The Roberto Luongo era was kind to the Vancouver Canucks. They won back-to-back Presidents' Trophies as the league's top regular-season team in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and reached the Stanley Cup final in 2011. They entered this season having won six straight division titles.
They were expected to contend again this season, but their chances of even making the playoffs appear more and more remote. And fans seem to be getting annoyed.
The Canucks fell 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night, squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period by giving up a whopping seven goals in the final frame. No team had scored seven goals against the Canucks in a period since 1985-6, when the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers accomplished the feat.
'This is a kick in the teeth,' coach John Tortorella said after the game. 'It's certainly going to take a little bit more than normal coach's speak (to get) by this game.'
'Being up 3-0 and the blowing it like that, it's embarrassing,' forward Ryan Kesler said.
The loss dropped the Canucks to 29-28-10 - fifth in the seven-team Pacific Division, and four points behind the Stars in race for a wild card-playoff berth, with Phoenix and Winnipeg separating them and Dallas.
Six of the Islanders' goals - the seventh was an empty-netter - came against Eddie Lack, the unproven goaltender tasked with taking the No. 1 role after a trade to the Florida Panthers ended the Luongo soap opera. The man who was expected to take over for Luongo, Cory Schneider, was traded to the Devils over the summer.
None of this - Monday's loss, Vancouver's place in the standings, the goaltending situation - is sitting very well with Canucks fans.
After Monday's game, #firegillis and #firetorts - referring to GM Mike Gillis and Tortorella - were both trending on Twitter in Canada, along with #rockbottom, referring to the struggling team.
A sampling of the reaction to the loss:
If this isnt rock bottom I dont what is...... #FireGillis- Franz (@franzen_10) March 11, 2014
Leaving a backup, true rookie goalie as your starter when you're trying to earn a play-off spot is absolutely shameful. #firegillis- Kierra McKay (@KierraMc1) March 11, 2014
Hey @ VanCanucks, remember when we had two starting goalies? Neither do I. We should get #FireGillis trending. #FireGillis- Jakob McLellan (@EhcursdEngineer) March 11, 2014
Seven goals by #Isles in 3rd p matches #Canucks club record for goals against in a period. #rockbottom- Tim Wharnsby (@WharnsbyCBC) March 11, 2014
The comments on the team's Facebook page were equally negative.
''I've run out of ideas and I have no clue what I'm doing' - Mike Gillis, Canucks General Manager,' one fan wrote.
'How does a team go from back to back president trophies to this crap. What a joke. Gillis and torts have to go,' wrote another.
The criticism has focused in particular on the Luongo trade, especially in light of the Schneider deal, and the decision to go with Lack, who has decent statistics but has played just 29 games in his NHL career.
'I feel so bad for Lack - he's a good goalie with amazing potential but instead of letting him grow with a veteran netminder, they throw him to the sharks,' read one of the comments on the team's Facebook page.
Following the Luongo trade, the Vancouver Sun's Cam Cole wrote that the deal signalled the end of the Canucks' era of sustained success and the start of a rebuild:
'That is the upshot of one of the most grievously mishandled talent surpluses hockey has ever seen: it is now rebuilding time in Vancouver. The days of contending for championships are in the past, and whether they'll return in the middle-to-distant future depends on whether this organization has the savvy to assemble the right pieces to forestall a steep decline. ... It feels like the end of an era of sustained competitive excellence the like of which had never been seen before in the four decades-plus of the team's existence.'
If Gillis and Tortorella believe the Canucks can still contend for the Stanley Cup, they have 15 games left to prove it.
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/03/11/vancouver-canucks-fans-call-for-gm-mike-gillis-coach-john-tortorella-to-be-fired-after-devastating-loss/
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