5 random players you forgot were on the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks: Marco Sturm

Sturm was a Canuck for almost four months, three of which constituted the 2011 offseason and preseason.

When Vancouver traded him to Florida after six scoreless outings, Sturm was on his fifth NHL team in less than a year. To begin the turbulence, the Boston Bruins sent him to Los Angeles in mid-December 2010. Two and a half months later, the Kings put him on waivers, and Washington picked him up for the balance of that season.

But Sturm at least got on the board with his other three short-term employers. He tallied nine points in 17 games for L.A., seven in 18 for the Capitals, and five in 42 for the Panthers. With those Southeast Division squads, he also saw playoff action, including Florida’s first appearance since he was still a Shark in 2000.

For nearly a decade, Sturm offered depth to the San Jose franchise that drafted him in 1996’s first round. He placed eighth among Calder Trophy candidates in 1997-98, joined the World team at the 1999 All-Star Game, and fetched a few Selke Trophy votes in 2003-04.

Of the pieces involved in the deal that had Boston exporting Joe Thornton, Sturm was easily the best the Bruins got in return. He continued a string of seven consecutive 20-goal seasons through 2007-08, then added another two years later after missing the majority of 2008-09.

Sturm was the face of two smaller highlights in Boston’s renaissance under Claude Julien. He capped a wild Game 6 of 2008’s opening round against the top-dog Canadiens, then clinched the 2010 Winter Classic in overtime.

But he missed out on the grand culmination, which ironically took place in Vancouver, by six months. And by the time the Canucks gave him a whirl themselves, he was far from his original form.

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