Goalies only playing one season for an NHL team is nothing new. Whether they arrived via trade or free agency, sometimes, it is for the best that a relationship only lasts a limited time. With this in mind, here is a look at six well-known goaltenders who only spent one season with the Vancouver Canucks.
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Artūrs Irbe
Artūrs Irbe’s one season with the Canucks came during the 1997-98 campaign. The then 30-year-old goaltender split the net with five different goaltenders that season, including Kirk McLean, with Irbe going 14-11-6. A staple for Team Latvia at the World Championship, both as a player and now as a coach, Irbe finished his NHL career with a record of 218-236-79 and was inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Braden Holtby
Braden Holtby’s one year with Vancouver was less than ideal. The Stanley Cup Champion and Veznia winner went 7-11-3 in 21 games and was bought out at the end of the 2020-21 season. A 299-game winner in the NHL, Holtby’s last game came in 2022 as a member of the Dallas Stars.
Charlie Hodge
A six-time Stanley Cup Champion, Charlie Hodge actually ended his historic career with Vancouver. Drafted by the Canucks in the 1970 Expansion Draft, Hodge went 15-13-5 in his only year with Vancouver, with his win in Canucks colours also being the franchise’s first. After retiring in 1971, Hodge spent many years as a scout before passing away in 2016.
Jaroslav Halák
Before the start of the 2021-22 season, the Canucks went out and signed 36-year-old Jaroslav Halák to be the team’s backup. Unfortunately, he struggled, posting a record of 4-7-2 over 17 games. Halák would spend one more year in the NHL, signing with the New York Rangers in 2022, finishing his career with 295 wins in 581 games.
Johan Hedberg
In August 2003, Vancouver sent the Pittsburgh Penguins a second-round pick in exchange for 30-year-old goaltender Johan Hedberg. Backup to Dan Cloutier, Hedberg played 21 games and posted an 8-6-2 record. After his one season with the Canucks, Hedberg signed a deal back in Sweden during the 2004-05 lockout before returning to the NHL with the Stars a year later.
Sean Burke
Sean Burke’s brief time with Vancouver was complicated. During the 1997-98 season, he was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Canucks in a deal that included sending Kirk McLean out East before being traded to the Philadephia Flyers for Garth Snow just a few months later. In total, Burke played 12 of his 820 NHL games for Vancouver, posting a 2-9-4 record during his time on the West Coast.
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