Top 50 Canucks players of all time: #41 – Harold Snepsts

Join us this summer as we count down the top 50 Vancouver Canucks players of all time! #41: Harold Snepsts

Before Alex Edler surpassed him, Harold Snepsts was the longest tenured Vancouver Canucks defenceman, and will always be known as one of the best defensive stallwarts in the franchise’s history.

Just their fourth year in existence, the Canucks drafted Snepsts in the fourth round (59th overall) in the 1974 NHL Amateur draft. The defenceman wound up making the jump to the professional ranks in his draft year, appearing in 27 games, scoring one goal and three points, while maintaining an even plus/minus – the same year the Canucks made the postseason for the first time.

His short stint was enough to earn himself a full-time role in the 1975-1976 season, and he never looked back. Snepsts quickly established himself as a relied-upon, gritty, stay-at-home defenceman, who remained very durable throughout his Canucks career.

Over the following nine seasons, Snepsts played 656 of the 720 available games for the Canucks. Doing so while racking up big hits and a whopping 1,321 penalty minutes. Points were never his forte, but the defensive defenceman still managed to accumulate 33 goals and 180 points with a minus-25 rating over that span.

Snepsts took his offensive game to new heights in the 1978-1979 season when he scored a career-high seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 76 games. And in the following seasons, Snepsts became the first Canucks defenceman to score on a penalty shot.

During those nine years, Snepsts was recognized for his efforts and honoured as the Canucks’ best defenceman four times between 1977 and 1982. Not only was he appreciated by the team and the fan base, but Snepsts earned All-Star appearances in both the 1977 and 1982 seasons.

One of these seasons included the Canucks’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1982-1983. Tested against his opponents’ toughest matchups, Snepsts helped anchor the blueline en route to their Cinderella Run. Snepsts and the Canucks made easy work of their first three playoff matchups, losing just two games over three series against the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks.

After being swept by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canucks would not make it past the first round of the playoffs for the remaining two seasons that Snepsts donned the Flying V uniform.

In the 1984 offseason, the Canucks traded their long-tenured defenceman to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Al MacAdam. After that one-year stint, he joined the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons before ultimately returning to Vancouver in free agency in 1988.

His impact was heavily noticed that season, as his stability on the blueline helped the Canucks finish with their lowest goals against in a single season. However, his second stint in Vancouver was short-lived as after just two seasons, the Canucks traded Snepsts, Rich Sutter and a 1990 second-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Adrien Plavsic, a 1990 first-round pick and a 1991 second-round pick.

Snepsts finds himself all over the Canucks record book, sitting eighth in games played (781), 12th in points (195), and fourth in penalty minutes (1,446).

Although never wearing the ‘C’ on his jersey, Snepsts’ leadership from the back end was never overlooked. During 12 seasons in Vancouver, Snepsts became a fan favourite for his punishing play. Not only does Snepsts sit high in the Canucks’ record books, but his legacy remains in Rogers Arena as a member of the Ring of Honour.

Our previously ranked top 50 Canucks of all time:

#50 – Curt Fraser
#49 – Dave Babych
#48 – Martin Gelinas
#47 – Chris Oddleifson
#46 – Jannik Hansen
#45 – Ivan Boldirev
#44 – Gary Smith
#43 – Jacob Markstrom
#42 – Orland Kurtenbach