Friday, April 19, 2013

Our Canucks

This is a Canucks/Ranger game. The photo appeared in the Province newspaper and although the date listed is February 20, 1954, there is also a note the date could be wrong.


The Canucks and the Wallabies at the Forum February 24, 1948. Photo credited to Ray Munro.
Canucks vs Tacoma, March 22, 1948. Art Jones took this shot.




Same game and photographer as above.

It was in 1945 when the Pacific Coast Hockey League brought an ice hockey franchise to Vancouver.

The team, named the Canucks, were immediately successful. They won the PCHL Championship in their first year, 1946 and in 1948. 

The PCHL merged with the Western Canada Senior Hockey League in 1952.

A fight at a Canucks/Skyhawks game on April 14, 1948


Ray Munro got this photo of spectators at the Canucks/Skyhawk's game on April 16, 1948.
Munro also took this shot of a fight at the same game. Looks like fans fighting.


Canucks and San Diego, April 12, 1948. Ray Munro photographer.


The NHL announced plans to expand to six additional markets in 1965. This was not the year that Vancouver joined the National Hockey League however.

The presentation to the NHL Board of Governors was sloppily prepared. Add to that the fact that the Vancouver ownership group was disliked by Bruce Norris and Stafford Smythe (the former being the owner of Detroit Red Wings and the latter majority owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs) the application was doomed. (Smythe hated Vancouver in general because of a failed arena plan.)



April 12, 1948, Ray Munro took this photo at the Canucks/San Diego game.
April 17, 1948 Ray Munro took this shot of the PCHL championship team, the Vancouver Canucks.



An individual player, taken the same day by Munro.
Same as above

This did not deter Vancouver. We built the Pacific Coliseum on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). This was going to be the first home of our national hockey team. In 1970, the Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL as an expansion team.

For their first four seasons, the Canucks were placed in the strong East division. In the 1974-74 season, the Canucks moved to the Smythe Division where they finished first.

In the forty plus years the Canucks have been in the NHL, the team has advanced to the Stanley Cup final three times. Unfortunately, they also lost all three times. In 1982 to the New York Islanders, in 1994 to the New York Rangers and to the Boston Bruins in 2011.

April 17, 1948 Ray Munro took this photo of a man wearing a jacket with a Canuck's emblem.
An individual player. Photo taken by Munro at the same time.
April 19, 1948 - the Henderson Cup being presented to the Vancouver Canucks. Artray is credited with taking the photo.
Same as above.

In June of 2011, I wrote on the Canuck's unofficial second team mascot and logo, Johnny Canuck.
If you are interested in learning more of this fine fellow, read my blog entry entitled What is A Canuck?.

I got the information concerning the history of my hockey team from the Canuck history page at the NHL.com network site.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Henderson Cup in the Canuck's dressing room. April 19, 1948. Artray credited with photo.
A Canuck team member holding a silver tea tray. Same day, same photographer.
Canuck team members looking through an open suitcase. Same photographer took this on the same day.

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