Hockey Trivia 39 – Retired Numbers of The Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have six jersey numbers that players no longer wear. Three of the numbers are officially retired and the other three have simply been taken out of circulation.
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The Vancouver Canucks have just three numbers that have been retired and permanently raised to the rafters. However, there are three other numbers that have been taken out of circulation.
Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge with these four questions regarding the retired jersey numbers of the Vancouver Canucks, etc.
Q. Number 12 is retired by the Canucks in honour of what player?
A. Stan Smyl played his entire NHL career, from 1978-79 to 1990-91, in a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Smyl was team captain from 1982 to 1990 and had his number retired in the fall of 1991. Stan won the Cylcone Taylor Award as team MVP on three occasions.
Q. What two numbers have been taken out of circulation in honour of fallen heroes that left too soon?
A. Number 11 was worn by Wayne Maki, a Canuck from 1970 to 1973. Maki died of brain cancer in 1974. The number 11 has since been worn by one other Vancouver player, Mark Messier. During the summer after his first partial season with the Canucks, Luc Bourdon succumbed to injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident. Bourdon’s number 28 has since been taken out of circulation. There is a third number, 99, that has been taken out of circulation by every team in the NHL in honour of Wayne Gretzky.
Q. Number 16 is retired in honour of what long time Canuck?
A. Trevor Linden played nineteen seasons in the NHL, the majority in a Canucks jersey. Linden began his career with Vancouver in 1988-89 after being the second overall pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Along the way, Linden played for the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals before returning to Vancouver to finish out his NHL career. Number 16 was retired in December of 2008.
Q. Who was the most recent Vancouver player to have his number retired by the club?
A. Number 19 belonging to Markus Naslund was retired in December, 2010. Naslund was originally the 16th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. Markus played with Vancouver from 1995-96 to 2007-08. He played one more season in the NHL with the New York Rangers before retiring.
