To be the man you’ve got to beat the man

To celebrate our release from mini-lockdown in Edmonton, we offer a special NHL playoff version of the Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports:

The faithful want to believe the Canucks’ first post-season series win in nine years is a case of a good young team announcing itself to the hockey world and not a product of random arithmetic chance.

You could make the case either way, especially when the unprecedented circumstances of the qualifying round are taken into account. But if you’ve charted the development of the Canucks under general manager Jim Benning, this is also the first tangible evidence that The Plan is taking shape.

Benning, of course, has been subjected to an uncomfortable level of second-guessing in his six years on the job.

Still, in looking at the 3-1 series win over the Minnesota Wild, even Benning’s harshest critics have to acknowledge his work in building this team.

Now, the last week didn’t erase the previous four years. But, in the short-term, it changed the narrative around the Canucks.

As for the long-term, we’ll see where this ends.

Olli Juolevi played his first NHL game in the series-clincher Friday night and while he wasn’t exactly overworked, he didn’t look out-of-place. Juolevi’s champions have maintained he’s a Top 4 defenceman. If he is, it changes a lot of things for the Canucks.

The Flyers, coached by old friend Alain Vigneault, and the Canadiens, coached by Claude Julien, meet in the next round of the playoffs. Those with a keen memory may recall the two former minor-league teammates met in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final when Vigneault coached the Canucks and Julien ran the Bruins. I will never understand the media faction in Vancouver that tried to run Vigneault out of town.

And finally, for a long time Sunday it looked like the Canucks were on a collision course with the Dallas Stars, which, given the history between the two owners, would have added a delicious layer to the matchup.

Again, those with a keen memory will recall Tom Gaglardi, now the Stars’ owner, and his partner, Ryan Beedie, sued Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini over the sale of the team in 2004. Gaglardi bought the Stars in 2011. He and Aquilini aren’t friends.

The Stars’ shootout win over the Blues on Sunday, however, means the Canucks will face St. Louis in the next round, prompting some to suggest this isn’t a good matchup for the locals. To this we respond, who is? The Blues are the defending Stanley Cup champs for a reason.

If the Canucks want to find out how far they’ve come as a team, they’ve got the perfect opponent. In the immortal words of noted philosopher Ric Flair, to be the man you’ve got to beat the man.

Looking forward to this one.