Abbotsford Canucks heading to Calder Cup finals

Abbotsford Canucks fans have plenty to celebrate—the team is going to the Calder Cup final.

The Abbotsford Canucks are heading to the Calder Cup finals, marking the first time in 10 years that a Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate has made it this far.

The team was holding a 3-2 series lead as they entered Game 6 of the Western Conference final.

It ended in a 4-2 victory with Arshdeep Bains scoring the game’s final goal into an empty net with 35 seconds remaining in the game.

But the player getting the most attention from Sunday’s game is centre Max Sasson, who is also being called the hero of the game for giving the team the lead.

“Everyone was a part of this, and it feels really good,” shared Sasson after the win.

Matt Sekeres, host of Sekeres & Price, said Sunday’s game can do a lot for upcoming Abbotsford Canucks seasons.

“It’s probably going to make selling tickets next season and beyond a whole lot easier now that people have experienced this run to the Calder Cup,” shared Sekeres.

The young AHL players have an opportunity and are stepping up, Sekeres added.

“Defenseman Victor Mancini was terrific in this postseason run, he is going to be pushing for a job with the big Canucks next season. The same goes for other players, (including) Sasson and goaltender Artur Silovs.”

The team has been thriving with the help of head coach Manny Malhotra.

“I’m really happy to see the guys getting rewarded for the way they’re playing and their commitment,” said Malhotra following Sunday’s win.

But the team’s success has some fans wondering why the Vancouver Canucks didn’t promote Malhotra when head coach Rick Tocchet left. The position was ultimately given to Adam Foote.

“If they were out hiring an established National Hockey League head coach, then you can understand bypassing Manny Malhotra for this job,” said Sekeres. “But they wound up hiring a relatively inexperienced head coach to begin with.”

The Calder Cup finals begin Friday night, with the Canucks in Charlotte, N.C., to take on the Checkers in Game 1.