
2024 was a year full of ups and downs for the Vancouver Canucks.
Happy New Year’s Eve, Canucks fans! It was quite the year for the Vancouver Canucks, who started 2024 off with a 10–1–2 record in January. In April, they played their first playoff series at Rogers Arena since 2015, capturing a victory in their first home postseason game. With a plethora of moments to remember about 2024, let’s take a look at some of the best.
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January was a great month for the Canucks, as the team went 10–1–2 while being on one of their toughest road trips of the season. They lost twice in their seven games on the road, with their final game being dropped in a shootout. In this span of time, Thatcher Demko had a stunning 9–1–0 record, a .926 SV%, and a 2.39 GAA.
Demko. Quinn Hughes. J.T. Miller. Elias Pettersson. Brock Boeser. Elias Lindholm. Rick Tocchet. All six of these players and the lone coach travelled to Toronto to partake in the NHL All-Star festivities of 2024, marking seven total representatives at the game for Vancouver. While Team Hughes didn’t make it too far, being selected to participate in the weekend is a feat in itself.
In an ironic twist, the Canucks clinched their playoff spot on a night that they weren’t playing. After a little help from the San Jose Sharks, who beat the St. Louis Blues 4–0, Vancouver punched their ticket to the postseason. They did so with a record of 45–20–8.
Vancouver hosted their first playoff game in nine years on April 21 (Alex Edler’s birthday), and boy, was it a sight to see. Jason Zucker opened the scoring for the Nashville Predators, but thanks to the heroics of Dakota Joshua and friends, the Canucks took the game 4–2. Later, Vancouver would go on to win the series in six games.
While the Canucks’ series against the Edmonton Oilers didn’t end the way they would have wanted it to, it was still filled with lots of excitement. The series got off to a rocket start, with Vancouver trailing 4–1 by the halfway mark of game 1. However, in a stunning turn of events, four straight goals scored by Lindholm, Miller, Nikita Zadorov, and Conor Garland brought the win into Vancouver’s hands.
After a season filled with career-highs, Hughes did what all Canucks fans expected him to do and took home the James Norris Memorial Trophy. He set a career high in goals (17), assists (75), and points (92). Despite this, it looks as though he’ll be shattering this record at the end of the 2024–25 season. As well as Hughes’ trophy win, Tocchet took home the Jack Adams Award after helpling Vancouver along to a division-leading 109 points on the season.
Little news had come from the Canucks organization prior to Free Agent Frenzy on July 1. Most assumed that midseason acquisitions Lindholm and Zadorov would be leaving Vancouver, but not many knew who would be coming to the Canucks. By the end of July 1, the Canucks had seven new players signed to new deals, including Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Derek Forbort.
After a relatively calm offseason, a crop of Canucks goaltending news broke in August. On August 21, it was announced that famed goaltending coach Ian Clark would be transitioning to the role of a goalie scout. Abbotsford goalie coach Marko Torenius stepped into Clark’s role, and only days after, Justin Pogge was named to Torenius’ old position. However, the most urgent piece of goaltending news from August was about Demko’s injury status, which eventually kept him out of the lineup until December.
Following the news about Demko, the Canucks held out, but eventually signed Kevin Lankinen to an extremely team-friendly deal. The 29-year-old went on to set a new NHL record, having won his first 10 road games of the season. It’s unclear where the Canucks would currently be in the standings if not for Lankinen, but chances are, it wouldn’t be where they are now.
Vancouver started their season off slowly, giving up a 4–1 lead and losing 6–5 in overtime in their season debut. However, a 3–2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers helped right the ship for a little bit, kickstarting a four-game win streak for the Canucks.
News broke late into the summer that Joshua had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. The forward had surgery prior to the start of the season and made his debut on November 14. Regardless of the outcome of the game, it was great to see Joshua back in action.
In a game against last season’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner, it was Kiefer Sherwood who stunned the crowds with his first career hat trick. The three-goal effort came after a 5–1 home loss to the Boston Bruins, giving fans a much-needed spirit lifter.
