NHL hockey returns to Vancouver this week.
The Canucks and the Calgary Flames face off on Oct. 9, 2024, and what will follow will be a unique game. Before it came thousands of games, each unique, but some with more notable events than others.
Here are five other things you might not know about the Vancouver Canucks.
1. A Vancouver Canuck set an NHL record seconds into his debut
Kellan Lain might not be one of the most famous names in Canucks history, but he holds a record no one playing for the team can touch.
He got into a fight immediately on his first shift in the NHL.
To be fair, the cards were somewhat stacked against him. Many long-time Canucks fans may remember the night.
On Jan. 18, 2014, the Canucks and Flames were set to play in a heated game, which Lain had been called up for.
As the home team, the Canucks got to decide who started the game after the Flames put their starters out. Flames Coach Bob Hartley put out his fourth line, so John Tortorella matched him by sending out Lain and the rest of the fourth line. Both teams knew that a fight was likely once the puck dropped.
And that's what happened. While Lain was supposed to take the faceoff, defenceman Kevin Bieksa actually took (and won) the draw, which immediately turned into a brawl.
Initially, Lain was able to avoid a fight but was pulled in by Kevin Westgarth. That netted him a fighting major two seconds into his NHL debut. To top it off, he ended up with a game misconduct as well, meaning he didn't touch the ice again that night.
While the line brawl was notable, the game has become more famous for Tortorella's actions after the first period, when he tried to get into the Flames locker room (not in a friendly way). He ended up suspended for 15 games while Hartley got fined $25,000.
2. Canucks legend Roberto Luongo had a goal scored on him before anyone took a shot
Roberto Luongo has seen a lot of bad bounces, but perhaps none as unfortunate as the one in San Jose on Nov. 7, 2013.
Under two minutes into the game, the Sharks Joe Thornton crashed into the Canucks zone and then hacked the puck into the end boards.
With a thud it ricocheted off the boards into the back of the net and then, thanks to physics and momentum, leapt on top of the net, bounced off the crossbar, off Luongo, and into the net.
San Jose went up 1-0 before having registered a shot on Luongo. However, he bounced back, and the Canucks won 4 to 2.
3. The Canucks lost after witnessing two planes crash
On Feb. 1, 1991, two commercial passenger planes collided on the LAX runway due to an error by air traffic controllers.
It occurred when one plane landed while the other was on the runway. It was a deadly collision, with 35 killed and 29 injured.
Witnessing this happen was the entire Vancouver Canucks team; they had just landed for a game that night and were still in their plane. In fact, the captain of their plane was worried one of the planes involved would skid and crash into the Canucks' plane.
Luckily it didn't, though it did stop nearby before bursting into flames.
After witnessing the horrific event, the Canucks still played in their game that night. However, they were shaken by the events earlier in the day and lost 9-1, one of their worst losses ever.
4. The original Canucks mascot
While Fin may be an icon of the Canucks now, orcas weren't part of the original plan when it came to a Canucks mascot.
In 1992, the team introduced Vancouver to Prankster Bear.
Prankster Bear was a fairly straightforward mascot: he was a white bear with a Canucks jersey. He's essentially disappeared from the team's history though, having lasted perhaps a season, though stuffed versions pop up for sale on auction sites from time to time.
5. One night the Canucks got 155 penalty minutes
This was at the end of the Broadstreet Bullies era, when the Philadelphia Flyers were known for highly penalized games (the Flyers team from that era shows up three times in the top 10 most penalized NHL games).
The night was Feb. 22, 1980, and the home team Canucks were about to get beaten on the scoreboard and physically (the Flyers put up 189 penalty minutes, compared to the Canucks' 155).
The first period was comparatively calm, with the Flyers getting a couple penalties and one fight at the end of the period. The second period was rougher, with a couple of fights, among other things.
It really kicked off in the third though, according to the box score, and at 14:30 there was a bench-clearing brawl that ended with a long list of penalties.
Among those involved were Canucks legend Stan Smyl (he got 15 PIM), Dave "Tiger" Williams (10 minutes), and a defenceman named Hughes (he got 24). Flyers defender Mike Busniuk led the night with 37 minutes.
The Canucks ended up losing 7-3.
It currently holds the record for seventh-most penalty minutes in a game (at the time it was second).
