2011–12 Vancouver Canucks season

The 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks season was the 42nd season in the modern Canucks history. The Vancouver Canucks were the defending Western Conference champions and three time defending Northwest Division champions. The Canucks opened the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on October 6, 2011. Their final regular season game was held at Rogers Arena against the Edmonton Oilers on April 7, 2012. The Canucks entered the season expected to again contend for their first ever Stanley Cup after coming one win short from winning it the previous season and maintaining the majority of the players from the previous season on the roster. The Canucks struggled out of the gate, hovering around .500 until roughly the 20 game mark due to weak defensive play and a slow start from starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Canucks then recovered by the 20th game on November 20 against the Ottawa Senators (where they defeated the Senators 2–1) and would go on to play their best hockey of the season from that day until the end of February. The team dominated much like they did the season prior during this stretch from late-November to late-February, as goals came in bunches and the offense was backed up by strong goaltending from the tandem of Luongo and backup goaltender Cory Schneider. The peak of the Canucks' season came on January 7, 2012, in the 42nd game of the season which came against the Boston Bruins, a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks prevailed 4–3 in a hard-fought playoff atmosphere, and they seemed to state to the hockey world that they would be heard from again come playoff time if they were to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals again. Despite their dominance continuing for the rest of the season and their continuation of winning lengthy stretches of games, the team did not play with the same heart they played with earlier in the season as the Canucks often played down to their competition, barely beating some of the weakest teams in the league as the offense seemed to disappear and the team was lucky to have outstanding goaltending and defense that led them to their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy and second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history altogether on the final day of the season on April 7, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3–0 and the top seeded Eastern Conference team and Presidents' Trophy runner-up New York Rangers lost their season finale the same day 4–1 against the Washington Capitals, ending their season with 109 points in the standings, two points behind the Canucks 111 points. Despite entering the 2012 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference for the second year in a row, the Canucks were upset in the first round in five games by the eight-seeded Los Angeles Kings, who would eventually go on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history as the weeks went on. This marked the third consecutive season and fourth time in six seasons where the Canucks lost a playoff series to an eventual Stanley Cup champion.

2011–12 Vancouver Canucks
Presidents' Trophy winners
Northwest Division champions
Division	1st Northwest
Conference	1st Western
2011–12 record	51–22–9
Home record	27–10–4
Road record	24–12–5
Goals for	249
Goals against	198
Team information
General manager	Mike Gillis
Coach	Alain Vigneault
Captain	Henrik Sedin
Alternate captains	Kevin Bieksa Ryan Kesler Manny Malhotra Daniel Sedin
Arena	Rogers Arena
Average attendance	18,884 (102.5%)[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)	Chicago Wolves (AHL) Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Daniel Sedin (30)
Assists	Henrik Sedin (67)
Points	Henrik Sedin (81)
Penalty minutes	Maxim Lapierre (130)
Plus/minus	Dan Hamhuis (+29)
Wins	Roberto Luongo (31)
Goals against average	Cory Schneider (1.96)
← 2010–11 2012–13 →

Off-season

NHL Entry Draft

Nicklas Jensen on stage after being selected 29th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Main article: 2011 NHL Entry Draft

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was held June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Canucks selected eight players including Nicklas Jensen with their first-round draft choice, 29th overall. On day two of the entry draft the Vancouver Canucks traded their second-round draft choice to the Minnesota Wild for two picks in later rounds. In total, Vancouver selected eight players including David Honzík, Alexandre Grenier, Joseph LaBate, Ludwig Blomstrand, Frank Corrado, Pathrik Westerholm and Henrik Tommernes. In total, none would become regular NHL players, with Corrado playing the most games with 76 appearances across three teams.

Minor League affiliations

On June 21, 2011, True North Sports & Entertainment, the owners of the Manitoba Moose received Board of Governors approval to purchase and re-locate the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to replace the Manitoba Moose. The Moose announced that they were moving to St. John's and would become the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. As a result, the Canucks were left without an affiliate temporarily. On June 27, 2011, the Vancouver Canucks signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the Chicago Wolves.^[2] The Vancouver Canucks announced that Craig MacTavish would be the new coach for the Wolves on August 1 after Claude Noel, who coached the Manitoba Moose during the 2010–11 season, was hired by the Jets.^[3]

In addition, on April 8, 2011, it was announced that the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League would be moving their franchise to Victoria, British Columbia.^[4] The sale of the Chilliwack Bruins to RG Properties was completed and made official on April 20 by the WHL.^[5] The Victoria Royals replaced the Victoria Salmon Kings and began play in the 2011–12 WHL season. RG Properties, who also owned the Victoria Salmon Kings, opted to fold the Salmon Kings franchise at the conclusion of the 2010–11 ECHL season.^[6] As a result, the Canucks were left without an ECHL minor league affiliate. The Salmon Kings spent five years as the ECHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.

On September 22, the Vancouver Canucks announced that it had signed an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Kalamazoo Wings.^[7]

Preseason

Training camp began for the rookies on September 9 and included two days of on-ice training sessions followed by a four-game Young Stars tournament featuring prospects from other teams including the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets. Among the players were four that were selected from the 2011 Entry Draft. Nicklas Jensen, David Honzik, Alexandre Grenier and Frank Corrado all took part in the Canucks rookie training camp and Young Stars tournament. LaBate did not participate in the camp because his college semester had begun while Blomstrand, Westerholm and Tommernes were in the midst of training camp for their own Swedish hockey clubs.

The Vancouver Canucks main training camp started on September 16. Several veteran NHL players were invited to the camp on a try-out basis. These players included Owen Nolan, Anders Eriksson, Niko Dimitrakos and Todd Fedoruk. However, none of the invites were able to secure a contract with the club.

The Canucks played a total of eight preseason games where they finished with a record of 3–5. Much of the Vancouver Canucks roster were returning members from the 2010–11 season with the exception of Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres, who both changed teams, through trade and free agency respectively, during the off-season.

Citing the shortened off-season due to their appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks management and coaching staff decided to give a majority of the veterans rest. As a result players guaranteed roster spots in the regular season, such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin only played in two preseason games.

Regular season

Like 2010–11, the Canucks were met with extremely high expectations for the upcoming season. They entered 2011–12 as the defending Presidents' Trophy and Western Conference champions. It was a record setting season that saw them rank first in the league in goals per game, goals against per game and power play percentage. Both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for lowest goals against.

General consensus through various sports media outlets such as The Hockey News, Sports Illustrated, TSN and Sportsnet predicted that the Canucks would return to the Western Conference Finals or at least finish first in the Western Conference regular season.^[8][9]

October–November

Helmet decal worn by the Vancouver Canucks team throughout the season

The Vancouver Canucks began their season on October 6 when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins before embarking on a four-game road trip. Prior to the start of the home opener the Canucks organization held a ceremony to celebrate their 2010–11 season and to thank the police officers, firemen and volunteers who helped the city recover after the Stanley Cup riot. The game was supposed to be Sidney Crosby's third NHL game at Rogers Arena, and first hockey game since scoring the golden goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics but was unable to play as he was still recovering from a concussion. In the game, the Vancouver Canucks battled back from a 3–1 deficit but fell short in a shootout.

The club held a ceremony on October 18 prior to their game against the New York Rangers to honour the late Rick Rypien. Rypien played within the Vancouver Canucks organization for seven seasons, splitting time between the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose, before signing with the Winnipeg Jets during the summer. Rypien was found dead at his home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, on August 15. The Canucks wore a helmet decal in honour of Rypien during the season.^[10] The Canucks also ran a video tribute for former Ranger Derek Boogaard who also died during the off-season.^[11]

The Canucks struggled throughout the month of October which was punctuated by a significant trade. Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm were traded to the Florida Panthers on October 22, just hours after the Canucks defeated the Minnesota Wild. In return, the Canucks acquired a third-round draft pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and forwards David Booth and Steven Reinprecht. The month ended with a match up against the Washington Capitals that saw the Canucks prevail by a final score of 7–4. Alex Edler, Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins all registered two goals for Vancouver while Alexander Ovechkin also scored a pair of goals for Washington.

The month of November opened with a six-game road trip beginning in Calgary, where the Canucks won the game by a score of 5–1. The game saw Daniel Sedin score his 254th goal of his career to tie Pavel Bure for fourth all-time in Canucks goal scoring. However, the Canucks continued to battle inconsistency and were unable to sustain any momentum through the first two-thirds of the month where they compiled a record of 4–4 capped by a blowout loss to rival Chicago. The Canucks, led by Cory Schneider who originally replaced an injured Roberto Luongo, finished the month with five consecutive victories that included back-to-back shutouts for Schneider. During the winning streak head coach Alain Vigneault became the team's winningest coach when the team defeated Colorado on November 23.^[12]

Standings

Divisional standings

Northwest Division

Pos	Team v t e	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	p – Vancouver Canucks	82	51	22	9	43	249	198	+51	111
2	Calgary Flames	82	37	29	16	34	202	226	−24	90
3	Colorado Avalanche	82	41	35	6	32	208	220	−12	88
4	Minnesota Wild	82	35	36	11	24	177	226	−49	81
5	Edmonton Oilers	82	32	40	10	27	212	239	−27	74

Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy

Conference standings

Western Conference

Pos	Div	Team v t e	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	NW	p – Vancouver Canucks	82	51	22	9	43	249	198	+51	111
2	CE	y – St. Louis Blues	82	49	22	11	45	210	165	+45	109
3	PA	y – Phoenix Coyotes	82	42	27	13	36	216	204	+12	97
4	CE	x – Nashville Predators	82	48	26	8	43	237	210	+27	104
5	CE	x – Detroit Red Wings	82	48	28	6	39	248	203	+45	102
6	CE	x – Chicago Blackhawks	82	45	26	11	38	248	238	+10	101
7	PA	x – San Jose Sharks	82	43	29	10	34	228	210	+18	96
8	PA	x – Los Angeles Kings	82	40	27	15	34	194	179	+15	95
9	NW	Calgary Flames	82	37	29	16	34	202	226	−24	90
10	PA	Dallas Stars	82	42	35	5	35	211	222	−11	89
11	NW	Colorado Avalanche	82	41	35	6	32	208	220	−12	88
12	NW	Minnesota Wild	82	35	36	11	24	177	226	−49	81
13	PA	Anaheim Ducks	82	34	36	12	31	204	231	−27	80
14	NW	Edmonton Oilers	82	32	40	10	27	212	239	−27	74
15	CE	Columbus Blue Jackets	82	29	46	7	25	202	262	−60	65

Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2011 pre-season game log: 3–5–0 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 20	Vancouver	1–5	Calgary		Legace	19,289	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 20	Calgary	3–4	Vancouver		Lack	18,860	1–1–0	Recap
3	September 22	Vancouver	2–1	Edmonton		Lack	15,724	2–1–0	Recap
4	September 24	Anaheim	4–1	Vancouver		Schneider	18,860	2–2–0	Recap
5	September 25	San Jose	4–3	Vancouver		Lack	18,860	2–3–0	Recap
6	September 28	Vancouver	2–3	Anaheim		Luongo	13,542	2–4–0	Recap
7	September 29	Vancouver	0–3	San Jose		Schneider	16,347	2–5–0	Recap
8	October 1	Edmonton	1–4	Vancouver		Luongo	18,860	3–5–0	Recap

Regular season

2011–12 game log
October: 5–5–1 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 6 Pittsburgh 4–3 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,860 0–0–1 1 Recap 2 October 10 Vancouver 3–2 Columbus Schneider 9,187 1–0–1 3 Recap 3 October 12 Vancouver 4–5 Philadelphia Luongo 19,632 1–1–1 3 Recap 4 October 13 Vancouver 0–2 Detroit Schneider 20,066 1–2–1 3 Recap 5 October 15 Vancouver 4–3 Edmonton Luongo 16,839 2–2–1 5 Recap 6 October 18 NY Rangers 4–0 Vancouver Luongo 18,860 2–3–1 5 Recap 7 October 20 Nashville 1–5 Vancouver Luongo 18,860 3–3–1 7 Recap 8 October 22 Minnesota 2–3 Vancouver OT Schneider 18,860 4–3–1 9 Recap 9 October 25 Vancouver 2–3 Edmonton Luongo 16,839 4–4–1 9 Recap 10 October 26 St. Louis 3–0 Vancouver Schneider 18,860 4–5–1 9 Recap 11 October 29 Washington 4–7 Vancouver Luongo 18,860 5–5–1 11 Recap
November: 9–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 6–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 1 Vancouver 5–1 Calgary Luongo 19,289 6–5–1 13 Recap 13 November 3 Vancouver 1–5 Minnesota Schneider 16,534 6–6–1 13 Recap 14 November 4 Vancouver 2–3 St. Louis Luongo 19,150 6–7–1 13 Recap 15 November 6 Vancouver 6–2 Chicago Luongo 21,883 7–7–1 15 Recap 16 November 10 Vancouver 3–2 Los Angeles Luongo 18,118 8–7–1 17 Recap 17 November 11 Vancouver 3–4 Anaheim Luongo 17,339 8–8–1 17 Recap 18 November 13 NY Islanders 1–4 Vancouver Luongo 18,860 9–8–1 19 Recap 19 November 16 Chicago 5–1 Vancouver Schneider 18,860 9–9–1 19 Recap 20 November 20 Ottawa 1–2 Vancouver OT Schneider 18,890 10–9–1 21 Recap 21 November 23 Vancouver 3–0 Colorado Schneider 15,538 11–9–1 23 Recap 22 November 25 Vancouver 5–0 Phoenix Schneider 14,569 12–9–1 25 Recap 23 November 26 Vancouver 3–2 San Jose Schneider 17,562 13–9–1 27 Recap 24 November 29 Columbus 1–4 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 14–9–1 29 Recap
December: 10–4–1 (Home: 5–2–0 ; Road: 5–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 1 Nashville 6–5 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 14–10–1 29 Recap 26 December 4 Calgary 1–5 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 15–10–1 31 Recap 27 December 6 Colorado 0–6 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 16–10–1 33 Recap 28 December 8 Vancouver 4–3 Montreal SO Luongo 21,273 17–10–1 35 Recap 29 December 10 Vancouver 4–1 Ottawa Luongo 19,171 18–10–1 37 Recap 30 December 13 Vancouver 1–2 Columbus SO Luongo 15,808 18–10–2 38 Recap 31 December 15 Vancouver 3–4 Carolina Schneider 15,292 18–11–2 38 Recap 32 December 17 Vancouver 5–3 Toronto Luongo 19,633 19–11–2 40 Recap 33 December 19 Minnesota 0–4 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 20–11–2 42 Recap 34 December 21 Detroit 2–4 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 21–11–2 44 Recap 35 December 23 Calgary 3–1 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 21–12–2 44 Recap 36 December 26 Edmonton 3–5 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 22–12–2 46 Recap 37 December 28 Vancouver 3–2 San Jose OT Luongo 17,562 23–12–2 48 Recap 38 December 29 Vancouver 5–2 Anaheim Schneider 17,544 24–12–2 50 Recap 39 December 31 Vancouver 1–4 Los Angeles Luongo 18,118 24–13–2 50 Recap
January: 7–2–2 (Home: 4–1–2 ; Road: 3–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 40 January 2 San Jose 3–2 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,890 24–13–3 51 Recap 41 January 4 Minnesota 0–3 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 25–13–3 53 Recap 42 January 7 Vancouver 4–3 Boston Schneider 17,565 26–13–3 55 Recap 43 January 9 Vancouver 1–2 Florida Luongo 16,712 26–14–3 55 Recap 44 January 10 Vancouver 5–4 Tampa Bay SO Schneider 17,630 27–14–3 57 Recap 45 January 12 Vancouver 3–2 St. Louis OT Luongo 18,231 28–14–3 59 Recap 46 January 15 Anaheim 4–2 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 28–15–3 59 Recap 47 January 17 Los Angeles 3–2 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,890 28–15–4 60 Recap 48 January 21 San Jose 3–4 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 29–15–4 62 Recap 49 January 24 Edmonton 2–3 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,890 30–15–4 64 Recap 50 January 31 Chicago 2–3 Vancouver OT Schneider 18,890 31–15–4 66 Recap
February: 9–1–4 (Home: 3–0–1 ; Road: 6–1–3) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 51 February 2 Detroit 4–3 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,890 31–15–5 67 Recap 52 February 4 Vancouver 3–2 Colorado SO Luongo 17,024 32–15–5 69 Recap 53 February 7 Vancouver 4–3 Nashville SO Luongo 16,232 33–15–5 71 Recap 54 February 9 Vancouver 5–2 Minnesota Schneider 17,859 34–15–5 73 Recap 55 February 11 Vancouver 2–3 Calgary SO Luongo 19,289 34–15–6 74 Recap 56 February 13 Phoenix 1–2 Vancouver SO Luongo 18,890 35–15–6 76 Recap 57 February 15 Colorado 1–3 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 36–15–6 78 Recap 58 February 18 Toronto 2–6 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 37–15–6 80 Recap 59 February 19 Vancouver 5–2 Edmonton Schneider 16,839 38–15–6 82 Recap 60 February 21 Vancouver 1–3 Nashville Luongo 16,769 38–16–6 82 Recap 61 February 23 Vancouver 4–3 Detroit SO Luongo 20,066 39–16–6 84 Recap 62 February 24 Vancouver 2–1 New Jersey Schneider 16,480 40–16–6 86 Recap 63 February 26 Vancouver 2–3 Dallas OT Luongo 18,010 40–16–7 87 Recap 64 February 28 Vancouver 1–2 Phoenix SO Schneider 16,691 40–16–8 88 Recap
March: 9–5–1 (Home: 7–4–0 ; Road: 2–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 65 March 1 St. Louis 0–2 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 41–16–8 90 Recap 66 March 3 Buffalo 5–3 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 41–17–8 90 Recap 67 March 6 Dallas 5–2 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 41–18–8 90 Recap 68 March 8 Winnipeg 2–3 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 42–18–8 92 Recap 69 March 10 Montreal 4–1 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 42–19–8 92 Recap 70 March 14 Phoenix 5–4 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 42–20–8 92 Recap 71 March 17 Columbus 3–4 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 43–20–8 94 Recap 72 March 19 Vancouver 0–2 Minnesota Schneider 17,859 43–21–8 94 Recap 73 March 21 Vancouver 1–2 Chicago OT Luongo 21,883 43–21–9 95 Recap 74 March 22 Vancouver 2–1 Dallas Schneider 16,618 44–21–9 97 Recap 75 March 24 Vancouver 3–2 Colorado OT Luongo 18,007 45–21–9 99 Recap 76 March 26 Los Angeles 0–1 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 46–21–9 101 Recap 77 March 28 Colorado 0–1 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 47–21–9 103 Recap 78 March 30 Dallas 2–5 Vancouver Schneider 18,890 48–21–9 105 Recap 79 March 31 Calgary 2–3 Vancouver OT Luongo 18,890 49–21–9 107 Recap
April: 2–1–0 (Home: 2–0–0 ; Road: 0–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 80 April 3 Anaheim 4–5 Vancouver SO Schneider 18,890 50–21–9 109 Recap 81 April 5 Vancouver 2–3 Calgary Schneider 19,289 50–22–9 109 Recap 82 April 7 Edmonton 0–3 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 51–22–9 111 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Detailed records

Eastern Conference Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed Atlantic Division New Jersey Devils 0–0–0 1–0–0 1–0–0 2 2 1 New York Islanders 1–0–0 0–0–0 1–0–0 2 4 1 New York Rangers 0–1–0 0–0–0 0–1–0 0 0 4 Philadelphia Flyers 0–0–0 0–1–0 0–1–0 0 4 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–0–1 0–0–0 0–0–1 1 3 4 1–1–1 1–1–0 2–2–1 5 13 15 Northeast Division Boston Bruins 0–0–0 1–0–0 1–0–0 2 4 3 Buffalo Sabres 0–1–0 0–0–0 0–1–0 0 3 5 Montreal Canadiens 0–1–0 1–0–0 1–1–0 2 5 7 Ottawa Senators 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 6 2 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 11 5 2–2–0 4–0–0 6–2–0 12 29 22 Southeast Division Carolina Hurricanes 0–0–0 0–1–0 0–1–0 0 3 4 Florida Panthers 0–0–0 0–1–0 0–1–0 0 1 2 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–0–0 1–0–0 1–0–0 2 5 4 Washington Capitals 1–0–0 0–0–0 1–0–0 2 7 4 Winnipeg Jets 1–0–0 0–0–0 1–0–0 2 3 2 2–0–0 1–2–0 3–2–0 6 19 16

Western Conference Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed Central Division Chicago Blackhawks 1–1–0 1–0–1 2–1–1 5 11 11 Columbus Blue Jackets 2–0–0 1–0–1 3–0–1 7 12 8 Detroit Red Wings 1–0–1 1–1–0 2–1–1 5 11 11 Nashville Predators 1–1–0 1–1–0 2–2–0 4 15 13 St. Louis Blues 1–1–0 1–1–0 2–2–0 4 7 8 6–3–1 5–3–2 11–6–3 25 56 51 Northwest Division Calgary Flames 2–1–0 1–1–1 3–2–1 7 18 13 Colorado Avalanche 3–0–0 3–0–0 6–0–0 12 19 5 Edmonton Oilers 3–0–0 2–1–0 5–1–0 10 22 13 Minnesota Wild 3–0–0 1–2–0 4–2–0 8 16 11 Vancouver Canucks – – – – – – 11–1–0 7–4–1 18–5–1 37 75 42 Pacific Division Anaheim Ducks 1–1–0 1–1–0 2–2–0 4 15 14 Dallas Stars 1–1–0 1–0–1 2–1–1 5 11 11 Los Angeles Kings 1–0–1 1–1–0 2–1–1 5 7 9 Phoenix Coyotes 1–1–0 1–0–1 2–1–1 5 12 8 San Jose Sharks 1–0–1 2–0–0 3–0–1 7 12 10 5–3–2 6–2–2 11–5–4 26 57 52

Playoffs

See also: 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Vancouver Canucks clinched the Presidents' Trophy for the second consecutive year and second time in franchise history, thus guaranteeing themselves home ice advantage for the duration of the playoffs regardless of how far they were to go. However, they were knocked out in the first round by the eighth seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.

2012 Stanley Cup playoffs

Western Conference Quarterfinal vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings: Los Angeles won series 4–1 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 11 Los Angeles 4–2 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 0–1 Recap 2 April 13 Los Angeles 4–2 Vancouver Luongo 18,890 0–2 Recap 3 April 15 Vancouver 0–1 Los Angeles Schneider 18,118 0–3 Recap 4 April 18 Vancouver 3–1 Los Angeles Schneider 18,409 1–3 Recap 5 April 22 Los Angeles 2–1 Vancouver OT Schneider 18,890 1–4 Recap Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Henrik Sedin 82 14 67 81 +23 52 Daniel Sedin 71 30 37 67 +14 40 Alex Burrows 80 28 24 52 +24 90 Ryan Kesler 77 22 27 49 +11 56 Alexander Edler 82 11 38 49 0 34 Kevin Bieksa 78 8 36 44 +12 94 Chris Higgins 71 18 25 43 +11 16 Jannik Hansen 82 16 23 39 +18 34 Dan Hamhuis 82 4 33 37 +29 46 Cody Hodgson‡ 61 16 17 33 +10 8 David Booth† 56 16 13 29 +1 32 Sami Salo 69 9 16 25 +7 10 Mason Raymond 55 10 10 20 +4 18 Maxim Lapierre 82 9 10 19 −3 130 Manny Malhotra 78 7 11 18 −11 14 Aaron Rome 43 4 6 10 −4 46 Dale Weise 68 4 4 8 −1 81 Keith Ballard 47 1 6 7 0 64 Andrew Ebbett 18 5 1 6 +2 6 Samuel Pahlsson† 19 2 4 6 +4 12 Byron Bitz 10 1 3 4 +2 14 Andrew Alberts 44 2 1 3 +4 40 Zack Kassian† 17 1 2 3 −1 31 Marc-Andre Gragnani† 14 1 2 3 −4 6 Mikael Samuelsson‡ 6 1 2 3 −1 6 Christopher Tanev 25 0 2 2 +10 2 Mike Duco 6 0 2 2 +1 5 Aaron Volpatti 23 1 0 1 −2 37 Alexander Sulzer‡ 12 0 1 1 +6 2 Bill Sweatt 2 0 0 0 0 0 Mark Mancari 6 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Oreskovich 1 0 0 0 0 7 Marco Sturm‡ 6 0 0 0 −5 2

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Henrik Sedin 5 2 3 5 0 4 Dan Hamhuis 5 0 3 3 −2 6 Ryan Kesler 5 0 3 3 −1 6 Alexander Edler 5 2 0 2 −2 8 Daniel Sedin 2 0 2 2 0 0 Kevin Bieksa 5 1 0 1 0 6 Jannik Hansen 5 1 0 1 −1 14 Alex Burrows 5 1 0 1 −1 7 Samuel Pahlsson 5 1 0 1 −2 4 Keith Ballard 4 0 1 1 −1 2 Maxim Lapierre 5 0 1 1 0 16 David Booth 5 0 1 1 −1 0 Mason Raymond 5 0 1 1 −3 0 Byron Bitz 1 0 0 0 0 15 Aaron Rome 1 0 0 0 0 0 Andrew Ebbett 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dale Weise 2 0 0 0 0 0 Zack Kassian 4 0 0 0 1 2 Christopher Tanev 5 0 0 0 0 0 Manny Malhotra 5 0 0 0 −2 0 Sami Salo 5 0 0 0 −3 2 Chris Higgins 5 0 0 0 −3 2

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; GS = Game Starts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; GAA= Goals against average; SA= Shots against; Sv% = Save percentage; SO= Shutouts

Regular season
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA Sv% SO Roberto Luongo 55 54 3,162 31 14 8 127 2.41 1,577 .919 5 Cory Schneider 33 28 1,832 20 8 1 60 1.96 885 .937 3

Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA GAA SA Sv% SO Cory Schneider 3 183 1 2 4 1.31 101 .960 0 Roberto Luongo 2 117 0 2 7 3.59 64 .891 0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Canucks. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.

Updated after game on April 7, 2012

Awards and records

Records

Regular season
Player	Record	Awarded
Alain Vigneault	Most franchise victories (coaching) – 247	November 23, 2011
Roberto Luongo	Most franchise victories (goalie) – 212	January 21, 2012
Daniel Sedin	Most franchise overtime goals – 10	January 31, 2012

Milestones

Regular season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Henrik Sedin	500th consecutive game	October 6, 2011	[13]
Dale Weise	1st career goal 1st career point	October 20, 2011	[14]
Dale Weise	1st career assist	October 29, 2011
Ryan Kesler	500th career game	November 23, 2011	[15]
Daniel Sedin	5th career hat trick	December 6, 2011	[16]
Mike Duco	1st career point 1st career assist	January 10, 2012
Alex Burrows	500th career game	February 21, 2012

Awards

Regular season
Player	Award	Awarded
Cory Schneider	NHL Second Star of the Week	November 28, 2011	[17]
Henrik Sedin	NHL Third Star of the Month	January 1, 2012	[18]
Cody Hodgson	NHL Rookie of the Month	February 2, 2012	[19]

Draft picks

Vancouver's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	29	Nicklas Jensen	LW	Denmark	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
3	711	David Honzík	G	Czech Republic	Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
3	90	Alexandre Grenier	RW	Canada	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	1011	Joseph LaBate	C	United States	Academy of Holy Angels (USHS-MN)
4	120	Ludwig Blomstrand	LW	Sweden	Djurgardens IF J20 (J20 SuperElit)
5	150	Frank Corrado	D	Canada	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
6	180	Pathrik Westerholm	RW	Sweden	Malmo Redhawks (Allsvenskan)
7	210	Henrik Tommernes	D	Sweden	Frolunda HC (Elitserien)

* An additional second-round draft pick was awarded to the Montreal Canadiens as compensation for failing to sign a first-round draft choice. Therefore, all picks after have been moved down by one. The New Jersey Devils forfeit a third-round draft pick, but league protocol retains the draft pick number so that subsequent draft numbers are unaffected.
1. These picks were acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent the Canucks 60th overall pick for the 71st and 101st overall picks.^[20]

Transactions

See also: 2011–12 NHL transactions

Trades

February 27, 2012	To Vancouver Canucks Andrew Gordon	To Anaheim Ducks Sebastian Erixon	[21]
February 27, 2012	To Vancouver Canucks Zack Kassian Marc-Andre Gragnani	To Buffalo Sabres Cody Hodgson Alexander Sulzer
February 27, 2012	To Vancouver Canucks Samuel Pahlsson	To Columbus Blue Jackets Taylor Ellington 4th-round pick in 2012 4th-round pick in 2012	[22]
October 22, 2011	To Vancouver Canucks David Booth Steven Reinprecht 3rd-round pick in 2013	To Florida Panthers Marco Sturm Mikael Samuelsson	[23]
July 9, 2011	To Vancouver Canucks Mike Duco	To Florida Panthers Sergei Shirokov	[24]
June 28, 2011	To Vancouver Canucks 4th-round pick in 2012	To New York Islanders Christian Ehrhoff[lower-alpha 1]	[25]
June 25, 2011	To Vancouver Canucks 3rd-round pick in 2011 3rd-round pick in 2011	To Minnesota Wild 2nd-round pick in 2011	[20]

1. Trade of negotiating rights to.

Players signed

Date	Player	Contract terms
September 23, 2011	Frank Corrado	3 years, $1.83 million	[26]
September 22, 2011	Nicklas Jensen	3 years, $2.775 million	[27]
September 8, 2011	Victor Oreskovich	1 year, $605,000	[28]
July 28, 2011	Jannik Hansen	3 years, $4.05 million	[29]
July 1, 2011	Nolan Baumgartner	1 year, $525,000	[30]
July 1, 2011	Chris Higgins	2 years, $3.8 million	[31]
July 1, 2011	Sami Salo	1 year, $2 million	[32]
June 29, 2011	Andrew Alberts	2 years, $2.45 million	[33]
June 27, 2011	Maxim Lapierre	2 years, $2 million	[34]
June 27, 2011	Kevin Bieksa	5 years, $23 million	[35]

Waivers

Acquired

Date	Player	Former team
October 4, 2011	Dale Weise	New York Rangers	[36]

Free agents signed

Player	Former team	Contract terms
Byron Bitz	Free agent	1 year, $700,000	[37]
Alexander Sulzer	Florida Panthers	1 year, $700,000	[38]
Matt Climie	San Antonio Rampage (AHL)	1 year, $525,000	[39]
Steve Pinizzotto	Hershey Bears (AHL)	1 year, $600,000	[40]
Andrew Ebbett	Phoenix Coyotes	1 year, $525,000	[41]
Marco Sturm	Washington Capitals	1 year, $2.25 million	[42]
Mark Mancari	Buffalo Sabres	1 year, $525,000	[43]

Free agents lost

Player	New team	Contract terms
Lee Sweatt	Ottawa Senators	2 years, $1.3 million	[44]
Jeff Tambellini	ZSC Lions (NLA)	3 years	[45]
Guillaume Desbiens	Calgary Flames	1 year, $525,000	[46]
Rick Rypien	Winnipeg Jets	1 year, $700,000	[47]
Tanner Glass	Winnipeg Jets	1 year, $750,000	[48]
Alex Bolduc	Phoenix Coyotes	1 year, $575,000	[49]
Raffi Torres	Phoenix Coyotes	2 years, $3.5 million	[50]
Sergei Shirokov	CSKA Moscow	3 years	[51]

Farm teams

• The Chicago Wolves are the new Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate beginning in the 2011–12 season.
• The Kalamazoo Wings are the new Canucks' ECHL affiliate beginning in the 2011–12 season.

See also

• 2011–12 NHL season

References

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4. Olsen, Tyler (April 8, 2011). "WHL has approved Chilliwack Bruins move to Victoria". Vancouver Sun. Canada. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
5. Olsen, Tyler (April 20, 2011). "The Chilliwack Bruins are no more". Chilliwack Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
6. Dheensaw, Cleve (May 7, 2011). "RG opts to fold Salmon Kings franchis". Times Colonist. Retrieved May 17, 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
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51. cska-hockey.ru. "Широков снова с нами! | Новости клуба | Новости | Профессиональный Хоккейный Клуб ЦСКА". Cska-hockey.ru. Retrieved January 13, 2012.