5 Reasons This Could Be Vancouver's Last Shot At A Stanley Cup

3. 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics

Every four years the hockey season takes a break in the month of February to observe and send their top players represent their countries in the Winter Olympic Games. This translates to an additional minimum 3 games in the Round Robin, plus an additional 4 for any team that competes for a medal. Should the Canucks find themselves deep in the playoff hunt, playing in the month of June signifying challenging for the cup, they would have played an additional 20+ games in the post-season. In their 82 season games they will be playing under a new division which comprises entirely of all the teams that play in the Western and Mountain timezone. This is especially important as under the previous system they travelled the most miles out of any team in the league. It may be a far cry from attaining the full amount of momentum they need in their favor this year, but every little bit counts if they want to continue to play hockey in the spring.