Rainbow of colours marks 50th year

It’s a bit of fortunate accident of their own design history that the Vancouver Canucks are now able to use a veritable rainbow of colours in the advertising campaign that will help drive their 50th season.

Rolling out in front of your eyes across the Lower Mainland very soon will be the motto “colourful past, bright future” along with visuals that incorporate the various blues, reds, yellows and greens the Canucks have used on their uniforms since 1970.

“It’s giving us a chance to show our history. The colours are woven thoughtfully through our brand and our imagery this year,” said Chris Brumwell, the Canucks’ vice-president of communications and community partnerships. “It’s a really nice tie-in with our city’s diversity.”

Last week the Canucks introduced the four sweaters they will wear in games over the course of the 2019-20 season, which is the 50th season since their entry into the NHL in 1970. They have, of course, played only 48 to date, since the 2004-05 season was lost in its entirety to a lockout of the players by the owners.

Other sweaters from the Canucks’ historical stable will also make appearances in pre-game warm-ups.

Beginning with Friday’s draft and then in full on June 25, the rest of the Canucks’ campaign to celebrate their history will be rolled out to the public.

As has become the norm in recent seasons, there will be theme nights throughout the season, one or two per month, things like ’80s night or ’90s night. Lunar New Year and Diwali will again be recognized. There will be nights to recognize the great teams of earlier this decade as well as the West Coast Express era.

And there are some special events as well.

“Opening night will be something really special,” Brumwell said.

As will the Sedins’ jersey retirement night. The Sedins’ presence in the community, their connection with fans, and their uniqueness as hockey-playing twins is what makes them stand out in so many ways in one’s imagination.

“The Sedins’ night, it would be the anchor of any year,” Brumwell said.

There’s also going to be a name added to the ring of honour with the player’s identity to be revealed at the draft.

The Canucks’ alumni are going to host a luncheon in November. The team is working with B.C. Hockey to distribute Canucks decals to every minor hockey player in the province.

It’s giving us a chance to show our history. The colours are woven ... through our brand and our imagery this year.

There’s going to be a public art campaign, which the team hopes will put them more permanently into Lower Mainland communities where they’d like to see themselves more often.

That ties to why they’re playing pre-season games in Victoria and Abbotsford, a year after playing a game in Kelowna.

Season ticket members will be receiving “boxes of wow” before the season’s start.

Brumwell, who grew up in B.C. and counts himself a lifelong Canucks fan, has been working at the forefront of the team’s planning for the coming year.

He is, of course, excited that the team is about to roll out what they’ve been working on for so long.

“We want look at our history and use it as a launching pad for what’s to come,” he said.