Top 50 Canucks players of all time: #47 – Chris Oddleifson

Join us this summer as we count down the top 50 Vancouver Canucks players of all time! #47: Chris Oddleifson. 

“Father, what’s it like being a fan of the Vancouver Canucks?”

“Well, it’s an Oddleifson.”

Puns aside, Chris Oddleifson is not exactly a household name, despite joining the Canucks in their fourth season of existence and playing nearly 500 games for them.

Hailing from Brandon, Manitoba, Oddleifson played his amateur hockey for the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canada Hockey League, where he racked up 95 points in 59 games for his draft year. That led to him being selected 10^th overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft by the soon-defunct California Golden Seals. This pick originally belonged to the Montreal Canadiens, which was involved in a now-infamous trade that saw the Canadiens somehow able to finagle their way into the Golden Seals’ first overall selection – and Guy Lafleur.

After two seasons in the minors, Oddleifson was dealt to the Boston Bruins before ever playing a game for the Golden Seals, exchanged along with Richard Leduc for Ivan Boldirev – a player who will feature just slightly higher on our list.

Oddleifson clocked 55 games and 21 points for the Bruins before being dealt to the Canucks midway through the 1973/74 season, along with Fred O’Donnell and the rights to Mike Walton, in exchange for Bobby Schmautz. He put up eight points in his first 21 games in Vancouver, and from that point on, remained a Canuck until 1980/81, the season he retired.

The right-winger broke out for the Canucks in relatively quick order. His first full season of 1974/75 saw him post 16 goals and 51 points in 60 games. The following year, he increased that to 62 points in 80 games, a career-high and good for third place in team scoring that season.

Oddleifson’s offence fell off a bit at that point, and he’d never again top 40 points in a season. But he stuck around for a number of years all the same, and managed a career-high of 17 goals in 1977/78.

But a hockey player is more than just a statistical output, and Oddleifson managed to make himself a versatile, useful, and respected veteran throughout the 70s. So much so that when Captain Andre Boudrias left to join the WHA in 1976/77, Oddleifson was named as his replacement.

Oddleifson was the third captain in team history, and although the status only lasted a year before it was switched over to teammate Don Lever, it still leaves Oddleifson as one of only 15 individuals to hold that distinction.

The 83 goals in 469 games rank Oddleifson 37^th all-time in team history, sandwiched in between Martin Gelinas and Tiger Williams. His 265 points rank him 31^st all-time, right in between Dennis Ververgaert and Geoff Courtnall.

After a brief sojourn in Switzerland to end his career, Oddleifson returned to Vancouver and began working as a real estate agent. Now 74, he was still involved in the Canucks’ alumni association and oldtimers’ squad up until quite recently. He’s been honoured as a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

Our previously ranked top players:

#50 – Curt Fraser
#49 – Dave Babych