The Go-To Guy: The Höglem Globetrotterssons, Cody Hodgson’s comeback, and other fun takeaways from the Canucks’ toughest road trip of the season

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Could you imagine talking about this Canucks team to a fan who woke up from a two and-a-half year coma?

The 2021 season was so, so bleak, featuring no fans in the stands, four brand new divisions, and a rather meek total of 56 games for every team as opposed to the usual 82. The Canucks were following up a relatively successful 2019-20 campaign that saw the team make the playoffs for the first time in five years, albeit in a weird, fandangled format that hosted 24 teams instead of the 16-team format the league has had for ~30 years.

The Canucks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2nd round but hope was abound in Canucks Nation, especially with the world beater-esque performance from a then-23 year-old Thatcher Demko.

The best way to describe the off-season that followed: horrific.

Then-GM Jim Benning was like a kid who was told to pick out something for his birthday at Toys R Us, scanning every shiny new product that was at his disposal. He was so distracted that he forgot to sign *any* of the Canucks’ top unrestricted free agents, with the likes of Chris Tanev, Jakob Markstrom, Troy Stecher, and Tyler Toffoli opting to sign elsewhere.

After a few desperate attempts to soften the blow, the Canucks were ready to hit the ice for the 2021 season, and it was my least favourite year of Canucks hockey… ever.

Most awful Canucks seasons are reminiscent of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room: awful, but not too difficult to find amusement. The 2021 season felt more like the 2010 live action Avatar: The Last Airbender movie: a joyless, lifeless slog with little to no redeeming qualities.

We’ve been through a decade of darkness, and this season was the worst for me. Yeah, I got more enjoyment out of the 2023 season. Seriously.

So, would you tell that same formerly coma-induced Canucks fan that the team is currently first in points, third in points percentage, and just went 5-1-1 in their toughest road trip of the season?

For me, hard no.

Patrik Allvin and the rest of the front office deserve full praise for what they’ve been able to accomplish this season. The pro-scouting has especially proven to be a boon, with razor sharp bets such as Pius Suter, Filip Hronek, and Teddy Blueger all being acquired in 2023.

As previously mentioned, this latest road trip was touted to be the team’s toughest of the entire season, yet it felt like a cakewalk. I swear that I blinked once and the Canucks had already rattled off five-straight wins. If you’re looking for the most fun takeaways from it, then you came to the right guy.

“The Powerball”

After a lackluster performance in St. Louis to start the road trip, The Lotto Line began their comeback tour after a roughly three-year-long hiatus (with some reunion shows sprinkled in between) in a high-scoring affair against the New Jersey Devils. During the 2019-20 season, the trio of Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and J.T. Miller were absolutely demolishing anyone who crossed their path, toying with opposing defences. It was like watching the computer-smashing scene from Office Space every single night.

Add the highest scoring defensive pair in the league to the equation, and this ain’t just ‘The Lotto Line’ anymore, no, this is now what many are calling: ‘The Powerball’.

The five-man band were absolutely torching opponents on this road trip. Elias Pettersson led the charge notching 13 points since the start of the tour, and J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser helped him get there; with the three combining for 30 points through 6 games. Hronek and Hughes also combined for 13 points, matching Pettersson’s total. The underlying numbers were, you know…

It’s been an incredible reunion so far. Stacking your top line can add another element, the Canucks have done just that and are now raking in the rewards. Even if Tocchet opts to split The Lotto Line up, it was still a wildly memorable six-game stretch from them.

The Höglem Globetrotterssons

Thomas Drance (The Athletic) said the Canucks were “the greatest show on ice”, and that’s due in large-part to Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander stunting on the New York Rangers. The Swedish forwards were in a competition of “who can embarrass the Rangers more?” and it was Harlem Globetrotters-esque.

‘The Höglem Globetrotterssons’ have arrived, and tickets are going fast.

Pettersson started the madness when he received a pass from Brock Boeser, cut away from a sprawling K’Andre Miller, collected his own rebound after the initial save by Igor Shesterkin, and tucked it in whilst avoiding a stick check.

Enter: Nils Höglander. He bats the puck to Pius Suter in the neutral zone, who then gives Höglander a terrific pass, and he makes no mistake, transitioning the puck from forehand to backhand between his own legs and sliding it five-hole for one of the slickest goals of the season.

Stupid, stupid stuff. It’s one of the nicest goals I’ve ever seen by a player in a Canucks uniform.

It’s unknown if the Globetrotterssons will make a comeback, but I wouldn’t write it off. From a pure entertainment perspective, the 6-3 win over the New York Rangers was as good as it gets.

More games resembling that one, please.

Tyler Myers and the Cody Hodgson Game 8 slap shot

Three Canucks defenceman scored in last Tuesday night’s matchup versus the New York Islanders. Filip Hronek went bar-down, Quinn Hughes scored a goal that is typically scored by a top winger opposed to a top defender; but it was Tyler Myers who scored a goal that Cody Hodgson would be proud of.

Maybe the ex-Canuck used his former Buffalo Sabres teammate as inspiration, as Hodgson is now making his comeback to professional hockey after nearly eight years, signing a professional tryout with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Nothing would make me happier than to see Cody Hodgson back in an NHL lineup in his mid-30s. What a cool story that would be.

Whether it’s pure coincidence or not, the timing was impeccable.

Myers’ Hodgson-esque goal ended up being the game winner in a 5-2 victory over the Islanders. This was one of the club’s sharpest defensive performances of the season, with the Islanders generating just ~1.9 expected goals for.

Thatcher Demko’s career shutout total

The Canucks ‘kept on rolling with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the leader of the Globetrottersons carrying the squad on his back. Elias Pettersson had himself a four-point night to accompany the team’s winning streak being extended to four games.

The onslaught of fours carried over to the following game against the Buffalo Sabres, as Thatcher Demko notched his fourth shutout of the season. Despite a few pretty crucial stops, Demko only had to be good to earn this shutout, which is usually not the case for him since he’s had the task of backstopping the 2021-2023 Vancouver Canucks.

The shutout was also the seventh of his career, meaning the Californian netminder has already surpassed his previous career shutout total in just 31 starts this season.

This season has been so stupid.

Demko was also the first Canucks goaltender to register a shutout vs Buffalo since Roberto Luongo’s effort on October 17, 2013.

Demko has continuously proven over the course of this season that he is for real. No more hot runs and cold stretches, just consistent dominance; and that’s why he is a frontrunner to win the Vezina trophy by season’s end.

The Canucks now set their sights on a five-game homestand, starting with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, and the skidding Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Day in Canada this coming Saturday. If the Canucks continue to control games like they did over the past two weeks, this’ll be another fun stretch of hockey.

That road trip was dinner, now it’s time for dessert. Let’s keep eating!

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