2008–09 Vancouver Canucks
Northwest Division champions
Division1st Northwest
Conference3rd Western
2008–09 record45–27–10
Home record24–12–5
Road record21–15–5
Goals for246
Goals against220
Team information
General managerMike Gillis
CoachAlain Vigneault
CaptainRoberto Luongo
Alternate captainsRyan Kesler
Willie Mitchell
Mattias Ohlund
ArenaGeneral Motors Place
Average attendance18,630 (101.1%)[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Manitoba Moose (AHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsDaniel Sedin (31)
AssistsHenrik Sedin (60)
PointsDaniel Sedin (82)
Henrik Sedin (82)
Penalty minutesShane O'Brien (196)
Plus/minusWillie Mitchell (+29)
WinsRoberto Luongo (33)
Goals against averageRoberto Luongo (2.34)

The 2008–09 Vancouver Canucks season was the 39th season in the National Hockey League.

Season events

Off-season

A collection of items at a makeshift Luc Bourdon memorial outside General Motors Place.

On June 17, 2008, the Canucks named Ryan Walter as an assistant coach. He joined head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coach Rick Bowness on the Canucks' coaching staff.[2] Walter, 50, played in 1,003 NHL games over 15 seasons with Washington, Montreal, and Vancouver, scoring 264 goals and 382 assists. He won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986. A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Walter was the second overall pick by the Washington Capitals in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.

The Canucks lost two key veterans to free agency. Markus Naslund, the Canucks' captain for the previous seven seasons, signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the New York Rangers, while Pitt Meadows native Brendan Morrison signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Canucks also lost a promising young defenceman in Luc Bourdon, who died in a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Shippagan, New Brunswick. The Canucks honoured Bourdon with a tribute in the season opener, October 9, against the Calgary Flames.

Among the Canucks' roster additions was Steve Bernier, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for a second- and third-round draft pick, and Pavol Demitra, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract.

The Canucks announced on September 4, 2008, that they will honour Linden in a pre-game ceremony on December 17, 2008 before a game against the Edmonton Oilers. His jersey number, 16, will be retired by the team, joining former captain Stan Smyl as the second Canuck to have his number retired.

Pre-season

The Canucks' 2008 pre-season began on September 12 with the opening of their annual prospects training camp. The camp consisted of 22 players and was held in Vancouver, British Columbia at both General Motors Place and the University of British Columbia campus, as well as in Camrose, Alberta.[3] The prospect camp was then followed by the main training camp, held over two days beginning September 20 in Whistler, British Columbia.[4]

On September 30, 2008, the Canucks named Roberto Luongo as the twelfth captain in team history, with Luongo becoming only the seventh goaltender in NHL history to be named team captain. NHL rules prevent goaltenders from physically wearing the captain's letter "C", however, they do not prevent goaltenders from being named captain. The Canucks also named Willie Mitchell, Mattias Ohlund, and Ryan Kesler as alternate captains. Mitchell assumed the duties of dealing with officials during games, while Ohlund took faceoffs and performed other ceremonial duties.[5]

Standings

Divisional standings

Northwest Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1y – Vancouver Canucks82452710246220100
2Calgary Flames824630625424898
3Minnesota Wild824033921920089
4Edmonton Oilers823835923424885
5Colorado Avalanche823245519925769

Conference standings

Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1p – San Jose SharksPA82531811257204117
2y – Detroit Red WingsCE82512110295244112
3y – Vancouver CanucksNW82452710246220100
4Chicago BlackhawksCE82462412264216104
5Calgary FlamesNW824630625424898
6St. Louis BluesCE8241311023323392
7Columbus Blue JacketsCE8241311022623092
8Anaheim DucksPA824233724523891
8.5
9Minnesota WildNW824033921920089
10Nashville PredatorsCE824034821323388
11Edmonton OilersNW823835923424885
12Dallas StarsPA8236351123025783
13Phoenix CoyotesPA823639720825279
14Los Angeles KingsPA8234371120723479
15Colorado AvalancheNW823245519925769

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, pPresidents' Trophy winner
CE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division

Schedule and results

Regular season

2008–09 Game log

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2009 Stanley Cup playoffs

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Goaltenders

Note:  Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Regular season
Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO
Roberto Luongo543181331371242.3415421418.9209
Curtis Sanford19973780422.59448406.9061
Jason LaBarbera9451322202.66235215.9150
Cory Schneider8355241203.38162142.8770
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO
Roberto Luongo1061864262.52304278.9141

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Vancouver. Stats reflect time with the Canucks only.
Denotes player no longer with the team. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.

Awards and records

Awards

  • Daniel Sedin was named the NHL's first star of the week for the week ending October 12, 2008.[6]
  • Roberto Luongo was named the NHL's first star of the week for the week ending November 9, 2008.[7]
  • Henrik Sedin was named the NHL's second star of the week for the week ending November 23, 2008.[8]
  • Roberto Luongo was named to the Western Conference roster for the 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Montreal.[9]
  • Daniel Sedin was named the NHL's second star of the week for the week ending March 29, 2009.[10]
  • Henrik Sedin was named the NHL's second star of the month for March.[11]
  • Roberto Luongo was named the NHL's first star of the week for the week ending April 12, 2009.[12]

Records

  • Roberto Luongo set a franchise record for consecutive shutout minutes with 242:36 on November 12, 2008 versus the Colorado Avalanche.[13]
  • The Canucks set a franchise record for consecutive home losses with 7 on January 18, 2009 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.[14]
  • Mattias Ohlund set a franchise record for the most points scored by a defenceman with 322 points on March 15, 2009 versus the Colorado Avalanche.[15]
  • The Canucks set a franchise record for consecutive home wins with 11 on March 19, 2009 versus the St. Louis Blues.
  • Roberto Luongo set a franchise record for most shutouts in a season with 8 on April 9, 2009 versus the Los Angeles Kings, and ended the season with one more, for a total of 9 shutouts and tying Kirk McLean for the all-time franchise lead in shutouts.

Milestones

Regular Season
PlayerMilestoneReached
Pavol Demitra700th pointOctober 11, 2008
Alexander Edler100th gameOctober 13, 2008
Jannik Hansen1st goalOctober 16, 2008
Roberto Luongo200th winOctober 16, 2008
Alain Vigneault200th winOctober 16, 2008
Jason Krog200th gameOctober 25, 2008
Roberto Luongo500th gameOctober 31, 2008
Mattias Ohlund700th gameNovember 2, 2008
Henrik Sedin300th assistNovember 4, 2008
Kyle Wellwood200th gameNovember 12, 2008
Rob Davison200th gameNovember 20, 2008
Daniel Sedin400th pointNovember 24, 2008
Alexandre Bolduc1st gameNovember 27, 2008
Henrik Sedin400th pointNovember 27, 2008
Steve Bernier200th gameNovember 29, 2008
Cory Schneider1st gameNovember 29, 2008
Steve Bernier100th pointDecember 4, 2008
Cory Schneider1st winDecember 5, 2008
Curtis Sanford100th gameDecember 17, 2008
Ryan Kesler100th pointDecember 22, 2008
Henrik Sedin600th gameDecember 26, 2008
Jason LaBarbera100th gameJanuary 2, 2009
Daniel Sedin600th gameJanuary 2, 2009
Alexandre Bolduc1st point
1st assist
January 4, 2009
Shane O'Brien200th gameJanuary 7, 2009
Willie Mitchell500th gameJanuary 10, 2009
Taylor Pyatt500th gameJanuary 13, 2009
Willie Mitchell100th pointJanuary 18, 2009
Henrik Sedin100th goalMarch 13, 2009
Alain Vigneault500th gameMarch 19, 2009
Pavol Demitra300th goalMarch 31, 2009
Alex Burrows100th pointApril 2, 2009

Transactions

Trades

June 4, 2008 To Vancouver Canucks
Steve Bernier
To Buffalo Sabres
3rd-round pick in 2009 – Brayden McNabb
2nd-round pick in 2010 – Petr Straka
September 2, 2008 To Vancouver Canucks
Lawrence Nycholat
To Ottawa Senators
Ryan Shannon
October 6, 2008 To Vancouver Canucks
Shane O'Brien
Michel Ouellet
To Tampa Bay Lightning
Lukas Krajicek
Juraj Simek
December 9, 2008 To Vancouver Canucks
Conditional pick in 2009
To Chicago Blackhawks
Jimmy Sharrow
December 30, 2008 To Vancouver Canucks
Jason LaBarbera
To Los Angeles Kings
7th-round pick in 2009 – Jordan Samuels-Thomas
February 4, 2009 To Vancouver Canucks
Nathan McIver
To Anaheim Ducks
Mike Brown

Free agents acquired

PlayerFormer teamContract terms
Darcy HordichukCarolina HurricanesThree-year, $2.25-million
Ryan JohnsonSt. Louis BluesTwo-year, $2.3-million
Nolan BaumgartnerDallas StarsTwo-way deal, $1.2-million
Mark CullenDetroit Red WingsOne-year, $500,000
Pavol DemitraMinnesota WildTwo-year, $8-million
Rob DavisonNew York IslandersOne-year, $560,000
Jason KrogAtlanta ThrashersOne-year, $700,000
Mats SundinToronto Maple LeafsOne-year, $5-million

Free agents lost

PlayerNew teamContract Terms
Drew MacIntyreNashville Predators
Markus NaslundNew York RangersTwo-year, $8-million
Brendan MorrisonAnaheim DucksOne-year, $2.75-million
Mike WeaverSt. Louis Blues
Brad IsbisterOttawa SenatorsTwo-way deal
Trevor LindenRetired

Draft picks

Vancouver's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 10 Cody Hodgson (C)  Canada Brampton Battalion (OHL)
2 41 Yann Sauve (D)  Canada Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
5 131 Prab Rai (C)  Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
6 161 Mats Frøshaug (C)  Norway Linköpings HC Jr. (Sweden)
7 191 Morgan Clark (G)  Canada Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

7th Canuck

On October 25, 2008, the Canucks retired the jersey number '7' in honour of the fans, the "seventh Canuck". Originally, the plan was to have a randomly selected season ticket holder unveil the banner before every home game and have it raised to the rafters, but after the first game it was abandoned.

Farm teams

Manitoba Moose

The Canucks' AHL affiliate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Moose' home arena is the MTS Centre. The team has been affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks since the 2000–01 AHL season.

Victoria Salmon Kings

The Canucks' ECHL affiliate based in Victoria, British Columbia. The Salmon Kings' home arena is the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The team has been affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks since the 2006–07 ECHL season.

References

  1. "NHL Attendance Report - 2008-09". ESPN. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - Vancouver - Canucks hire Walter as assistant
  3. "Vancouver Canucks prospects camp opens Friday, September 12". Vancouver Canucks. September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  4. Pap, Elliott (September 20, 2008). "Bernier not playing with twins as camp opens in Whistler". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  5. "Canucks name goaltender Luongo as team captain". TSN. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  6. Sports Network (October 13, 2008). "Sedin, Booth, Brodeur selected as NHL's Three Stars". TSN. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  7. Ziemer, Brad (November 10, 2008). "Luongo sets 'good example' with NHL star of the week honours". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  8. "Savard, Henrik Sedin, Khabibulin are Three Stars". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. November 24, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  9. "Luongo only Canuck all-star". The Vancouver Sun. January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  10. NHL (March 30, 2009). "Chris Mason, Daniel Sedin and Cam Ward named NHL's stars of the week". NHL. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  11. NHL (April 1, 2009). "Ward, Sedin and Nash named 'Three Stars' for March". NHL. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  12. NHL (April 13, 2009). "Canucks' Luongo NHL's first star of the week". CBC Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  13. "Luongo's shutout streak snapped as Avs edge Canucks". TSN. The Canadian Press. November 13, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
  14. "Blue Jackets shootout victory adds to Canucks home woes". TSN. The Canadian Press. January 19, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  15. "Ohlund is a 'real stats boy'". Vancouver Sun. March 15, 2009. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
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