Canucks Rewind: Harold Snepsts gets inducted into the Ring of Honour
On March 14th, 2011, the Vancouver Canucks celebrated the legendary career of one of the best defencemen in franchise history.
Now, how does one go about making a decision like this, one that carries so much magnitude and historical depth, you might ask? When it comes to curating a list of such memorable blueliners, there are a myriad of factors to be considered.
Some will look at puck-moving abilities, quickness and point totals, whereas others will make note of intimidating size and grit. A few might even search for players that had just the right combination of offensive and defensive prowess.
No matter what attribute you’re focusing on, conversations like these will often turn into heated arguments, and there’s bound to be discrepancies between personal opinions and stances.
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But, every so often, a team will discover a player whose contributions go above and beyond on-ice statistics, and, as a result, their status with the franchise is unanimously immortalized as one of the very best.
For the Canucks, that player was none other than Harold Snepsts, who was rightfully inducted into the Ring of Honour during the team’s 40th anniversary celebrations just over a decade ago.
The early days of Snepsts’ NHL career
After playing two seasons of junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he put up 75 points and 394 PIM, Snepsts was selected 59th overall by the Canucks in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft.
At the time, the 19-year-old was regarded as one of the most rugged, stay-at-home blueliners of his draft class, and he lived up to the physical expectation right away. After an impressive training camp that same year, Snepsts was able to crack the line-up, making his NHL debut against the Atlanta Flames on October 9th, 1974.
Snepsts would go on to play 27 games in his rookie campaign, notching three points and 30 PIM. As many Canucks fans know, this was just the beginning for Snepsts.
The following season, he led the team in PIM with 125 to go along with 78 games played and plus 11 rating, which both ranked second amongst Vancouver defencemen. More importantly, he was establishing himself as a towering mainstay on the blueline, treating both fans and coaches alike to an early preview of his soon-to-be excellent career.
Snepsts remained with Vancouver for eight more seasons, continuing to be one of the club leaders in games played, time on ice, hits and PIM. His hard-hitting, error-free and defensively-sound style of hockey made him the team’s most effective blueliner, and, as a result, he was awarded the Walter “Babe” Pratt Trophy for best defenceman on four different occasions between 1978 and 1982. He was also awarded the Fred J. Hume Award as the team’s unsung hero in 1979.
In addition to his growing accolades in Vancouver, Snepsts was making splashes throughout the league as well, which included All-Star appearances and the improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1982.
Improbable cup run
Even though the Canucks were trending in the wrong direction at the end of the 1970s, Snepsts continued to be one of the few bright spots on the roster. He was named to two separate All-Star appearances in 1978 and 1982, and he recorded a career-high 31 points in the 1978-79 campaign.
Snepsts also served as a key factor in the team’s highly improbable postseason run in the 1982 playoffs. He, along with netminder Richard Brodeur, led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals against Mike Bossy and the powerhouse New York Islanders.
The Canucks were eventually swept by the Long Island club, and many fans still remember Snepsts’ costly overtime turnover that resulted in the game-winning tally from Bossy to open the series.
Of course, you can’t blame the series loss on Snepsts alone.
Despite the blunder, he was easily the team’s most consistent defensive player throughout their cinderella run, leaving everything on the ice, night in and night out. To this day, Snepsts’ playoff performance is widely considered as one of the best heart-and-soul moments for the franchise, and it was the cherry on top of his beloved tenure in Vancouver.
Remaining career and retirement
Unfortunately, like all players, Snepsts experienced a decline in his gameplay the next year.
He put up one of his worst statistical seasons in 1982-83, playing in only 46 games and registering a mediocre ten points as a result of suspensions and injuries. He bounced back the following season with 20 points in 79 games played, but he was also approaching the wrong side of 30 and, as a result, Snepsts’s first tenure in Vancouver was inevitably coming to an end.
Snepsts was dealt to the Minnesota North Stars on June 21st, 1984, signifying former general manager Harry Neale’s hasty push to creating a more youthful roster. At the time, Snepsts was the franchise leader for PIM and games played, and his trade is still labelled as one of the most unpopular transactions in franchise history.
He spent the next four seasons between Minnesota and Detroit, registering 42 points in 191 games played, including a career-low zero goals and seven assists in 1984-85. During his last two years with the Red Wings, he faced ongoing knee and shoulder injuries, and was sidelined for 79 games as a result.
Despite the minimal regular-season contributions, Snepsts was able to suit up for 21 playoff games with the Red Wings between 1987 and 1988. He helped the club reach the Campbell Conference finals for two consecutive years with his effective, stay-at-home, 3rd pairing style of play, and, more importantly, he was building his case for a welcomed return to the West Coast.
He signed with the Canucks as a free agent on October 6th, 1988, almost 14 years after his NHL debut with the franchise. He would go on to play 98 more games in Vancouver, before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues at the 1990 trade deadline, where he would play his final NHL games before officially retiring on June 21st, 1991.
He finished his career with 38 goals, 195 assists and 2009 PIM in 1033 games played.
Following retirement, Snepsts remained with the St. Louis organization, serving as head coach for their minor-league affiliate before being promoted to an NHL assistant coach. In 2000, he was hired by the league’s Central Scouting Service.
Similar to his time as a player, Snepsts made one more homecoming to Vancouver in 2005, returning as a central scout, a role which he still holds to this day.
During his tenure with the Canucks, Snepsts became an instant fan-favourite with his hard-hitting, shutdown and consistent defensive capabilities. He never lit up the scoreboard, but that didn’t matter for #27. His off-ice attributes were one-of-a-kind, and it was his leadership, passion, and genuine character, as well as his iconic moustache, that made him so popular and loved in Vancouver.
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And even though his playing days are becoming a distant memory for most, the booming chants of “Har-old!” will forever ring throughout the province.