1982-83 Results

Many people believed that the excitement of the previous spring's Stanley Cup final appearance would be repeated the following season. They were wrong. After a win in their opening game over the New York Islanders, the Canucks went on a six game losing streak. Although they managed to play .500 hockey the rest of the season, they finished in third in the Smythe Division. Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, Darcy Rota led the points parade. During the season, Richard Brodeur suffered a serious ear injury thrusting veteran John Garrett into the role of starter. The Canucks met Calgary -- again -- in the first round of the playoffs, but this time the Flames prevailed.

Regular Season

 DATE  H/A OPPOSITION   SCORE OT GP  W  L  T  GF  GA PTS  AVG        HISTORICAL NOTES         
OCT  5  H  NY ISLANDERS 2-1 W     1  1  0  0   2   1   2 1.000 Some revenge against Cup champs
OCT  6  A  LOS ANGELES  3-3 T     2  1  0  1   5   4   3 0.750 Canucks down 2-0 after first   
OCT  9  H  EDMONTON     3-6 L     3  1  1  1   8  10   3 0.500 First NHL goal for Sundstrom   
OCT 12  A  PITTSBURGH   4-5 L     4  1  2  1  12  15   3 0.375 Smyl two goals, one assist     
OCT 14  A  BOSTON       1-2 L     5  1  3  1  13  17   3 0.300 Gradin scores lone goal        
OCT 16  A  HARTFORD     5-6 L     6  1  4  1  18  23   3 0.250 Hlinka two goals, one assist   
OCT 19  A  NY ISLANDERS 4-5 L     7  1  5  1  22  28   3 0.214 Stan Smyl in on all four goals 
OCT 20  A  NY RANGERS   5-6 L     8  1  6  1  27  34   3 0.188 Ellacott in net for first time 
OCT 23  H  BOSTON       3-2 W     9  2  6  1  30  36   5 0.278 Bruin Leveille's career ends   
OCT 26  H  HARTFORD     8-1 W    10  3  6  1  38  37   7 0.350 Gradin records four assists    
OCT 29  H  CHICAGO      2-2 T    11  3  6  2  40  39   8 0.364 Canucks up 2-0 after first     
OCT 31  A  EDMONTON     3-2 W    12  4  6  2  43  41  10 0.417 Rota nets winner late in third 
NOV  2  A  QUEBEC       5-2 W    13  5  6  2  48  43  12 0.462 Boldirev records three assists 
NOV  4  A  PHILADELPHIA 4-3 W    14  6  6  2  52  46  14 0.500 Sundstrom scores twice         
NOV  6  A  MONTREAL     2-4 L    15  6  7  2  54  50  14 0.467 Hlinka in on both goals        
NOV  7  A  BUFFALO      1-3 L    16  6  8  2  55  53  14 0.438 Lindgren scores only goal      
NOV 10  H  LOS ANGELES  4-2 W    17  7  8  2  59  55  16 0.471 Bubla gets two assists in first
NOV 13  A  WINNIPEG     2-3 L    18  7  9  2  61  58  16 0.444 Smyl, Lemay score for Canucks  
NOV 14  A  WINNIPEG     5-6 L    19  7 10  2  66  64  16 0.421 Gradin, Boldirev 3 points each 
NOV 16  H  DETROIT      4-4 T    20  7 10  3  70  68  17 0.425 Molin records three points     
NOV 20  A  EDMONTON     3-3 T    21  7 10  4  73  71  18 0.429 Lindgren scores in own net late
NOV 21  H  WASHINGTON   5-3 W    22  8 10  4  78  74  20 0.455 Canucks down 3-0 after first   
NOV 23  H  QUEBEC       5-2 W    23  9 10  4  83  76  22 0.478 Brodeur outduels Garrett       
NOV 26  H  NEW JERSEY   4-4 T    24  9 10  5  87  80  23 0.479 First game against the Devils  
NOV 28  H  PHILADELPHIA 5-5 T    25  9 10  6  92  85  24 0.480 Hlinka, Lemay 3 points each    
NOV 30  H  LOS ANGELES  2-5 L    26  9 11  6  94  90  24 0.462 Game tied at two in third      
DEC  3  H  CALGARY      4-5 L    27  9 12  6  98  95  24 0.444 Rota records two points        
DEC  5  H  ST. LOUIS    6-3 W    28 10 12  6 104  98  26 0.464 Rota scores twice in third     
DEC  8  A  TORONTO      7-3 W    29 11 12  6 111 101  28 0.483 Gradin records four points     
DEC  9  A  MINNESOTA    6-9 L    30 11 13  6 117 110  28 0.467 Rookie Sundstrom gets hat trick
DEC 11  A  ST. LOUIS    3-1 W    31 12 13  6 120 111  30 0.484 Brodeur makes 24 saves         
DEC 15  H  MONTREAL     2-3 L    32 12 14  6 122 114  30 0.469 Smyl, Lemay score for Canucks  
DEC 16  A  CALGARY      3-2 W    33 13 14  6 125 116  32 0.485 Three Canuck goals in second   
DEC 18  H  MINNESOTA    3-3 T    34 13 14  7 128 119  33 0.485 Canucks up 3-0 after first     
DEC 23  H  CALGARY      3-6 L    35 13 15  7 131 125  33 0.471 Molin scores, adds assist      
DEC 26  A  LOS ANGELES  2-4 L    36 13 16  7 133 129  33 0.458 Gradin in on both goals        
DEC 28  H  WINNIPEG     4-4 T    37 13 16  8 137 133  34 0.459 Canucks up 4-2 in third        
DEC 31  H  EDMONTON     1-8 L    38 13 17  8 138 141  34 0.447 Rota scores lone marker        
JAN  2  A  NEW JERSEY   1-3 L    39 13 18  8 139 144  34 0.436 Gradin scores only goal        
JAN  4  A  PHILADELPHIA 1-4 L    40 13 19  8 140 148  34 0.425 Ellacott faces penalty shot    
JAN  6  A  HARTFORD     6-4 W    41 14 19  8 146 152  36 0.439 Rota records hat trick         
JAN  7  A  BUFFALO      5-5 T    42 14 19  9 151 157  37 0.440 Bubla, Smyl 3 assists each     
JAN 12  H  CALGARY      4-6 L    43 14 20  9 155 163  37 0.430 Flame Nilsson gets hat trick   
JAN 13  A  CALGARY      2-5 L    44 14 21  9 157 168  37 0.420 Gradin records two assists     
JAN 16  H  WINNIPEG     6-4 W    45 15 21  9 163 172  39 0.433 McCarthy scores twice in first 
JAN 18  H  NY RANGERS   3-3 T    46 15 21 10 166 175  40 0.435 Tanti scores first as Canuck   
JAN 19  A  EDMONTON     4-9 L    47 15 22 10 170 184  40 0.426 Gretzky scores on penalty shot 
JAN 22  H  EDMONTON     4-3 W    48 16 22 10 174 187  42 0.438 Halward scores twice           
JAN 25  A  DETROIT      2-6 L    49 16 23 10 176 193  42 0.429 Mark Kirton joins the Canucks  
JAN 26  A  CHICAGO      5-1 W    50 17 23 10 181 194  44 0.440 Brodeur makes 23 saves         
JAN 29  H  NY ISLANDERS 3-5 L    51 17 24 10 184 199  44 0.431 Halward, Lupul 2 points each   
FEB  1  H  MONTREAL     3-7 L    52 17 25 10 187 206  44 0.423 Rota scores two goals          
FEB  5  A  TORONTO      4-6 L    53 17 26 10 191 212  44 0.415 Brodeur injured on high shot   
FEB  6  A  NEW JERSEY   4-4 T    54 17 26 11 195 216  45 0.417 Garrett now number one goalie  
FEB  9  A  PITTSBURGH   6-2 W    55 18 26 11 201 218  47 0.427 Halward has a four point night 
FEB 13  A  BOSTON       1-3 L    56 18 27 11 202 221  47 0.420 Smyl opens the scoring         
FEB 15  A  WINNIPEG     4-7 L    57 18 28 11 206 228  47 0.412 Canucks down 6-1 in third      
FEB 18  H  WASHINGTON   1-2 L    58 18 29 11 207 230  47 0.405 Garrett outshot 36-29          
FEB 20  H  LOS ANGELES  5-2 W    59 19 29 11 212 232  49 0.415 Gradin scores winner in second 
FEB 22  H  ST. LOUIS    6-3 W    60 20 29 11 218 235  51 0.425 Molin records three points     
FEB 24  A  LOS ANGELES  0-8 L    61 20 30 11 218 243  51 0.418 Caprice debuts in third period 
FEB 25  H  TORONTO      1-4 L    62 20 31 11 219 247  51 0.411 Molin scores lone goal         
FEB 27  H  CALGARY      6-2 W    63 21 31 11 225 249  53 0.421 Halward records three points   
MAR  1  A  CALGARY      1-8 L    64 21 32 11 226 257  53 0.414 Brodeur returns to Canuck net  
MAR  2  A  WINNIPEG     3-0 W    65 22 32 11 229 257  55 0.423 Garrett records shutout        
MAR  5  H  WINNIPEG     5-4 W    66 23 32 11 234 261  57 0.432 Rota records three points      
MAR  6  H  WINNIPEG     6-2 W    67 24 32 11 240 263  59 0.440 Third straight game versus Jets
MAR  8  H  NY RANGERS   7-3 W    68 25 32 11 247 266  61 0.449 Gradin records four assists    
MAR 12  H  BUFFALO      8-3 W    69 26 32 11 255 269  63 0.457 Darcy Rota records hat trick   
MAR 14  A  MINNESOTA    3-6 L    70 26 33 11 258 275  63 0.450 Canucks up 2-0 after first     
MAR 16  A  EDMONTON     3-4 L    71 26 34 11 261 279  63 0.444 Gradin scores all three goals  
MAR 18  H  QUEBEC       7-3 W    72 27 34 11 268 282  65 0.451 First NHL goal for Butcher     
MAR 20  H  DETROIT      6-3 W    73 28 34 11 274 285  67 0.459 Smyl records three assists     
MAR 21  H  PITTSBURGH   7-3 W    74 29 34 11 281 288  69 0.466 Rota scores twice, adds assist 
MAR 23  A  WASHINGTON   1-1 T    75 29 34 12 282 289  70 0.467 Postponed from February 11     
MAR 25  H  CHICAGO      3-3 T    76 29 34 13 285 292  71 0.467 Rota records two points        
MAR 27  H  LOS ANGELES  8-4 W    77 30 34 13 293 296  73 0.474 Smyl has a four point game     
MAR 29  H  EDMONTON     4-7 L    78 30 35 13 297 303  73 0.468 Smyl scores twice              
MAR 31  A  CALGARY      4-4 T    79 30 35 14 301 307  74 0.468 Rick Lanz nets a pair          
APR  3  A  LOS ANGELES  2-2 T    80 30 35 15 303 309  75 0.469 Sundstrom assists both goals   

                            Canucks finish third in Smythe Division                 

Playoffs

 DATE  H/A OPPOSITION   SCORE OT GP  W  L  T  GF  GA PTS  AVG        HISTORICAL NOTES         
APR  6  A  CALGARY      3-4 L OT  1  0  1  0   3   4   0 0.000 Canucks up 3-1 in third        
APR  7  A  CALGARY      3-5 L     2  0  2  0   6   9   0 0.000 Gradin, Hlinka, Lindgren score 
APR  9  H  CALGARY      5-4 W     3  1  2  0  11  13   2 0.333 Smyl gets winner late in third 
APR 10  H  CALGARY      3-4 L OT  4  1  3  0  14  17   2 0.250 Calgary ends it 1:06 into OT   
                       Calgary wins best of five series three games to one