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For the Lions, that time is now.

Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNG

Come to think of it, the time is now for the owners of the Canucks and Whitecaps, too. Unfortunately, the proprietors of the province’s other two major sports franchises haven’t demonstrated the ability to inspire, to provide a coherent vision, to install confidence in their fan base.

This, as much as anything, explains why the Lions have won one playoff game in the last eight years and are currently 1-8, why the Canucks have missed the playoffs four years in a row; why the Whitecaps have been mired in mediocrity in their eight years in Major League Soccer and currently sit in last place in the Western Conference.

In addition to their ineptitude, those three franchises have something else in common: ineffectual ownership. It’s difficult enough to be successful in the hyper-competitive world of professional sports. It’s almost impossible with substandard ownership.

Take the Canucks. Like Braley, the Aquilinis have satisfied the baseline requirements of ownership. They’ve spent to the cap virtually every year. Their commitment to the franchise has not wavered.

But, since the family bought 50 per cent of the team in 2004 and the entire operation in 2006, the Canucks have never settled on one man or one plan as the foundation of their organization. Instead, they’ve left the impression the team is run according to ownership’s impulses and whims and not careful strategic planning.

Maybe Jim Benning’s contract extension changes that. Benning, as reported by the ubiquitous Elliotte Friedman on Friday, has signed a multi-year extension with the Canucks. At least we think he has but, two days after the fact, there’s still no official confirmation from the club, which is an interesting way to handle an announcement of this importance.