Tonight, November 21, 2025, the Pacific Coliseum prepares to host yet another primary tenant within its storied halls. Before BC’s first ever PWHL team, the Vancouver Goldeneyes, take to the ice for the first time, let’s reflect on the Vancouver Canucks’ history at the Rink on Renfrew.
October 9, 1970 marked the first game the NHL’s Canucks ever played at the Coliseum — though the WHL Vancouver Canucks spent a few years prior occupying the ice. This inaugural roster included names like eventual Canucks General Manager Pat Quinn, leading points getter André Boudrais, and the first captain in Canucks history, Orland Kurtenbach.
While it took awhile, Vancouver’s first playoff game played at the Coliseum came on April 17, 1975 — five years after their inaugural season. In a series against a powerhouse Montréal Canadiens team that was, frankly, a little uneven in terms of scoring, the Canucks won Game 2 on the road but ultimately lost the series in overtime in Game 5. After that, the post-season became a more frequent occurrence for the Canucks, who qualified for the playoffs in four of six seasons.
It was in 1982 when the Pacific Coliseum hosted the Stanley Cup Finals for the first of two occasions in its history. After three straight first-round losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and expansion-fellow Buffalo Sabres, who they faced twice, Vancouver took down their division-rival Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. Unfortunately, the New York Islanders were simply too powerful for the Canucks, who fell in four games to Mike Bossy and his team.
From there, Vancouver’s team shifted, twisting from the era of Stan Smyl, Dave Babych, and other Canucks greats, to the new-gen at the time synonymous with the flying skate. Aside from their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1982, Vancouver’s first playoff series win came in 1992, when they took down the Winnipeg Jets in seven games. The first game of this series at the Coliseum took place on April 18, with the Jets winning by a score of 3–2.
Two years later, the Canucks took part in their second — and final — Stanley Cup Final at the Coliseum. After back-to-back competitive regular-season records of 42–26–12 (1992) and 46–29–9 (1993), Vancouver managed to pave their path to within championship grasp by taking down the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs. With their series against the New York Rangers tied at one win apiece, Vancouver came back to the Pacific Coliseum to try and make a push for the Stanley Cup, but left their homestand with two losses. Their lone home victory in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final came in a sudden-death Game 6.
The Canucks played their last game at the Coliseum on May 27, 1995, losing 4–3 in overtime against the Blackhawks during their second-round playoff series. This came after Vancouver took a series win against the St. Louis Blues in the first round, winning one of the three home games they played in. May 11, 1995, marked the last Canucks playoff win that fans at the Coliseum saw.
While the Canucks and the Pacific Coliseum have since moved on from one-another, creating even more team history with other venues and sports across the lower mainland, the history enshrined within its walls still lingers.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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