Vancouver Canucks

Template:NHL Team Infobox

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

Facts

Founded: 1945

Joined the NHL: 1970

Home arena: General Motors Place 18,630 Capacity

Former home arena: Pacific Coliseum (1970-1995) 16,150 capacity

Uniform colours: Home: Royal blue, red, and silver on dark blue. Away: Royal blue, red, and silver on white. Alternate (3rd): Red, dark blue, and silver.

Logo design: A stylized "C", consisting of an orca breaking out of ice.

Vintage sweater: 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. The stick in the middle represents a "C".

Division Championships: 4 (1974-75, 1991-92, 1992-93, 2003-04)

Conference Championships: 2 (1981-82, 1993-94)

Stanley Cup Finals appearances: 2 (1981-82; lost to NY Islanders, 0-4), (1993-94; lost to NY Rangers, 3-4)

Mascot: Fin the Whale

Rivals: Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers

Local TV Affliate: Rogers Sportsnet Pacific

Local Radio Affliate: until end of 2005-06 season- CKNW AM 980 starting in the 2006-07 season- CKST AM 1040

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 (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.

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 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).

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).

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 were 1975 Smythe division champions, but were generally mediocre for the first decade of their existence, missing the playoffs 6 times in their first 8 years. After a decent regular season, 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 4 games to none by the heavily favoured New York Islanders. After their improbable Stanley Cup run, the Canucks slipped back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980's.

Under the guidance of new general manager Pat Quinn, the Canucks rose to prominence in the early 1990's. Led by players such as Trevor Linden, Kirk McLean, and Pavel Bure, the Canucks won two consecutive division titles in 1992 and 1993. However, they did not go far in the playoffs.

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 games five, six, and seven in overtime; Pavel Bure scored the game 7 winner on a breakaway, which many consider the biggest goal in franchise history. 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 seven 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. Oddly enough, they lost to teams from New York in both of their Stanley Cup Final appearances.

After the Canucks incredible 1994 run, Vancouver continued to be a force for the next two seasons, acquiring Alexander Mogilny via trade to further improve their offence. In the 1997 off-season, the Canucks made a big splash and signed Mark Messier to a lucrative deal. This was thought to be the final piece of the puzzle in getting the Canucks back to the finals. However this was not the case, and the Canucks missed the playoffs for the rest of the decade.

With a new general manager, Brian Burke, and coach Marc Crawford, Vancouver rebuilt their team and returned to the playoffs in 2001. This season however started in Sweden, when the team held their training camp in Stockholm, and participated in the NHL Challenge. Led by Markus Näslund, Todd Bertuzzi, Ed Jovanovski, and Dan Cloutier, the Canucks would become a league powerhouse in the first five years of the 21st century. However, the 21st century Canucks have not yet achieved playoff success, unable to make it past the second round so far.

It was Burke who coined the phrase, "Goalie Graveyard," when referring to the Canucks long-standing history of have having troubles between the pipes. As it turned out, Vancouver became Burke's own graveyard. Before the NHL lockout of 2004-2005, Burke did not have his contract renewed by the Canucks, a move that most Vancouver fans regarded as a poor decision.

Burke was replaced by Dave Nonis, who had been the assistant GM. Free agent activity in the summer prior to the 2005-2006 season saw players such as Anson Carter and Richard Park arrive in Vancouver. However, Nonis' moves were viewed by some to be rather meek compared to other NHL club GMs.

The 2005-2006 season began with much promise, with some hockey analysts picking the Canucks as Stanley Cup favorites. 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. The season was characterized by under-acheiving play, most notably in the first line (Naslund, Morrison, and Bertuzzi) that was expected to produce higher point totals under the new league rules.

On April 25th, 2006, it was announced by Dave Nonis that Marc Crawford has been fired and no new replacement coach has been determined. Early speculation has Manitoba Moose head coach and former Montreal Canadiens coach Alain Vigneault and former Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Pat Quinn as contenders for the job.

On Thursday, April 27, 2006, Crawford took some time to thank every person within the Canucks franchise for those who worked hard during his tenure as their head coach, especially Todd Bertuzzi, the team's right winger[1].

On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, General Manager Dave Nonis held a press conference to announce the hiring of the franchise’s new coach Alain Vigneault. Three days later, he completed a blockbuster trade with the Florida Panthers, trading Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld for Roberto Luongo , Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round draft pick (TBA) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Logo and sweater history

File:Vancouver Canucks 1978.gif

Logo in use from '78 to '97. Aka: The Skate

File:Canucks70s.gif

Logo in use from '70 to '78, currently the team's secondary logo, but with different colors. Aka: The Stick.

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 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 modern team's colours.

In the late 1970s, aiming for a more 'aggressive' image, the team switched to one of its more controversial looks. The new sweaters 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 sweater. This theme was adapted 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, more commonly, the "Downward Skate" (thought all too appropriate for the team's fortunes). Eventually the yellow home jerseys were scrapped in 1989 in favor 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 1989-90 to 1991-92, 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' color 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 jersey during an episode of his 1990s sitcom, Martin.

The current logo is an orca, breaking through cracked ice, in the shape of a "C". This is likely a reference to Orca Bay, the company which owns the team.

The name "Canuck" has nothing to do with the current logo of the Canucks. Canuck is a slang word 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.

Franchise awards

Calder Memorial Trophy

Pavel Bure - 1991-1992

King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Trevor Linden - 1996-1997

Lester B. Pearson Award

Markus Näslund - 2002-2003

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

1982
1994

Jack Adams Award

Pat Quinn - 1991-1992

Season-by-season record

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

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1970-71	78	24	46	8	--	56	229	296	1371	6th in East	Out of playoffs
1971-72	78	20	50	8	--	48	203	297	1092	7th in East	Out of playoffs
1972-73	78	22	47	9	--	53	233	339	943	7th in East	Out of playoffs
1973-74	78	24	43	11	--	59	224	296	952	7th in East	Out of playoffs
1974-75	80	38	32	10	--	86	271	254	965	1st in Smythe	Lost Quarterfinal (MTL)
1975-76	80	33	32	15	--	81	271	272	1122	2nd in Smythe	Lost Preliminary (NYI)
1976-77	80	25	42	13	--	63	235	294	1078	4th in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1977-78	80	20	43	17	--	57	239	320	962	3rd in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1978-79	80	25	42	13	--	63	217	291	1134	2nd in Smythe	Lost Preliminary (PHI)
1979-80	80	27	37	16	--	70	256	281	1808	3rd in Smythe	Lost Preliminary (BUF)
1980-81	80	28	32	20	--	76	289	301	1892	2nd in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (BUF)
1981-82	80	30	33	17	--	77	290	286	1840	2nd in Smythe	Lost Stanley Cup Final (NYI)
1982-83	80	30	35	15	--	75	303	309	1639	3rd in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (CGY)
1983-84	80	32	39	9	--	73	306	328	1474	3rd in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (CGY)
1984-85	80	25	46	9	--	59	284	401	1451	5th in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1985-86	80	23	44	13	--	59	282	333	1813	4th in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (EDM)
1986-87	80	29	43	8	--	66	282	314	1917	5th in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1987-88	80	25	46	9	--	59	272	320	2196	5th in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1988-89	80	33	39	8	--	74	251	253	1569	4th in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (CGY)
1989-90	80	25	41	14	--	64	245	306	1644	5th in Smythe	Out of playoffs
1990-91	80	28	43	9	--	65	243	315	2063	4th in Smythe	Lost Division Semifinal (LA)
1991-92	80	42	26	12	--	96	285	250	2075	1st in Smythe	Lost Division Final (EDM)
1992-93	84	46	29	9	--	101	346	278	2326	1st in Smythe	Lost Division Final (LA)
1993-94	84	41	40	3	--	85	279	276	1923	2nd in Pacific	Lost Stanley Cup Final (NYR)
1994-95¹	48	18	18	12	--	48	153	148	1093	2nd in Pacific	Lost Conference Semifinal (CHI)
1995-96	82	32	35	15	--	79	278	278	1546	3rd in Pacific	Lost Conference Quarterfinal (COL)
1996-97	82	35	40	7	--	77	257	273	1607	4th in Pacific	Out of playoffs
1997-98	82	25	43	14	--	64	224	273	2166	7th in Pacific	Out of playoffs
1998-99	82	23	47	12	--	58	192	258	1764	4th in Northwest	Out of playoffs
1999-00	82	30	29	15	8	83	227	237	1047	3rd in Northwest	Out of playoffs
2000-01	82	36	28	11	7	90	239	238	1113	3rd in Northwest	Lost Conference Quarterfinal (COL)
2001-02	82	42	30	7	3	94	254	211	1342	2nd in Northwest	Lost Conference Quarterfinal (DET)
2002-03	82	45	23	13	1	104	264	208	1178	2nd in Northwest	Lost Conference Semifinal (MIN)
2003-04	82	43	24	10	5	101	235	194	1274	1st in Northwest	Lost Conference Quarterfinal (CGY)
2004-05²	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
2005-06	82	42	32	--	8	92	256	255	1531	4th in Northwest	Out of playoffs
Grand Totals	2855	1101	1325	391	37	2633	9113	9992	52910

¹ Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.

² Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Notable players

Current squad

As of June 23, 2006 [2]

Goaltenders
Number	Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
1	Roberto Luongo	L	2006	Montreal, Quebec
31	Mika Noronen	L	2006	Tampere, Finland
39	Dan Cloutier	L	2001	Mont-Laurier, Quebec

Defencemen
Number	Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2	Mattias Ohlund	L	1994	Piteå, Sweden
3	Keith Carney	L	2006	Providence, Rhode Island
4	Nolan Baumgartner	R	2003	Calgary, Alberta
6	Sami Salo	R	2002	Turku, Finland
8	Eric Weinrich	L	2006	Roanoke, Virginia
23	Sean Brown	L	2006	Oshawa, Ontario
28	Wade Brookbank	L	2004	Lanigan, Saskatchewan
55	Ed Jovanovski - A	L	1999	Windsor, Ontario
?	Lukas Krajicek	L	2006	Prostějov, Czechoslovakia

Forwards
Number	Player	Shoots	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth
7	Brendan Morrison - A	L	C	2000	Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
14	Alexandre Burrows	L	LW	2003	Pincourt, Quebec
15	Rick Rypien	R	C	2005	Coleman, Alberta
16	Trevor Linden - A	R	RW	2001	Medicine Hat, Alberta
18	Richard Park	R	RW	2005	Seoul, South Korea
19	Markus Naslund - C	L	LW	1996	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
20	Ryan Kesler	R	C	2003	Livonia, Michigan
21	Tyler Bouck	L	RW	2001	Camrose, Alberta
22	Daniel Sedin	L	LW	1999	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
24	Matt Cooke	L	LW	1997	Belleville, Ontario
33	Henrik Sedin	L	C	1999	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
36	Josh Green	L	LW	2005	Camrose, Alberta
37	Jarkko Ruutu	L	RW	1998	Vantaa, Finland
77	Anson Carter	R	RW	2005	Toronto, Ontario
?	Tommi Santala	R	RW	2006	Helsinki, Finland

Hall of Famers

Andrew James "Andy" Bathgate
Frank A. Griffiths (Owner)
John Calverley "Jake" Milford (General Manager)
Roger Paul Neilson (Coach)
Norman "Bud" Poile (General Manager)
Jim Robson (Radio Broadcaster)

Team captains

Retired numbers

12 Stan Smyl, F, 1978-91
99 Wayne Gretzky (retired league-wide by the NHL)

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