1991–92 Vancouver Canucks season
The 1991–92 Vancouver Canucks season was the Canucks' 22nd NHL season. Off-season. In the off-season, the Canucks fourth round draft pick in 1989 was finally validated and the Canucks now officially held the NHL rights to Pavel Bure. There was still a problem, though. His release from the Central Red Army still needed to be negotiated and there was no guarantee that he would play for the Canucks in the upcoming season. Director of Hockey Operations Brian Burke accepted the job as general manager of the Hartford Whalers and took Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach , Rick Ley to coach his team. George McPhee filled the vacant front-office post and Jack McIlhargey became the new coach on the farm. Ron Wilson became an assistant coach, as did Stan Smyl, who tearfully resigned from active playing. "The Steamer" retired as the team's all-time leader in games (896), goals (262), assists (411), and points (673). Pat Quinn elected to retain all three titles (President, General Manager, and Head Coach) instead of hiring a new coach. Craig Coxe was chosen by the San Jose Sharks in the expansion draft, and Steve Bozek signed with the same  club as a free agent. To fill the void, 13-year veteran and Burnaby-native C Ryan Walter was signed away from Montreal. Forward Trevor Linden is named sole team captain. Defenceman Doug Lidster (who shared the captaincy last season with Linden) is returned to his previous role of an alternate captain. Newly signed forward Ryan Walter, is named the other alternate captain. Regular season. The team season opened with a home-and-home series against the expansion San Jose Sharks and the Canucks swept. Pavel Bure, staying in California with his father and brother, watched the game at the  Cow Palace from the press box. They managed to roll up a 7–1–1 record, the last being a 3–1 victory over the Washington Capitals on October 24 which leap-frogged the Canucks past Washington into first place in the NHL standings. On November 3, the Canucks paid tribute to their long-time captain and all-time leading scorer turned assistant coach (Smyl) with a special pre-game ceremony. He was presented with a Harley Davidson motorcycle, among other gifts, and had his number 12 raised to the rafters at Pacific Coliseum. In the game to follow, Igor Larionov broke out  of a long drought by scoring his first three goals of the season in a 7–2 rout of Edmonton. The Pavel Bure debacle was being settled during that time and two nights later he made his NHL debut before a packed Coliseum against the Winnipeg Jets. The "Russian Rocket", as he became known, dazzled the crowd with three spectacular rushes but failed to score in a 3–3 tie. Three games later, Bure scored his first two NHL goals in an 8–2 romp of the Los Angeles Kings. Playing with Larionov and Greg Adams, Bure completed the "BIG Line", which became , arguably, the most dangerous offensive unit in Canucks history. Though all of the experts were predicting otherwise, the Canucks remained among the NHL's elite throughout the season, hitting a high point with an 11–0 shellacking of the Calgary Flames on March 1. Bure rolled to 34 goals, many of the highlight-reel variety, breaking Ivan Hlinka's club rookie record in only 65 games. His 60 points equaled Hlinka's total from 1981 to 1982. Trevor Linden's 75 points led the team in scoring for the second straight year, Cliff Ronning was second with 71 points and Larionov  finished third with 65. Kirk McLean rebounded to have a terrific season in goal, winning a club-record 38 games and recording a 2.74 goals-against average with five shutouts earning him team MVP honors. Gino Odjick broke Dave Williams' 11-year-old single-season penalty minutes record with 348 and, what's more, he did it in only 65 games. Overall, the team racked up club record totals of 42 wins and 96 points and won the Smythe Division by 12 points over Los Angeles. The only threat to their division crown was a 10-day strike in early  April that threatened to wipe out the playoffs. Finally, the streak of losing seasons had been halted at 16 years and, for the first time since 1982, the Canucks would open up a playoff series at home. Playoffs. The Canucks would eventually win the first round against the Winnipeg Jets, in seven games, after trailing the series 3–1 for the first playoff series victory since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1982. However, the Canucks would not get past the Edmonton Oilers and lost the series in six games. Awards. If it was any consolation, the Canucks were pretty successful  in post-season hardware. They didn't win the Stanley Cup, but Pavel Bure won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the year, Pat Quinn won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year, and Ryan Walter won the Bud Light NHL Man of the Year for his work in the community. As well, Kirk McLean is runner-up for the Vezina Trophy (top goaltender) and is named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team. Schedule and results. October. Monthly Record: 9–3–1 (Home 5–1–1; Road 4–2–0) November. Monthly Record: 7–4–2 (Home 6–2–1; Road 1–2–1) December. Monthly Record : 6–4–3 (Home 3–1–2; Road 3–3–1) January. Monthly Record: 7–3–1 (Home 2–2–0; Road 5–1–1) February. Monthly Record: 5–6–2 (Home 3–2–1; Road 2–4–1) March. Monthly Record: 7–5–2 (Home 3–1–1; Road 4–4–1) April. Monthly Record: 1–1–1 (Home 1–0–1; Road 1–0–0) Playoffs. Smythe Division Semi-finals: vs. (4) Winnipeg Jets. Vancouver wins series 4–3 Smythe Division Final: vs. (3) Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton wins series 4–2 Player statistics. Scoring leaders. "Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes" Goaltending. "Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W  = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average" Playoffs. Scoring leaders. "Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes" Goaltending. "Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average" Transactions. Trades. Expansion draft. Vancouver's losses at the 1991 NHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts in Buffalo , New York. Draft picks. Vancouver's picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York. Farm teams. Milwaukee Admirals. Vancouver Canucks IHL affiliate that play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and their home arena is the Bradley Center. Columbus Chill. Vancouver Canucks ECHL affiliate that play in Columbus, Ohio and their home arena is the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum.