The wonderful Cam Davie returns with another guest post today!
Drafted 12th overall with the Black Hawks in 1981, Tony Tanti was not a goal scoring sensation during his time in Chicago. Well, to be fair, he did only play three games for Chicago before being traded to Vancouver for Curt Fraser midway through the 1982-83 season. Something changed with Tanti over the following summer, as he entered his first full season having just turned 20. Tanti score 45 goals that next year, the first Canucks player to ever do so. And the last to do so until a certain Pavel Bure score 60 goals a decade later. Tanti went on to score a combined 204 goals over his first full 5 seasons with the Canucks.
That remarkable output defined Tony Tanti as the Vancouver Canucks first real sniper.
CAREER STATS

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Tony Tanti introduced at the 1986 All-Star Game. It was Tanti’s first All-Star appearance, as he didn’t play in the 1984 game despite being named to the team. While Tanti’s intro occurs at the 3:30 mark, you really have to watch the whole thing. It’s great. Those jerseys, the lighting, the graphics. Just good stuff. 

CAREER MILESTONES

  • 3 seasons with 40 goals or more (45 in 83-84, 41 in 86-87, 40 in 87-88)
  • Two-time NHL All-Star (1984, 1986)
  • Tied-1st (w Markus Naslund) all-time hat tricks
  • 102 Power-play goals*
  • 29 Game-winning goals*
  • 0.47 goals per game*
* all franchise records at the time, which has all since been surpassed.

LEGACY

Tony Tanti was the Canucks first real sniper, their first legitimate talisman. Tanti scored 39 or more goals for five straight seasons with the Canucks, with a high mark of 45 goals in the 83-84 season. Tanti burned hot for the Vancouver Canucks, as he racked up the goals and his #9 jersey became a fan favourite. His scoring prowess took a major hit and he was eventually traded to the Penguins, and then on to the Sabres. He left the NHL after the 1991-92 season, and played six more years in Germany before he finally retired from professional hockey. 
Tanti moved back to the Vancouver area and has remained ever since. He runs a successful flooring business in Vancouver, and does make sporadic appearances at Canucks alumni events. But Canucks fans of the mid-80s will always remember Tanti for his curly mullet, that #9 jersey and his touch around the net. He left an indelible mark on the franchise and its fanbase as the Vancouver Canucks first elite goal scorer.