Canucks have their share of fond all-star memories

There are more than a few connections between the Vancouver Canucks and NHL hockey in Florida.

There's the 24-year run of former Florida Panthers draft picks playing for the Canucks, for instance.

But there are also some fun allstar connections between the Sunshine State and the Canucks.

This weekend, the Florida Panthers are hosting NHL all-star festivities in and around their home rink in Sunrise and neighbouring Fort Lauderdale. Elias Pettersson is representing the Canucks. Bo Horvat was set to be a second Canuck, but he's a New York Islander now, having been traded on Monday.

Here are a few Canucks numbers of interest heading into today's skills competition and Saturday's game.

2003

The first all-star game to have a shootout was the 2003 game, also hosted by the Panthers.

The Canucks were the best team in the Western Conference and were represented by Markus Naslund — one of three scorers in the shootout — Todd Bertuzzi and Ed Jovanovski. Canucks coach Marc Crawford was the Western Conference team's coach.

40

Only one Canuck has ever been named all-star MVP: Brock Boeser. But Boeser might have been the second, but for Wayne Gretzky's late-game efforts 40 years ago.

In 1983, goalie John Garrett found himself the Canucks' lone representative. That year's game, hosted by the New York Islanders, was Feb. 8.

Four days before, Garrett was traded from the Quebec Nordiques to the Canucks. General manager Harry Neale was looking for a veteran backup to Richard Brodeur.

The next day, with the Canucks playing the Maple Leafs in Toronto, Brodeur took a puck in the

side of his head, rupturing his eardrum. Garrett came in to replace Brodeur.

Brodeur had been selected as the Canucks' lone representative that season, one of two goalies for the Western Conference roster. Instead of picking one of the team's few all-star calibre players, the NHL kept it simple and went like for like, picking Garrett as Brodeur's stand-in.

In the game, Chicago's Murray Bannerman started for the Campbell Conference. Garrett relieved him halfway through the second period. The Wales Conference team peppered him with shots, but he gave up just one goal late in the third period to Don Maloney.

The assembled media was so impressed, they voted Garrett as game MVP. He was going to take home a Pontiac Firebird.

And then Wayne Gretzky erupted for three goals in the game's final 10 minutes, giving him four on the night and leading the Campbells to a 9-3 win. The media voted anew and Gretzky was awarded the car.

3

There are three games played now on all-star weekend: two semifinals and a final. The games are played three-on-three to up the entertainment value.

If teams are tied at the end of a game — each game is two 10-minute periods — they go to a threeround shootout.

This is Elias Pettersson's third time at the NHL All-Star Game; his first appearance was in his rookie season (2019). The last time the Canucks had three players at an all-star game was 2020, when Pettersson was joined by Quinn Hughes and Jacob Markstrom.