Article content continued

The symptom: An uncharacteristically sluggish performance that usually resulted in a loss.

The cause: NHL players had one too many drinks at the bar some 24 hours earlier.

But nowadays, with the evolution of social media providing the potential for any player’s faux pas to go viral and the need for players to maintain the value of personal brands, coupled with the change of taste among the younger generation of hockey players, the Roxy’s popularity appears to be in decline among players. The NHL has seemingly immunized itself from the Roxy Flu.

“I stand by my point that the Roxy is undefeated,” said retired NHL player Kevin Weekes, who played parts of two seasons in Vancouver during his 11-year career. “It has probably helped the home record of the Canucks. Certainly it was a big thing on the NHL radar back then, but I don’t hear as many players talking about it now as probably back in my day. I think social media has changed a lot of things too – for the smart players.”

Instead of long nights partying at the Roxy on the road, more visiting teams are choosing to explore the other sides of Vancouver. Some will venture out to upscale sushi and seafood restaurants, while others will lay low, remaining out of the public eye.

The Roxy is no longer seen as the default location to go every time a team is in town.

Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

“I haven’t been to the Roxy on any team that I’ve been on,” said Capitals forward Brett Connolly, who has also played for the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning since coming into the league in 2011. “There a lot of different places to go … [lots of] dinner spots and places a little more low-key is more my style.”