This post is for the Vancouver Canucks,

Seasons come and seasons go, and no matter the outcome, I’m always little sad to see it come to an end. This post is to say thank-you.Thank-you, for the season that was and all that is to come in the future.

Was the season perfect? No, but that doesn’t mean it was a wasted season. There will be some who say that this entire season was a write off or that it was pointless from the time that Brock Boeser’s injury took him out of the lineup or that you didn’t tank properly by winning games down the final stretch. Some will say that there were no strides made or that the lineup was a disaster.

Yes, it’s true that this season had some really hard moments from an endless list of long-term injuries to seeing Derek Dorsett forced to make the decision to leave the game early. Despite all those hard things or the negatives, there were still some pretty incredible moments that leave hope and excitement for the future. This season wasn’t perfect but it definitely wasn’t a write off or pointless.

Prospect development has been exciting to see grow in depth the past few seasons. This year you boasted one of your strongest prospect pools with players such as: Adam Gaudette, Kole Lind, Olli Juolevi, Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Dahlen, Petrus Palmu, Thatcher Demko, Michael Dipietro etc; all who have had success in their perspective leagues.

As you know, fans have long been begging for youth to be infused into the lineup and this year we saw quite a bit of youth in the lineup over the course of the season.

Brock Boeser a player that came with a lot of expectations on himself and from the fans. Is it possible that he could live up to the hype? In just his first full season, he made it clear very early that he’d exceed any and all expectations. Every game he was a part of, he drove to the net and boasted a wrist shot that rivals Pavel Bure or  Markus Naslund, leaving many goalies to ask: “HOW?”. It never seemed to matter who he played with, he always found a way to get the goals. Had he not been injured, he probably would’ve set an all-new Canucks rookie scoring record.

After his first 20-goal season, everyone wondered if Bo Horvat could repeat the feat? He answered that with a resounding YES, DESPITE missing extended time due to a foot injury, he put up a second 20-goal season! Every time he was on the ice, he was determined and worked on the smaller details of his game as well. You can see his determination every single shift. How fun was that line of him, Boeser and Baertschi early in the year before the injuries hit?

Jake Virtanen took strides this year to find that extra gear that everyone hoped he had. The last two months of the season in particular, he brought consistency to his game in all areas. That hard work he put in while being coached in Utica last season, has brought a new level to his game.

Thatcher Demko. Call him up, they said. Let him play, they said. CALL HIM UP. And then it happened, you called him up and not just to sit on the bench but to make his NHL debut in front of the home crowd. DEMKO TIME had arrived and what a game it was full of highway robbery saves finished with a thriller overtime win.

Darren Archibald came into to the season looking for his second chance in the NHL. With a strong training camp, and a continued strong playing style with Utica, he earned his spot late in the season. It was so great to see his hard work these last few years pay off with him getting back into the NHL. Proving that working hard and never giving up on your dream is always worth it.

Derek Dorsett came into this season after a long recovery from his injury last season and was swinging on all cylinders on pace for a career year. It was all kinds of magic to see him have such success after such a tough year last season. To see how hard he had worked to get here and then to see him have to make one of the toughest calls was heart-wrenching. It was absolutely the right call to make but still heartbreaking to see the decision be earlier than he had planned. Heck of a career that left a lot of people inspired.

And then it happened, the announcement that everyone had been both anticipating and hoping wouldn’t actually happen. Henrik and Daniel Sedin, have for the last 18 years defined what it meant to be a Canuck both on and off of the ice. This season we witnessed history as a second player notched his 1000th career point with the franchise. How often is it that one let alone TWO players each put up 1000 points with ONE franchise? It’s a rare feat and absolutely incredible to have happened twice over the last two seasons. That final home game from the Sedins was a perfect send off to end their tenure with the team. It was an absolutely incredible opportunity for the fans to have the chance to express our thanks to Henrik and Daniel.

It’s the end of an incredible era but also the beginning of a new one full of promise and hope. It was a year full of ups and downs and everything in between. Thank-you for another memorable season in the books. Here’s to the future!

We Are All Canucks.

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.