The Canucks do not have one player on their team that has won a Stanley Cup, or even been in the Stanley Cup Finals. In my opinion, I think that having that type of experience on a team is important as it can become a calming factor if the team gets into trouble late in the playoffs. That is why I wanted Gillis to go out and acquire this guy.

As it stands, the only person in the Canucks organization that has a few Cup rings is Director of Player Personnel Lorne Henning from the Islanders Dynasty (as a player and coach).

Anyway,

I thought I had a sound theory that not one team that had won a Cup since say, 1970 had done so without having a Cup-winning player on their roster. After going through the rosters I found holes in my theory. So for your viewing pleasure and trivia purposes.....

-2008 Red Wings: many players on the roster who won the Cup in 2002.

-2007 Ducks: Scott Niedermayer

-2006 Hurricanes: Mark Recchi

-2004 Lightning: Brad Lukowich, Tim Taylor

-2003 Devils: Plenty of players still from the 2000 champion Devils

-2002 Red Wings: Many players from the 1997 and 1998 Cup winning teams

-2001 Avalanche: Sakic and co from the 1996 champion Avs team

-2000 Devils: Several Devils from the 1995 Cup win.

-1999 Stars: Carbonneau, Chambers, Keane, Skrudland, Ludwig, Zubov

-1998 Red Wings: See 1997, plus Jamie Macoun

-1997 Red Wings: Larry Murphy, Mike Vernon

-1996 Avalanche: Keane, Lemieux, Roy, Young

-1995 Devils: Claude Lemieux, Stephane Richer

-1994 Rangers: Messier and other ex-Oilers

-1993 Canadiens: Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy

-1992 Penguins: see 1991

-1991 Penguins: Coffey, Mullen, Young, Trottier

-1990 Oilers. Yeah. many.

-1989 Flames: FAIL! Unless I'm mistaken, there was not one Flame on that team that had won a Stanley Cup before.

-1987 and 1988 Oilers: Yeah.

-1986 Canadiens: Gainey, Robinson,

-1985 Oilers: See 1984

-1984 Oilers: It was close, but Rick Chartraw won 4 Cups with the Canadiens between 1976-1979

-1981, 1982 and 1983 Islanders: see 1980 Islanders.

-1980 Islanders: Call me nuts, but I don't think that one single Islander had a Cup ring in the first year of their dynasty.

-1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979 Canadiens: See 1973 Canadiens.

-1975 Flyers: See 1974 Flyers

-1974 Flyers: Another team that did not have a player on its roster that had won a Cup before, to my knowledge.

-1973 Canadiens: See 1971 Canadiens.

-1972 Bruins: See 1970 champion Bruins

-1971 Canadiens: Beliveau, Richard, Cournoyer, Lemaire, Ferguson, JC Tremblay, etc

-1970 Bruins: I don't think any of those guys had won a Cup before either.

For a complete list of the rosters, check out TML Fever.

So that would be 4 teams in the past 39 years that have won the Cup without an experienced Cup-winner on their team (unless someone corrects me). That's not a whole lot. It favors my opinion to some degree, no doubt, but its not a solid argument. But anything can happen.

It wasn't long ago that I thought a European captain would never captain his team to a Stanley Cup win. Thanks, Lidstrom, for breaking the barrier.