Orland Kurtenbach Orland John Kurtenbach ( born September 7 , 1936 , in Cudworth , Saskatchewan ) is a retired Canadian professional 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 teams during his twenty professional seasons , principally the Vancouver Canucks , with whom he became the NHL franchise ' s inaugural captain . Playing career . Growing up in Saskatchewan , Kurtenbach played junior hockey in the SJHL with the Prince Albert Mintos for two seasons , also making two brief professional appearances with the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League during that time . In 1957 , after Prince Albert was eliminated from the play - offs , Kurtenbach was picked up by the Flin Flon Bombers , where he helped the team win the Memorial Cup in 1956 - 57 . In 1957 – 58 , Kurtenbach turned pro , completing his first season with the minor league Vancouver Canucks of the WHL , scoring 54 points in 52 games en route to earning Rookie of the Year honours . The majority of the Kurtenbach ' s early professional career would be spent in the minors , splitting time between the AHL with the Buffalo Bisons , Springfield Indians and Providence Reds , and the WHL with the San Francisco Seals and the Canucks . His best season in this stretch was 1962 – 63 , when he notched 87 points for the Seals in 70 games and led the team in scoring in the playoffs en route to winning the league championship . During his time in the minors , Kurtenbach made two brief appearances in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins , totaling eighteen games , but would not play his first full NHL season until 1960 – 61 with the Bruins . He would stay in the NHL for the remainder of his playing career , and after two full seasons with the Bruins , one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs , and four seasons with the New York Rangers , Kurtenbach ' s career would come full circle as he would play for the Vancouver Canucks once more . The Canucks , who joined the NHL from the WHL in 1970 – 71 , obtained Kurtenbach in the expansion draft and named him the franchise ' s first team captain . With Vancouver , Kurtenbach found his niche and tallied career highs in 1971 – 72 with 61 points in 78 games while showing notable defensive skill . In comparison , his previous best was just 37 points in 70 games during his rookie season . However , plagued by a bad back and other injuries which eroded his playing time and his newly - found scoring skills , after four seasons with the Canucks , Kurtenbach retired . Kurtenbach finished his NHL career with 119 goals and 213 assists for 332 points in 639 games , adding 628 penalty minutes . Coaching career . The season after his NHL retirement , Kurtenbach joined the Seattle Totems of the Central Hockey League , moving behind the bench as head coach . After a losing season with Seattle , he coached two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers of the same league and won a championship in his first season with them , 1975 – 76 , being awarded the Jake Milford Trophy as CHL coach of the year . In 1976 – 77 , Kurtenbach returned to the NHL to replace Phil Maloney midway through the season as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks . However , after one and a half seasons and a 36 – 62 – 27 record , Kurtenbach was replaced by Harry Neale at the end of the 1977 – 78 season . Upon his replacement , Kurtenbach would only return to coaching with the Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1982 and the Richmond Sockeyes of the BCHL in 1986 before retiring .