To commemorate their 50th anniversary season, the Canadian Hockey League has put together a list of the top-50 players who have played in the league throughout the last 50 years, with two former Vancouver Canucks making the cut. The list includes those who have played in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. While there is no particular order quite yet, fans can help choose the order by casting votes at contests.chl.ca.
The most notable former Canuck to make the top-50 list is none-other than Roberto Luongo, who spent four seasons in the QMJHL with Val-d’Or Foreurs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Most of Luongo’s experience in the QMJHL was with Val-d’Or Foreurs, during which he put up a 3.43 GAA and .893 SV% in 158 games. He finished his time with the team with a record of 71–63–13 and backstopped them to a QMJHL championship (1998). This was not the only championship he won in the league, however, as he also helped Acadie-Bathurst Titan to a title after posting a 2.74 GAA and .915 SV% in the playoffs in 1999.
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The next Canucks alumni to also be named to the CHL’s top-50 list is Cam Neely, who Vancouver drafted ninth overall in 1983 but later traded to the Boston Bruins in what some consider as one of the franchise’s worst trades in history. Neely played with the Portland Winter Hawks in the WHL for two seasons, though his tenure in the league is best known for his efforts in the 1982–83 season. Through 72 regular-season games, Neely scored 56 goals and 64 assists adding nine goals and 11 assists in 14 playoff games. It didn’t take long for Neely to outgrow the WHL, as he made his NHL debut with Vancouver the season after that.
While he never played for the Canucks throughout his NHL career, another recognizeable name on the top-50 list is current broadcaster Ray Ferraro. Ferraro spent two seasons in the WHL — one with Portland and one with the Brandon Wheat Kings — and only built on his offensive prowess more and more during that time. His 41 goals and 49 assists in 50 games with the Winter Hawks was impressive, though it ultimately pales in comparison to his offensive outburst with Brandon in 1983–84. Ferraro scored a league-high 108 goals and 84 assists to cement himself at fourth all-time in WHL single-season points history. His 108 goals in one season have yet to be beaten.
Voting for the placement of the CHL’s top-50 players through 50 years is open from February 10 to March 10.
Feb 8, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (1) makes a save during the pre game warm up against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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