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Thursday, July 27, 2000 Essensa happy to have dealVANCOUVER (CP) -- Bob Essensa signed with his fifth NHL team on Wednesday when he signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks.He is expected to back up Felix Potvin, who the Canucks are still trying to sign. "You know I'm used to the Western Conference," Essensa told the Vancouver Sun. "It's the only place I've played in my 13-year career. "The last four summers I've spent tracking down one-year contracts and usually getting them done just before training camp or during training camp so this is unusual for me. But it's nice, the fact that you know, and at least now we can prepare ourselves for where we are going." Originally from Toronto, Essensa, 35, played 30 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season going 13-10-3 with a 2.78 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He said he's getting a slight raise from the $500,000 US he made last year. Essensa said he hopes to help fill the leadership void left by Messier's return to New York. "It's a different role you know. In the Winnipeg years I earned the No. 1 spot but the backup is almost more difficult," Essensa said. "You have to be ready every night and, when you do get the ball, the biggest thing is to not let the team feel that noticeable gap between the No. 1 and No. 2." 
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