Canucks coach Boudreau lists five favourite wrestlers of all time, gets love from the WWE, and Stone Cold Steve Austin himself

In case you couldn’t tell, Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau is a die-hard professional wrestling fan.

The 67-year-old bench boss hinted at WWE-themed changes to the Canucks’ locker room during an NHL Network appearance shortly after he was hired to replace Travis Green.

Finally, on Feb. 13, Boudreau introduced the “Canucks Championship Belt,” intended to recognize an unsung “hero” or “warrior” from each Canucks win. He made @Juho Lammikko the inaugural recipient of the award.

Keeping in line with his fandom for the sport, Boudreau took the opportunity during Wednesday’s media availability to list his five favourite professional wrestlers of all time.

Number one on Boudreau’s list? Bret Hart, “The Hitman” himself, an icon in Calgary who starred at Stampede Wrestling before becoming a face of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s and 1990s.

Active WWE wrestler Kevin Owens — another Canadian — followed Hart on Boudreau’s rankings. Crowned as the WWE Universal Champion in 2016, Owens has reciprocated Boudreau’s admiration in the past.

“I always really liked Bruce because every time I come across an interview of his … how can I put it, he’s very free with the way he speaks,” Owens told Sportsnet’s Kevin Michie. “It reminds me of myself a lot. So, I really always got a kick out of him.

“And then, a few weeks ago, I happened to see that not only is he a WWE fan, but apparently he’s a big KO fan,” Owens added. “And that really made my day.”

Johnny Powers, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson rounded out Boudreau’s list.

“Who didn’t like Steve Austin and ‘The Rock’?” said Boudreau at his availability. “They were characters, they were great storytellers, and I think the storylines back then — they made it very interesting to watch.”

The official WWE Twitter account even got in on the fun before Stone Cold jumped in as well with a signature “hell yeah!”.

Boudreau and the Canucks will return to action in search of a second consecutive win (and another awarding of the Championship Belt) when they take on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center today.