Ah, Summer! What better time to fill the blank spaces in our lives with hockey-oriented listicles? Inspired by Rhoit Bhamra’s article with the Pittsburgh Penguins – okay, fine, “stolen from” – here’s a look at the Canucks best by their number. I mean, the Canucks have taken so much from the Penguins in the past two seasons, this seems appropriate.
The Canucks Best Jersey Number 80 & Up
The nature of hockey sweater numbers is that higher ones are far less used than lower ones. There are reasons for that disparity, including coaches and general managers hating their players. It took a while for players to get their chance to have their preferred numbers – unless they were undeniably talented. There’s also the matter of one of those numbers being unavailable.
So we’re going to take a big chunk of those numbers at the high end and peel them off right away. Some have never been used by a Vancouver Canuck and plenty more have only had a single player in them. It’s also a solid reminder that “best” doesn’t necessarily mean “great”. Still, it’s a fun way to talk hockey while we wait for September.
The ’90s
So let’s ease into it! High numbers have few players, and they’re usually doled out to late draft picks and try-outs. Even the ones who make the team aren’t expected to do much, or they get a “normal” number later. This will be quick and easy, is what we’re saying.
None at 99 – obviously – so moving on. Also no players with 98, no one tried 97… Oh. Oops.
96 – Pavel Bure
So much for uninteresting players being at the top of the numbers list! This is controversial, but we’re putting Pavel Bure in number 96 for this list. Our reasoning is simple: there are a huge number of choices at 10 and there are three for 96. We don’t think many will leap to the defence of Andrei Kuzmenko or Adam Gaudette, fun as those players were.
The Canucks had a few stars before Bure’s arrival in 1991. But they never had a player like Pavel Bure. He was utterly electrifying, a sniper who could somehow accelerate after he got the puck. His scoring was through the roof, marking 60 goals in each of his second and third seasons. For comparison, Tony Tanti was the Canucks single-season record holder and he only managed 45.
Until recently, Bure was the only Canuck to average over a point per game in his career. He has since been joined by J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, but they have years to go before we know what numbers they’ll finish with. There’s no question he’s the best player to wear 96 – even if his retired number is 10.
95 – Justin Bailey
Now THIS is more like it! Justin Bailey is a “Quad-A” player, a perfectly good AHL forward who can come in if needed. He got a career-high 59 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks last season, scoring five goals and 14 points. All those numbers are far more than he managed in three seasons with Vancouver where he had zero points in 19 games.
94 – Linus Karlsson
Linus Karlsson is a new arrival to the Canucks, signing last season after being traded here for Jonathan Dahlén in 2018. He can still make a mark as a fourth-line centre after getting four NHL games in and two more in the playoffs. He is 24 years old, so his runway is limited.
92 – Vasili Podkolzin
We like Vasily Podkolzin here. A lot. The biggest question is if he can add his KHL offence into his NHL-quality defensive game. He should get his chance in the coming season, especially coming on the heels of a new, two-year contract.
91 – Nikita Zadorov
Four players have worn number 91 for the Vancouver Canucks, and none of them have lasted longer than one season. Jared McCann played 69 games, scoring nine goals and 18 points before getting traded away. Juho Lammikko played 75 games (7 goals, 15 points) with Vancouver before signing in Switzerland. Vitali Kravtsov had one goal and one assist in 16 games then went back to Russia.
Then Nikita Zadorov arrived. One of the funnest* players to watch in the NHL, the hulking defenceman played 54 regular season games with Vancouver, but made his name in the playoffs. Elevated to 20+ minutes a night, Zadorov scored four goals and four assists in 13 games and was a physical terror. Alas, the team couldn’t give him the raise he deserved and the Boston Bruins scooped him.
The 80’s
89 – Alexander Mogilny
All credit due to Sam Gagner who has built a very determined career, this one is all Alexander Mogilny. Right alongside Bure, Mogilny finished his time in Vancouver with .987 points per game over 312 games. He’s the only other Canuck to break 50 goals, getting 55 in 1995-96 when Bure was injured for most of the season.
As bewildering as it is to not have Mogilny in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he’s also not in Vancouver’s Ring of Honour. Again, only two players have scored 50 goals for the Canucks. Seems like an argument can be made, here.
88 – Adam Gaudette
The pickings are slim, here, though Nils Åman wants to take this spot. Gaudette didn’t have a long career in Vancouver, but should always be known for his goal celebrations. He scored 21 times for the Canucks and loved every one of them.
Nate Schmidt was an effective player for Vancouver in his single season but was moved on in their numbers crunch.
86 – Christian Wolanin
A classic “Great for the Kids” signing, Christian Wolanin has 16 games played with the Canucks, and is great to have in their back pocket. But really he’s here – or more specifically in Abbotsford – to show the kids how a veteran behaves. He’s still making $500K there, but after getting into 16 NHL games in 2022-23 he wants more. That’s going to depend on injuries – or a trade.
83 – Jay Beagle
Before you start, let us just say this: Jay Beagle was fine. It is NOT HIS FAULT that he was handed a bucket of cash and a four-year deal to skate on Vancouver’s third pair. None of you reading this can’t say they’d walk away from that deal. So here he is.
That and the only other player to wear 83 was Lammikko again. Sorry, Juho, you’re 0-for-2 here.
82 – Ian Cole
This was the first number with a bit of a decision to make. Ian Cole came in for Vancouver for one season, played more than anyone expected, and was gone again. His only competition at this number is Nikolay Goldobin, an overly exciting young forward who played 114 games with the Canucks. He was a perpetual doghouse tenant despite his 18 goals and 44 points in limited time.
The thing about Cole was that despite his age, almost every defender who played with him improved. Sure, his numbers gradually faded as the season progressed, but he was a huge part of Vancouver’s resurgence last season. Call it recency bias, but Cole gets the nod on this one.
81 – Dakota Joshua
Apologies to Fedor Fedorov – and kudos to anyone who can remember him – but Dakota Joshua made his name in this number. And the Canucks obviously agreed, giving him a shiny new four-year contract this Summer. Don’t look two numbers higher, but this isn’t a deal they will come to regret. Joshua is a fan favourite and came into his own with Vancouver, emerging as an NHL regular at 26 years old.
80 – Arshdeep Bains
A phenomenal “Local-Boy-Done-Good” story, the undrafted Arshdeep Bains just worked harder. He’s only played eight NHL games so far with no points, but that’s not going to dissuade him. Still, this isn’t a list of feel-good moments. If there were a more established NHLer who wore 80, Bains wouldn’t make the list. Yet.
Canucks Best by the Numbers So Far
One HUGE name, a big name, and the rest of the top-20 are pretty much who you’d expect. We’ll look at the next ten numbers next time, probably with fewer Russians, but no guarantees!
*Shut it, autocorrect. Everyone knows what it means so it’s a word.
Main Photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
