2008–09 Vancouver Canucks season
NHL hockey team season
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]
2008 Pre-season Game Log: 6–0–1 (Home: 3–0–1; Road: 3–0–0)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Recap
1
September 22
Vancouver
4–3
Edmonton
SO
Schneider
16,839
1–0–0
[1]
2
September 23
Edmonton
1–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
2–0–0
[2]
3
September 27
Vancouver
3–2
San Jose
Luongo
16,721
3–0–0
[3]
4
September 28
Vancouver
5–4
Anaheim
SO
Sanford
16,481
4–0–0
[4]
5
October 1
Calgary
1–6
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
5–0–0
[5]
6
October 2
San Jose
2–3
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
6–0–0
[6]
7
October 5
Anaheim
4–3
Vancouver
OT
Luongo
18,630
6–0–1
[7]
Standings
Divisional standings
Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winner
CE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division
Schedule and results
Regular season
2008–09 Game log
October: 6–5–0 (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 4–4–0)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
1
October 9
Calgary
0–6
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
1–0–0
2
[8]
2
October 11
Vancouver
5–4
Calgary
OT
Luongo
19,289
2–0–0
4
[9]
3
October 13
Vancouver
1–5
Washington
Luongo
16,847
2–1–0
4
[10]
4
October 16
Vancouver
4–3
Detroit
OT
Luongo
19,011
3–1–0
6
[11]
5
October 17
Vancouver
2–5
Buffalo
Sanford
18,449
3–2–0
6
[12]
6
October 19
Vancouver
2–4
Chicago
Luongo
21,193
3–3–0
6
[13]
7
October 21
Vancouver
2–4
Columbus
Luongo
12,057
3–4–0
6
[14]
8
October 25
Edmonton
3–6
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
4–4–0
8
[15]
9
October 28
Boston
1–0
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
4–5–0
8
[16]
10
October 30
Vancouver
4–0
Los Angeles
Luongo
13,652
5–5–0
10
[17]
11
October 31
Vancouver
7–6
Anaheim
SO
Luongo
16,704
6–5–0
12
[18]
November: 8–3–2 (Home: 5–2–1; Road: 3–1–1)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
12
November 2
Detroit
3–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
6–6–0
12
[19]
13
November 4
Nashville
0–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
7–6–0
14
[20]
14
November 6
Phoenix
0–1
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
8–6–0
16
[21]
15
November 8
Minnesota
0–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
9–6–0
18
[22]
16
November 12
Colorado
2–1
Vancouver
SO
Luongo
18,630
9–6–1
19
[23]
17
November 15
Toronto
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
10–6–1
21
[24]
18
November 17
Vancouver
1–2
NY Islanders
SO
Luongo
11,299
10–6–2
22
[25]
19
November 19
Vancouver
6–3
NY Rangers
Luongo
18,200
11–6–2
24
[26]
20
November 20
Vancouver
3–2
Minnesota
Sanford
18,568
12–6–2
26
[27]
21
November 22
Vancouver
3–1
Pittsburgh
Sanford
17,040
13–6–2
28
[28]
22
November 24
Detroit
2–3
Vancouver
OT
Sanford
18,630
14–6–2
30
[29]
23
November 27
Calgary
4–3
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
14–7–2
30
[30]
24
November 29
Vancouver
1–3
Calgary
Schneider
19,289
14–8–2
30
[31]
December: 6–7–1 (Home: 4–3–0; Road: 2–4–1)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
25
December 1
Vancouver
2–3
Columbus
Schneider
13,299
14–9–2
30
[32]
26
December 4
Vancouver
5–6
Detroit
Sanford
19,116
14–10–2
30
[33]
27
December 5
Vancouver
2–1
Minnesota
Schneider
18,568
15–10–2
32
[34]
28
December 7
Vancouver
4–5
Colorado
SO
Schneider
13,411
15–10–3
33
[35]
29
December 9
Vancouver
3–1
Nashville
Sanford
12,441
16–10–3
35
[36]
30
December 13
Vancouver
0–3
Edmonton
Sanford
16,839
16–11–3
35
[37]
31
December 14
Florida
3–5
Vancouver
Schneider
18,630
17–11–3
37
[38]
32
December 17
Edmonton
2–4
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
18–11–3
39
[39]
33
December 20
Chicago
3–1
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
18–12–3
39
[40]
34
December 22
Anaheim
3–4
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
19–12–3
41
[41]
35
December 23
Vancouver
0–5
San Jose
Schneider
17,496
19–13–3
41
[42]
36
December 26
Edmonton
3–2
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
19–14–3
41
[43]
37
December 28
Ottawa
0–3
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
20–14–3
43
[44]
38
December 30
Philadelphia
3–2
Vancouver
Schneider
18,630
20–15–3
43
[45]
January: 2–5–5 (Home: 0–5–3; Road: 2–0–2)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
39
January 1
Vancouver
2–1
Nashville
LaBarbera
16,502
21–15–3
45
[46]
40
January 2
Vancouver
3–4
Atlanta
SO
LaBarbera
14,902
21–15–4
46
[47]
41
January 4
Dallas
3–2
Vancouver
SO
LaBarbera
18,630
21–15–5
47
[48]
42
January 7
Vancouver
4–2
Edmonton
LaBarbera
16,839
22–15–5
49
[49]
43
January 9
St. Louis
6–4
Vancouver
LaBarbera
18,630
22–16–5
49
[50]
44
January 10
San Jose
4–2
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
22–17–5
49
[51]
45
January 13
New Jersey
5–3
Vancouver
Sanford
18,630
22–18–5
49
[52]
46
January 15
Phoenix
4–1
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
22–19–5
49
[53]
47
January 18
Columbus
6–5
Vancouver
SO
Luongo
18,630
22–19–6
50
[54]
48
January 20
Vancouver
1–2
San Jose
OT
Luongo
17,496
22–19–7
51
[55]
49
January 28
Nashville
5–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
22–20–7
51
[56]
50
January 31
Minnesota
4–3
Vancouver
OT
Luongo
18,630
22–20–8
52
[57]
February: 9–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0; Road: 5–2–0)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
51
February 3
Carolina
3–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
23–20–8
54
[58]
52
February 7
Chicago
3–7
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
24–20–8
56
[59]
53
February 10
Vancouver
6–4
St. Louis
Luongo
16,431
25–20–8
58
[60]
54
February 12
Vancouver
4–3
Phoenix
Luongo
14,872
26–20–8
60
[61]
55
February 13
Vancouver
1–2
Dallas
LaBarbera
18,532
26–21–8
60
[62]
56
February 15
Montreal
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
27–21–8
62
[63]
57
February 17
Vancouver
4–3
Calgary
SO
Luongo
19,289
28–21–8
64
[64]
58
February 19
Vancouver
5–2
Ottawa
Luongo
19,716
29–21–8
66
[65]
59
February 21
Vancouver
3–2
Toronto
SO
Luongo
19,504
30–21–8
68
[66]
60
February 24
Vancouver
0–3
Montreal
Luongo
21,273
30–22–8
68
[67]
61
February 27
Tampa Bay
1–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
31–22–8
70
[68]
March: 11–3–1 (Home: 7–0–0; Road: 4–3–1)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
62
March 1
Columbus
1–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
32–22–8
72
[69]
63
March 3
Minnesota
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
33–22–8
74
[70]
64
March 7
San Jose
1–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
34–22–8
76
[71]
65
March 9
Vancouver
2–3
Los Angeles
Luongo
16,995
34–23–8
76
[72]
66
March 11
Vancouver
3–4
Anaheim
OT
Luongo
16,967
34–23–9
77
[73]
67
March 13
Los Angeles
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
35–23–9
79
[74]
68
March 15
Colorado
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
36–23–9
81
[75]
69
March 17
Dallas
2–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
37–23–9
83
[76]
70
March 19
St. Louis
0–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
38–23–9
85
[77]
71
March 21
Vancouver
1–5
Phoenix
Luongo
17,125
38–24–9
85
[78]
72
March 24
Vancouver
5–2
Dallas
Luongo
17,276
39–24–9
87
[79]
73
March 26
Vancouver
2–4
St. Louis
Luongo
19,250
39–25–9
87
[80]
74
March 27
Vancouver
4–1
Colorado
LaBarbera
16,177
40–25–9
89
[81]
75
March 29
Vancouver
4–0
Chicago
Luongo
21,673
41–25–9
91
[82]
76
March 31
Vancouver
2–1
Minnesota
OT
Luongo
18,568
42–25–9
93
[83]
April: 3–2–1 (Home: 2–1–1; Road: 1–1–0)
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Record
Pts
Recap
77
April 2
Anaheim
6–5
Vancouver
SO
Luongo
18,630
42–25–10
94
[84]
78
April 4
Vancouver
3–5
Edmonton
Luongo
16,839
42–26–10
94
[85]
79
April 5
Colorado
4–1
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
42–27–10
94
[86]
80
April 7
Calgary
1–4
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
43–27–10
96
[87]
81
April 9
Los Angeles
0–1
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
44–27–10
98
[88]
82
April 11
Vancouver
1–0
Colorado
OT
Luongo
13,397
45–27–10
100
[89]
Legend :
Win (2 points)
Loss (0 points)
Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)
Playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference quarter-final vs. (6) St. Louis Blues: Vancouver won series 4–0
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Series
Recap
1
April 15
St. Louis
1–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
1–0
[90]
2
April 17
St. Louis
0–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
2–0
[91]
3
April 19
Vancouver
3–2
St. Louis
Luongo
19,500
3–0
[92]
4
April 21
Vancouver
3–2
St. Louis
OT
Luongo
19,250
4–0
[93]
Western Conference semi-final vs. (4) Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago won series 4–2
#
Date
Visitor
Score
Home
OT
Decision
Attendance
Series
Recap
1
April 30
Chicago
3–5
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
1–0
[94]
2
May 2
Chicago
6–3
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
1–1
[95]
3
May 5
Vancouver
3–1
Chicago
Luongo
22,659
2–1
[96]
4
May 7
Vancouver
1–2
Chicago
OT
Luongo
22,682
2–2
[97]
5
May 9
Chicago
4–2
Vancouver
Luongo
18,630
2–3
[98]
6
May 11
Vancouver
5–7
Chicago
Luongo
22,687
2–4
[99]
Legend :
Win
Loss
Player statistics
Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Goaltenders
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
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
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
Trades
Free agents acquired
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
Draft picks
Vancouver's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa , Ontario .
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
^ "NHL Attendance Report - 2008-09" . ESPN . Retrieved December 20, 2015 .
^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - Vancouver - Canucks hire Walter as assistant [usurped]
^ "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 .
^ 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 .
^ "Canucks name goaltender Luongo as team captain" . TSN . September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008 .
^ Sports Network (October 13, 2008). "Sedin, Booth, Brodeur selected as NHL's Three Stars" . TSN . Retrieved January 21, 2009 .
^ 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 .
^ "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 .
^ "Luongo only Canuck all-star" . The Vancouver Sun . January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009 .
^ NHL (March 30, 2009). "Chris Mason, Daniel Sedin and Cam Ward named NHL's stars of the week" . NHL . Retrieved March 31, 2009 .
^ NHL (April 1, 2009). "Ward, Sedin and Nash named 'Three Stars' for March" . NHL . Retrieved April 1, 2009 .
^ NHL (April 13, 2009). "Canucks' Luongo NHL's first star of the week" . CBC Sports . Retrieved April 14, 2009 .
^ "Luongo's shutout streak snapped as Avs edge Canucks" . TSN. The Canadian Press . November 13, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008 .
^ "Blue Jackets shootout victory adds to Canucks home woes" . TSN. The Canadian Press. January 19, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009 .
^ "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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