The Vancouver Canucks were a minor league professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team in the

Pacific Coast Hockey League The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The firs ...

and the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

, based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada. Inaugurated in 1945 with the PCHL, they became a WHL team with the merger of the PCHL with the

Western Canada Senior Hockey League The Western Canada Senior Hockey League was a senior ice hockey league that played six seasons in Alberta and Saskatchewan, from 1945 to 1951. The league produced the 1946 Allan Cup and the 1948 Allan Cup champions, and merged into the Pacific Coas ...

in 1952. The Canucks played 25 seasons in the WHL between 1945 and 1970. In 1970 they were replaced by a new

Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

team of the same name, and joined the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

along with fellow expansion team, the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

. The Vancouver Canucks won six President's/Lester Patrick Cups (the trophy was renamed in 1960 after the death of

Lester Patrick Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and t ...

), two PCHL titles (1946 and 1948) and four WHL titles (1958, 1960, 1969 and 1970). They were also regular season champions four times. They played home games in the

PNE Forum The Forum (also known as the Exhibition Forum, Vancouver Forum and PNE Forum) is an indoor arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada located on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition. Sports, Ice Hockey and the Canucks The building ...

arena at the

Pacific National Exhibition The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 10-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...

in east Vancouver, before moving for their last two seasons into the

Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum, known to locals as "The Coliseum" or the "Rink on Renfrew," is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hocke ...

just to the north.

Personnel

Players

Five Canucks players have been inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...

(inducted in 1978) played with Vancouver for four years (1952–54 and 1968–70) and was on the team for their final two championships. In 1969–70, he recorded 108 points in 72 games, earning the George Leader Cup as league

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Johnny Bower John William Bower (né Kiszkan; November 8, 1924 – December 26, 2017), nicknamed "The China Wall", was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who won four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2017 he was named one ...

Tony Esposito Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of t ...

Allan Stanley Allan Herbert Stanley (March 1, 1926 – October 18, 2013) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs of the National H ...

and

Gump Worsley Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like comic-strip character Andy Gump. ...

– all Hall of Fame inductees – have all played one season with the Canucks.

Coaches

1948–49:

Bill Cowley William Mailes "Cowboy" Cowley (June 12, 1912 – December 31, 1993) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Eagles and Boston Bruins. Described as the Wayne Gretzky of h ...

1949–50:

Bill Carse William Alexander Carse (May 29, 1914 – October 31, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 122 games in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta ...

1950–51: Bill Carse replaced by

Murph Chamberlain Erwin Groves "Murph" Chamberlain (February 14, 1915 in Shawville, Quebec – May 8, 1986) was a Canadian ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Brooklyn Americans and Boston Bru ...

1951–52: Murph Chamberlain; replaced by

Hugh Currie Hugh Roy Currie (October 22, 1925 – November 21, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in one National Hockey League game for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1950–51 NHL season. See also *List of players wh ...

; replaced by

Joe Carveth Joseph Gordon Carveth (March 21, 1918 – August 15, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings between 1940 and 1951. He was born in Regina ...

1959–61:

Art Chapman John Arthur Chapman (May 29, 1905 – December 31, 1962) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Chapman started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins in 1930. He would also play for the New York ...

1961–62:

Phil Maloney Philip Francis Anthony Maloney (October 6, 1927 – February 21, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs">Boston_Bruins.html" ;"title ...

(11–35–3); replaced by

(7–13–1) (February 7, 1962)
1962–63:

Max McNab Maxwell Douglas McNab (June 21, 1924 – September 2, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and National Hockey League (NHL) general manager. He played in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings between 1947 and 1951, winning the ...

1966–67: Bert Olmstead
1967–68: Jim Gregory
1968–69:

Joe Crozier Joseph Richard Crozier (February 19, 1929 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and head coach who played and coached primarily in the minor leagues. After playing the better part of 12 seasons in the minor lea ...

1969–70: Joe Crozier; replaced by Hal Laycoe

General Managers

1948–49:

1949–50: Coleman E. Hall
1950–51: –
1960–61: Coley Hall
1961–62:

(temp); replaced by Dave Dauphine (after Nov.)
1962–63:

1967–68:

Annis Stukus Annis Paul Stukus (October 25, 1914 – May 20, 2006) was a Canadian football player, coach and general manager, and ice hockey general manager. Stukus was born in Toronto. He played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1935 to 1941, leading the te ...

1968–69:

1969–70: Joe Crozier; replaced by

Bud Poile Norman Robert "Bud" Poile (February 10, 1924 – January 4, 2005) was a professional ice hockey player, coach, general manager, and league executive. Bud is the brother of Don Poile, and the father of David Poile. Overview Poile was born in Fo ...

Presidents

1948–61: Coleman E. Hall
1962–63: Fred J. Hume (owner)
1968–69: Cyrus McLean
1969–70: Cyrus McLean; replaced by Thomas K. Scallen

Honoured members

Hall of famers

;Players *

, C, 1952–54 & 1968–70, inducted 1978 *

, G, 1954–55, inducted 1976 *

, G, 1967–68, inducted 1988 *

, D, 1953–54, inducted 1981 *

, G, 1953–54, inducted 1980

WHL league award winners

;Players Leader Cup – MVP *

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

, G, 1952–53 * Lorne Worsley, G, 1953–54 *

, F, 1955–56 * Hank Bassen, G, 1959–60 *

, F, 1962–63 *

Billy McNeill William McNeill (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lio ...

, F, 1964–65 *

, F, 1965–66 *

, F, 1969–70 Rookie Award *

Orland Kurtenbach Orland John Kurtenbach (born September 7, 1936) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League ...

, D, 1957–58 *

Bruce Gamble Bruce George Gamble (May 24, 1938 – December 29, 1982) was a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1962 and 1972, with some stints in the minor leagues during that time. Junior career Gamble ...

, G, 1958–59 * Jim Baird, G, 1961–62 *

Gilles Villemure Joseph Hector Gilles Villemure (born May 30, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 1970s. Villemure was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Playing ...

, G, * Ron Boehm, F, 1966–67 * Brad Selwood, F, 1969–70 Most Gentlemanly Player – Fred J. Hume Cup *

, F, 1961–62 *

, F, 1962–63 *

, F, 1967–68 Outstanding Defenseman – Hal Laycoe Cup * Larry Cahan, D, 1966–67 *

Marc Reaume Marc Avellin Reaume (born February 7, 1934) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 344 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Vancouver ...

, D, 1969–70 Leading Scorer Award *

, F, 1955–56 (95 points) Outstanding Goaltender Award *

, G, 1952–53 GA-216 GAA-3.08 * Lorne Worsley, G, 1953–54 GA-168 GAA-2.40 *

, G, 1954–55 GP-63 GA-171 GAA-2.71 * Ray Mikulan, G, 1955–56 GA-181 GAA-2.54 * Marcel Pelletier, G, 1957–58 GA-173 GAA-2.43 *

Hank Bassen Henry "Hank, Red" Bassen (December 6, 1932 – May 29, 2009) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1954 and 1968. He was the fat ...

, G, 1959–60 GA-172 GAA-2.48 * George Gardner, G, 1969–70 GA-171 GAA-2.88

Year by year standings

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

Year by year statistical leaders

Total points (team, season)

Year Player GP Goals Assists Pts PIM Leading scorer 1952–'53 Larry Popein 70 25 44 59 23 Ian MacIntosh, Walt Atanas – 28 1953–'54 Larry Popein 70 34 32 66 22 Larry Popein 1954–'55 Doug Adam 67 30 22 52 53 Doug Adam 1955–'56 Phil Maloney 70 37 58 95 14 Phil Maloney 1956–'57 Phil Maloney 70 43 55 98 8 Phil Maloney 1957–'58 Phil Maloney 70 35 59 94 0 Jack McLeod – 44* 1958–'59 Ted Hampson 66 27 41 68 23 Dan Belisle – 31 1959–'60 Colin Kilburn 70 23 47 70 79 Jim Powers – 30 1960–'61 Bruce Carmichael 70 30 47 77 36 and Dan Belisle – 30 1961–'62 Phil Maloney 70 34 52 86 2 Barrie Ross – 35 1962–'63 Phil Maloney 69 24 61 90 8 Carl "Buddy" Boone – 44* 1963–'64 Phil Maloney 65 28 53 81 38 Carl "Buddy" Boone – 38 1964–'65 Billy McNeill 68 29 59 88 86 and Phil Maloney – 29 1965–'66 Billy McNeill 72 40 62 102 20 Billy McNeill 1966–'67 Gordon Vejprava 71 36 46 82 27 Gordon Vejprava 1967–'68 Phil Maloney 72 22 46 68 6 Bruce Carmichael – 31 1968–'69 Bob Barlow 74 36 48 84 50 Andy Bathgate – 37 1969–'70 Andy Bathgate 72 40 68* 108* 66 Paul Andrea – 44* ''* – team record''
Team record for PIM/season – 251, John Arbor, 1969–'70

Total points (team, playoffs)

Year Player GP Goals Assists Pts PIM 1952–'53 Larry Popein 9 5 10 15 0 1953–'54 Charles McCullough 13 5 8 13 0 1954–'55 Phil Maloney 5 2 2 4 0 1955–'56 Phil Maloney 15 8 7 15 4 1957–'58 Phil Maloney 11 8 17* 25* 4 1958–'59 (three players tied with 7 points in 9 games) 1959–'60 Ray Cyr 11 5 11 16 11 1960–'61 Bruce Carmichael 9 3 3 6 2 1962–'63 Phil Maloney 7 2 7 9 0 Robert Kabel 7 5 4 9 2 1964–'65 Phil Maloney 5 1 5 6 0 Billy McNeill 5 2 4 6 0 1965–'66 Larry Cahan 7 4 12 16 4 1966–'67 Bryan Hextall 8 3 5 8 11 1968–'69 Bryan Hextall 8 4 7 11 22 1969–'70 Murray Hall 11 10 11 21 10 Gerry Glover 11 5 16 21 12 ''* – team record'' Team record for goals/playoff – 14, Jack McLeod, 1957–'58
Team record for PIM/playoff – 47, Ted McCaskill, 1969–'70

Goaltender stats, season

Year Player GP GA EN SO GAA W L T SVS .PC 1952–'53 Emile Francis 70 216 5 3.09 32 28 10 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1953–'54 Lorne "Gump" Worsley 70 168 4 2.40 39 24 7 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1954–'55 Johnny Bower 63 171 7 2.71 30 25 8 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1955–'56 Ray Mikulan 71 181 2.54 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1956–'57 Ray Mikulan 71 231 0 4 3.25 1772 .885 1957–'58 Marcel Pelletier 71 173 0 8* 2.43 1749 .910* – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1958–'59 Bruce Gamble 65 199 2 7 3.06 29 26 20 1630 .891 1959–'60 Hank Bassen 69 172 5 2.45 44 19 6 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper 1960–'61 Claude Evans 53 147 6 2.77 27 23 3 1961–'62 Claude Evans 40 165 2 4.08 11 26 3 Art LaRiviere 23 1962–'63 Gilles Villemure 70 228 5 3.26 35 31 4 1963–'64 Marcel Paille 70 254 2 3.60 26 41 3 1964–'65 Gilles Villemure 60 212 6 3.46 27 26 6 1965–'66 Gilles Villemure 69 223 5 3.20 32 34 3 1966–'67 Don Simmons 72 213 1 7 2.95 38 32 2 1967–'68 Tony Esposito 63 199 0 4 3.20 25 33 4 Jean-Guy Morissette 11 58 0 0 5.45 1 8 1 1968–'69 George Gardner 53 154 2 2 3.01 25 18 9 Charlie Hodge 13 32 1 0 2.54 7 2 4 Al Millar 12 34 0 0 3.52 4 4 1 1969–'70 George Gardner 60 171 0 3 2.88 41 14 6 – won Outstanding Goalkeeper Lynn Zimmerman 13 48 0 0 3.78

Bibliography

External links

All-time pre-NHL Canucks roster
{{Rochester Americans Ice hockey clubs established in 1945

Ice hockey teams in British Columbia WHL New York Rangers minor league affiliates California Seals minor league affiliates Western Hockey League (1952–1974) teams 1945 establishments in British Columbia 1970 disestablishments in British Columbia