Thursday, April 30, 2020

The 2019-20 Canucks Top Meme Awards

Guest Post by Natalie Hoy

It may be a shortened Canucks season, but there's been no shortage of meme-able Canucks content. Here is a top 8 in honour of defenseman Chris Tanev’s first full season in the NHL.1 We are all very proud of you.2

8 | Hockey hugs (of quality)


Will Graham wrote an entire article on the tangible intangibles of hockey hugs, and it goes to show how embraced they were by the fanbase this season. There was a lot of skill on display, but a lot of camaraderie also.

7 | Yep, that’s me, Jacob Markstrom


The *record scratch* *freeze frame* meme is an amalgam of several 80s/90s film clichés and one of my favourites, because everyone knows the best memes are the ones derived from sheer panic.

On Nov. 5th, the Canucks and St. Louis went to overtime and Tyler Myers shot wide, lost an edge, and took J.T. Miller down with him. It was a rare 3-on-0 heading the other way, and you gotta love Markstrom’s aggressive goal post tap as he readied himself for the challenge. The team’s social media even used the still in their dos and don’ts of social distancing, so it’s nice to know someone is laughing about it now.

6 | Ageless Mason Raymond


Between 50th anniversary celebrations, Sedin week and Alex Burrows’ Ring of Honour night, there was no shortage of Canucks alumni in the building this season, and that list included Mason Raymond.

Fondly referred to as ‘MayRay,’ Raymond was drafted by the Canucks in 2005 and spent the better part of six seasons in Vancouver before brief stints with Toronto, Calgary, Anaheim, and SC Bern of the Swiss league. The speedy winger has since returned to his agricultural roots, and is a farmer in his home province of Alberta.

This gif of Raymond was from February 2020, though I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash if someone had said it was from 2010 because the man. does. not. age. He was an athlete ambassador for a local spa and skin care company in 2012 and the fresh-faced philosophy has endured.

Raymond is only 34 – but so are current roster vets Loui Eriksson and Jay Beagle. You don’t see people on Twitter clamouring for their skin care regimens.

5 | Canucks Boat


From a Hollywood North-caliber zombie film to intermission dog races, there was a lot to like about the Canucks’ in-arena entertainment this season.

One clip that didn’t gain the traction I thought it deserved was their Love Boat parody, which first hit the jumbotron on 80s night. It featured Horvat as the captain – which made total sense – and Edler as the doctor – which made no sense.

I learned not one, but two new words in ‘yeoman’ and ‘purser.’ And then there was Quinn Hughes as Huggy Bear—an oversized suit jacket and smile so uncomfortable, yet graciously on-brand. Stick taps to all involved!

4 | Pug in a ____


Riley is Chris Tanev’s pug and one of this season’s unsung heroes. He gained a cult-like following after making his Instagram debut in November because he is very cute (enviable), but mostly likes to sleep and eat (relatable).

The IG post that started it all had the simple caption, "Pug in a box," which led to endless permutations among the meme-fiends on r/Canucks.







A post shared by Chris Tanev (@tanevchris) on




3 | Travis Green breakdance


During a matinee match up in Buffalo, a Brock Boeser shot was under review and the Canucks thought they had a sure goal thanks to a deceiving playback angle. When the no goal call on the ice was upheld, coach Travis Green was kind of flabbergasted.

“As soon as I did the little breakdance I was praying that no one caught it, but obviously they did,” Green said of his reaction after the game.

From another angle, it was shown the puck had actually sailed several feet over the net—not through the side netting as initially suggested. Fortunately, Boeser also tallied two that counted, and the Canucks went on to beat the Sabres 6-3.

An optical illusion long forgotten, but the Travis Green breakdance lives on.

2 | ‘Hey girl’ ft. Tanner Pearson


Pearson’s smirk and one hand on the hip, the other against the wall pose prompted some humorously Canadian pick-up lines – ‘Hey girl’/Ryan Gosling style.

Pearson is already married, and Tim Hortons is currently take-out only, but that’s okay. The Canucks should give Jake Virtanen the DSLR more often if it means getting more content like this.

1 | The Insurance Line


Loui Eriksson, Bo Horvat, and Tanner Pearson played nearly 290 minutes together this season, but their legacy was made in a fraction of that time. More specifically, the final few minutes of regulation, when they were oft out defending a lead and potting empty net goals.

The three were credited with 12 empty net goals between them—the only other Canuck with one this season was Brandon Sutter. Their dogged determination inspired a wave of memes that made it hard not to indulge in their stat-padding successes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/envzro/the_empty_net_gang_strikes_again/
https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/ev1dlv/you_have_been_visited_by_the_empty_net_gods/
https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/epwsfq/empty_net_specialist/
https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/evdxmv/loui_eriksson_is_the_closer/


1 The NHL says the 2019-20 season is ‘on pause,’ but they recently extended their Coronavirus self-quarantine recommendation for players and staff to April 30th. Big-ticket sporting events are unlikely to return anytime soon, and understandably so.
2 But only if the NHL season is cancelled.

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