Head coach
Alain Vigneault
In a market that has seen a fairly substantial amount of coaching changes through the last decade, Alain Vigneault surely stands above the rest. Hired back in 2006 as the 16th head coach in franchise history, Vigneault led behind the bench for the Canucks through a number of accomplished seasons, with his most successful period with the team coming this most recent decade.
2010 started with the Canucks matching a franchise record 49 wins and repeating as Northwest Division champions under his guidance. Despite being ousted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Canucks got their all important revenge the next season.
After accumulating an NHL best 54 wins and 117 points, the Canucks overcame the Blackhawks and ultimately came within one win of the Stanley Cup in 2011. Vigneault then led the Canucks to a second straight Presidents’ Trophy in 2011-2012, before a pair of first round upsets ultimately led to his firing in 2013.
All in all, Vigneault oversaw the Canucks earn consecutive Presidents Trophies, earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Final, became the all time winningest coach in franchise history and earned a Jack Adams Award in 2006-07. He strategically coach to the strengths of his players, helping maximize prime seasons of Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler, and Roberto Luongo amongst others.
-Bailey Broadbent
Conclusion
Despite the frustrations in the second half of the 2010s, this decade was by far the greatest in the history of the Vancouver Canucks.
A handful of their players are bound for the Hockey Hall of Fame, while some of their current stars will hopefully guide this team to championship success in the next decade. Let us know what changes you would have made on the all-decade team.