Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The Calder Cup Playoffs have taken the Abbotsford Canucks across the AHL map.
The Canucks have made trips to Palm Desert, Loveland, Cedar Park and Charlotte, racking up more than 15,000 miles (some 25,000 km) of air travel in the last two months.
After playing five of their last six games on the road in two difficult environments, finally they can get some time on home ice this week, beginning with Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals tonight. By getting a split of their first two games at Bojangles Coliseum over the weekend, Abbotsford guaranteed themselves three more games in front of their own fans.
“It feels like it’s pretty dominant the way we play (at home),” Canucks forward Arshdeep Bains said following Game 2. “We get the crowd into it the way we play physically, the way we can play it in the offensive zone, break pucks out. We love playing at home.”
The Canucks are 8-2 at Abbotsford Centre this postseason after putting up a 24-11-0-1 record there in regular-season play. They swept all three home games during the conference finals against Texas, one of the AHL’s top road teams, and they have outscored opponents on home ice, 28-17.
Everything seems to work that much better for the Canucks at home. Their penalty kill has gone 30-for-30 at home this postseason. And for a team that allowed a combined 96 shots in two games at Bojangles Coliseum, the Canucks have been far less prone to that issue at home, where they have been outshot just three times in 10 games (and won all three regardless). With both teams dealing with cross-continental travel and playing every other night, every small detail matters. While they had to contend with Charlotte’s hot, humid June weather, they will be playing in far more temperate conditions this week out west.
Most of all, the Canucks will have their fans. Located just an hour east of Rogers Arena, home to the parent Vancouver Canucks, Abbotsford has a natural tie-in for fans of both the NHL team and its AHL affiliate. For a roster filled with prospects, 12 of whom played at least one NHL game with Vancouver in the regular season, fans have plenty invested in both this pursuit of the Calder Cup as well as the future implications for the NHL organization’s prospects.
The Vancouver organization has never won a Calder Cup championship, falling short in 1988 (Fredericton Express, in a dual affiliation with the Quebec Nordiques), 2009 (Manitoba Moose) and 2015 (Utica Comets). They haven’t won a Stanley Cup either, with Final losses in 1982, 1994 and 2011. Now Lower Mainland fans potentially have an opportunity to see Abbotsford win a championship later this week.
“It’s a special feeling that we get to go home there, three games straight, and see what we can do,” Bains added.
Manny Malhotra has offered mixed reviews for his team through the first two games. The first-year head coach has appreciated his team’s resilience, but slow starts and penalty trouble have irked him.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to Abby,” Malhotra said, “and playing in front of our faithful fans there and looking forward to continuing a quality series.
“We’ve discussed from day one of the season that we want to be a difficult team to play against in Abbotsford. Our fans have been absolutely outstanding through the year and especially through the playoffs.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
