quebec to spin a wheel three times.

The first spin was to set waiver priority – the least important of the three spins. There were 13 spaces on the wheel, with 1-6 designated for Vancouver, 8-13 for Buffalo, and the unlucky number 7 was a wash and respin. The wheel was spun, and the Buffalo Sabres took priority for the waiver wire.

The second spin was for the expansion draft, and once again, the Sabres won this wheel spin. This meant they would have priority for the expansion draft, which would shape both organizations.

The third spin was the most crucial one, as it would determine the winning team’s first overall pick at the draft – the rights to draft Gilbert Perreault. NHL President Clarence Campbell spun the wheel, and it was announced that it landed on number one, which was the Canucks. The Canucks organization was overjoyed, but their excitement was short-lived when Buffalo’s first GM, George “Punch” Imlach, asked Campbell to re-examine the wheel. The number it landed on was actually number eleven, which gave the pick to the Buffalo Sabres.

This event is what Canucks fans refer to as Canucks Luck – the first time the Canucks had a chance to shape their future, and it didn’t go their way. There have been other instances where management had control, such as former GM Jim Benning choosing Olli Juolevi over Matthew Tkachuk in the draft.

Still, other times, it seems like luck is never on the Canucks’ side, like dropping from 3rd overall to 5th overall in the 2016 draft. So, the next time you talk to a Canucks fan and they seem down on their luck, remember that since 1970, the Canucks haven’t had much success on ice or off.