Editing Vancouver Canucks (section)

===Background and establishment===
The first professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver was the [[Vancouver Millionaires]], formed by [[Frank Patrick (ice hockey)|Frank]] and [[Lester Patrick]]. Established in 1911, the Millionaires were one of three teams in the new [[Pacific Coast Hockey Association]]. To accommodate the Millionaires, the Patrick brothers directed the building of the [[Denman Arena]], which was known at the time as the world's largest artificial ice rink.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Metropolitan Vancouver|url=http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology8.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041027124019/http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology8.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 27, 2004|access-date=May 25, 2011|publisher=VancouverHistory.ca}}</ref> The arena was later destroyed in a fire in 1936. The Millionaires played for the [[Stanley Cup]] five times, winning over the [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa Senators]] in [[1915 Stanley Cup Finals|1915]] on home ice.<ref name="Müller2005">{{cite book|first=Stephan |last=Müller|title=International Ice Hockey Encyclopaedia: 1904– 2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=huA3Y4pU9noC&pg=PA465|access-date=May 26, 2011|date=December 2005|publisher=BoD – Books on Demand|isbn=9783833441899|page=465}}</ref> It marked the first time the Stanley Cup was won by a West Coast team in the trophy's history.<ref name="Müller2005"/> Absorbed by the [[Western Canada Hockey League]] in 1924, the team continued operations until folding at the end of the [[1925–26 WHL season]].

From 1926 to 1970, Vancouver was home to only [[minor league]] teams. Most notably the present-day Canucks' minor league predecessor (also known as the [[Vancouver Canucks (WHL)|Vancouver Canucks]]) played from 1945 to 1970 in the [[Pacific Coast Hockey League]] and the [[Western Hockey League (1952–1974)|Western Hockey League]].

====NHL application====
With the intention of attracting an NHL franchise, Vancouver began the construction of a new modern arena, the [[Pacific Coliseum]], in 1966 (with the arena opening in January 1968).<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pacific Coliseum |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/pacific-coliseum-1.950086 |access-date=May 25, 2011 |date=January 13, 2010 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324115802/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/venues/story/2010/01/12/spo-venue-pacificcoliseum.html |archive-date=March 24, 2010}}</ref> The WHL's Canucks were playing in a small arena at the time, the [[Vancouver Forum]], situated on the same [[Pacific National Exhibition]] grounds as the Coliseum. Meanwhile, a Vancouver group led by WHL Canucks owner and former Vancouver mayor [[Frederick Hume|Fred Hume]] made a bid to be one of the six teams due to [[1967 NHL Expansion|join the league in 1967]], but the NHL rejected their application.<ref name="ImlachYoung1986">{{cite book|first1=Punch |last1=Imlach|first2=Scott |last2=Young|title=Heaven and Hell in the NHL|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AtDSULmiROwC&pg=PA19|access-date=May 26, 2011|date=January 1, 1986|publisher=Formac Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-88780-141-9|page=19}}</ref> Bid leader [[Cyrus McLean]] called the denial a "cooked-up deal", referring to several biases that factored against them. Speculation long abounded afterwards that the bid was hindered by [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] president [[Stafford Smythe]]; after a failed Vancouver-based business deal, he was quoted as saying that the city would not get an NHL franchise in his lifetime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/a-damn-disgusting-nhl-expansion-that-excluded-vancouver-1.4997621|title=A 'damn disgusting' NHL expansion that excluded Vancouver|date=February 9, 2019}}</ref> Additionally, along with the [[Montreal Canadiens]], Smythe purportedly did not wish to split [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (CBC) hockey revenues three ways rather than two.<ref>''Total Hockey'', ed. Dan Diamond (1998), Andrews McMeel, p. 251.</ref>

Less than a year later, the [[Oakland Seals]] were in financial difficulty and having trouble drawing fans. An apparent deal was in place to move the team to Vancouver, but the NHL did not want to see one of their franchises from the expansion of 1967 move so quickly and vetoed the deal. In exchange for avoiding a lawsuit, the NHL promised Vancouver would get a team in the next expansion round.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-september-11/c-281652022 | title=Sept. 11: NHL announces expansion to Buffalo, Vancouver for 1970–71}}</ref> Another group, headed by [[Minnesota]] entrepreneur [[Tom Scallen]], made a new presentation and was awarded an expansion franchise for the price of $6 million (three times the cost in [[1967–68 NHL season|1967]]).<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 27.</ref> The new ownership group purchased the WHL Canucks, and brought the team into the league with the [[Buffalo Sabres]] as expansion teams for the [[1970–71 NHL season|1970–71 season]].

In preparation for joining the NHL, the WHL Canucks had brought in players with prior NHL experience. Six of these players ([[John Arbour]], [[George Gardner (ice hockey)|George Gardner]], [[Len Lunde]], [[Marc Reaume]], [[Ted Taylor (ice hockey)|Ted Taylor]] and [[Murray Hall (ice hockey)|Murray Hall]]) would remain with the club for its inaugural NHL season. The rest of the roster was built through an expansion draft.