Whenever the vaunted Montreal Canadians visit the Vancouver Canucks, it’s hard to establish for certain if there are more red Montreal uniforms or blue Canuck ones in the stands. “It has ever been thus,” as long-time NHL president Gary Bettman loves to say — several times per day no less.
You see, the Vancouver Canucks almost got an NHL franchise in 1967 — but were beaten out by the St. Louis Blues, who never even bothered to make a presentation to the league. Go figure. So up until 1970, all Vancouver hockey fans could do was cheer for Toronto or Montreal — and the syndrome still persists to this very day.