NHL Team Guide: Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks were founded in 1970 and joined the NHL along with the Buffalo Sabres. The Canucks struggled in their early days in the league and didn’t post a winning season or a playoff berth until the 1974-75 campaign. Vancouver played in its first Stanley Cup in 1982, but the Canucks were swept 4-0 by the New York Islanders. Vancouver, along with Buffalo, is the oldest franchise in the NHL to have never won a Stanley Cup.

Canucks fans can watch Vancouver on TV on national broadcasts on NBC, NBCSN, and CBC. Rogers Sportsnet Vancouver will carry come Canucks games regionally. The complete Vancouver NHL schedule is available for live streaming through Sportsnet NOW.

NHL Standings

Vancouver joined the NHL as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. From 1974 to 1993, the Canucks were in the Smythe Division of the old Campbell Conference. NHL realignment in 1993 placed Vancouver in its current home – the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.

Championship History

As mentioned, the Canucks have never won a Stanley Cup, but they have played for three. Vancouver has had its share of success winning 10 division championships: 1974-75, 1991-92, 1992-93, 2003-04, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13.

Vancouver won conference titles in 1981-82, 1993-94, and 2010-11. The 2010-11 team was the first Canucks team to win the Presidents’ Trophy for having the most points during the regular season. Vancouver won the Presidents’ Trophy the following year as well.

Home of the Canucks

The Canucks played in the old Pacific Coliseum up until 1995. Vancouver’s current home, the Rogers Arena, was opened that year in the downtown area.  When the Canucks began playing in their new home, it was called General Motors Place. Since 2010, it has been known as Rogers Arena, which currently holds 18,910 fans for hockey games.

Best Canucks

Any talk of the best Canucks in history begins with the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik. The identical twins were drafted by Vancouver in 1999. Daniel was the second overall pick of the draft and Henrik was taken with the third overall pick. The pair played their entire 18-year careers in Vancouver and sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on the franchise scoring list.

Henrik, known more as a playmaker, leads the franchise in assists with 830 and points with 1,070. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2010 as the NHL’s leading scorer with 112 points. Henrik was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy that year as the league’s MVP.

In typical twin fashion, Daniel won the Art Ross Trophy the following year in 2011. He led the NHL in points with 104 and was awarded the Ted Lindsay Trophy the same year as the Most Outstanding Player in the league. Daniel finished his career with the most goals (393) in Vancouver history and 1,041 career points.

Markus Naslund played 12 years in Vancouver and is third on the all-time scoring list with 756 points. Naslund’s best season came in 2002-03 when he scored 48 goals and 104 points and won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player.

Author: Dan Anderson