Unreel: West Coast Express

In the wake of nearly winning the 1994 Stanley Cup, the Vancouver Canucks expect to contend for years to come as they open a brand new, downtown arena. Star scorer Alexander Mogilny is added via trade as the Canucks bolster their roster for another run at the Cup. Across the continent, Markus Naslund struggles to adapt to the NHL as a highly touted prospect, and is ultimately traded out of Pittsburgh. Vancouver undergoes an unexpected change in ownership, which comes with a new approach to doing business and nearly results in signing Wayne Gretzky. The Canucks not only miss out on The Great One, they also end up missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Written & Narrated by Scott Rintoul

Audio production by Andrei Deacon

Podcast Supervision by Aaron Johnson

NHL game audio courtesy the National Hockey League

Special thanks to the following NHL personnel:

Hannah Readnour, Vice President, Footage & Media Licensing

Matthew Manacher, Footage Licensing Manager

Teresa Wiltshire, Footage Licensing Coordinator

Nick Martinez, Coordinator, Footage Licensing Operations

Thank you to CKNW and Sportsnet for assistance in compiling game audio

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“UNREEL: West Coast Express” is the story of the men who reinvigorated a once vibrant hockey market as told by Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, Brendan Morrison as well as other prominent teammates and figures. Written and narrated by Scott Rintoul, it is a journey from some of the darkest days in franchise history to the precipice of greatness along a path of unforgettable triumphs and defeats.

Four years after nearly winning the Stanley Cup, the Vancouver Canucks were engulfed in chaos. Amidst a change in ownership, constant organizational churn and a four-year playoff drought, three unlikely stars emerged from the rubble to resuscitate the franchise.

Despite none of them being drafted by the Canucks, Naslund, Bertuzzi and Morrison came to form one of hockey’s most dominant lines, the West Coast Express. A nightly fixture on highlight reels, the West Coast Express turned Vancouver back into a contender, and they appeared destined for a run at the Stanley Cup before it all came undone in a matter of moments.

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