Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks

Veteran hockey writer Ed Willes takes an irreverent look back at the sometimes thrilling, often infuriating and always fascinating history of the Vancouver Canucks.

Cheering for the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks over the last half century has required patience, commitment and a forgiving nature. It’s not that the Canucks have been uniformly awful or drearily predictable. Far from it (as this past season would attest). But every time they seemed close to delivering the ultimate prize to their fan base—the indomitable faithful—they slipped on a banana peel and tumbled straight into the abyss.

Most of their failings were self-inflicted. The franchise’s ownership history is as uneven as its won-loss record. But some have been so random and so accidental, the faithful can legitimately wonder what they did to anger the hockey gods. It started in 1970 with a spin of the carnival wheel, which gifted Hall of Fame centre Gilbert Perreault to the Buffalo Sabres and left the Canucks with Dale Tallon. And it’s continued uninterrupted for over fifty years.

For decades, veteran Vancouver hockey writer Ed Willes has had his own vantage point on this team that has, in his words, “been haunted by dark and unnatural forces since its inception.” And Willes’s knowledge extends far beyond the most infamous chapters of the story. As this irreverent, often bitterly funny chronicle shows, the litany of woe stretches back farther and runs deeper than many Canucks fans realize, and stars several of the biggest names in hockey history.

Willes’s account tells the story of a uniquely confounded franchise and its obsessive followers, who have thus far been denied the thrill of a Stanley Cup championship. Their consolation has been the dubious comfort of wallowing in collective misery.

“I can’t think of anyone better to write the Vancouver Canucks’ history than Ed Willes. Look no further than his WHA book The Rebel League to appreciate Ed’s immense storytelling talent and his ability to bring old hockey stories back to life.”

“Ed Willes and the Vancouver Canucks. Rarely has there been a better marriage of author and subject. Willes is a deft writer and keen hockey analyst and, honestly, can you think of any NHL franchise (or hyper-caffeinated fan base) more in need of analysis than the Canucks, still pining for their first Stanley Cup after more than five decades? My only quibble is Willes’ publisher didn’t title his book The Jung and the Restless.”

“Ed Willes has long been one of Canada’s premier sportswriters—renowned for his ability to get beyond the scores and into the heads of players, coaches, management and a savvy fan base. Great writer, great book!”

“No one has a deeper grasp of the Vancouver hockey scene or writes it with more eloquence, depth and humour than Ed Willes. From the Regina Leader Post, to the New York Times, to the Vancouver Province, Eddie has taken us all on an incredible hockey ride over the years. Who better to chronicle Canucks history? A must read.”

“I’ve known Ed Willes for 40 years. He’s actually old enough to have seen me play. Before we covered the Canucks, I got to know him when I was broadcasting Winnipeg Jets games and he was working for the Winnipeg Sun. Ed was appreciated by players, management, other media members and his readers because he was honest, fair and treated everyone with respect. Scrubs and stars were dealt with exactly the same way. Who better to chronicle the many ups and downs of the Vancouver Canucks?”

Ed Willes is a master storyteller and a skilled historian. Who better to write the history of the Canucks than someone who watched the Sedins up close, appreciates what Stan Smyl and Pavel Bure mean to the franchise and was closely associated with Pat Quinn, Roger Neilson and Harry Neals.”