Bieksa makes huge revelation on Canucks and the 2011 Stanley Cup Final
Photo credit: Bob Frid
It's been nearly 13 years since the Vancouver Canucks appeared in the Stanley Cup Final where they faced, and eventually lost to, the Boston Bruins. But the team wasn't too keen on playing the Bruins.
While on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet analyst and former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa said that the team wanted to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final that year. Bieksa said that they thought they'd match up a lot better against the Lightning than the Bruins. That year, the Lightning lost to the Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final, which came three days after the Canucks eliminated the Sharks, so there's no doubt they were watching and analyzing who they'd rather play.
""We wanted Tampa Bay.... We watched it. We wanted Tampa Bay... Just looking at the two different styles, we thought we matched up against Tampa better." Bieksa said.
Bieksa also went on to mention that he believes the team lost the Stanley Cup Final in Game 1 after Dan Hamhuis was injured by a hip check from Bruins forward Milan Lucic. Hamhuis, who was Bieksa's defensive partner, suffered a sports hernia, along with abdominal and groin injuries.
"Hamhuis going down in Game 1 on the Lucic hip check lost us the Final I think." Bieksa said.
More Bieksa: "Hamhuis going down in Game 1 on the Lucic hip check lost us the Final I think."� Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) April 7, 2024
Hamhuis would go on to miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup Finals as the Canucks would lose on home ice in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins. While Canucks fans are still not over losing to the Bruins that year, the team has an opportunity this season to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Do you think if the Canucks played the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, they would have won it all? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 7 | 823 ANSWERS Bieksa makes huge revelation on Canucks and the 2011 Stanley Cup Final Do you think if the Canucks played Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, they would have won it all? | ||
| Yes | 587 | 71.3 % |
| No, the Bruins were a good matchup, got unlucky | 236 | 28.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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