Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . They play their home games at Rogers Arena ( previously known as General Motors Place ) , which has a capacity of 18 , 810 . The Canucks joined the league in 1970 as an expansion team along with the Buffalo Sabres ( the 13th and 14th teams to join ) . In its NHL history , the team has advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals three times but lost all thee tries ( to the New York Islanders in 1982 , the New York Rangers in 1994 , and to the Boston Bruins in 2011 ) . The Canucks have also won seven division titles , including their most recent during the 2009 – 10 NHL season . Franchise history . 1970 – 82 : Early years . Vancouver ' s first professional team , the Vancouver Millionaires , played for the Stanley Cup five times , winning the trophy in 1915 . Vancouver was also home to Denman Arena , the first artificial ice arena in Canada and , at the time , the largest in the world . After the Millionaires disbanded in 1926 , Vancouver was home to only minor league teams for many years , most notably the Vancouver Canucks , who played from 1945 to 1970 in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and minor professional Western Hockey League . In 1967 Vancouver broke ground for a new modern arena , the Pacific Coliseum . However , when a Vancouver group led by WHL Canucks owner and former Vancouver mayor Fred Hume made a bid for one of the six teams due to join the league in 1967 , the NHL rejected their application . Bid leader Cyril McLean called the denial a " cooked - up deal . " Speculation has long abounded that the bid was torpedoed by Toronto Maple Leafs President Stafford Smythe , who after a failed Vancouver - based business deal was quoted as saying that the city would not get a NHL franchise in his lifetime , who along with the Montreal Canadiens purportedly did not wish to split CBC hockey revenues three ways rather than two . There were reports at the time , however , that the group had made a very weak proposal in expectation that Vancouver was a lock for one of the new franchises . 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 NHL promised Vancouver would get a team in the next expansion . Another group , headed by Minnesota entrepreneur Tom Scallen , made a new presentation , and was awarded an expansion franchise for the price of six million dollars ( three times the cost in 1967 ) . The new ownership group purchased the WHL Canucks , and joined the league along with the Buffalo Sabres for the 1970 – 71 season . Ex - Ranger centre Orland Kurtenbach was named the Canucks ' first - ever captain , and the team played its inaugural game against the Los Angeles Kings on October 9 , 1970 , in which Barry Wilkins scored the first goal in franchise history . Two days later , the squad netted the first win in franchise history , a 5 – 3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs . Vancouver and Buffalo were both placed in the strong East Division for their first four seasons , as part of a realignment that saw the Chicago Black Hawks transferred to the West Division , which to that point had consisted only of the 1967 expansion teams . Although the team had a few capable players such as Kurtenbach , defencemen Dale Tallon and Jocelyn Guevremont , and winger Dennis Ververgaert and it played respectably , it failed to make the playoffs during these early years . Realignment for the 1974 – 75 season placed the Canucks in the new Smythe Division , and they responded with their first winning record , finishing first in the division . However , their first playoff series was against the Montreal Canadiens , who beat them in five games . The Canucks again posted a winning record and made the playoffs the next year , but lost to the New York Islanders in a two - game preliminary series . The Canucks missed the playoffs the two seasons thereafter . These were not without their highlights , however . During these years , star players included Andre Boudrias , who finished first in team scoring four out of the franchise ' s first five seasons ( and finished second by a single point in the other ) , forward Don Lever , and Dennis Kearns . Vancouver did not have another winning season for sixteen seasons . For most of that time , however , they were much more competitive than their record indicated ; they only missed the playoffs six times . 1982 Stanley Cup run . The Canucks made their first significant playoff impact in the post - season of 1982 . After finishing three games under a . 500 win percentage in the regular season , the Canucks made the Stanley Cup Finals with a combined 11 – 2 record in series against the Calgary Flames , Los Angeles Kings , and Chicago Blackhawks . Despite having a losing regular season record , Vancouver had home ice advantage in the first series , having finished second in the Smythe Division to the Edmonton Oilers . The Canucks also had home ice advantage during the second round series against the Kings , who upset the Oilers in the first round . During the conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks , Vancouver interim coach Roger Neilson , fed up with what he felt was the poor performance of the officials in the game , placed a white towel on the end of a hockey stick and held it up in a gesture mocking surrender ( waving the white flag ) . The players on the Canucks ' bench followed suit . At the next game , the team ' s fans cheered their team on by waving white towels above their heads . The habit stuck , becoming an original Canuck fan tradition now seen across the league and in other sports , known as Towel Power . The Canucks proceeded to win that series , making it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history . Entering the finals , the Canucks were the first team from Western Canada to play for the Stanley Cup in 56 years , when the Victoria Cougars reached the 1926 Stanley Cup Finals . However , they were unable to continue their Cinderella run as they were swept in four games by the heavily favoured defending champion New York Islanders . That season would prove to be the last one in which Vancouver won a playoff series until 1992 . The 1982 Finals was the first ever coast - to - coast Stanley Cup Final . Decline and resurgence ( 1982 – 1994 ) . After their improbable Stanley Cup run , the Canucks slipped back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980s , making the playoffs only four times for the rest of the decade . For most of the second half of the 1980s , they had to fight the Los Angeles Kings for the final playoff spot in the Smythe Division . The times that they did make the playoffs , they were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers ( in 1986 ) and the Calgary Flames ( in 1983 , 1984 and 1989 ) . Due to the way the playoffs were structured , the Canucks usually would have to get past either the Oilers , Flames , or both to reach the Conference Finals . Notable players during the 1980s included long - serving team captain Stan Smyl , who retired as the franchise leader in most scoring categories and remains one of only two players to have their jersey number retired by the Canucks ; Swedish players Thomas Gradin and Patrik Sundstrom ; Tiger Williams ( who led the NHL in penalty minutes during two of his seasons with the Canucks ) ; defenceman Harold Snepsts ( one of the most popular players in franchise history ) ; and right winger Tony Tanti . Following the installation of Pat Quinn as general manager in 1988 , the Canucks rose to prominence in the early 1990s . This increased success came roughly around the time the Oilers and Flames began to sink in the standings . Unlike the league ' s other Canadian teams , the Canucks thrived in the new environment created by the rise in player salaries . Led by players such as new captain Trevor Linden , goalie Kirk McLean , and forward Pavel Bure ( nicknamed the " Russian Rocket " ) , the Canucks won consecutive regular - season division titles in 1992 and 1993 , though both years they were eliminated from the playoffs ( by the Oilers and Kings , respectively . ) 1994 Stanley Cup run . In 1994 the Canucks made their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals , entering the playoffs as the seventh seed in the renamed Western Conference . Despite underachieving in the regular season , the Canucks played well in the playoffs . Once again , like in 1982 , the Canucks embarked on an unexpected run . The Canucks were victorious in a close first - round series against the rival Calgary Flames ; the series needed all seven games . After trailing the series three games to one , Geoff Courtnall and Trevor Linden won games five and six for Vancouver in overtime . In the overtime of game seven , goaltender Kirk McLean made " The Save , " a memorable moment in team history , where he stacked his pads on the goal line to stop an excellent setup by Theoren Fleury and Robert Reichel . This saved the Canucks from elimination . Pavel Bure scored the series - winning goal on a breakaway after taking a stretch pass from Jeff Brown in the second overtime . Following their victory over the Flames , the Canucks then went on to defeat both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs ( both in five games ) before staging the second coast - to - coast final , meeting the Presidents ' Trophy - winning New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals . Vancouver achieved victory in game one by a score of 3 - 2 in overtime , largely due to a 52 - save performance by goaltender McLean . After losing games two , three and four , the Canucks won games five and six to force a seventh game at Madison Square Garden on June 14 , 1994 . Despite a two - goal effort ( one on a shorthanded breakaway ) from team captain Trevor Linden ( who was playing with cracked ribs ) , Vancouver couldn ' t complete their Cinderella run , though they did far better than during the one of 1982 , having taken the series all the way to the seventh game , as the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years by a score of 3 - 2 . The loss was made more disappointing due to Nathan LaFayette hitting the Ranger goalpost with under six minutes left in the third period . The loss was followed by a riot in downtown Vancouver , which resulted in property damage , injuries , and arrests . Following the riots , the Canucks held a rally at BC Place attended by 40 , 000 fans , who congratulated the team for their effort . 1994 – 2001 . After the 1994 season Vancouver had a . 500 record in the lockout shortened 1994 – 95 season ( which was their final season in Pacific Coliseum ) and finished two games below . 500 in 1995 – 96 . Despite their records they made the playoffs in both seasons but failed to replicate their success of the 1994 playoffs . The team would soon move into its new arena , General Motors Place . Head coach Quinn stepped down to focus on his duties as a general manager , and was replaced by assistant Rick Ley , who was later succeeded by Tom Renney . Russ Courtnall and Alexander Mogilny were acquired via trade from the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres , respectively , in an effort to bolster offence ; Russ was reunited with his brother Geoff , and Mogilny was reunited with his former CSKA Moscow linemate , Pavel Bure . However , the team was swept in the second round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1995 and defeated in the first round by the Stanley Cup – winning Colorado Avalanche in 1996 , a season in which Bure suffered a season - ending injury early on . During the 1996 – 97 season , Bure suffered another season - ending injury , and despite strong performances by players such as Martin Gelinas and Mogilny , the Canucks missed the playoffs . In the 1997 off - season the Canucks signed free agent Mark Messier to a three - year deal . Also during that off - season was a change in management as general manager Pat Quinn was fired and replaced with a management committee . Renney was fired and Mike Keenan assumed coaching and general manager duties ; when given the latter power , he split up the core of the 1994 team , most notably trading fan - favourite and career - Canuck Trevor Linden to the New York Islanders . Although unpopular , in return the Canucks acquired Todd Bertuzzi , who would later be a big part of the team ' s offensive core . Later on in the season , Brian Burke was named general manager after being NHL vice - president . Suffering their worst season of the decade in 1998 – 99 , Keenan was fired midway through and replaced with Marc Crawford ( who had won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 ) . Pavel Bure , who appeared unhappy with playing in Vancouver , was not playing that season in hopes of getting a better contract and was eventually traded to the Florida Panthers in return for defenceman Ed Jovanovski . The Canucks missed the post - season again , but their poor season resulted in a high pick in the NHL draft . GM Brian Burke traded for a second high draft pick and in combination with the Canucks ' original high pick drafted Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft . During the 1999 – 00 season , expectations were low for the Canucks . However , they fought for a playoff spot during the entire season , only being officially eliminated in the second to last game . Several players showed promising signs of the development , notably Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund . Alexander Mogilny was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Denis Pederson and forward Brendan Morrison . At season ' s end , Messier would leave to return to the Rangers , and Naslund was selected to be the new captain of the team . " West Coast Express " years ( 2001 – 05 ) . Under new general manager Burke and new coach Crawford , the Canucks had once again become a playoff contender . The team held their training camp in Stockholm in 2000 , and played against Swedish and Finnish teams in the NHL Challenge . These years were the heyday of high - scoring left - winger Markus Naslund , and power - forward right wing Todd Bertuzzi , who , following the departure of centre Andrew Cassels in 2002 , combined with centre Brendan Morrison to form the " West Coast Express " line . The rebuilt Canucks team returned to the playoffs in 2001 ( capturing the eighth and final seed on the last day of the season ) , appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 1996 . Being the eighth seed , the Canucks drew the first - seeded Colorado Avalanche in the first round and were swept in four games in the absence of Naslund , who had suffered a broken leg during the season . The following season saw the return of ex - captain Trevor Linden and another matchup with the top seed in the West , this time the Detroit Red Wings . Vancouver won the first two games in Detroit to take a surprising 2 - 0 series lead . Detroit would win the next four games en route to a Stanley Cup championship . The turning point of the series turned out to be a weak goal allowed by goaltender Dan Cloutier in the third game . With the scores tied 1 - 1 in the dying seconds of the second period , Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom fired a shot from center - ice that took an uncanny bounce and slipped by Cloutier . Vancouver never recovered from that point on , and lost 4 games in a row to lose the series 4 - 2 . 2003 saw personal highs in the Canucks organization . Naslund finished the season with 104 points , second - highest in the league . Bertuzzi finished fifth with 97 . In goal , Cloutier posted a then - franchise record 7 shutouts . Winning a playoff series for the first time in eight years against the St . Louis Blues , the Canucks lost in the second round to the Minnesota Wild ( who had upset Colorado in round one ) after holding a 3 - 1 series lead . On February 16 , 2004 , during a Vancouver - Colorado game , Steve Moore of the Avalanche injured Canucks team captain Markus Naslund by elbowing him in the head while Naslund was reaching for a puck through center ice . No penalty was called on the play , but Naslund suffered a concussion and a bone chip in his elbow as a result of the hit , and missed three games . On March 8 , 2004 in a re - match , Bertuzzi punched Moore from behind , causing him to fall to the ice . Moore ' s head was driven into the ice , leaving him with three fractured neck vertebrae , facial cuts and a concussion . Bertuzzi was suspended for the remainder of the 2003 - 2004 regular season and playoffs , and litigation is still pending on the Moore hit . Despite winning the Northwest Division title in 2004 the Canucks fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Calgary Flames , who would go on to compete in the Stanley Cup Finals . Before the lockout of 2004 – 05 , Burke did not have his contract renewed by the Canucks and was replaced by Dave Nonis , who had been assistant general manager and Director of Hockey Operations . Burke was then hired by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . Post - lockout ( 2005 to present ) . The 2005 – 06 season began with much promise ; some hockey analysts picked the Canucks as Stanley Cup favourites . Under general manager Nonis , free agents such as Anson Carter and Richard Park were signed prior to the 2005 – 06 season . However , the team failed to meet expectations and completed the regular season in a disappointing ninth place in their Conference — narrowly losing a playoff position to the Edmonton Oilers . The season was characterized by under - achieving play , most notably by the first line of Naslund , Bertuzzi , and Morrison , which was expected to produce higher point totals under the new league rules . Morrison had a career - high 84 penalty minutes . Meanwhile , his wingers , Bertuzzi and Naslund , had a combined −37 plus / minus Rating . Vancouver ' s highest - scoring line was the second line of Carter and the Sedin twins . On April 25 , 2006 , the Canucks fired Crawford ; he was subsequently hired by the Los Angeles Kings . Alain Vigneault , who had been coach of Vancouver ' s AHL affiliate , the Manitoba Moose , was hired as his replacement on June 20 , 2006 . Vigneault remains coach to this day . Three days after Vigneault ' s hiring Nonis traded Todd Bertuzzi , Bryan Allen and Alex Auld to the Florida Panthers for Roberto Luongo , Lukas Krajicek and a sixth - round draft pick ( Sergei Shirokov ) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft . Florida fan - favourite Luongo initially claimed to be " surprised " with being traded . He later signed a 4 - year , $ 27 - million contract with the Canucks , which includes a no - trade clause after the first year , tying him with Chicago Blackhawks ' Nikolai Khabibulin as the highest paid goaltender in the NHL . With the acquisition of Luongo , previous starting goaltender Dan Cloutier was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2nd round draft choice in 2007 and a conditional pick in 2009 on July 5 , 2006 . On April 7 , 2007 , the Canucks won the Northwest Division title for the second time in three seasons with an overtime win over the San Jose Sharks . The win also gave Luongo his 47th win of the season , tying him for the previous single - season win record with Bernie Parent , which had been eclipsed during the same season by New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur . The Canucks opened the 2007 playoffs with a quadruple - overtime win against their first - round opponents , the Dallas Stars . The game was the longest in club history and the sixth longest in league history . Also in this game , the Canucks set a record for shots against , allowing 76 . The Canucks won the series in seven games despite a lack of goal - scoring ; Stars goalie Marty Turco recorded three shutouts in the series , becoming the only goalie to earn three shutouts and still lose a series . Advancing to the second round , the team was defeated by Anaheim Ducks in five games . The Ducks , under ex - Canuck GM Brian Burke , would go on to win the Stanley Cup . Following the playoffs , coach Vigneault received the Jack Adams Award . The 2007 – 08 season did not begin well , with key injuries beginning from training camp . Defencemen Sami Salo and Lukas Krajicek were both injured in October , while Kevin Bieksa was severely cut by the skate blade of Vernon Fiddler of the Nashville Predators on November 1 . Left - winger Matt Cooke was traded to the Washington Capitals for left - winger Matt Pettinger at the trade deadline . During the last nine games of the season the Canucks were also without Ohlund , who had suffered bone chips in his knee ; as well , they lost promising rookie forward Mason Raymond to an MCL sprain and Morrison , again , to an ACL tear . The Canucks lost seven of their final eight games and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years , coming up three points short . The final game of the season , played on home ice , saw the retiring Trevor Linden awarded the first star of the game and given a standing ovation after a 7 - 1 loss to the Calgary Flames . On April 14 , 2008 , Canucks ownership fired general manager Dave Nonis . Nine days later , former player agent Mike Gillis was named as his replacement . In addition to Nonis ' firing the Canucks lost several other assets during 2008 off - season . On May 29 , 2008 , the Vancouver Canucks tragically lost promising young prospect Luc Bourdon , a defenceman picked 10th overall in the 2005 entry draft , to a motorcycle crash near his hometown of Shippigan , New Brunswick . Shortly thereafter , long - time Canuck and fan favourite Trevor Linden officially retired on June 11 , 2008 . Then Gillis , in his first free agency period as general manager , let team captain and all - time leading scorer Markus Naslund go to the New York Rangers and another long - time Canuck , Brendan Morrison , sign with the Anaheim Ducks . In their place Gillis signed unrestricted free agent Pavol Demitra and traded for ( and subsequently signed ) restricted free agent Steve Bernier from the Buffalo Sabres . Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kyle Wellwood was also added to the roster . Gillis also made a two - year , $ 20 million contract offer to unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin . Although Sundin did not , at first , accept Gillis ' offer , he later joined the Canucks in December 2008 , signing a one - year , $ 8 . 6 million contract ( which was pro - rated ) for the remainder of the 2008 – 09 season . With the departure of Naslund to free agency , Gillis announced on September 30 , 2008 , that Roberto Luongo had been named team captain , marking the first time since Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens in 1947 that a goaltender has been named the captain of their NHL team . On December 17 , 2008 the Canucks retired the second jersey number in team history , hanging Trevor Linden ' s number 16 beside Smyl ' s number 12 in a pre - game ceremony . The team won the Northwest Division and finished 3rd in the Western Conference . In the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs the Canucks swept their first round series against the St . Louis Blues in four games ( the first four game sweep in franchise history ) , but were defeated in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round . In the 2009 - 10 season , the Canucks were faced the longest road trip in NHL history , with 14 games over 6 weeks , from January 27 to March 13 , 2010 , as a result of Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics . This allowed General Motors Place to be used for ice hockey during the games , which shut down the NHL for 2 weeks . This marked the first time that an NHL market hosted an Olympics since the league allowed its players to compete in the games , beginning with Nagano . GM Place was " Canada Hockey Place " during the games , as the IOC wouldn ' t allow corporate sponsorship for venues during the games . That season , Henrik Sedin became the first Canuck ever to win the Art Ross Trophy by scoring 112 points . The issue was not resolved until the last day of play , when Sidney Crosby scored five points out of the eight needed to take home the trophy to Pittsburgh . At the end of the regular season , Vancouver finished first in the northwestern division , and third in the Western Conference . They defeated the sixth place Los Angeles Kings in six games , but again were defeated in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round . 2011 Stanley Cup Run . In the 2011 NHL playoffs the Canucks made their third ever run to the Stanley Cup finals , in which they lost to the Boston Bruins in game 7 . 2012 . Eliminated 1st round 4 - 1 by LA Kings , eventual champions . 2013 . Eliminated 1st round 4 - 0 by another Calif team , SJ Sharks . That cost Vigneault his job as head coach . John Tortorella replaced him . 2014 . Canucks miss playoffs for the first time since 2008 . GM Mike Gillis was fired as president and general manager . Trevor Linden replaced him as president and Jim Benning as general manager . Tortorella was also let go after 3 weeks of Linden ' s hiring . Willie Desjardins replaced him . Team information . Ownership . The initial owners were Tom Scallen ' s Medicor group . In 1972 , hints of impropriety were circulating about Scallen . He was charged with stock fraud ( Though he still insists that he did nothing wrong ) and spent the last two years of his Canuck ownership in prison . In 1974 Scallen and Medicor sold out to Frank Griffiths . From 1988 to 1997 , the Vancouver Canucks were owned by local businessman and philanthropist Arthur Griffiths , who had inherited ownership from his father , Frank . However , he was forced to sell his majority interest in the Canucks after overextending his resources trying to build a new arena , General Motors Place . As a result , he sold his majority share to American billionaire John McCaw , Jr . . On November 17 , 2004 , the Anmoli Investment Group , headed by Francesco Aquilini , purchased a 50 % share in Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment ( the owners of both the Canucks franchise and General Motors Place ) from John McCaw , Jr . . Prior to the sale , Aquilini and two business partners , Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie , had negotiated with Orca Bay for several months without concluding an agreement . In January 2005 , Gaglardi and Beedie filed a lawsuit against Aquilini and Orca Bay , alleging that Aquilini and Orca Bay had acted in bad faith in concluding a deal using information obtained from their joint offer . On November 8 , 2006 , Aquilini , along with his brothers Roberto and Paolo , purchased the remaining 50 % of the Vancouver Canucks and General Motors Place from McCaw . In May 2007 , Gaglardi and Beedie ' s civil lawsuit over Aquilini ' s purchase reached the Supreme Court of British Columbia . The court ruled for Aquilini , on January 10 , 2008 . The court held that there was no legal partnership between Aquilini , Beedie , and Gaglardi , and that McCaw was free to sell the team to anyone he wished . On January 29 , 2008 the company responsible for operating the Vancouver Canucks and General Motors Place , changed its name from Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment to Canucks Sports & Entertainment . Logos and jerseys . The team has gone through thirteen different logo and jersey changes in its history . The team ' s first NHL jerseys , worn from the inaugural season of 1970 – 71 ( modified for the 1972 – 73 season ) until the end of the 1977 – 78 season , featured a hockey stick in the shape of a shallow " V " superimposed on a blue rink - shaped rectangle forming the letter " C " , designed by North Vancouver artist , Joe Borovich . A modified version of this logo is still in use , as a shoulder patch on the team ' s current jerseys and as the primary logo of their Alternate jerseys . In 1978 , aiming for a more aggressive image , the organization asked a San Francisco design agency , Beyl & Boyd , to design new uniforms . These consisted of a huge yellow , red - orange , and black striped " V " coming down from the shoulders ( suggesting " victory " , according to its designers ) . It is generally considered to be one of the most unpopular uniforms in NHL history ( hockey writer Stephen Cole referred to it looking like ' a punch in the eye ' ) . The " Flying V " theme was abandoned in 1985 , 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 as part the blade of a skate . The logo , with its laser - like design , was sometimes referred to as the " Star Wars " logo , the " waffle iron " , the " plate of spaghetti " , and most commonly , the " Flying Skate " . 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 as well . The new incarnation was worn from 1989 – 92 , when a subtle change was made — and went largely unnoticed for the rest of the jersey ' s lifespan . The orange was changed 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 . In 1996 , an alternate jersey was introduced , retaining the " Flying Skate " logo , but using a salmon colour graduating to black near the bottom . In 1997 the Canucks unveiled a new logo , in which a Haida - style orca ( killer whale ) breaking out of a patch of ice forms a stylized " C " . The logo has been much - maligned , accused of being a blatant reference to their parent company , Orca Bay ( now Canucks Sports and Entertainment ) . At the time , general manager Pat Quinn discussed wanting to have a West Coast colour scheme , and overall West Coast themes in the logo ; the colour scheme included blue , red , and silver . Beginning in 2001 , an alternate jersey was utilized , with contrasting shoulder patches and a blue - to - maroon graduated colour in the body . In 2006 these gradient - coloured alternate jerseys were officially replaced with the popular , royal blue " Stick - in - Rink " uniforms from the 1970s . Little more than halfway through the 2006 – 07 season , the Canucks announced that they would be changing their jerseys once again . While a report in February 2007 suggested the new scheme would be revealed on August 1 , 2007 , the new team jersey was actually unveiled prior to training camp , on August 29 , 2007 . It featured the same orca design present on their previous jerseys , but the colour scheme was updated to their " retro " colours of royal blue and kelly green . Additionally , the word " Vancouver " was added to the chest area above the orca . This move was seen as a way to connect the NHL Canucks team to that of the WHL team , whose members wore uniforms with the word " Canucks " along the top in a similar arched design . The actual jerseys themselves were changed to the Rbk Edge design , along with all other teams in the NHL . The introduction was largely greeted with disappointment from fans and sports commentators , who criticized the uniforms for looking like a " copy and paste " of those from the past . " The Vancouver Sun " described the new look as " decidedly unpopular . " On November 14 , 2008 , prior to their Sport Celebrities Festival , the Canucks released their new RBK Edge Third Jersey . While staying with the colours of Vancouver , and combining the old with the new , the jersey looks very similar to their home jersey . The modernized " Stick - in - Rink " logo unveiled the previous year on the shoulder of the main jerseys is used as the main crest . On the shoulder , a V with the head of Johnny Canuck on top is used . This is the first time in team history since joining the NHL that Johnny Canuck has appeared on a Vancouver uniform . Sports Illustrated rated it 13th overall out of the 19 third jerseys released for the 2008 season . Media . After a relationship with CKNW stretching since the Canucks joined the NHL in 1970 , the Canucks entered into a new radio broadcast deal in 2006 with The Team 1040 - - an AM broadcasting sports / talk station . John Shorthouse continues to call the play - by - play , as he has since 1999 , though with his role on the Canucks ' television broadcasts becoming more prominent in recent years , he is replaced for approximately 35 games per season by Rick Ball . He is joined with colour commentary by Tom Larscheid , who has been with the broadcasts since 1977 . The games air on 14 stations across British Columbia . In addition to national TV broadcasts on Hockey Night in Canada and on TSN , the Canucks also have arrangements with Rogers Sportsnet Pacific to air 47 games ( as of 2007 - 08 season ) . These games are called by Shorthouse and former Canucks goaltender John Garrett . Additional games air on pay - per - view , which are radio simulcasts . On Friday , May 25 , 2007 , the Canucks and Sportsnet signed a multi - year contract that will keep the channel as the club ' s primary broadcaster . Under the agreement , Sportsnet Pacific aired 47 games in the 2007 – 08 NHL season and beginning that year select games were broadcast in HD for the first time ever . In the United States , 25 of the Canucks games are broadcast on Comcast SportsNet Northwest . Mascot . The Vancouver Canucks ' mascot is an anthropomorphic killer whale ( orca ) named Fin Orca or Fin the Whale . He is often seen banging a First Nations drum , or skating around during intermission firing t - shirts out of the Boston Pizza compressed air cannon . On occasion , smoke also comes out of the " blowhole " on his head . Fin has his trademarked " chomping " where he " bites " the heads of fans . Season - by - season record . " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , OTL = Overtime Losses , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against , PIM = Penalties in minutes " 2010 - 11 Ils ont perdu dans la phase finale , Boston gagne la Coupe 4 - 3 . Emeute / riot a Vancouver . Players . Team captains . In the NHL , each team may select a captain , who has the " sole privilege of discussing with the referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game " . Captains are required to wear the letter " C " on their uniform for identification , which is 3 inches high . There have been 12 Canucks players who have served as the captain . The franchise ' s first captain was Orland Kurtenbach , who captained the team until his retirement in 1974 . The longest - tenured Canucks captain was Stan Smyl , who was appointed for eight seasons . Smyl is also the only Canucks captain to have spent his entire NHL playing career with the team . Trevor Linden , who captained from 1990 to 1997 , played 16 seasons with the Canucks , a franchise high . Swedish Markus Naslund , who captained for seven seasons , is the only non - Canadian to have captained the Canucks . Though goaltender s are not permitted to act as captains during games , Roberto Luongo has served as the captain since 2008 , but because of the NHL rule against goaltender captains , the league does not allow Luongo to serve as captain on - ice . In his place , the three alternate captains are responsible for dealing with officials during games . They will also handle ceremonial faceoff s . Roberto Luongo is not permitted to wear the " C " on his jersey , but it was incorporated into the artwork on the front of one of his masks . Honoured members . " Hall of Famers " " Retired numbers " " Numbers taken out of circulation " Franchise scoring leaders . These are the top - ten point - scorers in franchise history . Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season . " Note : Pos = Position ; GP = Games Played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; P / G = Points per game ; * = current Canucks player " Awards and trophies . NHL . < br clear = " all " >