Long-time Vancouver Canuck Stan Smyl to transition out of day-to-day duties
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that the team’s vice president of hockey operations, Stan Smyl, will be transitioning out of a day-to-day role.
After 45 years as a player, coach, senior manager and leader within the Vancouver Canucks Hockey Operations department, Stan Smyl has decided to transition from his day-to-day duties, but will remain involved with the club.
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Smyl, 65, will continue to be involved with the franchise, but has decided to step down from his normal role with the Canucks, likely due to age and wanting to transition more into retirement. His new role will see him as more of a community and business ambassador, representing the Canucks in activities on both fronts. Smyl will also support the Canucks for Kids Fund in his new role.
“When I moved to Vancouver in 1978, I could not have imagined the positive journey it would become over the next 40-plus years,” said Smyl in a statement released by the Canucks. “This team and community have meant everything to me and my family. We are truly grateful for all of the relationships and experiences we have shared together.”
Smyl has spent the past 45 seasons with the Canucks in some capacity, making him the longest serving player/employee in franchise history. He spent the entirety of his 13-season NHL career with the team, including eight seasons as captain, compiling 262 goals, 411 assists, and 673 points in 896 regular season games, and 16 goals, 17 assists, and 33 points in 41 playoff games.
After retiring in 1991, Smyl joined the Canucks staff in a coaching role, first as an assistant coach for the Canucks for eight seasons and then as a head coach for their AHL and IHL teams for five seasons after that. He then moved on to a career in management, serving in roles like director of player development, senior advisor, and VP of hockey operations for the past 18 years.
“Stan is a role model for every hockey player past and present,” said Canucks President of Business Operations, Michael Doyle, in the statement. “He has committed his life to his team and his community, and we are fortunate that he will remain an ambassador for the organization going forward.”
The Canucks have not currently announced a replacement for Smyl’s position as VP of hockey operations.