Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks
File:CanucksLogo.png
Conference	Western
Division	Northwest
Founded	1945
History	Vancouver Canucks 1945-1952 (PCHL) 1952-1970 (WHL) 1970-present (NHL)
Home arena	General Motors Place
City	Vancouver, British Columbia
Team colours	Deep Blue, Forest Green, Silver, and White
Media	Rogers Sportsnet Pacific Team 1040 (1040 AM)
Owner(s)	Francesco Aquilini
General manager	Dave Nonis
Head coach	Alain Vigneault
Captain	Markus Naslund
Minor league affiliates	Manitoba Moose (AHL) Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	none
Conference championships	1981-82, 1993-94
Division championships	1974-75, 1991-92, 1992-93, 2003-04, 2006-07

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1970. The Canucks play their home games in GM Place. The Canucks have twice made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to each of the two New York teams: the Islanders in 1982, and the Rangers in 1994.

Franchise history

Pre-NHL (1945-1970)

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 (1946) and third (1948) 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, Allan Stanley, and Phil Maloney, the Canucks would again win the President's/Lester Patrick Cup in 1958, 1960, 1969, and 1970. The team played at the Vancouver Forum.

In 1965, when the NHL announced plans to expand to six additional markets, the owner of the WHL's Canucks (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 Bruce Norris and Toronto Maple Leafs majority-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.

Early years (1970-1982)

"The Stick-in-Rink", 1970-78; alternate logo, 2005-present.

In 1970, another Vancouver ownership group bought the Canucks and, after much negotiating, joined the NHL along with the Buffalo Sabres for the price of $6 million ($4 million more than it would have cost in 1967).

First NHL Captain: Orland Kurtenbach

First NHL Game: October 9, 1970 vs. Los Angeles Kings

First NHL Victory: October 11, 1970 5-3 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

First NHL Goal Scored: Barry Wilkins vs. Kings

Counterintuitively, the Canucks were placed in the powerful East Division for their first four seasons, and although they had a few decent players such as ex-Ranger center Orland Kurtenbach, defencemen Dale Tallon and Jocelyn Guevremont and winger Dennis Ververgaert, the team failed to make the playoffs during those years. Realignment in the 1975 season placed the Canucks in the new Smythe Division, and they responded with their first winning record, finishing first in the division and winning their first playoff series. They would have a winning season and make the playoffs the season following, but slip back into losing ways the next two seasons thereafter. In that time, their best players were slick playmaker Andre Boudrias, who finished first in team scoring four out of the franchise's first five seasons (and finish second by a single point in the other), forward Don Lever, and Dennis Kearns, to this day the leading scoring defenceman in franchise history.

After the team's winning season in 1976, Vancouver would not have another winning team for another sixteen seasons, but in the notoriously weak Smythe Division would generally make the playoffs.

1982 Stanley Cup run

After a relatively decent regular season in which they were only three games under .500, the Canucks became the Cinderella story of the 1982 playoffs and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in franchise history. However, they were promptly swept four games to zero by the heavily favoured defending champion New York Islanders. That season would prove to be the only one in which Vancouver won a playoff series until 1992.

See also: Towel Power

Decline and resurgence (1982-1994)

File:VancouverCanucks1980s.png

"The Flying Skate", 1978-1997.

After their improbable Stanley Cup run, the Canucks slipped back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980s. Their notable players in the 1980s included two-way forward Stan Smyl, who retired the franchise leader in most scoring categories; Swedish imports Thomas Gradin and Patrik Sundstrom; penalty minute king Tiger Williams, who led the NHL in penalty minutes during two of his Canuck seasons; hardrock defenceman Harold Snepsts, one of the most popular players in franchise history; and high-scoring right winger Tony Tanti.

Later on, under the guidance of new general manager Pat Quinn, the Canucks rose to prominence in the early 1990s. Led by players such as Trevor Linden, Kirk McLean, and Pavel Bure, the Canucks won two consecutive regular season division titles in 1992 and 1993.

See also: 1991-92 Vancouver Canucks season

1994 Stanley Cup run

In 1994 the Canucks made their second 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 the rival Calgary Flames in the first round in an incredible seven-game series. They won games five, six, and seven in overtime; Pavel Bure (nicknamed the "Russian Rocket") scored the Game Seven winner on a breakaway, which many consider the biggest goal in franchise history. They went on to defeat both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 games before meeting the New York Rangers in the Finals. Vancouver won Game 1 3-2 in OT because of goaltender McLean's 52-save performance. After losing three in a row, the Canucks won Games 5 and 6 to force a seventh game at Madison Square Garden. They lost Game Seven by a score of 3-2. The Canucks' failure was followed by a major riot by disappointed hockey fans in downtown Vancouver, many of whom had been drinking heavily.

Return to mediocrity (1994-2001)

After the 1994 playoff run, Vancouver continued to be a force for the next two seasons, acquiring Alexander Mogilny and Markus Naslund via trade from the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively, to further improve their offence.

In the 1997 off-season, the Canucks made a big splash and signed Mark Messier from the Rangers to a lucrative three-year deal. Messier in his time in Vancouver was often injured and the Canucks went through a fire sale in his second year. The third however saw a rebirth in the team that laid the foundations for the team's success in the coming years, the team was once again expected to finish close to dead last in the league but the Canucks shocked all by fighting for the playoffs the whole year.

West Coast Express years (2001-2006)

File:VancouverCanucks.png

Orca logo, 1998-2007

With a new general manager, Brian Burke, and coach Marc Crawford (who had won a Stanley Cup with the 1996 Colorado Avalanche), Vancouver rebuilt their team and returned to the playoffs in 2001. The team held their training camp in Stockholm, and participated against Swedish and Finnish teams in the NHL Challenge. Led by forwards Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi, defenceman Ed Jovanovski and goaltender Dan Cloutier, the Canucks would achieve some success in the next few years. However, since 1994, the Canucks have not yet achieved significant playoff success, failing to achieve victory in the second round.

It was Brian Burke who coined the phrase "Goalie Graveyard", when referring to the Canucks' long-standing history of having troubles between the pipes. As it turned out, Vancouver became Burke's own graveyard. Before the lockout of 2004-05, Burke did not have his NHL GM contract renewed by the Canucks and was replaced by Dave Nonis, who had been assistant GM. Free agent activity in the summer prior to the 2005-06 season saw players such as Anson Carter and Richard Park arrive in Vancouver.

Post-Lockout (2005-Present)

The 2005-06 season began with much promise, with some hockey analysts picking the Canucks as Stanley Cup favourites. However, the team failed to meet expectations and completed the regular season in a disappointing 9th place in their Conference — narrowly missing a playoff position to the Edmonton Oilers, which caused some debate about the effect of the point awarded for an overtime or shootout loss, recently instituted by the NHL. The season was characterized by under-achieving play, most notably in the first line of Naslund, Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison, which was expected to produce higher point totals under the new league rules. Morrison had a career-high 84 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, his wingers, Bertuzzi and Naslund, had a combined -37 in Plus/Minus Rating. Vancouver's highest-scoring line was that of Carter and Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

On April 25, 2006, the Canucks fired Crawford. Alain Vigneault, who had just coached Vancouver's American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, to a 102-point season, was hired as his replacement on June 20, 2006. The Los Angeles Kings hired Crawford soon after Vancouver let him go. Netminder Dan Cloutier went to LA too.

See also: 2006-07 Vancouver Canucks season

The re-building of the Canucks continued just three days after Vigneault's hiring, when Nonis completed a blockbuster trade with the Florida Panthers, trading Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round draft pick (Sergei Shirokov) for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Florida fan favourite Luongo initially claimed to be "surprised and unhappy" with being traded. Luongo later signed a long-term 4-year, $27-million deal with the Canucks which includes a "no-trade clause" after the first year, tying the Chicago Blackhawks' Nikolai Khabibulin as the highest paid goaltender in the National Hockey League and showing the Canucks' clear intention of making Luongo a franchise goalie.

Vancouver Canucks pregame ceremony on April 3, 2007

On September 12, 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers offered restricted free agent Ryan Kesler a one-year, $1.9 million dollar contract, forcing the Canucks to either match the offer or lose the rights to Kesler. Kesler, the Canucks' first-round draft pick in 2003, scored 10 goals and had 13 assists in 82 games for the Canucks in 2005-06. The offer was considered high for a young player with relatively low stats, and Bobby Clarke, the now ex-General Manager of the Flyers, received criticism for the move. The Canucks matched the offer on September 14, 2006. The offer made by the Flyers was the first offer sheet extended to a restricted free agent in eight years, and the first following the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

On April 7, 2007, the Canucks won the Northwest Division title for the 2nd time in three seasons with an overtime win over the San Jose Sharks, the win also gave goalie Roberto Luongo his 47th win, tying him for the previous single-season win record with Bernie Parent, having been recently eclipsed by New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur.

File:Canucks2.JPG

Vancouver Canucks warming up during the 2007 playoffs

On April 11, 2007, the Canucks set a franchise record with a quadruple OT win in the opening game of round one of the playoffs against the Dallas Stars. The game was the longest in Canucks history and the sixth longest in league history. Also in this game the Canucks set a record for shots against, allowing 76. The Canucks won this seven-game series despite a lack of goal-scoring, allowing Stars goalie Marty Turco to record three shutouts. They lost in the second round in five games to the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions, Anaheim Ducks.

The Canucks revived their original uniform colours of Deep Blue and Forest Green for the 2007-08 season and unveiled the uniforms on August 29, 2007. The new uniforms have the word "VANCOUVER" arched over their re-coloured logo.

Ownership

From 1988 to 1997, the Vancouver Canucks were owned by local businessman and philanthropist Arthur Griffiths. However, he was forced to sell his majority interest in the Canucks after overextending his resources trying to build a new arena, GM Place. As a result, he sold his majority share to American billionaire John McCaw.

On November 17, 2004, the Aquilini Investment Group, headed by Francesco Aquilini, purchased a 50% share in Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns both the Canucks franchise and GM Place sports arena from John McCaw. Aquilini and two business partners, Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie, had been negotiating with Orca Bay for several months without concluding an agreement. In January 2005, Gaglardi and Beedie filed a lawsuit against Aquilini and Orca Bay alleging that Aquilini and Orca Bay had acted in bad faith in concluding a deal using information obtained from their joint offer.

On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, Aquilini, along with his brothers Roberto and Paolo, purchased the remaining 50% of the Vancouver Canucks and GM Place from McCaw.

In May 2007, Gaglardi and Beedie's civil lawsuit over Aquilini's purchase reached BC Supreme Court. The court case is ongoing as of June 2007.

Logos and jerseys

The team has gone through several different logo and sweater changes in its history. One of their first sweaters is now worn on the occasional "vintage night"; a blue rink-shaped rectangle with a hockey stick in it forming the letter "C", 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, with the team's original colours.

In 1978, aiming for a more "aggressive" image, the team asked a psychologist to design them new uniforms. The new sweaters consisted of a huge yellow, red-orange, and black striped "V" coming down from the shoulders (suggesting "victory", according to its designer) which, depending on whom you ask, is usually considered to be either their best or (more commonly) the worst sweater in hockey history (hockey writer Stephen Cole referred to it looking like 'a punch in the eye'). This "Flying V" theme was abandoned in the mid-1980s to feature the team's emblem on the front rather than the "V" (the emblem had previously been worn only on the arms). The logo consisted of the word "Canucks" in a diagonal slant and is part of the blade of a skate. The logo, with its laser-like design, was sometimes referred to as the "Star Wars" logo or the "waffle iron", or, more commonly, the "Flying Skate" or "Plate of Spaghetti". Eventually the yellow home jerseys were scrapped in 1989 in favour of more conventional white ones, and the triangular shoulder stripes which adorned the post-"V" jerseys were discarded at the same time. The new incarnation was worn from 1989-92, when a subtle change was made — and went largely unnoticed for the rest of the jersey's lifespan. The orange was switched to red, and the deep "gold" colour was changed to a much brighter yellow, reportedly because jersey-maker CCM no longer produced the required hues. Actor Martin Lawrence once wore this edition of the Vancouver jersey during an episode of his 1990s sitcom, Martin. In the mid 90's a "third" jersey was used, retaining the "Downward Skate" logo, but using a Salmon colour graduating to black near the bottom.

File:Aug2907 naslundsweater big.jpg

Canuck captain Markus Naslund reveals the new jersey on August 29, 2007

In 1997 the Canucks unveiled their new logo, in which a Haida-style killer whale (or orca) breaking out of a patch of ice forms a stylized "C". The logo has been much-maligned, accused of being a blatant reference to their parent company, Orca Bay. At the time, GM Pat Quinn discussed wanting to have a west-coast colour scheme, and overall west-coast themes in the logo; the new colour scheme includes blue, red and silver/white. Beginning in 2001, a new "third" jersey was utilized, with contrasting shoulder patches and a blue-to-maroon graduated colour in the body. In 2006 the Canucks officially abandoned their gradient red alternate jerseys and replaced them with the popular retro stick and rink blue uniforms from the 1970s.

File:Canucks New Jerseys.jpg

(Left to Right: Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Markus Naslund, Kevin Bieksa, Trevor Linden) The August 29th, 2007 reveal of the new jerseys

Little more than halfway through the 2006-07 season, the Canucks announced that they would be changing their jerseys once again. While a report in February 2007 suggested the new scheme would be revealed on August 1, 2007, the new jersey was actually unveiled prior to training camp, on August 29, 2007. It featured the same orca whale design present on their previous jerseys, but the colour scheme was updated to their "retro" colours of blue, green and white. Additionally, the word "Vancouver" was added to the chest area above the orca. This move was seen as a way to connect hockey heritage in Vancouver to that of the Stanley Cup-championship team the Vancouver Millionaires, who played in Vancouver in the early 1900s, and wore a uniform with the word "Vancouver" on it. The actual jerseys themselves were changed to the Rbk Edge design, along with all other teams in the NHL. The introduction was largely greeted with disappointment from fans and sports commentators. The Vancouver Sun described the new look as "decidedly unpopular."

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Canucks. For the full season-by-season history, see Vancouver Canucks seasons

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

Records as of April 8, 2007.

Season	GP	W	L	T1	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2001-02	82	42	30	7	3	94	254	211	1342	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Red Wings)
2002-03	82	45	23	13	1	104	264	208	1178	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Wild)
2003-04	82	43	24	10	5	101	235	194	1274	1st, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Flames)
2004-05	Season cancelled due to 2004-05 NHL Lockout
2005-06	82	42	32	—	8	92	256	255	1477	4th, Northwest	Did not qualify
2006-07	82	49	26	—	7	105	222	201	—	1st, Northwest	Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Ducks)

¹ As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

Current roster

Updated September 20, 2007.

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Debut	Place of Birth
1		Roberto Luongo	L	2006	Montreal, Quebec
41		Curtis Sanford	L	2007	Owen Sound, Ontario

Defencemen
#		Player	Shoots	Debut	Place of Birth
2		Mattias Ohlund	L	1997	Piteå, Sweden
3		Kevin Bieksa	R	2001	Grimsby, Ontario
4		Aaron Miller	R	2007	Buffalo, New York
5		Lukas Krajicek	L	2006	Prostějov, Czechoslovakia
6		Sami Salo	R	2002	Turku, Finland
8		Willie Mitchell	L	2006	Port McNeill, British Columbia

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Debut	Place of Birth
7		Brendan Morrison – A	C	L	2000	Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
9		Taylor Pyatt	LW	L	2006	Thunder Bay, Ontario
14		Alexandre Burrows	LW	L	2005	Pincourt, Quebec
15		Byron Ritchie	C	L	2007	Burnaby, British Columbia
16		Trevor Linden – A	C	R	2001	Medicine Hat, Alberta
17		Ryan Kesler	C	R	2003	Livonia, Michigan
19		Markus Naslund – C	LW	L	1996	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
20		Jeff Cowan	LW	L	2006	Scarborough, Ontario
22		Daniel Sedin	LW	L	1999	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
24		Matt Cooke	LW	L	1998	Belleville, Ontario
26		Ryan Shannon	C	R	2007	Darien, Connecticut
27		Brad Isbister	LW	R	2007	Edmonton, Alberta
33		Henrik Sedin	C	L	1999	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
37		Rick Rypien	C	R	2005	Coleman, Alberta

Notable players

Team captains

• Orland Kurtenbach, 1970-74
• No captain, 1974-75
• Andre Boudrias, 1975-76
• Chris Oddleifson, 1976-77
• Don Lever, 1977-79
• Kevin McCarthy, 1979-82

• Stan Smyl, 1982-90
• Dan Quinn, Doug Lidster & Trevor Linden, 1990-91 (tri-captains)
• Trevor Linden, 1991-97
• Mark Messier, 1997-2000
• Markus Naslund, 2000- present

Honored members

Hall of Famers:

Players

• Andy Bathgate, C, 1952-54 & 1968-70, inducted 1978
• Johnny Bower, G, 1954-55 inducted 1976
• Tony Esposito, G, 1967-68 inducted 1988
• Mark Messier, C, 1997-2000 to be inducted 2007
• Cam Neely, RW, 1983-86 , inducted 2005
• Allan Stanley, D, 1953-54, inducted 1981
• Gump Worsley, G, 1953-54, inducted 1980

Builders

• Frank Griffiths, Owner, 1974-94, inducted 1993
• Jake Milford, General Manager, 1977-82, inducted 1984
• Roger Neilson, Assistant/Head coach, 1981-84, inducted 2002
• Bud Poile, General Manager, 1970-73, inducted 1990

Broadcasters

• Jim Robson, Radio, 1960-94; TV, 1985-99, inducted 1992

Retired Numbers

• 12 Stan Smyl, RW, 1978-91, number retired November 3, 1991
• 99 Wayne Gretzky, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000

Note: The number 11 of Wayne Maki (LW, 1970-73) was unofficially retired by the team following his untimely death in May 1974. Mark Messier (C, 1997-2000) is the only Canuck player to wear it since.

First-round draft picks

For full list, see List of Vancouver Canucks draft picks

• 1970: Dale Tallon (2nd overall)
• 1971: Jocelyn Guevremont (3rd overall)
• 1972: Don Lever (3rd overall)
• 1973: Dennis Ververgaert (3rd overall) & Bob Dailey (9th overall)
• 1974: None
• 1975: Rick Blight (10th overall)
• 1976: None
• 1977: Jere Gillis (4th overall)
• 1978: Bill Derlago (4th overall)
• 1979: Rick Vaive (5th overall)
• 1980: Rick Lanz (7th overall)
• 1981: Garth Butcher (10th overall)
• 1982: Michel Petit (11th overall)
• 1983: Cam Neely (8th overall)
• 1984: J.J. Daigneault (10th overall)
• 1985: Jim Sandlak (4th overall)
• 1986: Dan Woodley (7th overall)
• 1987: None
• 1988: Trevor Linden (2nd overall)

• 1989: Jason Herter (8th overall)
• 1990: Petr Nedved (2nd overall) & Shawn Antoski (18th overall)
• 1991: Alek Stojanov (7th overall)
• 1992: Libor Polasek (21st overall)
• 1993: Mike Wilson (20th overall)
• 1994: Mattias Ohlund (13th overall)
• 1995: None
• 1996: Josh Holden (12th overall)
• 1997: Brad Ference (10th overall)
• 1998: Bryan Allen (4th overall)
• 1999: Daniel Sedin (2nd overall) & Henrik Sedin (3rd overall)
• 2000: Nathan Smith (23rd overall)
• 2001: R.J. Umberger (16th overall)
• 2002: None
• 2003: Ryan Kesler (23rd overall)
• 2004: Cory Schneider (26th overall)
• 2005: Luc Bourdon (10th overall)
• 2006: Michael Grabner (14th overall)
• 2007: Patrick White (25th overall)

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Canucks player

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Trevor Linden*	C	1081	311	410	721	0.67
Markus Naslund*	LW	802	321	380	701	0.87
Stan Smyl	RW	896	262	411	673	0.75
Thomas Gradin	C	613	197	353	550	0.90
Pavel Bure	RW	428	254	224	478	1.12
Tony Tanti	RW	531	250	220	470	0.89
Todd Bertuzzi	RW	518	188	261	449	0.87
Don Lever	LW	593	186	221	407	0.69
Andre Boudrias	LW	458	121	267	388	0.85
Petri Skriko	LW	472	171	202	373	0.79

NHL awards and trophies

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

• 1981-82, 1993-94

Calder Memorial Trophy

• Pavel Bure: 1991-92

Jack Adams Award

• Pat Quinn: 1991-92
• Alain Vigneault: 2006-07

King Clancy Memorial Trophy

• Trevor Linden: 1996-97

Lester B. Pearson Award

• Markus Naslund: 2002-03

NHL Plus/Minus Award

• Marek Malik: 2003-04 (shared with Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning)

Franchise individual records

• Most Goals in a season: Pavel Bure, 60 (1992-93 & 1993-94)
• Most Assists in a season: Henrik Sedin, 71 (2006-07)
• Most Points in a season: Pavel Bure, 110 (1992-93)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Donald Brashear, 372 (1997-98)
• Most Points in a season, defenceman: Doug Lidster, 63 (1986-87)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Ivan Hlinka; Pavel Bure, 60 (1981-82; 1991-92)
• Most Wins in a season: Roberto Luongo, 47 (2006-2007)
• Most Shutouts in a season: Dan Cloutier, 7 (2002-03)
• Lowest GAA in a season: Dan Cloutier, 2.27 (2003-04)
• Best SVP% in a season: Roberto Luongo, .921 (2006-07)

Media

After a relationship with CKNW stretching since the Canucks joined the NHL in 1970, the Canucks entered into a new radio broadcast deal in 2006 with 1040 The Team -- an AM sports/talk station. John Shorthouse continues to call the play-by-play, as he has since 1999. He is joined with colour commentary by Tom Larscheid, who has been with the broadcasts since 1977. The games air on 14 stations across British Columbia. In addition to national TV broadcasts on Hockey Night in Canada and on TSN, the Canucks also have arrangements with Rogers Sportsnet Pacific to air 47 games (as of 2007-08 season). Additional games air on pay-per-view. Jim Hughson is currently the main TV broadcaster for the Canucks on both HNIC and Rogers Sportsnet. On Friday, May 25, 2007, the Canucks and Sportsnet signed a multi-year contract that will keep the channel as the club's primary broadcaster. Under the agreement, Sportsnet Pacific will air 47 games in the 2007-08 NHL season and beginning this year select games will be broadcasted in HD for the first time ever.

See also

• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
• Canuck
• Sports in Vancouver

External links

• Official website of the Vancouver Canucks
• Vancouver Canucks Booster Club
• General Motors Place website