NHL: 10 Reasons 2012 Vancouver Canucks Were Just Like The Dark Knight Rises

By jay royston / March 8, 2013

10. High Expectations

For fans of both franchises, there were exceedingly high expectations going in from previous showings. The Canucks had won the most games in the league for the second year in a row and boasted an all-star goalie, twin all-star Swedish brothers and a smattering of annoying French-Canadian players with little purpose in being there other than to stir things up. The Dark Knight Rises boasted the same all-star cast, evil villains and a smattering of inconsequential role players with little purpose in being there, like Mathew Modine and the Scarecrow.

9. Missing Persons

Vancouver's Ryan Kesler was considered to be one of the best defensive forwards in hockey. The previous year he showed an ability to carry the Canucks to victories they didn't deserve, much like Heath Ledger's The Joker nearly stole the movie from the Batman in The Dark Knight. It's safe to say that both he and The Joker were nowhere to be seen in the playoffs or TDKR, to the disappointment of many fans who were hoping for repeat performances, if not by the real thing (RIP Ledger), then a close proximity by somebody else who could take up the mantle.