THN Archive: Messier Brought Clout to Canucks, But West-Coast Experiment With 'Moose' Failed

The Vancouver Canucks are currently one of the NHL's top teams, but this THN cover story from September 1997 showcased an acquisition that didn't work out – the arrival of star center Mark Messier.

The Vancouver Canucks are one of the best teams in the NHL this season. In this cover story from THN’s Sept. 5, 1997 edition (Vol. 50, Issue 41), THN contributor Elliott Pap chronicled one of the least-successful Canucks moves in team history – the high-priced, high-money acquisition of star forward Mark Messier.

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Messier was a six-time Stanley Cup championship by the time he signed with Vancouver in 1997, but in three seasons as a Canuck, Messier and his team failed to qualify for the Cup playoffs, let alone be a true Cup front-runner. But that didn’t stop people around the organization from initially applauding the decision to bring Messier in.

“We felt we would get it done one way or another,” then-Canucks GM Pat Quinn said of the deal to sign Messier. “His winning attitude will rub off on all of us and help us be the team we want to be. We do have some talent here, but maybe that talent didn’t know how to win.”

“You have to make the investment in the players and the organization to show people we mean what we say,” added John McCaw, then-Canucks owner. “We’re trying to build an environment here that everyone talks about…And one of the things I want is a team that is always contending for the Stanley Cup. If Mark increases every player’s performance by 10 per cent, we’ve made a very good investment.”

All things considered, you could see why the Canucks thought they had a key piece of the puzzle in Messier. However, given that he posted only one season at the 60-point plateau, it was clear Messier’s best days were behind him. But his legacy will remain an important part of hockey history.

“He’s a bom leader,” said Canucks’ left winger Martin Gelinas, a onetime teammate of Messier’s in Edmonton. “He reads the game and other players so well. When it’s time to demand from other players, he’ll do that. And when it’s time to back off, he’ll do that, too.”

Vol. 50, No. 41, Sept. 5, 1997

By Eliott Pap

The Vancouver Canucks had profound problems as they ended their 1996-97 season in despair and out of the playoffs.

The team needed many things, foremost among them grit and leadership, a No. 1 center and a large dose of credibility following three straight vears of decline.

But nobody ever fathomed they would attempt to solve these problems with the dramatic - and very expensive - July 28 signing of fabled warrior Mark Messier.

“People were coming up to me the day before Mark signed and I kept saying ’Not a chance,’ “smiled Canucks’ captain Trevor Linden. “It came as such a surprise to me.”

Linden had plenty of company in that regard.

When Mark and his agent-father Doug put out the word they were unhappy with the New York Rangers and would be entertaining offers from other teams, the Canucks immediately jumped into the fray with the blessing and wallet of owner John McCaw.

GM Pat Quinn established a dialogue with Doug Messier and a week later Quinn and his immediate superior. Orca Bay president John Chapple, flew to the Messier compound at Hilton Head, S.C.

It was an old-style recruiting job with Quinn and Chapple informing the Messiers they weren’t leaving until Mark was under contract. After three days of talks and the tendering of an offer guaranteeing $20 million (U.S.) over three years, the Messiers said they would get back to the Canucks. Quinn returned to Vancouver, but Chapple, undaunted, stayed and managed to earn a dinner invitation with the Messiers at a friend’s restaurant.

Two days later, the parties all re-assembled on McCaw’s yacht in San Francisco Bay and the deal was struck. Mark Messier, Edmonton native and future Hall of Famer, was coming home to Canada to finish his career.

“There were still days I thought, ‘It’s not going to happen, he won’t come back to Canada,’ “ Quinn said. “But we had open minds and, boy, it happened. We’ve said sometimes we can’t compete for free agents, but when you make up your mind, you have to find a way to compete.

“We felt we would get it done one way or another. His winning attitude will rub off on all oi us and help us be the team we want to be. We do have some talent here, but maybe that talent didn’t know how to win.

“I’m also very proud and very happy we were able to bring home a son who grew up and developed in Canada and had some great years playing in Edmonton.”

The deal was a stunner. Canadian teams have failed, in almost every instance, to lure quality free agents north of the border. They face the twin detriments of a weak Canadian dollar and a more onerous tax system. Older players such as Messier, who turns 37 in January, were inclined to go south or stay south. Owner McCaw changed that perception with the stroke of a pen.

“You have to make the investment in the players and the organization to show people we mean what we say,” said McCaw, a Seattle billionaire who was brought in as a partner by former owner Arthur Griffiths and eventually bought control. “We’re trying to build an environment here that everyone talks about. We want to create a new model that embraces new, creative thinking. And one of the things I want is a team that is always contending for the Stanley Cup. If Mark increases every player’s performance by 10 per cent, we’ve made a very good investment.”

So what’s in it for Mark Messier? He left behind the Rangers and a city he loved. He left behind pals Wayne Gretzky, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. He left behind some tremendous memories and one Stanley Cup triumph, coming in 1994 against a Canuck team coached by Quinn.

Well, first of all there is the money. The Canucks will pay Messier $6 million (U.S.) each season he plays for them. The first three are guaranteed with the club having options for a fourth and fifth season. Vancouver must exercise the option for Year 4 by the middle of Year 3. If not, there is a $2 million (U.S.) buyout. There is also a second $1 million (U.S.) buyout if the fifth-year option is not picked up by the middle of the fourth year.

The bottom line is a minimum of $20 million (U.S.) and a maximum of $30 million (U.S.).

“Certainly money was a factor, but I know there is a tremendous amount of talent here and a lot of solid pieces are in place,” said Messier, who turned down even an offer of $21 million over three years from the Washington Capitals. “When Pat and Mr. Chapple came down to my home in Hilton Head with great goodwill and unbelievable energy, things just seemed to be winding their way to Vancouver. It wasn’t an easy decision on my part to leave New York. It wasn’t just Wayne, but it was everybody there.

“I had a tremendous amount of loyalty from everybody involved and my six years there were a dream come true. I have certainly left a big piece of me in New York. I gave everything I had to that organization and it made the decision tough and it’s always tough to change. But there are great opportunities ahead and it feels great to be part of a team wanting to win the Stanley Cup.”

Predictably, the Messier signing produced an immediate impact. Fans were walking in off the street to purchase season tickets even before the announcement was official. The team sold a single-day record of 100 season tickets the first day, which was shattered the following day when another 150 moved.

The players who will skate with Messier were moved as well.

“One guy doesn’t make everything right, but it sure makes a heck of a big difference,” said Linden, who will continue to wear the captain’s ’C’ even though Messier is expected to become the true leader. “I think Mark will be a leader no matter what letter he has on his shoulder. He will add to our leadership and he’ll lead like he always has. You can never have enough leadership. It will be great to have him on our side.”

Veteran defenseman Dave Babych, like Messier a 36-year-old, recalls battling the big center in the Alberta Junior League when both were on the way up.

“You could see this fire in his eye, his will to win and it hasn’t changed at all,” Babych said. “He was the same type of player back then…a hard worker, always going, a no-nonsense kind of guy.”

“He’s a bom leader,” said Canucks’ left winger Martin Gelinas, a former teammate of Messier’s in Edmonton. “He reads the game and other players so well. When it’s time to demand from other players, he’ll do that. And when it’s time to back off, he’ll do that, too.”

As good as Messier is expected to be, there are some things he can’t do - like play goal and defense. And the Canucks will need to improve those areas to reach elite status.

Goaltender Kirk McLean is coming off back-to-back shaky seasons and has something to prove. The acquisition of veteran Arturs Irbe provides a measure of insurance, but he hasn’t been a No. 1 goalie since 1994-95.

The Canucks have added rookie Mattias Ohlund and veteran Grant Ledyard on defense, but play behind the blueline remains an area of concern. A return to form of injury-plagued right winger Pavel Bure would also go a long way to turning the team’s fortunes around.

Although Messier’s totals (36-48-84 in 71 games) would have led the Canucks in all categories last season, is he a player in decline? The fact that the Rangers didn’t offer Messier anything close to the money or terms the Canucks did should sound some alarm bells. In fact, if Messier plays out the entire contract, he’ll be 41 when his playing days end.

For this year, Messier is Vancouver’s undisputed No. 1 center. He’ll have either Bure or Mogilny on the right and one of Markus Naslund or Gelinas on the left side.

The spotlight will be on Messier and the weight of expectations his mega-contract carries. By extension, second-year coach Tom Renney will also be under significant pressure; his ability to work with the incoming star could go a long way in determining his fate. If Renney can win the Moose over to his side, things should be rosy. However, if he employs tactics and methods that rub Messier the wrong way, Renney will undoubtedly walk the plank as Messier made Roger Neilson do in New York in 1993.

“My immediate reaction is we’ve got some real help in our leadership department,” Renney said. “I don’t think we should make any assumption that the job gets easier. But somehow I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about commitment and effort and leadership and perseverance. Those qualities are synonymous with Mark Messier.”

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