Chris Faber will be a prominent voice with the Vancouver Canucks, joining the team as its senior hockey writer. (submitted photo)

By Alex Rawnsley

BIG HIRE

Nanaimo blogger & podcaster lands dream job with Vancouver Canucks

Nov 2, 2023 | 3:30 PM

NANAIMO — From humble beginnings in a local basement writing and podcasting to now working for an NHL franchise, Nanaimo’s Chris Faber said it’s a dream come true.

Faber, born and raised in the Harbour City, was unveiled on Friday, Oct. 27 as the Vancouver Canucks’ new senior hockey writer, now covering the team from inside the organization after years of operating an immensely popular blog, Canucks Army, and podcast, Canucks Conversation.

He told NanaimoNewsNOW the growth of Canucks Army and related projects stemmed from his desire to find stories no one else was talking about, carving out a niche around prospects and the next generation of Canucks.

“Some of the biggest news stories that maybe weren’t being covered by the major outlets were something I tried to do, I tried to fill in the cracks about the Vancouver Canucks and a big focus on that was on prospects and that was awesome.”

Faber’s role with the team starts Monday, Nov. 6, and will involve a lot of the things he’s been doing for years.

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After starting out slow and getting into a groove, Faber expects to continue a lot of the prospect coverage which has made him a respected voice in the crowded Vancouver sports media landscape.

He’ll travel with the team on select road trips, for example, if he can connect with a Canuck prospect playing collegiate or other levels of hockey.

“It was always just to make the experience of being a Canucks fan better for people. None of this was ever really about myself, it was always if you’re going to create content the best thing you can do is make it good for other people to want to take in.”

Faber said he was overwhelmed by the support he received after Friday’s announcement, mentioning “almost every single comment I saw was positive”.

He added the Vancouver fan base is beyond passionate and they deserve some hope after a few lean years on the ice.

“I think that’s what I want to do in this role, I want to give them hope, tell the stories, and bring the personalities. It’s so cool to see this city come together when this team is good and when they’re exciting and I think we’re at a point right now with how they’ve started this season there’s a lot of really exciting things happening here.”

Chris Faber (left) started his media career in Nanaimo with the formation of Canucks Army which has grown considerably in the time since. (submitted photo)

Thirty-year-old Faber graduated from Nanaimo District Secondary School and lived in Nanaimo until his eventual move to Vancouver in December 2019 to attend BCIT’s radio arts and entertainment program.

He represented NDSS in their football program, playing as quarterback, and also suited up for the Mid Island Pirates baseball team.

It was hockey though which got him hooked, including many nights at Frank Crane Arena.

“For my mom, it was cheaper daycare for her to drop me off at a Nanaimo Clippers game and be there for the night, so when I was a kid I was at a lot of Nanaimo Clippers games on the weekends and that part really made me fall in love with the game of hockey.”

It was the early-to-mid-2000’s when Faber truly fell in love with the Canucks, led by the West Coast Express line of Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Todd Bertuzzi.

The team’s cup run in 2011, ending in the final against Boston, was another pivotal moment for Faber in his fandom.

“These points in my life when you’re really starting to dive into being a fan of sports, the Canucks were really good. The West Coast Express was incredible when I was about 10, just starting to watch sports on television and really care about it then at 18 years old all the friends get together to watch that playoff run. Just two really important parts of my life were falling in love with sports.”

Due to the growth of Canucks Army, in large part to the work Faber put in, he was able to cover the Canucks training camp in Victoria in 2019, affording him some up close and personal access to players and staff.

Since then, he’s attended NHL Entry Draft events in Montreal in 2022 and again in Nashville in 2023.

Being able to establish relationships with NHL prospects and league staff has been pivotal in Faber’s coverage of the team, and likely a big reason behind how he earned his new job.

“I just love watching this 18 or 17-year-old kids evolve and become professionals, it’s such a cool story to tell. Thinking how I was when I was 17 or 18 years old to evolve to somebody at 24, you do so much maturing in those ages and to watch a player become a prospect then become a professional, it’s a really fun story to tell.”

Faber got married in Parksville in October and said while it’s tough to get back to Nanaimo during the season, he spends time with friends and family on the Island during the summer.

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