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Vancouver Canucks

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Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
Founded 1945
Home ice General Motors Place
Based in Vancouver
Colours Blue, red, silver
League National Hockey League
Head coach Marc Crawford
General manager David Nonis
Owners John McCaw
(Orca Bay Sports) &
Francesco Aquilini
(Aquilini Investment Group)

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Founded: 1945
Joined the NHL: 1970-1971
Arena: General Motors Place
Former arena: Pacific Coliseum (1970-1995)
Uniform colours: Home: Royal blue, dark red, and silver on dark blue. Away: Royal blue, dark red, and silver on white. Alternate (3rd): Dark red, dark blue, and silver.
Logo design: A stylized "C", consisting of an orca breaking out of water.
Vintage Jersey: A stylized "C", consisting of a hockey rink and hockey stick. Home: Green and white on royal blue. Away: Royal blue and green on white.
Mascot: Fin the Whale.
Stanley Cup final appearances: 2 (0 won, 2 lost: 1981-82 (lost), 1993-94 (lost))

Franchise History

In 1945 the Pacific Coast Hockey League established an ice hockey franchise in the city of Vancouver. Known as the Canucks, they immediately enjoyed success by winning PCHL championships in their first and third year of existence. In 1952, the PCHL merged with the Western Canada Senior Hockey League to form the professional Western Hockey League. With numerous star players coming through the ranks like Johnny Bower, Andy Bathgate, Tony Esposito, and Phil Maloney, the Canucks won the President's/Lester Patrick Cup in 1958, 1960, 1969, and 1970.

In 1965, when the NHL announced plans to expand to six additional markets , the WHL's Canucks owner and former Vancouver mayor Fred Hume announced that the city of Vancouver would apply. However, the presentation to the NHL's Board of Governors was sloppily prepared. Because of this, and the fact that the Vancouver ownership group was disliked by Detroit Red Wings' owner James Norris and Toronto Maple Leafs' owner Stafford Smythe (who hated Vancouver in general because of a failed arena plan), the application did not succeed. Nevertheless, the Pacific Coliseum, which was to be the first home for a prospective Vancouver NHL team, was built on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE).

File:1970-71 firstgoal.jpg
Barry Wilkins scores the Canucks' first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings.

In 1970, another Vancouver ownership group bought the Canucks and, after much negotiating, joined the NHL for the price of $6 million ($4 million more than it would have cost in 1967). Interestingly, the Canucks were placed in the East Division - allegedly to maintain parity between the two divisions. (More interesting was the fact that the Blackhawks moved from the East Division to the West Division the same year.)

First NHL Captain: Orland Kurtenbach
First NHL Game: 9 October, 1970 vs. Los Angeles Kings
First NHL Victory: 11 October, 1970 5 - 3 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
First NHL Goal Scored: Barry Wilkins vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Canucks have been to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in their franchise history. Their first trip was in 1982, when they were swept 4 games to none by the New York Islanders. In 1994, the Canucks made another trip to the finals, entering that year's playoffs as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The club had what could be characterized as an off year during the regular season, but resumed their form during the playoffs, beating Calgary in the first round in an incredible seven game series. They won game 7 in overtime on a Pavel Bure breakaway. They went on to defeat the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs before meeting the New York Rangers in the Finals. The Canucks lost game 7 in the finals by a score of 3-2 in what many hockey analysts consider one of the closest and most exciting Stanley Cup finals in NHL history.

Logo and jersey history

File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG
Logo in use from '78 to '97
File:Canucks sm.gif
Logo in use from '70 to '78

The team has gone through several different logo and jersey changes in its history. One of their first jerseys is now worn on the occassional "vintage night"; a blue rink-shaped rectangle with a hockey stick in it designed by Joe Borovich of North Vancouver. A version of this logo is still in use, as a shoulder patch on the team's current jerseys. One of the more controversial jerseys worn consisted of a huge yellow, orange, and black striped "V" coming down from the shoulders which, depending on whom you ask, is usually considered to be either their best or (more commonly) worst jersey. The logo used before the current one was the word "Canucks" in a diagonal slant and is part of the blade of a skate. The current jersey is an orca, in the shape of a "C".

The name "Canuck" has nothing to do with the current logo of the Canucks. Canuck is slang for a Canadian person in the way "Yankee" is for an American. However, the team name is actually derived from Johnny Canuck, a 19th century Canadian Cartoon that has had several reincarnations during the 20th century. Johnny Canuck was also on the very first Vancouver Canucks logo, back in their Pacific Coast Hockey League days.

Ownership

Francesco Aquilini, head of the Aquilini Investment Group in Vancouver, purchased a 50% share in the franchise and General Motors Place sports arena on the 17th of November, 2004. Aquilini purchased his share of the franchise and General Motors Place from American billionaire John McCaw, who still owns the remaining 50%. However, in January 2005, Aquilini's former business partners, Tom Gagliardi and Ryan Beedie, have filed a lawsuit against Aquilini and OrcaBay, the group that currently owns the Canucks. Gagliardi and Beedie claimed that Aquilini and OrcaBay had acted in bad faith and went behind their backs when Aquilini and Orca Bay brokered their deal, despite Aquilini having had to pull out of his partnership with Gagliardi and Beedie to purchase the team due to financial concerns.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Logo Season GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1970-71 78 24 46 8 -- 56 229 296 1371 6th in East Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1971-72 78 20 50 8 -- 48 203 297 1092 7th (last) in East Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1972-73 78 22 47 9 -- 53 233 339 943 7th in East Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1973-74 78 24 43 11 -- 59 224 296 952 7th in East Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1974-75 80 38 32 10 -- 86 271 254 965 1st in Smythe Lost in 2nd round
File:Canucks sm.gif 1975-76 80 33 32 15 -- 81 271 272 1122 2nd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:Canucks sm.gif 1976-77 80 25 42 13 -- 63 235 294 1078 4th in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1977-78 80 20 43 17 -- 57 239 320 962 3rd in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:Canucks sm.gif 1978-79 80 25 42 13 -- 63 217 291 1134 2nd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:Canucks sm.gif 1979-80 80 27 37 16 -- 70 256 281 1808 3rd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1980-81 80 28 32 20 -- 76 289 301 1892 2nd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1981-82 80 30 33 17 -- 77 290 286 1840 2nd in Smythe Lost in Stanley Cup finals
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1982-83 80 30 35 15 -- 75 303 309 1639 3rd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1983-84 80 32 39 9 -- 73 306 328 1474 3rd in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1984-85 80 25 46 9 -- 59 284 401 1451 5th (last) in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1985-86 80 23 44 13 -- 59 282 333 1813 4th in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1986-87 80 29 43 8 -- 66 282 314 1917 5th (last) in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1987-88 80 25 46 9 -- 59 272 320 2196 5th (last) in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1988-89 80 33 39 8 -- 74 251 253 1569 4th in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1989-90 80 25 41 14 -- 64 245 306 1644 5th (last) in Smythe Out of playoffs
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1990-91 80 28 43 9 -- 65 243 315 2063 4th in Smythe Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1991-92 80 42 26 12 -- 96 285 250 2075 1st in Smythe Lost in 2nd round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1992-93 84 46 29 9 -- 101 346 278 2326 1st in Smythe Lost in 2nd round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1993-94 84 41 40 3 -- 85 279 276 1923 2nd in Smythe Lost in Stanley Cup finals
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1994-95 48 18 18 12 -- 48 153 148 1093 2nd in Pacific Lost in 2nd round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1995-96 82 32 35 15 -- 79 278 278 1546 3rd in Pacific Lost in 1st round
File:VancouverCanuckslogo.JPG 1996-97 82 35 40 7 -- 77 257 273 1607 4th in Pacific Out of playoffs
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 1997-98 82 25 43 14 -- 64 224 273 2166 7th (last) in Pacific Out of playoffs
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 1998-99 82 23 47 12 -- 58 192 258 1764 4th (last) in Northwest Out of playoffs
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 1999-00 82 30 29 15 8 83 227 237 1047 3rd in Northwest Out of playoffs
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2000-01 82 36 28 11 7 90 239 238 1113 3rd in Northwest Lost in 1st round
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2001-02 82 42 30 7 3 94 254 211 1342 2nd in Northwest Lost in 1st round
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2002-03 82 45 23 13 1 104 264 208 1178 2nd in Northwest Lost in 2nd round
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2003-04 82 43 24 10 5 101 235 194 1274 1st in Northwest Lost in 1st round
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2004-05 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
File:Vancouver Canucks.gif 2005-06 8 6 1 -- 1 11 29 22

Notable Players

Current Roster

As of October 8, 2005

Goaltenders
Number Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
35   Alex Auld L 2001 Cold Lake, Alberta
36   Dan Cloutier L 2001 Mont-Laurier, Quebec
Defencemen
Number Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
2   Mattias Ohlund L 1994 Pitea, Sweden
4   Nolan Baumgartner R 2003 Calgary, Alberta
5   Bryan Allen L 1998 Kingston, Ontario
6   Sami Salo R 2002 Turku, Finland
26   Steve McCarthy L 2005 Trail, British Columbia
28   Wade Brookbank L 2004 Lanigan, Saskatchewan
55   Ed Jovanovski L 1999 Windsor, Ontario
Forwards
Number Player Shoots Positon Acquired Place of Birth
7   Brendan Morrison L C 2000 Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
16   Trevor Linden R C/RW 2001 Medicine Hat, Alberta
17   Jason King L RW 2001 Corner Brook, Newfoundland
18   Richard Park R RW 2005 Seoul, South Korea
19   Markus Naslund L LW 1996 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
20   Ryan Kesler R C 2003 Detroit, Michigan
21   Tyler Bouck L RW/LW 2001 Camrose, Alberta
22   Daniel Sedin L LW 1999 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
24   Matt Cooke L LW/RW 1997 Belleville, Ontario
33   Henrik Sedin L C 1999 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
37   Jarkko Ruutu L RW/LW 1998 Vantaa, Finland
42   Lee Goren R RW 2004 Winnipeg, Manitoba
44   Todd Bertuzzi R RW 1998 Sudbury, Ontario
77   Anson Carter R RW 2005 Toronto, Ontario

Hall of Famers

Team captains

Not to be forgotten

Retired Numbers

Note: Wayne Maki's number 11 was unofficially retired by the Canucks organization following his untimely death in May 1974. Although this is the case, it has been worn by one other Canucks player since then, Mark Messier.

See also

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