2008–09 Vancouver Canucks season

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

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)

Season events

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Off-season

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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

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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

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Divisional standings

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Northwest Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 y – Vancouver Canucks 82 45 27 10 246 220 100
2 Calgary Flames 82 46 30 6 254 248 98
3 Minnesota Wild 82 40 33 9 219 200 89
4 Edmonton Oilers 82 38 35 9 234 248 85
5 Colorado Avalanche 82 32 45 5 199 257 69

Conference standings

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Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 p – San Jose Sharks PA 82 53 18 11 257 204 117
2 y – Detroit Red Wings CE 82 51 21 10 295 244 112
3 y – Vancouver Canucks NW 82 45 27 10 246 220 100
4 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 46 24 12 264 216 104
5 Calgary Flames NW 82 46 30 6 254 248 98
6 St. Louis Blues CE 82 41 31 10 233 233 92
7 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 41 31 10 226 230 92
8 Anaheim Ducks PA 82 42 33 7 245 238 91
8.5
9 Minnesota Wild NW 82 40 33 9 219 200 89
10 Nashville Predators CE 82 40 34 8 213 233 88
11 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 38 35 9 234 248 85
12 Dallas Stars PA 82 36 35 11 230 257 83
13 Phoenix Coyotes PA 82 36 39 7 208 252 79
14 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 34 37 11 207 234 79
15 Colorado Avalanche NW 82 32 45 5 199 257 69

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


Schedule and results

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Regular season

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2008–09 Game log

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

Playoffs

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2009 Stanley Cup playoffs

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

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Skaters

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

Goaltenders

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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 Luongo 54 3181 33 13 7 124 2.34 1542 1418 .920 9
Curtis Sanford 19 973 7 8 0 42 2.59 448 406 .906 1
Jason LaBarbera 9 451 3 2 2 20 2.66 235 215 .915 0
Cory Schneider 8 355 2 4 1 20 3.38 162 142 .877 0
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO
Roberto Luongo 10 618 6 4 26 2.52 304 278 .914 1

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

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Awards

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  • 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

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  • 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

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Regular Season
Player Milestone Reached
Pavol Demitra 700th point October 11, 2008
Alexander Edler 100th game October 13, 2008
Jannik Hansen 1st goal October 16, 2008
Roberto Luongo 200th win October 16, 2008
Alain Vigneault 200th win October 16, 2008
Jason Krog 200th game October 25, 2008
Roberto Luongo 500th game October 31, 2008
Mattias Ohlund 700th game November 2, 2008
Henrik Sedin 300th assist November 4, 2008
Kyle Wellwood 200th game November 12, 2008
Rob Davison 200th game November 20, 2008
Daniel Sedin 400th point November 24, 2008
Alexandre Bolduc 1st game November 27, 2008
Henrik Sedin 400th point November 27, 2008
Steve Bernier 200th game November 29, 2008
Cory Schneider 1st game November 29, 2008
Steve Bernier 100th point December 4, 2008
Cory Schneider 1st win December 5, 2008
Curtis Sanford 100th game December 17, 2008
Ryan Kesler 100th point December 22, 2008
Henrik Sedin 600th game December 26, 2008
Jason LaBarbera 100th game January 2, 2009
Daniel Sedin 600th game January 2, 2009
Alexandre Bolduc 1st point
1st assist
January 4, 2009
Shane O'Brien 200th game January 7, 2009
Willie Mitchell 500th game January 10, 2009
Taylor Pyatt 500th game January 13, 2009
Willie Mitchell 100th point January 18, 2009
Henrik Sedin 100th goal March 13, 2009
Alain Vigneault 500th game March 19, 2009
Pavol Demitra 300th goal March 31, 2009
Alex Burrows 100th point April 2, 2009

Transactions

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Trades

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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

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Player Former team Contract terms
Darcy Hordichuk Carolina Hurricanes Three-year, $2.25-million
Ryan Johnson St. Louis Blues Two-year, $2.3-million
Nolan Baumgartner Dallas Stars Two-way deal, $1.2-million
Mark Cullen Detroit Red Wings One-year, $500,000
Pavol Demitra Minnesota Wild Two-year, $8-million
Rob Davison New York Islanders One-year, $560,000
Jason Krog Atlanta Thrashers One-year, $700,000
Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs One-year, $5-million

Free agents lost

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Player New team Contract Terms
Drew MacIntyre Nashville Predators
Markus Naslund New York Rangers Two-year, $8-million
Brendan Morrison Anaheim Ducks One-year, $2.75-million
Mike Weaver St. Louis Blues
Brad Isbister Ottawa Senators Two-way deal
Trevor Linden Retired

Draft picks

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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

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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

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Manitoba Moose

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "NHL Attendance Report - 2008-09". ESPN. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - Vancouver - Canucks hire Walter as assistant[usurped]
  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. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. 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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