Canucks hiring sports writer as their own "member of the press"

A new reporter is about to join the Vancouver Canucks beat and they’ll be employed by the team they’re covering.

The Canucks are hiring an “editorial writer,” posting a job application to Linkedin this afternoon.

“Canucks Sports & Entertainment is seeking a writer with a background in sports journalism to create team- and player-driven content for web, mobile, and social media,” the team announced.

The job requires attending all home games and practices as an “in-house member of the press.” It will include attending “select” road trips, as well as some Abbotsford Canucks games too.

Many teams have their own in-house reporter to produce content for their website and social media, whether it be through writing or video. Some teams have even hired high-profile journalists to join their organizations, like the Vegas Golden Knights, who hired longtime Winnipeg-based beat writer Gary Lawless in 2017.

Other high-profile journalists to leave mainstream media for jobs with NHL teams recently include former TSN anchor Natasha Staniszewski, who landed a job with the Calgary Flames last March, and Sara Orlesky, who left TSN in August to become an employee of the Jets. Tara Slone parted ways with Sportsnet last summer and was hired by the San Jose Sharks in November.

The Canucks haven’t had their own writer covering the team regularly since Derek Jory, who also had a presence on social media for the organization. He was among many staff let go by the organization during the pandemic. The team used to have a live post-game show on social media hosted by Joey Kenward, which took fans into the Canucks dressing room after home games, but that was discontinued in 2016.

It doesn’t appear that the Canucks have their eye on a high-profile journalist for this job. The posting says it requires a related post-secondary degree or diploma, as well as just two years of experience in sports or entertainment journalism.

Most of Canucks Sports and Entertainment’s office staff was either let go or left on their own accord when fans weren’t permitted to attend games during the pandemic. The team had to re-hire many jobs prior to the 2021-22 season when fans returned and went on another “hiring spree” last summer.

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