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Vancouver Canucks Team History

Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Primary Logo
Canucks Alternate Logo
Canucks Wordmark Logo
Canucks Team Merch

Established
1970

City
Vancouver

League History
1970 – Present / National Hockey League

Team History
1970 – Present / Vancouver Canucks

Nickname
Canucks – The Vancouver Canucks are one of the most beloved teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). With a long and storied history, their nickname has become synonymous with hockey in Canada. But where did it come from? Let's take a look at how this iconic team got its name.

The story began in 1970 when the NHL announced that Vancouver would get an expansion franchise for the upcoming season. The city was excited, but there was still one big question: what should they call their new team? After much deliberation, ownership decided to go with "Canucks," which had been used as slang for Canadians since before Confederation and is derived from "Kanuk."

This decision wasn't without controversy, though; some argued that such an old-fashioned term didn't fit well into modern society or reflect positively on Canadian culture. Despite these protests, Canucks stuck around and quickly became part of Vancouver's identity – even inspiring other teams like Toronto Maple Leafs to adopt similar nicknames!

Today, fans proudly wear jerseys emblazoned with “Vancouver Canucks” across them while cheering on their favorite players during games at Rogers Arena or watching them play away games via TV or streaming services like Sportsnet Now +. It’s clear that although there were some initial doubts about using such an archaic term as a nickname for this professional sports team, over time, it has grown into something special – connecting generations of fans through shared pride and love of hockey.

Championship
Stanley Cup 0

Arena
2011 – Present / Rogers Arena
2010 / Canada Hockey Place
1995 – 2010 / General Motors Place
1970 – 1995 / Pacific Coliseum

Owner
2006 – Present / Canucks Sports & Entertainment
2004 – 2006 / John McCaw, Jr. and Francesco Aquilini
1997 – 2004 / John McCaw, Jr.
1988 – 1997 / Arthur Griffiths
1974 – 1988 / Frank Griffiths
1970 – 1974 / Thomas Scallen

  • 1970
  • 1975
  • 1996
  • 1970-71 Vancouver Canucks team photo

    Vancouver Canucks Team Formation

    Less than a year later, the Oakland Seals were in financial difficulty and having trouble drawing fans. An apparent deal was in place to move the team to Vancouver, but the NHL did not want to see one of their franchises from the expansion of 1967 move so quickly and killed the deal. In exchange for avoiding a lawsuit, the ...
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  • tom-scallen-globe-and-mail-photo

    New Ownership

    Prior to the 1974 – 1975 season, Scallen and his ownership group from Minnesota sold the team to local media mogul Frank Griffiths for $9 million. Also in the summer of 1974, the Canucks were re-aligned within the league and placed in the new Smythe Division. They responded with their first winning record (38 wins, 32 losses, and 10 ties), ...
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  • general-motors-place-vancouver

    New General Motors Place

    Their elimination from the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 4 of the second round marked the Canucks’ last game played at the Pacific Coliseum, as the team moved into the new General Motors Place (since renamed Rogers Arena), a new $160 million arena situated in Downtown Vancouver, the following season. Rogers Arena is an indoor sports arena located at ...
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Who is the greatest Vancouver Canucks?
  • Add your greatest player

To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.

History of the Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1945, they have been members of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1970 and are one of two teams based in Canada currently competing in the league. The Canucks have had an illustrious history since their inception; they’ve won three division championships and one conference championship over their fifty-five-year tenure as part of the NHL, and they share a notable rivalry with the Seattle Kraken.

The most successful period for the franchise came during its first decade as part of the NHL when it made seven playoff appearances between 1971 and 1981. During this time, many great players donned a Canucks jersey, such as Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, and Harold Snepsts, who all played significant roles on some very talented teams that reached four Stanley Cup Finals but ultimately fell short each time against powerful opponents like Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins or Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers dynasty squads from 1984-the 1990s.

Despite not winning any titles during these years, the '80s were still considered a golden era for fans due to memorable moments like Trevor Linden’s goal against Calgary Flames, which propelled them into the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, where they eventually lost to New York Rangers after being up 3 games 2 at home. This was followed by another exciting run led by Markus Naslund & Todd Bertuzzi, reaching the 2006 Western Conference Final, only losing out on a chance for another finals appearance when Anaheim Ducks defeated them in game 7 at home.

In recent years, despite having limited success making playoffs here & there with a core group featuring Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin & Roberto Luongo leading the way, Canuck faithful remain hopeful that new ownership can bring back glory days once again with young prospects Quinn Hughes & Elias Pettersson showing a lot of promise alongside veterans Brock Boeser & Bo Horvat going forward into the 2020 season, especially in their rivalry with the Seattle Kraken!

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Retired Number
10 / Pavel Bure
12 / Stan Smyl
16 / Trevor Linden
19 / Markus Naslund
22 / Daniel Sedin
33 / Henrik Sedin
99 / Wayne Gretzky

*Blue is this team’s history

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