It’s been an emotional few days in Vancouver to say the least.
On their way to a dreadful 8-15-2 start to the season, the unrest amongst Canucks fans grew louder and louder. Rogers Arena would often be subject to “Fire Benning” chants, directed at GM Jim Benning, and fans were finding all kinds of creative ways to make their opinions known.
On Sunday, those that wanted change finally got their wish. Reports suddenly began trickling in that there had been a change at the head coaching position, with Travis Green out and Bruce Boudreau in. Then, not long after, more reports began coming down the line.
After seven years of a tumultuous Benning-led Canucks hockey, the era was finally over.
Of all the moves that drew ire from the Canucks faithful, there may not be one more dramatic than the contract he signed Loui Eriksson to. Not only was the AAV evidently way too high at $6 million, but the term was not friendly either at 6 years. Benning pushed his chips in, and he lost.
Over 252 games with the Canucks organization, Eriksson managed to record a measly 90 points (38 goals, 52 assists). While signing a bad contract isn’t necessarily the fault of Eriksson, he became somewhat of a poster boy for the unrest amongst fans.
On Monday, Eriksson – who is now playing for the Arizona Coyotes – celebrated his 1,000th career game. While some accounts congratulated the Swede on a significant milestone, a lot of the replies quickly filled up with Canucks commentary.
Saying that, it wasn’t all bad!
