Vancouver Canucks

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 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 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 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. Vancouver won Game 1 3-2 in OT, because of goaltender Kirk McLean's 52-save performance. 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 forwards Markus Näslund 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. 2006 saw disappointment, as the team failed to make the playoffs.

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 2004-05, Burke did not have his contract renewed by the Canucks, a move that most Vancouver fans regarded as a poor decision, and was replaced by Dave Nonis.

Burke was replaced by Dave Nonis, who had been the 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. However, Nonis' moves were viewed by some to be rather meek compared to other NHL club GMs.

The 2005-06 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, which caused some discussion with regards to the effect of The Loser Point. The season was characterized by under-achieving play, most notably in the first line (Näslund, Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison) that was expected to produce higher point totals under the new league rules. Morrison had a career-high 84 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, usual linemates Bertuzzi and Näslund had a combined -37 in Plus/Minus Rating.

On April 25th, 2006, the Canucks fired Crawford. Alain Vigneault was hired as Crawford's replacement on June 20, 2006. The Los Angeles Kings hired Crawford soon after Vancouver let him go: interim coach John Torchetti could not work full-time.

The re-building of the Canucks continued three days after Vigneault's hiring when Nonis 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 (Sergei Shirokov) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Luongo claimed to be "surprised and unhappy" with being traded.

Logo and sweater history

Logo in use from '78 to '97. "The Skate."

Logo in use from '70 to '78, currently the team's secondary logo, but with different colours. "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 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 1989-90 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' 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 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.

Vancouver's alternate logo; similar to the 1970-78 Canucks logo, however with the colours blue, red, and silver.

Ownership

From 1980 to 1998 (1996?), the Vancouver Canucks were owned by local businessman and philantropist Arthur Griffiths Jr.. 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.

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, 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.

NHL Awards and Trophies

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
* 1981-82, 1993-94

Division Championship
* 1974-75, 1991-92, 1992-93, 2003-04

Lester B. Pearson Award
* Markus Näslund: 2002-03

Calder Memorial Trophy
* Pavel Bure: 1991-92

NHL Plus/Minus Award:
* Marek Malik: 2003-04 (shared with Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning)

King Clancy Memorial Trophy
* Trevor Linden: 1996-97

Jack Adams Award
* Pat Quinn: 1991-92

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 August 3, 2006 [1]|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"

Goaltenders
Number		!width=15%\|Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
1		Roberto Luongo	L	2006	Montreal, Quebec>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	30		Maxime Ouellet	L	2006	Beauport, Quebec

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"

Defencemen
Number		!width=15%\|Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2		Mattias Öhlund	L	1994	Piteå, Sweden>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	6		Sami Salo	R	2002	Turku, Finland>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	8		Willie Mitchell	L	2006	Port McNeill, British Columbia>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Kevin Bieksa	R	2006	Grimsby, Ontario>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Lukas Krajicek	L	2006	Prostějov, Czechoslovakia>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Yannick Tremblay	R	2006	Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"

Forwards
Number		!width=15%\|Player	Shoots	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth
7		Brendan Morrison - A	L	C	2000	Pitt Meadows, British Columbia>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	14		Alexandre Burrows	L	LW/RW	2003	Pincourt, Quebec>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	15		Rick Rypien	R	C	2005	Coleman, Alberta>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	16		Trevor Linden - A	R	C/RW	2001	Medicine Hat, Alberta>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	19		Markus Näslund - C	L	LW/RW	1996	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	20		Ryan Kesler	R	C/RW	2003	Livonia, Michigan>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	21		Tyler Bouck	L	RW/LW	2001	Camrose, Alberta>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	22		Daniel Sedin	L	LW/RW	1999	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	24		Matt Cooke	L	LW/RW	1997	Belleville, Ontario>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	33		Henrik Sedin	L	C	1999	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	36		Josh Green	L	C/LW	2005	Camrose, Alberta>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Marc Chouinard	R	C/RW	2006	Charlesbourg, Quebec>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Taylor Pyatt	L	LW/RW	2006	Thunder Bay, Ontario>-bgcolor="#eeeeee"	-		Jan Bulis	L	LW	2006	Pardubice, Czechoslovakia

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

*Orland Kurtenbach (1970 - 1974)
*no captain (1974-1975)
*Andre Boudrias (1975 - 1976)
*Chris Oddleifson (1976 - 1977)
*Don Lever (1977 - 1979)
*Kevin McCarthy (1979 - 1982)
*Stan Smyl (1982 - 1990)
*Dan Quinn (1990 - 1991)
*Doug Lidster (1990 - 1991)
*Trevor Linden (1990 - 1997)
*Mark Messier (1997 - 2000)
*Markus Näslund (2000 - present)

Retired numbers

* 12 Stan Smyl, RW, 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 only one other Canuck player since then, Mark Messier.