Bliznak Breaks a (Vancouver) Giants Slump

A year ago, Mario Bliznak became the first Vancouver Giant to play for the Vancouver Canucks.

Last night, in the Canucks’ 6-2 win against the Ottawa Senators, he became the first former Giant to score a goal with the Canucks.

When you think about the Giants’ proximity to the Canucks – a whole 6 kilometers between Pacific Coliseum and Rogers Arena – it’s amazing that it’s taken nearly 10 years for this to happen.

It’s especially amazing when you also consider the success the Giants have had in developing NHL’ers. (Bliznak is one of 17 former Giants to have now played in the NHL. This list includes, among others, Evander Kane, Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd, Gilbert Brule, James Wright and Andrej Meszaros.)

Congratulations to Bliznak. For him, it’s been a five-year long journey from being drafted in the 7th round, 205th overall to finally making his mark in the NHL. For the Giants, the wait was even longer.