

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Bieksa isn’t as serviceable as he once was, but he will be missed by many Canucks fans.

Bieksa competed hard every night, brought entertainment, and played some awesome hockey, which meant a lot to Canucks fans throughout the last decade. Really, the only thing that Bieksa didn’t give to Canucks fans was a legitimate explanation for the Juice nickname.

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With apologies for omitting the truly memorable Sbieksa defense pairing, here are my top-10 most favourite Bieksa moments from his Canucks career.

10. The Kevin Bieksa Origin Story:

The story of how Kevin Bieksa cemented his place in the Canucks organization sounds like some sort of fanfiction that Don Cherry wrote for himself.

A good Canadian kid, a large Russian man, a Winnipeg parking lot, and only one punch. Brian Burke’s description of the events:

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“One night after a game in Winnipeg, in which I don’t think he played, they went to a local establishment. Fedor Fedorov was sitting at a table and Bieksa walked by the table, bumped him by accident and spilled Fedorov’s beer. Bieksa apologized and offered to buy another beer.” According to Burke, Fedorov was in no mood for the apology from the unknown rookie and challenged him to a fight outside. Bieksa again tried to defuse the situation, according to Burke, but Fedorov wanted to fight. “So, they go outside. Fedor was a big guy, he was a lot bigger than his brother Sergei,” said Burke. “Then Fedor comes in and Bieksa drills him with one punch. Knocks him stone cold and cut wide-open and leaves him lying on the pavement.” Burke said Bieksa figured he was done with the Canucks organization and would be sent home the next day. “Send him home? I said, ‘We’re going to sign him tomorrow,'” said Burke, whose affinity for truculence is well-established.

9. Kevin Bieksa as Ryan Kesler:

One of Bieksa’s finest talents was diverting fans’ attention during tough moments for his team.

In the midst of the 2012 series against the Los Angeles Kings, which the Canucks dropped in five games, Bieksa was given an opportunity and he took it. Mistaken for his teammate, Bieksa gave a full interview pretending to be Ryan Kesler. God bless America!

8. “Kevin still hasn’t moved”:

I can’t explain why this moment is so unforgettable, but Kevin Bieksa briefly turning into a statue in the penalty box was hilarious.

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7. Juice on Twitter:

To nobody’s surprise, Kevin Bieksa mostly uses his Twitter account to make fun of Kesler and Burrows (and Booth, and Kassian, and Bonino, etc).

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“@D_Booth7: Just killed a Chara sized bruin! 7ft black bear- 21in skull. pic.twitter.com/hMOIdFQp” impressive Dave! Did he have a crossbow also? — Kevin Bieksa (@kbieksa3) May 2, 2012

@Ryan_Kesler has never beat me in anything besides Net Earnings & nude Photo Shoots! Oh and he has more education than @aburr14 somehow. — Kevin Bieksa (@kbieksa3) May 30, 2013

6. Milk Hotdogs:

The ongoing flirtation (according to John Shorthouse) between Bieksa and Dan Murphy will be missed.

As Murphy conducts his interviews in peace next season, Bieksa’s antics will be remembered fondly. There was stick waving, cushion throwing, and hand stands. But perhaps the best Kevin/Dan moment was when Kevin referred to the San Jose Sharks as “milk hotdogs”.

“They have a couple of milk hotdogs in their team.” – Kevin Bieksa — monica ✋ (@themonicator) December 30, 2011

Then he made this face:

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5. The Vern Fiddler incident:

A highlight of both Alain Vigneault and Kevin Bieksa’s time in Vancouver was that time Vernon Fiddler did an impressive job of imitating the surly defenseman’s scowl. His impression wasn’t that good really, but it was impressive enough to send AV into fits of laughter:

4. Shots, shots, shots:

Dan Murphy is not the lone victim of Kevin Bieksa’s interview foolishness. Poor Scott Oake had no idea.

3. Making Dan Hamhuis laugh (and being a good teammate in general):

Bieksa was never the most talented player on the team, but he was often one of the most popular guys. He took (and won!) a faceoff for Kellan Lain to keep him from having to fight Kevin Westgarth. He was on the Chris Tanev hype train before anyone (even Eddie Lack!). He even made Dan Hamhuis laugh:

2. The stanchion goal:

The biggest goal of Bieksa’s career so far has also probably been the weirdest. A failed dump-in bounced off of the stanchion and right to an open Bieksa. The goal was weird and the confetti caused a lot of near-falls, but it was one of the most fun nights for Canucks fans in recent memory:

1. Mindcheck:

Bieksa’s resume of community involvement is long (and includes Michael Buble!) but his work to promote mental health awareness will remain an enormous part of his legacy in Vancouver and in the hockey world as a whole. After the death of Bieksa’s close friend Rick Rypien, Bieksa put his heart into the cause. Through Mindcheck and Hockey Talks, Bieksa encouraged people to do something that he is an expert on: talking.

Kevin and Rick’s story is a sad read but an important one. Bieksa’s work with Mindcheck honours Rypien’s memory and has given fans the courage to open up about their battle with mental illness. Discussions like this may not be as fun as the goal that sent the team to the Stanley Cup finals, but in the end, this was Bieksa’s most important contribution to the Canucks and the city of Vancouver. Mindcheck will always be a bright spot in Bieksa and the Canucks’ history of community work.





