Ryan Kesler Returns to Rogers Arena to Support Canucks Against Predators

Ryan Kesler was a fan favourite of Vancouver Canucks fans during his 11 seasons in the organization. 

Drafted 23rd overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler played in 655 regular season games as a Canuck. Still, his reputation grew to another level in his postseason performances through his 57 playoff games.

Fans who remember the 2011 Stanley Cup run do not need to be reminded about the hurt that Kesler put on the Nashville Predators in the second round of the playoffs, but we love to talk about it, so, why don’t we reminisce for a minute?

Kesler either scored or assisted on 11 of the Canucks’ 14 goals in the six-game series. He scored game-winning goals in games three and four and had the primary assists on the series-winning goal in game six. In total, he put up five goals and six assists en route to the Canucks, beating the Predators in six games. He averaged 24:53 of ice time and four shots on net per game.

In the regular season, he scored 41 goals and won the Selke Trophy for the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.

Kesler is in Vancouver and will be attending game two of the Canucks and Predators opening-round series. It is going to be a flash from the past that should help get Rogers Arena even louder as they can remember some of the great moments of Kesler as a Canuck.

He is joined by his son, Ryker, and the two helped set up towels before the game to prepare the arena for the thousands of Canucks fans who will be in the seats.

“I brought my son because I wanted him to be a part of this experience,” said Kesler. “I'm so excited for him to see this place. I know what this experience is like, I know how loud this building is going to get. I know what playoff hockey looks like here and he’s never found out about this building. So, for him to be able to realize it for himself and see this and see the full experience. I'm excited.”

Canucks fans mean so much to Kesler and he remembers all the years of support in what he called, “the best time of his life.”

“These fans are everything,” he said. “From voting me as the unsung hero to MVP and everything in between. They are a passionate fan base that wants you to do your best and to be honest, hold you accountable when you aren't and that’s how you want your fan base to be. You want them to be knowledgeable and you want them to be passionate.”

“These fans, over the course of those 10 years for me, helped me a lot. They helped grow my love for this game and they got me up when I wasn't going. When you hear them and they start the ‘Go Canucks, Go!’ chant, especially for playoffs, you are so jacked up before the game even starts. When those towels are flying and you're skating around before the game, it's a kind of energy that I've never seen anyone be able to duplicate. You can't put in the words.”

As for the current Canucks team, Kesler is most impressed by the coaching staff and how Rick Tocchet speaks to the media about how his team is growing their game. He catches himself every once in a while, listening to a Tocchet postgame and imagines that if he was in the room to see a pregame talk, he’d be ready to suit up and run on the ice for some action.

As for Kes’ message to the fans for tonight’s game, he wants them to start early, be loud, and support the boys on every shift.

“The fans have to bring it every shift for 60 minutes and maybe more,” he said. “You have to lay it all out there because game one was big but this game two is bigger. Because if they go home without a win, no one over there will feel good about them. You want to start making them think about [a] two-nothing [deficit]. Get them to start thinking about golf, because down 2-0 is a big hole to climb out of."

Kesler knows how much this team means to the entire fan base and the city of Vancouver. He is excited to be in the building for game two and be supporting his team.

Though he is one of the biggest fan favourites in recent memory, tonight, and through the rest of the playoffs, he’s just one of us.

A fan of the Vancouver Canucks.