Looks like Canucks have finally found a practice facility in East Vancouver
In a season of losing, do the Vancouver Canucks finally have a win when it comes to finding a practice facility?
Irfaan Gaffar of CanucksArmy is reporting that the Canucks and the City of Vancouver are “nearing an agreement” to build one at Britannia. He says the East Vancouver facility will include a gym, off-ice training facility, lounge, locker room, and office space for the City.
The City of Vancouver wasn’t ready to divulge details when asked by Daily Hive.
“The City regularly speaks with a range of organizations about potential ideas and opportunities. We do not comment on the status of any discussions related to specific sites or land-use matters,” a City of Vancouver spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The City of Vancouver has been looking at making major improvements to the Britannia Community Centre for some time.
“An internal memo sent last fall to Vancouver Park Board commissioners explains that City of Vancouver and Park Board staff are only at the early planning stage of a full replacement for the Britannia facilities,” Kenneth Chan reported in January for Daily Hive Urbanized.
Chan cautioned to not expect “shovels in the ground” on the 18-acre site until the 2030s at the very earliest.
The practice facility topic had grown into a source of embarrassment for the Canucks in recent years, as they’ll soon be the only NHL team without one.
It hasn’t been for lack of trying.
There were plans to build a practice facility across the street from Rogers Arena, at the Plaza of Nations, in 2018. Those plans were abandoned in 2021.
During his first season as Canucks president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford called getting a practice facility a “priority.”
That was four years ago.
Canucks management visited Rosemary Brown Rec Centre in Burnaby as a potential practice facility in 2025 (@ryan_bains/X)
Since then, the Canucks have visited numerous sites around the Lower Mainland, without success.
While it’s not located across the street like the Plaza of Nations, the 3.5-km drive from Rogers Arena to Britannia is relatively convenient. That will surely be music to the ears of future Canucks players.