The team returned home to a series tied a 1-1 and thousands of fans waving white towels, emulating Neilson’s bold move. Members of the 1982 Canucks followed suit on the bench. In mock surrender, Neilson draped a white towel over a hockey stick, waving it back and forth from the bench. Neilson’s reaction to his perception of poor officiating would become a beacon for future generations of Canucks fans. Despite his protests, the officiating didn’t seem to improve. After a series of seemingly unwarranted calls against his team, equating to four consecutive power plays for Chicago, Neilson started voicing his concern and claiming that the officiating was unbalanced. Up 1-0 in the Campbell Conference Championship against the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver aimed to take a two-game lead prior to returning home. The statue of Neilson, standing at 136.5 inches tall, 7’4” at the widest spot across, and weighing 800 lbs, depicts Roger Neilson as he coached the Vancouver Canucks in the 1982 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Having Roger and the celebration of the white towel recognized is a fitting way to not only usher us into the playoffs but to act as a permanent reminder of how our past has shaped who we are today.” Today it is emulated throughout sport worldwide. “The white towel, waved by Roger, is representative of a united front and a tradition that is unique to Canucks fans. “This statue doesn’t simply represent a moment in time but a legacy that Roger, the 1982 team and our fans helped to create,” said Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager. The permanent statue, located outside of Gate 3 at the corner of Abbott Street and Expo Boulevard, immortalizes the origin of the Canucks longstanding “towel power” tradition as Roger Neilson is featured with a stick and white towel in hand. Prior to the Vancouver Canucks game against the Minnesota Wild on April 7th, Canucks Sports & Entertainment was proud to unveil a bronze sculpture of Roger Neilson in an outdoor ceremony.
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