Canucks Sports & Entertainment, previously known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, is a Canadian sports and entertainment company in Vancouver, British Columbia that owns and operates the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, the

Vancouver Warriors The Vancouver Warriors are a professional box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. The team moved from Everett, Washington, for the 2014 NLL season. History The Warriors are based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and play at Rogers Ar ...

of the National Lacrosse League, and their home arena,

Rogers Arena Rogers Arena is a multi-purpose arena located at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General Motors Place (GM Place) from its opening until July 6, 2010, when Ge ...

History

As Vancouver executive Arthur Griffiths overspent building General Motors Place, where the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and the upcoming

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

expansion Vancouver Grizzlies would play, in March 1995 he associated with Seattle billionaire

John McCaw Jr. John McCaw Jr. (c. 1951) is a businessman who formerly partly owned McCaw Cellular in Seattle, Washington and a former part-owner of the Vancouver Canucks NHL franchise, with Francesco Aquilini. Education A graduate of the Lakeside School, he c ...

- then a co-owner of the Seattle Mariners - to form the Northwest Entertainment Group, which would control both teams and the arena. On August 22 the company was rebaptized Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, in homage to the killer whales that roam on the British Columbia coast. In 1996, McCaw assumed full ownership of the company and its assets. Citing mounting losses, on August 21, 1999, Orca Bay announced that the Grizzlies, Canucks and GM Place were up for sale. The Grizzlies were purchased for $160 million in 2000 by Chicago businessman Michael Heisley, who after another losing season relocated the team to Tennessee in 2001, where it became the Memphis Grizzlies. While for three years Orca Bay considered selling the Canucks to North American investors, by 2003 the team's improved performances had the company give up on this. In November 2004, Vancouver-based investment company the

Aquilini Investment Group Francesco Weasel Aquilini (born 1969) is a Canadian businessman, investor, and philanthropist and is the current chairman of the Vancouver Canucks. He is a managing director of Vancouver-based Aquilini Investment Group,

purchased 50% of the company from McCaw and two years later bought the remaining 50%. In 2008, AIG rechristened the company Canucks Sports & Entertainment feeling the team's brand was strong enough for its parent company. It was reported on May 11, 2009 by local radio station the

TEAM 1040 CKST (1040 AM) is a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it broadcasts comedy-oriented programming, including stand-up comedy routines. CKST's studios are located on Robson and Burrard Street in Downtown Va ...

that

Francesco Aquilini Francesco Weasel Aquilini (born 1969) is a Canadian businessman, investor, and philanthropist and is the current chairman of the Vancouver Canucks. He is a managing director of Vancouver-based Aquilini Investment Group,

and Canucks Sports & Entertainment had expressed interest in purchasing the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

of the National Basketball Association and moving the team to Vancouver. A possible deal would depend on if Pacers owners Herbert and Melvin Simon can secure a new lease agreement with the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board who own their home arena, the Conseco Fieldhouse (now Bankers Life Fieldhouse). In 2011, rumours surfaced of Aquilini wanting to purchase the then- New Orleans Hornets; however, the Hornets, since renamed the Pelicans, were sold to Tom Benson, owner of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints, in April 2012. In June 2018, Canucks Sports and Entertainment purchased the Vancouver Stealth of the National Lacrosse League. The team was rebranded as the

and relocated from the Vancouver suburb of Langley, British Columbia to

in Vancouver. Canucks Sports and Entertainment became the fifth NHL owner to purchase an NLL franchise.

Assets

Present

* Vancouver Canucks, a National Hockey League team (valued at US$800 million, 5th in the NHL)
*

, an indoor sports arena * Abbotsford Canucks, an American Hockey League team *

, a National Lacrosse League team * Vancouver Titans, an Overwatch League esports team * Seattle Surge, a Call of Duty League esports team

Past

* Vancouver Grizzlies, a National Basketball Association team

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canucks Sports and Entertainment Abbotsford Canucks Companies based in Vancouver Sports management companies Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Grizzlies Vancouver Warriors 1995 establishments in British Columbia Vancouver Titans