Top 20 Seasons by Canuck Defensemen [Article/Long Read]

[-AJ-]

Hi there! I had a burst of motivation to do some more hockey writing and since the topic was a Canuck-focused one, I figured I'd share it with you fine folks here:

 

Feel free to read the post here (with prettier formatting) on my site:

 

https://hookedonhockeyhistory.wordpress.com/2021/01/06/top-20-seasons-by-a-canuck-defenseman/

 

Or, if you'd rather, I've also posted the entire article down below here for you:

 

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Top 20 Seasons by Canuck Defensemen

JANUARY 6, 2021 / ANDREW SCHROEDER

Any longtime diehard Canuck fan will know that Vancouver has never really had a true Norris-calibre defenseman, but with the dynamic rookie season of Quinn Hughes in 2019-20, fans are now salivating at the prospect of a potential Norris contender in Vancouver. Even though they haven’t had some of the best defensemen, there have still been no shortage of great seasons by Canuck defensemen in Vancouver. Let’s go over the top 20, in reverse order:

 

20. Kevin Bieksa (2011-12) – 78 games, 44 points

“Juice”, as he’s known by fans, is often known for his pugilism, but he also had some strong offensive and defensive seasons, particularly in Vancouver. In 2011-12, Bieksa had 8 goals and an impressive 36 assists, finishing 18th in Norris voting that year with a single 5th place vote.

 

19. Jyrki Lumme (1993-94) – 83 games, 55 points

Lumme was known as a smooth skating defender for Vancouver and in 1993-94, he scored his career-best 55 points. Although he was known more for offense, he was a capable defensive player too, especially during his earlier years in Vancouver.

 

18. Mattias Ohlund (2003-04) – 82 games, 34 points

Photo by Andreas Hillergren

Regarded by some as the greatest Canuck defenseman of all-time, Ohlund was more steady than flashy, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have strong seasons. He scored a career-best 14 goals in 2003-04 and finished an impressive 14th in Norris voting, garnering three 5th place votes among voters.

 

17. Bob Dailey (1974-75) – 70 games, 48 points

Dailey is perhaps one of the more underrated Canucks defensemen, likely due to the era in which he played. The 70s Canucks are often largely forgotten in today’s day and age, but Dailey was a strong defenseman for the Canucks in the mid 70s during their best years of the decade. The 6’5″ defenseman finished 16th in All-Star Team voting during that year.

 

16. Jyrki Lumme (1991-92) – 75 games, 44 points

The 1991-92 Canucks had a huge breakout season and Lumme was one of the big reasons for it. Not only was he capable of offense, scoring 12 goals and 44 points, but he was also a good defensive defenseman and finished 12th in All-Star team voting as a result.

 

15. Rick Lanz (1983-84) – 79 games, 57 points

When Lanz scored 18 goals in the 1983-84 season, he nearly tied Doug Halward’s 19-goal record set a few seasons prior. Lanz was a powerplay specialist, however, and beat Halward’s 11 powerplay goals with 14 powerplay goals himself. This record lasted for about 15 years until Adrian Aucoin beat it in the late 90s. It still stands as the 2nd highest total in Canuck history.

 

14. Mattias Ohlund (2001-02) – 81 games, 36 points

Ohlund’s second and final appearance on this list belongs to his best season in 2001-02. He finished with a career-high 36 points and a career-high +16, all while being an excellent defensive defenseman and physical presence. This earned Ohlund 10th in Norris voting during that year, one of very few Canucks defensemen to finish top 10 in Norris voting.

 

13. Paul Reinhart (1989-90) – 67 games, 57 points

Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images

Many Canuck fans of the late 80s have likely dreamed of having Paul Reinhart as a Canuck for longer. After an excellent tenure in Atlanta and Calgary, Reinhart was only in Vancouver for two seasons, but he was an incredible defenseman for both years. The 1989-90 season was his last before retirement due to injuries, but he still managed an impressive 17 goals and 57 points, despite missing 13 games.

 

12. Doug Lidster (1986-87) – 80 games, 63 points

Lidster, a long-time Canuck, exploded offensively out of nowhere in the 1986-87 season, setting a Canuck record for defensemen of 63 points, a record that still stands to this day (though Hughes may have something to say about that soon). Lidster was usually more of a defensive defenseman, but for one year, he was an offensive dynamo. He also received a bit of attention in the form of All-Star votes, finishing 24th in the voting.

 

11. Ed Jovanovski (2000-01) – 79 games, 47 points

Although they had to trade away Pavel Bure to get him, the Canucks acquired one of the best defensemen they ever had when they received former 1st overall pick Ed Jovanovski in return. “Jovo” broke out in a big way in 2000-01, scoring 12 goals and 47 points, along with being a strong physical presence. Jovanovski finished 15th in Norris voting and 12th in All-Star Team voting during that season.

 

10. Kevin McCarthy (1980-81) – 80 games, 53 points

I sometimes refer to McCarthy as the “Forgotten Captain”, as he was team captain for three seasons until Smyl took over in 1982. Not only that, but McCarthy was a very good defenseman as well, especially in 1980-81, when he scored 16 goals and 53 points, finishing 15th in Norris voting for the year.

 

9. Alex Edler (2011-12) – 82 games, 49 points

Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images

For my money, Alex Edler is the greatest Canuck defenseman of all-time, but that doesn’t mean he had the single greatest season. Edler’s legacy is built more over consistently good, reliable play over many years of service with the Canucks. Still, in 2011-12, he had a very strong season, nearly scoring 50 points and scoring his career-best 11 goals. He finished 13th in Norris voting for his strong season, earning four 5th place votes.

 

8. Dan Hamhuis (2011-12) – 82 games, 37 points

The 2011-12 season was a very strong one for many Canuck defensemen as Vancouver showed the hockey world just how deep their defensive lineup was. It could be argued that the best of them all in that year was Dan Hamhuis. Known mostly for his calm demeanor while playing excellent defense, Hamhuis also saw an uptick in his offense in 2011-12 with a career-best 33 assists and one point short of his career high in points, scoring 37 points. Hamhuis finished 10th in Norris voting that season.

 

7. Dennis Kearns (1976-77) – 80 games, 60 points

Kearns’ 60 points in 1976-77 currently sits as the 2nd highest point total in a single season by a Canuck defenseman and his 55 assists remains as one of the longest standing Canuck records (though, like Lidster’s point record, Hughes may have something to say about that). Kearns finished 15th in All-Star Team voting for his career year.

 

6. Christian Ehrhoff (2009-10) – 80 games, 44 points

Unlike some defensemen who can put up points, Ehrhoff could both score and play very strong defensively. Although Ehrhoff didn’t take many penalties, he also wasn’t a pushover physically. He filled every role you could want from a defenseman and was especially lethal with his shot, scoring 14 goals in 2009-10. Ehrhoff finished 9th in Norris voting during that season.

 

5. Ed Jovanovski (2001-02) – 82 games, 48 points

Even in the height of the dead puck era, Ed Jovanovski didn’t seem to have trouble putting up points. Jovanovski scored a career-high 17 goals in 2001-02 and finished the closest to a Norris trophy that any Canuck ever has, finishing 6th place in the voting.

 

4. Paul Reinhart (1988-89) – 64 games, 57 points

To this day, Reinhart holds the record for the highest points-per-game by any Canuck defenseman (he holds 2nd place too), with this season. While these seasons were par for the course for Reinhart, they were a revelation to Canuck fans at the time who had never seen such an offensively dominant defenseman. His incredible 50 assists in 64 games amazed fans and evidently Norris voters too, as he finished 12th in Norris voting, the 2nd highest placement of his career. One has to wonder how a healthy Reinhart might’ve helped the Canucks of the early 90s.

 

3. Quinn Hughes (2019-20) – 68 games, 53 points

When you see how close Hughes was to Reinhart’s points-per-game levels (Hughes sits at 4th in that metric) and then realize that he’s both playing in an era with much less scoring AND he was a rookie in 2019-20, you can’t help but expect him to have many more seasons on this list in the years to come. Hughes finished 2nd in Calder voting and 15th in Norris voting during his incredible rookie campaign. He also finished 10th in All-Star Team voting.

 

2. Christian Ehrhoff (2010-11) – 79 games, 50 points

The greatest season in Canuck history was almost unquestionably the 2010-11 season and Ehrhoff was the best defenseman on the team during that year. Ehrhoff was a legitimate threat offensively with a powerful and accurate shot, scoring 14 goals and also played the role of playmaker with 36 assists. When Ehrhoff scored his 50th point, he became the first Canuck defenseman to do so in 15 years, the last being Jyrki Lumme in 1995-96. His offense combined with strong defensive play earned him 8th place in Norris voting and 7th in All-Star Team voting, the latter tying for the highest any Canuck defenseman has ever placed. Ehrhoff had six 2nd place votes for the All-Star Team.

 

1. Ed Jovanovski (2002-03) – 67 games, 46 points

It’s truly a shame that Jovanovski’s 2002-03 season was cut short, as he was on pace for incredible numbers, 56 points in 82 games. Even despite the missing games, his 40 assists ended up as his career high and he was still widely recognized as an elite defenseman. Jovanovski finished 7th in All-Star Team voting and even more impressively, 6th for a second straight season in Norris voting, finishing just barely below Rob Blake, who was 5th. Evidently, those who believed in Jovanovski really did, as he actually finished with two 2nd place Norris votes, more than anyone else except the top two finalists, Al MacInnis and Nicklas Lidstrom. In my mind, this is, to date, the best season by any Canuck defenseman and although Jovanovski’s time in Vancouver wasn’t as long as Ohlund’s or Edler’s, Jovanovski’s short tenure represents the closest the Canucks have ever been to having a franchise defenseman.

For now.

Hope you enjoyed!

[Rubik]

Good to see Quinn Hughes - so early in his career - so high up. Really gives you hope for the near future

Edited January 7, 2021 by Rubik

[JeremyCuddles]

Now I miss Hammer

[#Canucks]

Jovo was amazing. I loved watching him. Watching his fight against deadmarsh? I think was amazing. 

[apollo]

Loved it! Real good stuff.... thanks for sharing

 

There's some guys I'd move around a little but overall it's really well done. Hoff too high in both his nominations if you ask me. He really padded his stats thanks to Hank & Danny IMO

 

No disrespect to Jovocop who I loved growing up... but I'd have Quinn #1 by a fair margin - Twenty year old kid, undersized D-man comes into the NHL and drives the play every time he's on the ice. Ends up with 53 points in only 68 games and 16 more points in only 17 playoff games... 69 points in 85GP as a 20 year old... 

 

Jovo had a strong playoff too... 7 goals 1 assist in 14GP but I just don't remember watching those playoffs and thinking wow Jovo is our saviour...

 

 

Was hoping to see a Sami Salo mention but he really never did rack up big time points. He was just a steady humble dman with an absolute bomb of a shot.

 

[Hamhuis Hip Check]

9 hours ago, Rubik said:

Good to see Quinn Hughes - so early in his career - so high up. Really gives you hope for the near future

I have a feeling he will be the majority of that list by the end of his time here

[GB5]

I like the list but there should have been room for Adrian Aucoin in 1998-1999

 

Every time he touched the puck on the PP it seemed like it went in 

 

1998-99

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

82

23

11

34

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, GarthButcher5 said:

I like the list but there should have been room for Adrian Aucoin in 1998-1999

 

Every time he touched the puck on the PP it seemed like it went in 

 

1998-99

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

82

23

11

34

Yeah I did think about him, but I decided to focus more on points than goals.

[Davathor]

Good read, I even hit your site because you were so up front about posting it here too. 

 

Made me miss Ohlund for sure. 

[IBatch]

Nice read AJ, well done.   Jovo for sure deserves his recognition on this list, was the closest thing we’ve had to an all around number one defenseman for a couple of seasons.   Reinhart was one though for sure despite his career almost ending...for a couple of years Jovo was up there with the biggest names in hockey - Olympic gold, setting up the clinching goal too if I re-call.     Sure his game had flaws too... he did his best for me to forget who we traded for him. 
 

Hopefully QHs can bring it - sure looks to have the chops for it.    Lumme and Lidster also had their moments, and Babych was about as solid as they come for a second pairing D come playoff time.  Snepsts, Murzyn and Mitchell also deserve a shout-out as three of our better defensive D’s.   Murzyn I think owns our single season record for plus minus at around plus 34 for a D.    Mitchell - well let’s just say I wish we re-signed him, definitely could have used him against Boston.   And Snepsts - one of our best fighters all-time and what a mustache. 

[oldnews]

Very hard to take that list seriously.

 

Particularly Ehrhoff at 2 and 6 - rookie Hughes at 3.

 

Highlight reel stuff. 

Edited January 9, 2021 by oldnews

[IBatch]

On 1/9/2021 at 2:53 PM, oldnews said:

Very hard to take that list seriously.

 

Particularly Ehrhoff at 2 and 6 - rookie Hughes at 3.

 

Highlight reel stuff. 

Yeah I had a hard time with some of it too.   Erhoff was more of a symbiotic thing given the team he played with at the time - same could be said about a few others.   Adrian Aucion is a notable obmission, playing on some not so great teams he filled the net more then any Canuck before or since on the power play (and I wasn’t even much of a fan at the time missed the old guard ... Sopel wasn’t much different)...  Also Bieksa led the league one year on even strength scoring ... 5 x 5 that is ...starting at 20, well I’d have him a little higher.   Have zero issue with Jovo at the top, for a few years anyways he looked to be the first number one all around defenseman  ever ...  2002 was his golden year, representing Canada and also doing it well at Salt Lake plus what he managed for sure is the best year a Canuck has ever done....he was a beast and part of the gold medal clinching play.  To be a top six Canadian defenseman is no small thing regardless of era, he did it in the dead puck one.  
 

Do feel a couple guys are missing.  Murzyn 93 season ... team leading record plus minus (tied with ... gulp Dixon Ward ha ha so maybe not - but the best a D has managed and probably won’t be broken for a very long time yet plus 34 I think). 
 

Snepsts maybe he wasn’t the best but he was one of the better defensive defenseman in the league during his tenure and one of the best fighters we’ve ever had.   Lumme... well he was very good all the time. 

 

And then there is Babych who’s PGP playoff record stands alone as one of best performers.   Seems like there could be a little recentcy bias ...  Lidster’s season at 12 seems a little suspect.    Personally if I had to rank our best D’s Erhoff’s name wouldn’t make the top ten, but get that this has to do about best seasons.   Bieksa or Erhoff?  Sorry Erhoff not a chance there. 
 

Hughes is a tough one.   For sure deserving of top 20...but not that high, defense is a big part of being a defenseman.   Maybe 5-7 seems about right and expect he will eventually hold 1-7 by the time he’s done.