Today, I'll wrap up my look at the Canucks' 2019-20 schedule, including special events to mark the franchise's 50th anniversary.
If you missed them, you can
click here for the rundown of the rest of offseason and preseason, and
here for the first half of the regular season, through the All-Star Break.
Before I go into the back end of the schedule, one item I missed in the last blog: Alex Burrows' induction into the Canucks' Ring of Honour will take place on Tuesday, December 3, when the Canucks host the team Burrows finished his career with, the Ottawa Senators.
Now, onwards...
February
February begins with the Canucks in the midst of a five-game road trip that starts January 29th in San Jose before heading east for back-to-back weekend matinees against the Islanders at Barclays Center and in Carolina, then finishes up with dates in Boston and Minnesota.
After that, it's the Canucks' longest homestand of the year—six games stretched over two weeks against Calgary, Nashville, Chicago, Anaheim, Minnesota and Boston.
That homestand will also be highlighted by Sedin Week.
The festivities begin February 10th against Nashville with a tribute to the four players who already have had their numbers retired—Stan Smyl, Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund and Pavel Bure. That could be Linden's first time back in the team fold since leaving his job as President last summer.
Wednesday, February 12th will be the twins' banner raising, in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The celebration will wrap up with the Sunday matinee against Anaheim on February 16th, which will be a family-focused game celebrating the twins' many contributions to the community.
The 2020 NHL trade deadline lands on February 24, two days after the Canucks wrap up that homestand, against Boston. They'll finish out the month with a four-in-six road trip—hitting Montreal and Ottawa before a Saturday game on Hockey Night in Canada in Toronto, then a visit to Columbus on Sunday, March 1. That'll be the team's last game of the year in the Eastern Time Zone.
March
March is a busy month, with 16 games in total—and a ton of divisional matchups that will probably determine which Pacific Division teams make the playoffs and who's left on the sidelines. There are only two two-day breaks in the entire month.
After starting the month in Columbus, the Canucks will fly home for four games—against the Coyotes, Avalanche, Blue Jackets and Islanders. Then, they'll hop on the plane for a quick back-to-back in Glendale and Denver, and return home to host the Jets and the Lightning.
Then, it's back on the road for three-in-four against the Ducks, Kings and Golden Knights, and home after one day off for three-in-four against the Sharks, Flames and Ducks.
March wraps up with the Canucks starting their final road trip of the season—a two-gamer that kicks off in Dallas on March 30th.
Two special event nights in March: 2000s night on March 6th, which will pay tribute to the West Coast Express as well as the Presidents' Trophy teams of the early 2010s. The 50th anniversary schedule wraps up with Next Generation Day against Winnipeg on March 15—a 5 p.m. puck drop with a family focus and a look at the future of hockey in British Columbia.
April
After wrapping up their seasons on the road for the last three years, the Canucks will finish off their road schedule in Arizona on April 2 before returning to Rogers Arena for their final game of the year on April 4, 2020 against Vegas, featuring the usual season-ending festivities that go along with Fan Appreciation Night.
Then...playoffs???
Well—the playoffs will definitely happen starting in April. The question marks surround whether the Canucks will be able to book a berth.
All told, this year's schedule doesn't seem as intense as what the Canucks are used to. Somehow the road trips aren't as long, there don't seem to be as many back-to-backs, and those three-in-four trips to California aren't structured the same way as usual. Maybe all those games in March really will be meaningful this year?
Here's a broad look at the tired-vs-rested breakdown around the league for 2019-20.
For Vancouver, sitting in the middle of the chart with 10 games against rested teams when they're tired and 10 games against tired teams when they're rested seems like a pretty good place to be!
In the past, we've seen breakdowns of total travel miles, which underscore how much tougher the grind is for teams out west. I haven't seen a chart like that yet this summer. Let me know if you come across anything!
Finally—speaking of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Canucks organization has just put out a call for fans to share their best memories and hopes for the future. Prizes include a pair of tickets to the Sedins' jersey retirement ceremony.
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