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10 notable Vancouver teams and sporting events that no longer exist

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Aug 16 2023, 8:36 pm
10 notable Vancouver teams and sporting events that no longer exist
@JasonBeck82/Twitter | Alchetron.com

Vancouver has been home to the Canucks since 1970 and the BC Lions since 1954. But not every pro sports team or sporting event in the city has stood the test of time.

Here’s a look at some of the most notable ones, with the help of Jason Beck from the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

1. Vancouver Millionaires (1911-1926)

Who says Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup? The Vancouver Millionaires were crowned champions in 1915, hoisting Lord Stanley’s mug two years before the National Hockey League came to fruition.

The Millionaires played at Denman Arena, at the northwest corner of West Georgia Street and Denman Street.

2. Vancouver Blazers (1973-1975)

Owned by Jim Pattison, the Vancouver Blazers were part of the World Hockey Association (WHA), an upstart league that went toe-to-toe with the NHL during the 1970s before merging in 1979.

The Philadelphia Blazers moved to Vancouver in 1973. They lasted just two seasons playing out of the Pacific Coliseum with crowds under 10,000 per game before moving to Calgary and being renamed the Calgary Cowboys in 1975.

The WHA famously lured star players like Bobby Hull away from the NHL with lucrative contracts, and Pattison tried doing that too. The Blazers offered Phil Esposito a six-year, $3.4 million contract in 1975, which was big money in those days.

Esposito was coming off a 61-goal season with the Boston Bruins but opted to stay in the NHL.

3. Vancouver Canadians Triple-A team (1978-1999)

Vancouver was home to a Triple-A baseball team from 1978 to 1999, before the franchise moved to Sacramento. The Vancouver Canadians have successfully lived on as a new franchise with the old name at Nat Bailey Stadium but as a Single-A team.

Playing out of the Pacific Coast League, Vancouver was the last stop for prospects on their way to Major League Baseball. The Canadians were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics (1978, 1999), Milwaukee Brewers (1979-1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987), Chicago White Sox (1988-1992), and California Angels/Anaheim Angels (1993-1998).

4. Vancouver 86ers (1986-2001)

There have been multiple iterations of the Vancouver Whitecaps since 1974. The club began in the North American Soccer League, competing there until 1984.

Of course, a new franchise by the same name is currently in Major League Soccer.

But in between, Vancouver’s top professional soccer franchise played in various leagues, and for 15 years, they had a different name.

The Vancouver 86ers were founded, appropriately, in 1986, though the team’s nickname was a nod to the founding of the City of Vancouver in 1886. The 86ers began play in the Canadian Soccer League in 1987 and also played in American Professional Soccer League and the A-League, with Swangard Stadium in Burnaby as their home.

The 86ers name remained until 2001, when the team opted to go back to Whitecaps.

5. Vancouver Nighthawks (1988)

The Vancouver Nighthawks played just one season before folding, competing in the inaugural season of the World Basketball League.

The most unique aspect of the World Basketball League was that did not allow players over 6-foot-5 to play. Needless to say, the experiment didn’t work, as the league folded after just four years.

The Nighthawks called BC Place home but drew just 3,000 fans to their first game at the 60,000-seat stadium.

6. Molson Indy Vancouver (1990-2004)

For 15 years, Vancouver hosted an annual Champ Car race, with vehicles roaring around False Creek. Various race configurations had cars driving around BC Place, while cars also blew by Science World and the land that the Olympic Village now sits on.

The development of the Olympic Village was going to put a stop to the Vancouver race in 2006, but organizers pulled the plug two years earlier as lack of a long-term commitment made it difficult to attract sponsors.

The event drew well over 100,000 fans during race weekend each year, though many people in nearby condos complained about the noise.

7. Vancouver VooDoo (1993-1996)

Roller hockey skyrocketed in popularity during the early 1990s, with the Vancouver VooDoo gaining notoriety in 1993. The team drew approximately 5,000 fans per game, playing first out of the PNE Agrodome before moving to the Pacific Coliseum in 1995.

The VooDoo were bought and killed by Orca Bay, the parent company of the Vancouver Canucks and Grizzlies. The team played just one season at GM Place under new ownership in 1996 before folding.

8. Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2001)

The Vancouver Grizzlies lasted just six seasons in the NBA, before moving to Memphis in 2001. The team was terrible on the court, never winning more than 23 games in a single season.

A low Canadian dollar didn’t help matters either, as did the NBA’s decision to handicap the Grizzlies and expansion cousin Toronto Raptors. Vancouver and Toronto initially weren’t allowed to get the first overall draft pick and were only permitted to spend up to two-thirds of the salary cap.

9. Air Canada Championship PGA tour stop (1996-2002)

Vancouver had a stop on the PGA tour for seven years, beginning with the Greater Vancouver Open in 1996. The tournament changed names in 1999, with Canadian Mike Weir winning the inaugural Air Canada Championship in 1999.

The tournament was held annually during the summer at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey.

10. Vancouver Ravens (2002-2004)

Born in 2002, the Vancouver Ravens lasted just three years in the National Lacrosse League before folding after the 2004 season. Despite drawing 13,772 fans to their first game at GM Place, the team struggled to get fan support.

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