Brian Burke can be an intimidating fellow. He has the ability to cut you dead with one hard glare, or one withering putdown.

So when the Vancouver general manager strode purposefully into the Canucks dressing room nearing the Yule of 2001, with his team deep in the dumpster of doom, every player in there stiffened, expecting a firm lecture (at best), a paint-peeling dressing down (at worst).

What they got, instead, was a promise.

"It was Christmastime when we started playing well,'' says goaltender Dan Cloutier, peering back in time to the moment when the Canucks started pulling it all together. "To put one finger on what it was ... I'm not sure.

"I just remember having a meeting, with the general manager and everyone. They said 'We're going to stick it out with this team. There's not going to be any moves. No coaches are going anywhere. No players being traded. So it's up to us.'

"After that, it just seemed like we started winning. At the time when we weren't, there were a lot of trade rumors. But when the general manager tells you nobody's moving, nothing's happening, maybe it took some pressure off certain guys.

"(Burke) was pretty calm with the players. But he's an honest guy. He's a straight shooter. He's good to talk to. He'll tell you the way it is.''

The way it is is this: The Vancouver Canucks are legitimate contenders in the stacked Western Conference. That 10-game winning streak they pieced together (between Nov. 9 and Dec. 3) is no mirage. Their abilities and depth may be given short shrift out east, where most people are already fast asleep before the Vancouver games are even over, but the fact remains that the necessary components are in place to take a spirited run at the big boys.

"It's been fun," says Cloutier. "Obviously, when you're not winning you still enjoy your job. But, face it, it's not as fun. Right now, we're having a lot of that."

The most pressing question with this group is: How long can they hold it all together? Not the results, the core of the team.

Cornerstone defenseman Ed Jovanovski and Cloutier are restricted free agents at season's end. They'll be followed in the summer of 2004 by breakthrough centerman Brendan Morrison and the mammoth Todd Bertuzzi. The year after that, captain Markus Naslund and resurgent blueliner Mattias Ohlund will require new, improved deals.

Canadian franchises such as the Canucks, working in that Monopoly money the Canadian government distributes in Ottawa, can afford one player, maybe two, earning $4-$5 million (U.S.) a season. If the progression continues, in three years Vancouver could potentially have six of them.

That math just won't work.

So the window of opportunity for this Canucks team, so full of promise, isn't likely a long one.

Since winning Dec. 27 of last season, or right after Burke's dressing-room speech, the Canucks have gone 44-17-7-3. That's tied with the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings for the second most points (98) among all NHL teams.

Following the 10-game win streak, the Canucks have dropped three of their last four starts. But there's no panic out on Canada's west coast. They outplayed the Wild and lost, then ran rings around the Flames and lost, too.

This is an emerging team, one growing in confidence in its abilities. Do not expect them to slink away meekly anytime soon. They were left for dead after the opening two and a half months of last year and put on a tremendous run. They stumbled out of the gate again this year, winning only two games in October, but have once more righted themselves.

"We're certainly fuel for anybody who thinks they're out of it,'' agrees coach Marc Crawford.

Factoring in the number of Canucks who put in "breakthrough" seasons, it's no wonder they got things turned around in 2001-2002.

The hulking Bertuzzi blossomed into the prototype power forward, collecting 85 points, third highest in the league, to go along with 110 penalty minutes. Morrison, regarded as a skilled but soft, one-way center during his time in New Jersey, flourished. This year, with former No. 1 centerman Andrew Cassels gone to Columbus, he's been even better given the added ice time and responsibility. He reminds people of another B.C. boy, Joe Sakic, with his quickness, playmaking ability and defensive reliability. No mean compliment, to be sure.

Jovanovski transformed all that raw talent into a star status. His 17 goals are second among defensemen. And Cloutier became what many felt he'd never be -- a reliable No. 1 goaltender. Pity his season was tarnished by that Nicklas Lidstrom goal in the playoff loss to Detroit a season ago, because those 62 regular-season starts, 2.43 GAA, 31 wins and .901 save percentage deserved considerable applause.

Cloutier, of course, hasn't missed a beat so far this year, earning NHL Player-of-the-Month honors for November.

Finally, after two years of uncertainty, Ohlund appeared to be rid of the demons of that serious eye injury.

Other, less noticeable factors have also contributed to the upswing. Such as: