What division do the Canucks currently play in?
The Vancouver Canucks have played in multiple divisions since their inaugural season, so which one do they currently call home?
The Vancouver Canucks have, for most of their existence, found themselves playing in the Western Conference, formerly known as the Clarence Campbell Conference. They remain in the West to this day and are currently members of the Pacific Division, which currently comprises eight teams.
They have played in the Pacific since the NHL’s previous major realignment that occurred in 2013-14 - note that this does not include the temporarily realigned divisions for the 2020-21 season that saw Vancouver play in the North Division alongside the rest of Canada’s NHL teams.
This isn’t the first time the Canucks have played in the Pacific, as they called a division of the same name home between 1993-94 and 1997-98 before the NHL moved from four divisions to six so they could accommodate the Nashville Predators entry into the league.
The Canucks have called several divisions home in the past
Between 1998-99 and 2012-13, they played in a division called the Northwest, which they represented during their most recent Stanley Cup Final run at the time of this writing. Before the Canucks spent time in the Northwest and in the old Pacific Division, they were in the Clarence Campbell Conference’s Smythe Division.
Note that the Smythe and old Pacific Divisions were essentially the same, as the NHL changed the names of their divisions and conferences from historical names to geographic ones. Before they joined the Smythe, however, Vancouver, like the rest of the NHL, did not belong to a conference from their inaugural season in 1970-71 until 1973-74.
Instead, they played in the East Division, which is curious, considering the Canucks have always called Vancouver home. As you may have guessed, the Canucks were by far the westernmost team in a division that included the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
As irony would further have this, Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Montreal, and Toronto actually play in the same division as of the 2024-25 season. Meanwhile, teams that played in the West during that time included the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Minnesota North Stars.
The expansion Atlanta Flames joined the West in 1972-73 to further compound things, but you may have concluded that the NHL didn’t put much stock into geography during that time period.
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(Historical data powered by Hockey-Reference)