1994–95 Vancouver Canucks season

The 1994–95 Vancouver Canucks season was the team's 25th NHL campaign. Goaltender Kirk McLean earned all eighteen of the Canucks' wins during the lockout-shortened, 48–game season. Pavel Bure was not the same offensive dynamo that he had been over the prior two seasons, each of which saw him hit the 60-goal mark, but he did still lead the club in goals (20), assists (23, and tied with Jeff Brown), points (43) and shots (198). A trade with the Dallas Stars on April 7, 1995, saw Russ Courtnall join his brother Geoff on the Canucks. The team finished the season with as many wins as losses, good for 6th place in the Western Conference, and they led the league with 12 ties. This was also the team's final season at the Pacific Coliseum before moving to GM Place, now known as Rogers Arena.

1994–95 Vancouver Canucks
Division2nd Pacific
Conference6th Western
1994–95 record18–18–12
Home record10–8–6
Road record8–10–6
Goals for153
Goals against148
Team information
General managerPat Quinn
CoachRick Ley
CaptainTrevor Linden
Alternate captainsSergio Momesso
Dana Murzyn
ArenaPacific Coliseum
Average attendance13,932
Team leaders
GoalsPavel Bure (20)
AssistsPavel Bure (23)
PointsPavel Bure (43)
Penalty minutesDana Murzyn (129)
WinsKirk McLean (18)
Goals against averageKirk McLean (2.75)

Playoffs

In the post-season, Vancouver was the clear underdog against the third-place St. Louis Blues, who had members from the 1994 Stanley-Cup champion Rangers team, as well as their head coach, Mike Keenan. After losing game one at the Kiel Center by a score of 2-1, the Canucks won game two by a score of 5-3 behind Kirk McLean's 33-save performance and Pavel Bure's shorthanded insurance goal in the third period. The shots on goal were 26 for Vancouver and 36 for St. Louis, as they had been in the first game. The Canucks carried over their momentum from their win in game two to the Pacific Coliseum for game three, where they triumphed 6-1. Sergio Momesso scored twice. The Canucks were looking to win game four as well, leading 2-1 after Russ Courtnall's shorthanded goal at 4:41 of the second period. But the Blues got their jump from Brendan Shanahan who scored a natural hat trick to give the Blues a 4-2 lead. Glenn Anderson would add another goal at 13:01 of the third period as St. Louis went on to win 5-2 to square the series at two games apiece. In game five at the Kiel Center, the Canucks scored four times on their first 19 shots, as Curtis Joseph would be pulled in favor of Jon Casey. Trailing Vancouver 5-4 with under 12 minutes to play, Murray Baron tied the game at 8:22 of the third period. The game would go into overtime where Cliff Ronning scored at 1:48 of the first overtime period to give the Canucks a 3-2 lead in the series.

Looking to close out the series at home in game six, the Canucks were dominated by the Blues who won by a score of 8-2. Esa Tikkanen (who would soon become a Canuck himself) picked up four points in the game (2 goals and 2 assists). Kirk McLean allowed six goals on just 17 shots. With the series tied at 3-3, a crucial game seven in St. Louis took place on Friday, May 19. Although the Blues had twice as many shots as the Canucks (44-22), Curtis Joseph allowed 4 goals on 21 shots while Kirk McLean made 41 saves. Call-up rookie Adrian Aucoin began a successful NHL career by blasting a slapshot on the power-play to give the Canucks the lead, and Pavel Bure added an empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining to seal the game 5-3 and earn the Canucks a 4-3 series win. It was Bure's seventh goal of the playoffs. It was a series with marked offensive output, as each team scored 27 goals over the seven games. The Canucks' special teams dominated throughout, as Vancouver scored 11 power-play goals and six short-handed goals in the series.

In the second round, the Canucks faced the Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams skated to a 1-1 tie before Joe Murphy scored the winner at 9:04 of the first overtime period. Blackhawks goaltender Ed Belfour stopped 26 of 27 Vancouver shots. Game two was also close, as Chicago edged Vancouver 2-0 on goals by Jim Cummins and Patrick Poulin. Down two games to none in the series, the Canucks battled desperately to get a win at home in game three, but relinquished leads of 1-0 and 2-1. Ironically it was ex-Canuck Murray Craven who tied the game at 2-2 with 45 seconds remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime. Chris Chelios scored at 6:22 of the first overtime period as the Hawks took a commanding three-games-to-none series lead. In game four, Vancouver broke a 1-1 tie on two goals by Roman Oksiuta to lead 3-1 in the second period, but Chicago came back again on goals by another ex-Canuck Gerald Diduck and Jeremy Roenick, leaving the score after 60 minutes tied at three goals apiece. Once again, the overtime hero was Chris Chelios, who scored 5:35 into the extra frame to give the Blackhawks a 4-0 sweep over the Canucks, advancing them to the third round for the first time in three years.

Regular season

Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
12Calgary Flames482417716313555
26Vancouver Canucks4818181215314848
37San Jose Sharks481925412916142
49Los Angeles Kings481623914217441
511Edmonton Oilers481727413618338
612Mighty Ducks of Anaheim481627512516437

[1]

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Western Conference[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1p – Detroit Red WingsCEN483311418011770
2x – Calgary FlamesPAC482417716313555
3St. Louis BluesCEN482815517813561
4Chicago BlackhawksCEN482419515611553
5Toronto Maple LeafsCEN482119813514650
6Vancouver CanucksPAC4818181215314848
7San Jose SharksPAC481925412916142
8Dallas StarsCEN481723813613542
9Los Angeles KingsPAC481623914217441
10Winnipeg JetsCEN481625715717739
11Edmonton OilersPAC481727413618338
12Mighty Ducks of AnaheimPAC481627512516437

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

Schedule and results

Note: R = result

Playoffs

(3) St. Louis Blues vs. (6) Vancouver Canucks

This was first playoff meeting between these two teams.

May 7 Vancouver Canucks 1–2 St. Louis Blues Kiel Center Recap  
No scoring First period 18:18 – ppBrett Hull (1)
Pavel Bure (1) – 10:32 Second period 01:16 – ppAdam Creighton (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Kirk McLean 34 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Curtis Joseph 25 saves / 26 shots
May 9 Vancouver Canucks 5–3 St. Louis Blues Kiel Center Recap  
Sergio Momesso (1) – 19:21 First period 07:42 – ppTodd Elik (1)
16:57 – Todd Elik (2)
Dave Babych (1) – pp – 02:14
Jyrki Lumme (1) – 15:15
Second period 10:27 – Al MacInnis (1)
Russ Courtnall (1) – 08:11
Pavel Bure (2) – sh – 10:18
Third period No scoring
Kirk McLean 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Curtis Joseph 20 saves / 25 shots
Jon Casey 1 save / 1 shot
May 11 St. Louis Blues 1–6 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Brett Hull (2) – 00:20 First period 01:18 – ppJyrki Lumme (2)
04:30 – ppGeoff Courtnall (1)
10:53 – shDave Babych (2)
No scoring Second period 05:16 – Sergio Momesso (2)
18:34 – pp – Sergio Momesso (3)
No scoring Third period 06:48 – ppTrevor Linden (1)
Curtis Joseph 30 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Kirk McLean 24 saves / 25 shots
May 13 St. Louis Blues 5–2 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Jeff Norton (1) – 07:37 First period 05:53 – ppPavel Bure (3)
Brendan Shanahan (1) – 08:26
Brendan Shanahan (2) – 11:17
Brendan Shanahan (3) – pp – 12:42
Second period 04:41 – shRuss Courtnall (2)
Glenn Anderson (1) – 13:01 Third period No scoring
Curtis Joseph 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Kirk McLean 32 saves / 37 shots
May 15 Vancouver Canucks 6–5 OT St. Louis Blues Kiel Center Recap  
Pavel Bure (4) – 04:55 First period 12:10 – ppBrett Hull (3)
Christian Ruuttu (1) – sh – 04:31
Geoff Courtnall (2) – sh – 04:48
Second period 10:13 – Todd Elik (3)
16:56 – Bill Houlder (1)
Josef Beranek (1) – 01:37
Cliff Ronning (1) – pp – 05:56
Third period 02:32 – Brendan Shanahan (4)
08:22 – Murray Baron (1)
Cliff Ronning (2) – 01:48 First overtime period No scoring
Kirk McLean 33 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Curtis Joseph 15 saves / 19 shots
Jon Casey 7 saves / 9 shots
May 17 St. Louis Blues 8–2 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Brett Hull (4) – 05:56
Brett Hull (5) – 19:51
First period No scoring
Esa Tikkanen (1) – 08:59
Adam Creighton (2) – 11:54
Basil McRae (1) – 12:35
Todd Elik (4) – sh – 16:53
Second period 11:14 – ppGeoff Courtnall (3)
17:19 – ppPavel Bure (5)
Esa Tikkanen (2) – pp – 08:34
Guy Carbonneau (1) – 11:24
Third period No scoring
Curtis Joseph 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Kirk McLean 11 saves / 17 shots
Kay Whitmore 16 saves / 18 shots
May 19 Vancouver Canucks 5–3 St. Louis Blues Kiel Center Recap  
Adrian Aucoin (1) – pp – 08:35
Pavel Bure (6) – sh – 12:33
Geoff Courtnall (4) – pp – 18:27
First period 13:36 – Basil McRae (2)
Cliff Ronning (3) – 02:05 Second period 07:55 – Denis Chasse (1)
Pavel Bure (7) – 19:38 Third period 15:25 – Brett Hull (6)
Kirk McLean 41 saves / 44 shots Goalie stats Curtis Joseph 17 saves / 21 shots
Vancouver won series 4–3

(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (6) Vancouver Canucks

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams; with Vancouver winning the only previous series. They last met in the 1982 Clarence Campbell Conference Final, which Vancouver won in five games.

Game four was the last game played in the Pacific Coliseum.

May 21 Vancouver Canucks 1–2 OT Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Trevor Linden (2) – 19:41 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 10:02 – Denis Savard (3)
No scoring First overtime period 09:04 – ppJoe Murphy (6)
Kirk McLean 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Ed Belfour 26 saves / 27 shots
May 23 Vancouver Canucks 0–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 13:56 – Jim Cummins (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 05:48 – Patrick Poulin (3)
Kirk McLean 18 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Ed Belfour 17 saves / 17 shots
May 25 Chicago Blackhawks 3–2 OT Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Patrick Poulin (4) – pp – 18:31 First period 18:16 – shRuss Courtnall (3)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Murray Craven (4) – 19:15 Third period 12:34 – Russ Courtnall (4)
Chris Chelios (2) – 06:22 First overtime period No scoring
Ed Belfour 32 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Kirk McLean 23 saves / 26 shots
May 27 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 OT Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Murray Craven (5) – 04:13
Gerald Diduck (1) – 19:12
Second period 04:01 – Jeff Brown (1)
09:11 – ppRoman Oksiuta (1)
17:29 – Roman Oksiuta (2)
Jeremy Roenick (1) – 10:49 Third period No scoring
Chris Chelios (3) – 05:35 First overtime period No scoring
Ed Belfour 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Kirk McLean 23 saves / 27 shots
Chicago won series 4–0

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Source: Hockey-Reference.com[3]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG = Power Play Goals; SHG = Shorthanded Goals; GWG = Game Winning Goals

Player Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG
Pavel BureRW44202343-848622
Trevor LindenC48182240-540901
Geoff CourtnallLW45161834281701
Jeff BrownD3382331-216301
Sergio MomessoLW48101525-265601
Cliff RonningC4161925-427302

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

PlayerGPTOIWLGASOSv%GAA

Draft picks

Vancouver's draft picks at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft held at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
113Mattias Ohlund SwedenLuleå HF (Sweden)
239Robb Gordon CanadaPowell River Kings (BCHL)
242Dave Scatchard CanadaPortland Winter Hawks (WHL)
365Chad Allen CanadaSaskatoon Blades (WHL)
492Mike Dubinsky CanadaBrandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
5117Yanick Dube CanadaLaval Titan (QMJHL)
7169Yuri Kuznetsov RussiaAvangard Omsk (Russia)
8195Rob Trumbley CanadaMoose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
9221Bill Muckalt CanadaKelowna Spartans (BCHL)
10247Tyson Nash CanadaKamloops Blazers (WHL)
11273Robert Longpre CanadaMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

References

  1. Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  2. "1994-1995 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. "1994-95 Vancouver Canucks Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
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