The last time the Toronto Blue Jays made it to the World Series, the Vancouver Canucks were on the cusp of making their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history. The 1993 World Series took place from October 16 to 23 — around the start of the 1993–94 NHL regular season. Let’s take a look at what the Canucks and NHL as a whole were like the last time the Blue Jays went to the World Series. 

Since the 1993 World Series took place in October, this meant that Vancouver was technically already in the process of working towards their 1993–94 playoff campaign, despite the actual Stanley Cup Final appearance occurring in 1994. 

The 1993–94 season saw Canucks sensation Pavel Bure tally his second consecutive 60-goal season, as the year prior he had scored 60 goals and added 50 assists. Part of his 107-point effort in 1993–94 were the three hat tricks he scored against the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and Los Angeles Kings. Only three years removed from his first season in the NHL, the forward was named to the All-Star Game and received votes for both the Lady Byng and Hart Memorial Trophies. 

Including Bure, the Canucks had a total of six 50+ point getters — Geoff Courtnall (26G, 44A), Cliff Ronning (25G, 43A), Trevor Linden (32G, 29A), Jyrki Lumme (13G, 42A), and Murray Craven (15G, 40A). Goaltender Kirk McLean played in 52 games and posted a record of 23–26–3 as well as a .891 SV% and 2.99 GAA. Gino Odjick led the team in PIMs with 271. 

Around the NHL, things were a bit different since the last time the Blue Jays made the World Series. For starters, the divisions were structured much differently, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings both playing out of the Central Division. The Hartford Whalers and Québec Nordiques were both still in operation, with their current counterparts the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche having just taken part in a fun jersey throwback only a couple of days ago. 

A few months after the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993, the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs came around. The Canucks started their postseason campaign with a matchup against division-rival Calgary Flames, taking them down in seven games in one of the most notable playoff series’ in franchise history. It was then down to the Canucks and the Dallas Stars during the Conference Semi-Finals, with Vancouver taking the win with four games to one. 

Exactly 213 days after the Blue Jays won the World Series, the Canucks defeated the city’s NHL affiliate in five games. Vancouver bested the Maple Leafs during the Conference Finals, leading them down the path to the Stanley Cup Finals against one of the New York Rangers or New Jersey Devils. After a tough seven-game series, it was the Rangers that came out on top to make it to the Stanley Cup Final matchup against Vancouver. 

The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was the Canucks’ second time making it this far in the postseason in franchise history. They’ve since hit this mark one more time throughout the 32-year span in which the Blue Jays missed the World Series. Fans can only wait and wonder where the Canucks will end up by the end of this season. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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