The Canuck Way
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Canucks Rewind: The Ed Jovanovski trade

By Zaahid Lalani

8 Dec 2001: Defenseman Ed Jovanovski #55 of the Vancouver Canucks sits on the bench during the NHL game against the San Jose Sharks at GM Place in Vancouver, Canada. The Sharks defeated the Canucks 5-3.\ Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2001 NHLI\ Mandatory Credit: Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/NHLI
8 Dec 2001: Defenseman Ed Jovanovski #55 of the Vancouver Canucks sits on the bench during the NHL game against the San Jose Sharks at GM Place in Vancouver, Canada. The Sharks defeated the Canucks 5-3.\ Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2001 NHLI\ Mandatory Credit: Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/NHLI /
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Florida Panthers, Ed Jovanovski. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Florida Panthers, Ed Jovanovski. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

On July 1st, 2006, he signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the previously-named Phoenix Coyotes. During his time in the desert, he led their blueline in scoring for three seasons, including a career-high 51 points in 2007-2008. The Coyotes qualified for the playoffs twice during his five years in Phoenix, where he put up two points in 11 games.

Jovanovski returned to Florida on a four-year deal in 2011, captaining the team from 2012 to 2014 and acting as a veteran role model for younger players during their rebuild. He made one final playoff appearance in 2012, going pointless in seven games.

After 1,128 NHL games, including 434 with the Canucks, Jovanovski officially announced his retirement on December 28th, 2015.

To this day, Jovanovski still holds a top-10 spot in many Canuck defencemen records, including goals, assists, points, hits and games played. He played a crucial role in establishing a new winning identity for the Canucks in the early 2000s, and he made it tough for every opponent who visited GM Place. Not to mention, he gave us arguably the best playoff penalty box celebration in franchise history.

During his prime, Jovanovski was one of the most elite and entertaining two-way blueliners in the league, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone today with the ability to move pucks, lay heavy hits and capitalize on scoring opportunities as No. 55 did.

Next. Should the Canucks put Eriksson on the taxi squad?. dark

Thanks for the memories, JovoCop!

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