Editing Vancouver Canucks (section)

===Early years (1970–1982)===
To fill the Canucks' roster for their inaugural season, the league held an [[1970 NHL expansion draft|expansion draft]] in the preceding summer. A draft lottery was held on June 9, 1970, determining who between the Canucks and Sabres would get the first selection in the expansion draft, as well as the [[1970 NHL amateur draft]]; the Sabres won both spins. With his first selection in the expansion draft, Canucks general manager [[Bud Poile]] chose defenceman [[Gary Doak]].<ref>Rossiter 1994, pp. 27–28.</ref> Among the other players chosen by Vancouver were centre [[Orland Kurtenbach]], who was named the Canucks' first captain,<ref name="Mason2003">{{cite book|first=Gary |last=Mason|title=Oldtimers: On the Road with the Legendary Heroes of Hockey, Including Bobby Hull, Darryl Sittler, Marcel Dionne, Reggie Leach and Tiger Williams|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_O-r_SNCGhkC&pg=PA120|access-date=May 26, 2011|date=September 1, 2003|publisher=Greystone Books|isbn=978-1-55054-890-7|page=120}}</ref> as well as defenceman [[Pat Quinn (ice hockey)|Pat Quinn]], who later became the team's general manager and coach in the 1990s. Two days later, on June 11, 1970, the Canucks made defenceman [[Dale Tallon]] their first-ever Amateur Draft selection. Tallon played three seasons with the club before being traded away to the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]]. By comparison, the Sabres chose centre [[Gilbert Perreault]] with the first overall selection they won from the lottery; Perreault went on to become a nine-time [[NHL All-Star Game|All-Star]] and member of the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]].<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 28.</ref>

[[File:Stan Smyl eagle.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Eagle sculpture featuring Stan Smyl, who was captain for eight seasons]]
With the Canucks' roster set, the team played its inaugural game against the [[Los Angeles Kings]] on October 9, 1970. They lost the contest 3–1; defenceman [[Barry Wilkins]] scored the Canucks' lone goal in the game and first in franchise history, a backhander against [[goaltender]] [[Denis DeJordy]].<ref name="Bedall2004">{{cite book|first=Justin |last=Bedall|title=Vancouver Canucks: Heartstopping Stories from Canada's Most Exciting Hockey Team|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U4ZoBYxy1hgC&pg=PA20|access-date=May 26, 2011|date=November 15, 2004|publisher=Heritage House Publishing Co|isbn=978-1-55153-792-4|pages=20–}}</ref> Two days later, the squad recorded the first win in franchise history, a 5–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.<ref>Media Guide 2008, p. 146.</ref>

The Canucks struggled in their early years, failing to make the playoffs in their first four seasons.<ref name="playoff history"/> Placed in the competitive [[East Division (NHL)|East Division]], Poile assembled a core of players during this period led by Kurtenbach that included defencemen Tallon and [[Jocelyn Guevremont]], as well as wingers [[André Boudrias|Andre Boudrias]] and [[Dennis Ververgaert]]. Boudrias emerged as the team's leading point-scorer in four of their first five seasons.<ref name=seasons/>

Prior to the [[1974–75 NHL season|1974–75 season]], Scallen and his ownership group from Minnesota sold the team to local media mogul [[Frank Griffiths]] for $9&nbsp;million.<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 33.</ref> Also in the summer of 1974, the Canucks were re-aligned within the league and placed in the new [[Smythe Division]]. They responded with their first winning record (38 wins, 32 losses and 10 ties), backstopped by goaltender [[Gary Smith (ice hockey)|Gary "Suitcase" Smith]] finishing first in the Division with 86 points.<ref name=seasons>Media Guide 2008, pp. 146–82.</ref> Making their debut in the [[Stanley Cup playoffs]], the Canucks lost the opening series of the [[1975 Stanley Cup playoffs|1975 playoffs]] in five games to the [[Montreal Canadiens]]. Head coach and general manager [[Phil Maloney]] (the third general manager in team history after Poile and [[Hal Laycoe]]) recalled the importance of a successful season for the Canucks in that year specifically, as the rival league [[World Hockey Association]] (WHA) had established another major professional team in the city, the [[Vancouver Blazers]]. Competing for the same hockey market, the Canucks emerged over the Blazers as the latter relocated to [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], the [[1975–76 WHA season|following season]].<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 39.</ref> The Canucks posted a second consecutive winning record and made the playoffs in [[1975–76 NHL season|1975–76]], but lost to the [[New York Islanders]] in a two-game preliminary series.<ref name="playoff history"/> It would be another 16 years until the team would have another winning record though they made the playoffs nine times in that span.<ref name=seasons/>

Kurtenbach retired and assumed a coaching position with Vancouver. His departure as a player marked the beginning of a seven-year period in which the Canucks had four different captains—Boudrias, [[Chris Oddleifson]], [[Don Lever]] and [[Kevin McCarthy (ice hockey)|Kevin McCarthy]]. Following the [[1976–77 NHL season|1976–77 season]], Maloney was replaced as general manager by [[Jake Milford]], who acquired such players as [[Stan Smyl]], [[Thomas Gradin]], [[Darcy Rota]], [[Ivan Boldirev]] and [[Richard Brodeur]], a core that would lead the team throughout the 1980s.<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 47.</ref>

====1982 Stanley Cup run====
[[File:Roger Neilson Statue 2011.jpg|thumb|A statue of coach [[Roger Neilson]] outside of [[Rogers Arena]], commemorating the 1982 Stanley Cup run]]
The Canucks made their first significant playoff impact in the [[1982 Stanley Cup playoffs|1982 playoffs]]. In their previous five playoff appearances, the team had failed to win a single series. Though the Canucks finished three games under a .500 win percentage in the [[1981–82 NHL season|1981–82 regular season]], they began gaining momentum by finishing the campaign on a nine-game unbeaten streak.<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 57.</ref> Meanwhile, Smyl emerged as the club's leader, replacing McCarthy as the captain after the latter was sidelined with an injury late in the season (he would retain that position for a team-record eight years).<ref>{{cite news|title=Blues looking for good luck|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DnodAAAAIBAJ&pg=7071,2867769&dq=stan+smyl&hl=en|access-date=May 2, 2010|date=March 21, 1982|work=[[Pittsburgh Press]]}}</ref><ref name="longest captaincy">{{cite news|title=Henrik Sedin named Canucks' captain|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=336908|access-date=October 16, 2010|date=October 9, 2010|publisher=[[The Sports Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011134829/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=336908|archive-date=October 11, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Continuing their success in the playoffs, the Canucks made the [[1982 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] with a combined 11–2 record in series against the [[Calgary Flames]], Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Black Hawks.<ref name="playoff history">Media Guide 2008, p. 235.</ref> Despite having a losing regular season record, Vancouver had a home-ice advantage in the first series, having finished second in the Smythe Division to the [[Edmonton Oilers]]. The Canucks also had a home-ice advantage during the second-round series against the Kings, who upset the Oilers in the first round.

Late in game 2 of the conference finals in [[Chicago]], Vancouver's interim head coach [[Roger Neilson]], frustrated with what he felt was the poor officiating in the game, placed a white towel on the end of a hockey stick and held it up in a gesture mocking surrender (waving the [[white flag]]). The players on the Canucks' bench followed suit. When the series shifted to Vancouver for the next two games, the team's fans cheered them on by [[rally towel|waving white towels]] above their heads. The habit stuck, becoming an original Canuck fan tradition now seen across the league and in other sports, known as "[[Towel Power]]." The Canucks proceeded to win the series in five games, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history.<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 58.</ref>

Entering the Finals against the New York Islanders, the Canucks were the first team from Western Canada to play for the Stanley Cup in 56 years, when the [[Victoria Cougars]] reached the [[1926 Stanley Cup Finals]]. It also marked the first-ever coast-to-coast Stanley Cup Finals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stanley Cup champions and finalists|url=http://www.nhl.com/cup/champs.html|access-date=May 31, 2011|publisher=National Hockey League|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629213230/http://www.nhl.com/cup/champs.html|archive-date=June 29, 2009}}</ref> Competing against the Islanders—the [[Stanley Cup]] champions of the previous two years, who had finished with 41 points more than Vancouver in the regular season standings—Vancouver took the first game to [[overtime (ice hockey)|overtime]]. In the final minute of the extra period, Canucks defenceman and fan favourite [[Harold Snepsts]] gave the puck away with an errant pass from behind his net, leading to a [[Mike Bossy]] goal. Like the first game, the Canucks held a 3–2 lead after the first two periods in the second game, but were not able to keep their lead, and lost 6–4.<ref>Rossiter 1994, p. 61.</ref> The Canucks were unable to complete their [[Cinderella (sports)|Cinderella]] run and were swept, losing their next two games by 3–0 and 3–1 scores. The 1982 playoffs proved to be the last year in which Vancouver won a playoff series until [[1992 Stanley Cup playoffs|1992]].<ref name="playoff history"/>