Canucks on Mark Recchi?

[jeff hardy]

Canucks not ready to ‘embrace the hate’

Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images
“This is not even close to the most arrogant team I’ve even played on," said the Vancouver Canucks' Kevin Bieksa.
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Postmedia News  Nov 20, 2011 – 8:00 AM ET | Last Updated: Nov 20, 2011 1:30 AM ET

By Jason Botchford

VANCOUVER — How can a team led by the Sedins, one which lacks both toughness and bullies, be considered the most hated, arrogant team in hockey?

That’s what Mark Recchi comfortably called the Vancouver Canucks amid some prodding on Boston sports radio this week.

“(In) 22 years they are the most arrogant team I played against and the most hated team I’ve ever played against,” Recchi said.

At least he didn’t seem concerned about hyperbole. Kevin Bieksa handled it Saturday by swinging a 9 iron he pulled out of his bag of one liners.

“Isn’t he retired? What’s he doing? Tell him to go play a round of golf or take a nap. Why is he chirping us?”

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Then, Bieksa started to pick apart Recchi’s assertion.

“You can call us a lot of things, I don’t think arrogant would be one of them,” Bieksa said. “This is not even close to the most arrogant team I’ve even played on.

“The twins are so humble and you may not like playing against guys like (Maxim) Lapierre, and (Alex) Burrows but they’re not arrogant. I just don’t get it. Mark Recchi can go take a nap.”

Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault seemed legitimately disappointed in Recchi, a retired three-time Stanley Cup winner.

“I’ve known Mark, I’ve coached Mark, he’s a quality person,” Vigneault said. “But you can also win with class. You don’t need to rub it in. It was a seven-game series. This team, in my mind, is about integrity. We play the right way. They won.

“It is not a very classy thing.”

Recchi’s comment was one thing. That it fed into the “everyone should hate the Canucks” hysteria is quite another. Recchi is just the latest to throw gas on a fire which began building late last season, coincidentally when the Canucks were wrapping up a historic regular season, running away with the Presidents’ Trophy and nearly every important statistic.

As such, the Canucks were never in the underdog role and were never going to get the warmer, gentler coverage the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers received nationally during their recent, out-of-nowhere runs to the Stanley Cup.

By the time the playoffs started, many in the media were particularly eager to take a run at the perch they perceived the Canucks to be sitting on.

It became obvious in the reaction to Raffi Torres’s hit on Brent Seabrook. Not long after, columns poured in from around the country, suggesting Canadians not cheer for the Canucks. They cited reasons as absurd as the Green Men and as outrageous as Vancouver, as a city, isn’t Canadian enough. It all seemed petty at the time. Embarrassing, even. Now, it seems like it could have been damaging.

Dan Hamhuis became a scourge for hitting Dave Bolland high, even though it was the Blackhawks who allowed Bolland to play with concussion-like symptoms. The Sedins were ripped for keep their composure even while the Bruins tried to bully them. And the stories about embellishing never ended.

“You guys took it and just ran with it,” Bieksa said. “San Jose got a hold of it and it was just a snowball through the playoffs. All of a sudden, we’re the most hated team in Canada and all that stuff.

“Maybe it makes for great stories, but it’s getting old.”

It’s also getting ubiquitous. Many Canucks fans have given up trying to defend their team, instead choosing to “embrace the hate.” They have their own twitter hashtag — #embracethehate.

The players aren’t quite there yet.

“It seems like it’s fair game now to take a shot at us,” Henrik Sedin said. “Anyone can say something about our team and everyone just buys into it. It just keeps building and it’s not fair to us. We are a hard working team. We are no worse than any other team.”

[Merryframe946]

I agree. How can you call us arrogant? We aren't arrogant. Diving doesn't make you arrogant. Being a d1ck like Brad Marchand does... I laughed at Bieksa's comments, he's hilarious!

[jei]

“Isn’t he retired? What’s he doing? Tell him to go play a round of golf or take a nap. Why is he chirping us?”

seems like an arrogant comment to me.
I've seen countless hall of famers take shots at players/teams but they just reply with "he's entitled to that opinion" bcuz they respect the HOF
bieksa replies by taking a shot recchi

Marchand proved u can win a cup by playing like a dck
the Canucks prove u can't win a cup by playing like a pu$$y and diving
u hate me and I hate u, we're rivals lets all get along

[The Original Six]

lol Canucks fans convincing 'themselves' that they are not arrogant is just another way to prove that they are arrogant. The Canuck fans I heard talking during the playoffs last year got what they deserved. You're not all bad though, blame each other.

[xenaphobe]

Stay out of BC recchi,your a dead man.

[Matt]

the Canucks are pussies, the Bruins are assholes. now lets shut the f**k up and move on

[♥Canucks♥]

LOL I <3 Bieska. I laughed when I seen his comment on twitter. Rechhi is stupid saying "everyone should hate the Canucks." He can legit go take a nap. I bet no Canuck fans cared about what he said.