Latest news with #VancouverCanucks
The Province
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Province
Canucks: The ownership chatter is not going away
The team isn't for sale, but the Canucks' owners are still looking for minority investment. Get the latest from Patrick Johnston straight to your inbox Vancouver Canucks senior managers — president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, general manager Patrik Allvin, president of business operations Michael Doyle and Dax Aquilini, son of team co-owner Roberto Aquilini — were spotted at Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre in south Burnaby taking an apparent tour of the facility on June 4. Photo by ( Nothing like a struggling team and a departing owner to keep the 'Hey, maybe the team is for sale' rumour mill going. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors According to multiple sources, the owners of the Vancouver Canucks, Francesco and Roberto Aquilini and their father Luigi Aquilini, are still looking for a minority investor who can bring about $500 million to the table, which would presumably help buy out brother Paolo's stake in the team. The remaining brothers and their father released a statement last month declaring the team isn't for sale — but bringing in a new minority partner isn't 'selling the team,' is it? The Canucks and Rogers Arena sit at the centre of a tangled web of investments made over the past two decades by the Aquilinis, so untangling those two items from the rest to sell off would be hard enough as it is, without even recognizing that owning the team is said to be Francesco's No. 1 interest. The idea of him selling seems inconceivable. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The family has said as much. And yet the rumours persist, that there is a transaction brewing. When you start hearing names bandied about as potential investors — and those names come from three separate, totally unrelated sources, one in the NHL, one in social media, the third in a curious overlap of winemaking and real estate — you do let your eyebrows rise, especially when it's names connected to major global alcohol brands, or shipping, or restaurants. Of course, you try to run down if the actual report has any merit. My best guess is that, given the search for a minority investor, maybe there was a call made, maybe there was some due diligence done, but anything more is almost certainly just speculative. Even if there is no merit to the rumours, the fact people keep talking about them as if they are real possibilities is instructive. There's wish-casting going on, that's for sure. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The simple reality is that with the Canucks and their fans, for all their struggles over the past decade, for last year's apparent false dawn, there remains a depth of passion and of hope for this team. People don't just hope that this will be the year, they want this to be the year. Tied to this is an inevitable feeling amongst many of those fans, fair or not, that there is a dream of new ownership. People have tired of the current group, who have held a share of ownership since 2004 and total control since 2006. That's 21 years in the mix, making them the second-longest tenured owners in franchise history, after the 23 years the Griffiths family had their name on the corporation's registry. The Griffiths' ownership era plays different from the Aquilinis'. Frank Griffiths bought the team with a partner in 1974, but controlled the team until 1988 when he handed it to his son Arthur, who expanded the family's sports holdings to include the Grizzlies and build what is now Rogers Arena. But as everyone knows, between building the arena, paying a higher-than-expected expansion fee to the NBA, plus the sagging Canadian dollar, Arthur Griffiths had over-extended himself and started running short on cash. So entered Seattle billionaire John McCaw and, for a time, his brother Bruce. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They were supposed to be silent partners, providing a needed cash injection at a moment when the team needed one. But the project stayed big and so did the expenses. By 1997, it was all over for Griffiths, who sold his remaining shares to McCaw, who, as the story goes, never really wanted to own the Canucks and Grizzlies. Seven years later, McCaw began to offload what was then called Orca Bay to the Aquilinis, a now infamous transaction that blindsided Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie, who had originally been negotiating with McCaw. Francesco Aquilini was the third member of their trio, but he left those talks and, it turned out, cut a deal of his own in 2004. The Aquilinis took full control of the Canucks in 2006. The early years of their ownership carried much hope, and for a time, the Canucks were a leading light in the NHL. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since the heights of the 2011 season, the Canucks have been on a downward slide. Fans remember what those days were like. They want them back. And they have come to dream of a new reality. January 19, 2024. Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, right, and Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, left, announce an extension of Rutherford's contract. Could the Aquilinis really sell, as these perpetuals rumours pre-suppose? It's highly doubtful. The arena and its adjacent towers are a high-value proposition, ones that bring big value to the family. It's hard to imagine them moving on — and their denial of looking to sell makes sense. The arena is a big profit-maker for them, even if the building is aging and needs repairs. Concerts are lucrative. The Canucks have been a money-printing machine at times as well, although an expensive machine even when times were good. The team's huge increase in value has tracked well with Luigi Aquilini's guiding philosophy: 'There's no money in the sell, only in the buy.' In other words, look for value when you buy something, play the long game, sit on it, and watch it appreciate in value. This is not the same situation as what Arthur Griffiths faced 30 years ago. This isn't an owner desperate for cash. This is simply an unpopular owner. And so the wish-casting will continue. Unless somehow, some way, the current hockey management team is able to restore the heights of 15 years ago. pjohnston@ Read More
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canucks: Big AHL performances from Bains and Karlsson may carry into NHL success
There is little doubt that this spring's epic run by the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Final bodes well for the future of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization. Winning, after all, brings good vibes, and good vibes bring you goodwill. And winning at the AHL level usually means some good things for your NHL team a couple seasons down the line. The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful that this spring's solid run will yield positive things for the NHL club as soon as next season. Yes, we're talking about you, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson. The two wingers were massive performers Tuesday, helping the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead over the Charlotte Checkers. Bains' all-around good game sense has been on display ever since he made the jump to pro hockey in 2022. But his emergence as a big-game player is notable. He was one of Abbotsford's best performers all season long. In the playoffs, it took him a while to score an actual goal — he only has five — but those five have all come in crunch time. The first three were in the final two games of the Western Conference final against Texas, and the latest two came on Tuesday, along with two assists, leading the way in a 6-1 romp over Charlotte. Karlsson, meanwhile, has 11 goals and 11 assists in this playoff run, including goals in both games two and three of this series against Charlotte. He hs been a player on a mission all season. After a rather underwhelming NHL callup last fall, he clearly put the bit between his teeth, and doubled down on what he needs to be, because when he came back to the NHL later in the season, he was a solid, hard-working presence. He is not the fleetest of foot, but he's strong and has hockey smarts that have carried him this far. Both players aren't going to be stars in the NHL, but they have guts and brains and dedication to the craft, exactly what you want in homegrown depth wingers. And both would help the NHL team if they can turn themselves into such players. pjohnston@ Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Big grit, big guns in 6-1 rout of Checkers to take series lead Calder Cup Finals: Who were those gritty, grinding 2015 Utica Comets? And where are they now?
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Quads of steel: Grouse Grinders compete to complete the most treks in a single day
His legs were sore, rubbery and dead. His body was still weak from two weeks of illness and a fever that had just dissipated the day before. And then, 10 minutes into his 10th trip up the Grouse Grind, James Stewart started hearing voices. There was the tiny, insistent one, telling him to quit, that there was no way he could make another nine ascents in a single day to break the record at the Multi Grouse Grind Challenge. There was the external one, as Stewart chatted amiably with another trail-goer beside the path, after that little voice won out and got him to stop. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'And while I'm chatting to this guy, something in the back of my mind just goes, like, 'James, what the hell are you doing?' ' laughed Stewart. He turned, and completed the climb at a faster-than-planned pace, and got back in the race. A few hours later, Stewart jumped off the tram, scattered some confused tourists and squeaked in just under the 10 p.m. deadline by seconds to start his 19th trip up the Grind — eventually to complete his record-tying 19th ascent of the day. Stewart and Vancouver's Wilfrid Leblanc are the current record-holders of the Multi-Grouse Grind Challenge, the annual event held on the summer solstice — the year's longest day — both having completed 19. Leblanc won it in 2019; Stewart equalled the record last year. The Grouse Grind is a hike legendary for its views from the top and the lung-busting 30 per cent grade that must be conquered to make it there, 2.9 kilometres from top to bottom. The elevation gain is 853 metres. For context: Mount Everest is 8,850 m. Nineteen trips up the Grind is 55,100 m. And this year, Stewart is gunning for 20. 'That's what I'm aiming for … It would be nice to hold the record outright,' said the Aussie-born endurance athlete who became a Canadian citizen last year. 'I guess I've got a little bit extra to go for. I'm looking forward to the challenge, but it's going to be quite a bit harder to pull it off though.' The day isn't getting any longer, and the already-quick pace can't be increased by much, considering the 45-minute average Stewart clocked in at. An average person can complete the Grind in 1 1/2 to two hours. Even pro athletes — like the Vancouver Canucks — are exhausted after one trip up. One thing working in his favour, and, ironically, against the racers is the new Blue Grouse Gondola. The red Grouse Mountain Skyride arrives in 10-minute intervals, and Stewart has, umm, groused about missing it by seconds in the past. But the new 27-car tram runs almost non-stop, cutting down on the time it takes to get back down the mountain. That also means less time to rest, rehydrate, refuel and refocus on the trip down. 'By time you get to the top of the climb, your body's gone through quite a bit of stress. Having that 10-minute respite kind of resets the system and allows you get going again,' said Stewart. 'I always find the actual first 10 minutes of every climb is the hardest part, because it's hard to get your body going again once it stops. 'I'm just trying to get in a good head space … even though the body's hurting and hanging on. It's a lot of mind over matter; you've just got to stay positive and not get into the pain that you're feeling.' And this is … fun? 'Very much so,' Stewart said, chuckling. 'I'm an endurance coach, so I help train people to do this very thing. It's like the ultimate problem to solve. It helps me maintain a high standard in my overall life because to achieve something like this, you can't cut corners. There's no shortcuts. You have to be prepared to get up every day and train. 'It forces me to get out of bed so I don't sleep in. Forces me to look after my diet. It gives me a challenge, something to work towards. And so there's a lot of problems to solve to succeed in a challenge like this.' The 2025 Grind Challenge, the ninth time it's been run, goes Friday, with 66 men and 34 women competing, with ages ranging from 17 to 66. The first racers take off at 4 a.m. The event is part of the mountain's race series, including the Seek the Peak and the Grouse Grind Mountain Run, and also serves as a fundraiser for the North Shore Rescue service. More than $100,000 has been raised so far this year. Racer Ross Hamilton has competed in the Multi Grind in 2023 and 2024, his personal record being 17 last year. He won't be getting close to that mark this year, after suffering a fall on the East Lion last September that left him with a brain contusion, concussion, two broken neck bones, a broken nose and broken ribs, and needing to be airlifted off the mountain by NSR. 'I am just thankful that I will be able to complete one Grind let alone multiple,' he wrote. 'I now have first-hand experience of how tirelessly these volunteers work to keep our mountains safe, and I am very thankful and appreciative that they were there for me when I needed them the most.' Damien Waugh is a volunteer with NSR, and has a PB of 18 Grinds. He's gunning for 20 as well, and has raised close to $6,000 this year alone. 'NSR doesn't charge for rescues. That means we rely on donations to cover essential costs like rescue gear, safety equipment, training and advanced technology,' he wrote. 'If you have ever recreated (sic) in the North Shore mountains — or just love knowing help is out there if someone needs it — we would be very grateful for your support.' A post shared by James Stewart (@couchtothesummit) Stewart, an endurance racer who has competed all over the world, came to Vancouver in 2015 to check out the Grind after hearing about it. He fell in love with the hike, the city, and, ultimately, a girl, and never left. '(This trail) is almost as unique as it gets in the world. So just to have something like this with a steep trail, with a resort system right there, and this popular, I don't know any other place that has it. So we're very fortunate to have that, and it's one of the reasons why I moved here.' To those attempting the climb, here's his advice: • The No. 1 thing is: don't push too hard. At the one-quarter mark, there's a sign on the trail that says, 'At this point, downhill hiking is no longer allowed if you go any further.' 'So if you're feeling tired or you don't have enough food, this is the point where you can turn around and go back down. A lot of people get to that sign and they're already done.' • If you have a heart rate monitor, you keep your heart rate no higher than 130 to 140 beats per minute. • If you're hearing your breath getting out of control, then you're probably going too fast. Slow your pace. • Don't care about how long it takes you. Take as many breaks as you feel like, there's nothing to be ashamed of of sitting, there's a few spots along the trail where you can sit down and cheer on the people that go past. You don't have to do it perfectly your first time. Just go there for the experience. • Bring food and water because you're going to need it.
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Canucks: Big AHL performances from Bains and Karlsson may carry into NHL success
There is little doubt that this spring's epic run by the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Final bodes well for the future of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization. Winning, after all, brings good vibes, and good vibes bring you goodwill. And winning at the AHL level usually means some good things for your NHL team a couple seasons down the line. The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful that this spring's solid run will yield positive things for the NHL club as soon as next season. Yes, we're talking about you, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The two wingers were massive performers Tuesday, helping the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead over the Charlotte Checkers. Bains' all-around good game sense has been on display ever since he made the jump to pro hockey in 2022. But his emergence as a big-game player is notable. He was one of Abbotsford's best performers all season long. In the playoffs, it took him a while to score an actual goal — he only has five — but those five have all come in crunch time. The first three were in the final two games of the Western Conference final against Texas, and the latest two came on Tuesday, along with two assists, leading the way in a 6-1 romp over Charlotte. Karlsson, meanwhile, has 11 goals and 11 assists in this playoff run, including goals in both games two and three of this series against Charlotte. He hs been a player on a mission all season. After a rather underwhelming NHL callup last fall, he clearly put the bit between his teeth, and doubled down on what he needs to be, because when he came back to the NHL later in the season, he was a solid, hard-working presence. He is not the fleetest of foot, but he's strong and has hockey smarts that have carried him this far. Both players aren't going to be stars in the NHL, but they have guts and brains and dedication to the craft, exactly what you want in homegrown depth wingers. And both would help the NHL team if they can turn themselves into such players. pjohnston@
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Canucks: Big AHL performances from Bains and Karlsson may carry into NHL success
Article content There is little doubt that this spring's epic run by the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Final bodes well for the future of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization. Winning, after all, brings good vibes, and good vibes bring you goodwill. Article content And winning at the AHL level usually means some good things for your NHL team a couple seasons down the line. The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful that this spring's solid run will yield positive things for the NHL club as soon as next season. Article content Yes, we're talking about you, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson. The two wingers were massive performers Tuesday, helping the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead over the Charlotte Checkers. Bains' all-around good game sense has been on display ever since he made the jump to pro hockey in 2022. But his emergence as a big-game player is notable. He was one of Abbotsford's best performers all season long. In the playoffs, it took him a while to score an actual goal — he only has five — but those five have all come in crunch time. The first three were in the final two games of the Western Conference final against Texas, and the latest two came on Tuesday, along with two assists, leading the way in a 6-1 romp over Charlotte. Karlsson, meanwhile, has 11 goals and 11 assists in this playoff run, including goals in both games two and three of this series against Charlotte. Article content Latest National Stories
