CA’s All-Time Greatest Canucks Team: Kirk McLean

Kirk McLean arrived in Vancouver in a trade with New Jersey (the first trade for both Pat Quinn and Lou Lamoriello), arriving in Vancouver along with Greg Adams (the good one). Headed the other way was Patrick Sundstrom with some picks going either way as sweeteners. 

This deal was the first of many that built the Canucks into the dangerous team that went to the Finals in ’94. Sundstrom was a good player and all, and in fact held the Canucks franchise record at the time for most points in a season with 91, and he went on to have a few more decent seasons in New Jersey. But by the time 1994 rolled around, Sundstrom was out of the league, Adams was a first line winger and Kirk McLean was already the greatest goaltender the Canucks had ever had.

Courtesy: Hockey Reference

Courtesy: Hockey Reference

McLean’s 52 save performance (including 17 in overtime) in Game 1 versus the Rangers in ’94 set a Canucks record and was only 4 saves shy of an NHL record held by Ken Dryden (both the Canucks and NHL records have since been surpassed). 

Of course none of that would have been possible if it wasn’t for the save. 

Back in round 1, game 7 overtime against the dangerous Calgary Flames, Kirk McLean made the save to end all other saves on a cross-ice feed from Theo Fleury to Robert Reichel, absolutely stoning the Flame with a vintage stack-the-pads move that was so incredibly ridiculous that the goal judge turned the light on assuming it was a sure thing. Well, it wasn’t a sure thing, and it allowed Pavel Bure to score this goal in double overtime and propelled them on the path to the Stanley Cup Final.

McLean is one of the faces of the fabled ’94 team that nearly brought the Stanley Cup to Vancouver, foiled by a combination of Mark Messier and Nathan Lafayette. In contrast to the 2011 team that should have won the cup and collapsed in game 7 (among others), the ’94 team shouldn’t have been there and took game 7 right down to the wire. As a result of their status as an underdog amidst a Cinderella run, the members of that team are held in the highest regard, blessed with an immortality and invincibility in the city of Vancouver that can only be taken away by joining the management staff.

As one of the cornerstones of the ’94 team, McLean was nicknamed Captain Kirk, although he was never actually the captain of the team, because he is a goaltender and that would be stupid, right?

His career in Vancouver led him to move here following the end of his career, as he joined the Canucks alumni squad, interacting with fans and participating in community events and fundraisers. His legacy also makes him a great hype-man, making him an excellent choice to lead towel power rallies.

A notable aspect of McLean’s tenure with the Canucks was not just how successful they were with him, but how abysmal the goaltending was here without him. In the 7 and a half years between when McLean was traded and when Roberto Luongo arrived, the Canucks dressed 18 goaltenders, and their struggles are well documented. Many will tell you that the position between the pipes was the achilles heel of a number of powerhouse Vancouver teams in the early-to-mid 2000’s, making Vancouver fans appreciate those who inhabited the crease before and after that period all that much more.