1973-1974: THE SUITCASE ARRIVES
After a season of illness, Bud Poile stepped down once and for all, giving Hal Laycoe the General Manager's title outright. Vic Stasiuk was fired on June 13 and replaced by Bill McCreary Sr. There was now competition in town as far as professional hockey was concerned. The rival WHA had come to Vancouver, as the Philadelphia Blazers relocated to the West Coast and would share the Coliseum with the Canucks. It was felt that the winning would have to begin now to maintain the loyal following that had been built up in the first three years. In the player department, first-ever draft pick had been a decent player at both forward and defense through his first three seasons, but he was no Gilbert Perreault and the fans never let him forget it. Crippled by injuries and the constant pressure to perform at an all-star calibre, Tallon was mercifully traded on May 14 to Chicago for D Jerry Korab and G Gary "The Suitcase" Smith. Smith was the key to the deal, being a six-year veteran, including 71 appearances with California in the 1970-71 season. The brash netminder began making headlines upon arrival in Vancouver, telling reporters, "Yes, everything you've heard about me is true. I am that good." He would play in 66 for the Canucks in 1973-74, becoming the first Canuck goalie to post 20 wins in a season and recording three shutouts to leap-frog him over Dunc Wilson into the young franchise's all-time leader in that department. After a 5-4-1 start, the team went 13 games without a win (0-10-3) and by the halfway point of the season had only won eight games. Two days after a 6-1 home loss to the Rangers on January 12, McCreary was fired and replaced by Phil Maloney, who had played for the Canucks in the WHL. The turmoil was not restricted to the hockey part of the business, as owner Tom Scallen was finding himself in financial difficulty and facing a charge of theft. In a somewhat desperate move, one of the few players that was producing, Bobby Schmautz (45 points in 49 games), was traded to Boston on February 7 for C Chris Oddleifson, C Mike Walton, and Fred O'Donnell. In the latter part of the season, rookie RW Dennis Ververgaert showed fans why he had been the third overall pick in the draft, setting club rookie records for goals (26) and points (57) to finish second in team scoring. Ververgaert finished fifth in balloting for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Winning the team scoring title was the ever-consistent Andre Boudrias, who set single-season franchise records for assists (59) and points (75). In the end, the Canucks had their best season yet, with a 24-43-11 record. The 59 points was once again good for seventh in the division, 17 points shy of a playoff spot. The final game of the season, an 11-1 thrashing at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings, was the final NHL game for Orland Kurtenbach, the only captain that the team had ever known. He would remain in the organization, though, coaching the Canucks' CHL affiliate in Seattle the next season.
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