A common theme you’ll see on our list of the top 50 players in Canucks history is many of the players listed were easy to root for.

Players who gave their all every night, players who bled Canucks colours, and players who never took their spot in the lineup for granted.

That was Curt Fraser.

A key cog in “The Kid Line” featuring fellow rookies Thomas Gradin and Stan Smyl, Curt Fraser’s toughness didn’t take nearly as long to develop as his scoring ability did. With 48 fights, Fraser has the eighth-most fights in Canucks franchise history, according to HockeyFights.com.

Fraser managed to pick up 98 penalty minutes in just 17 games during the ’82 Canucks’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. More importantly, though, Fraser scored 28 goals and added 39 assists in 79 games that season, finishing fourth in regular season scoring behind Gradin, Smyl, and Ivan Boldirev.

Fraser, originally drafted in the second round at 22nd overall, spent the first five years of his NHL career with the Canucks after growing up in North Vancouver and playing his junior hockey with the WCHL’s Victoria Cougars. That gave him a certain local flavour, despite being born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fraser is the fifth-highest scoring American in Canucks history, behind JT Miller, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and Ryan Kesler. His 651 penalty minutes rank 17th in franchise history, and his 205 points is the 42nd-most of any Canuck.

The Canucks traded Fraser to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1983, a one-for-one deal that saw the Canucks land Tony Tanti.

The ’82 Canucks hold obvious significance for being the first Canucks team to reach the Cup Final, and even though they lost to the New York Islanders dynasty, members of that team won’t soon be forgotten. Fraser’s place in local sports history was truly cemented when he was inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Fraser was a blend of raw talent, scoring ability, and heart. His fierce competitiveness and local roots firmly secure his spot among the franchise’s top 50 all-time players.