5 random players you forgot were on the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks: Martin Rucinsky

Between 16 full or partial NHL seasons and several returns to his native Czech Republic, Rucinsky was in the pros for 24 years. His two shortest rides with a North American major league team were his two-game start in Edmonton (1991-92) and 13-game stay with Vancouver (2003-04).

Apart from two months in Colorado, Rucinsky left his home tracks across Quebec for his first full decade in The Show. The Oilers had sent his rights to the Nordiques during his predominantly AHL rookie season, and the Avalanche packaged him as part of the deal that brought Patrick Roy over from Montreal.

Beginning with an early season swap from the Canadiens to Dallas in 2001-02, Rucinsky represented four more franchises. Two of them — the Rangers and Blues — gave him at least one additional stint after letting him go. Only one of them — the Canucks — did not keep him around long enough to extract double digit points from him.

For most of that 2003-04 campaign, Rucinsky racked up 42 points for the Rangers. But with Vancouver, he only amassed three in 13 games.

News-wise, Rucinsky’s arrival on March 9 of that year was overshadowed by Todd Bertuzzi’s suspension for the balance of the season after his attack on Colorado’s Steve Moore the previous night. Missing that key cog, the Canucks collapsed in the playoffs, with Rucinsky chipping in a goal and assist amidst a seven-game first-round loss to the Cinderella Calgary Flames.

After a yearlong NHL lockout, he was back in Manhattan for a 55-point campaign, five shy of his career high of 60 in 1995-96. Two more years and 92 more games as a Blue yielded 49 points to close his stateside playing days.