On Thursday’s episode of <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/shows">Canucks Conversation</a>, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by The Province’s Patrick Johnston to discuss why the Vancouver Canucks’ <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-brass-south-burnaby-rink-brittania-amid-search-practice-facility">lack of a dedicated practice facility</a> continues to be a lingering issue – and why it matters more than some fans might realize.
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“When they’re at Rogers Arena, they’ve maxed out all the space they have there,” Johnston explained. “They’d like more space for their physio, treatment tables, a bigger gym, and just more space for all types of stuff.”
That limitation goes beyond a few missed practices. It affects the team’s daily operations and how the players and staff function year-round.
“When you think about other teams, like the Whitecaps- they play at BC Place but they’re actually based at their training facility,” Johnston continued. “When there’s a concert on at Rogers Arena, the concert buys out the Canucks’ team spaces, so they can’t actually get in there. So on a Tuesday in March when you have a player who’s looking to get treatment, they often can’t get into their own facilities because there’s a concert going on.”
The Canucks are currently one of the only NHL franchises without either a dedicated practice facility or plans underway to build one. Johnston called that a major outlier for a team trying to be taken seriously.
“Having 24/7 access to your own space is part of being a modern sports organization,” he said. “There’s a reason why the other 31 NHL teams either have this or have a plan for it. It’s not just missing out on a couple practices- it’s all the other stuff included. Having a permanent base, a place you have access to all the time, is important and it’s the sign of a modern, functioning NHL organization.”
According to Johnston, the Canucks have explored options over the years, but nothing has stuck.
“There have been plans and negotiations,” he explained. “At one point, there was a deal to do one across the street in the Plaza of Nations in a development that still hasn’t happened, so I suppose to their credit maybe they knew something there by walking away from the deal. They’ve had talks with UBC, other things around Burnaby, the Oval; they’ve looked around. It’s not like this is a new process.”
Still, that process has stalled.
“They’ve hit an impasse in terms of how they approach this and make a deal,” said Johnston. “Many of these guys are developers, and making deals is nothing new to them, so it is a bit odd from that standpoint that it’s taking as long as it has.”
As Johnston pointed out, infrastructure like this doesn’t usually happen as a solo project.
“These things get done in partnerships,” he said. “That’s how the Aquilinis operate anyway. It’s not a case of them going out, buying the land, and doing the whole thing themselves. That’s not how they’ve done business, and most developers don’t normally do that.”
While president Jim Rutherford has remained patient when asked publicly about the facility, it’s clearly a long-standing organizational priority that continues to go unresolved- and one that could continue to impact the team negatively the longer it drags on.
Watch some of Johnston&#8217;s answer below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Practice facility&quot; is a misnomer.
The Canucks aren&#39;t just looking to build a second rink to practice at when Rogers Arena is booked; they want a 24/7, 365 home base.
Presented by | <a href="https://twitter.com/WhitecapsFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@whitecapsfc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VWFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VWFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/CqhlqYg4Ll">pic.twitter.com/CqhlqYg4Ll</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1930788659869196574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sponsored by bet365
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On Thursday’s episode of <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/shows">Canucks Conversation</a>, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by The Province’s Patrick Johnston to discuss why the Vancouver Canucks’ <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-brass-south-burnaby-rink-brittania-amid-search-practice-facility">lack of a dedicated practice facility</a> continues to be a lingering issue – and why it matters more than some fans might realize.
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“When they’re at Rogers Arena, they’ve maxed out all the space they have there,” Johnston explained. “They’d like more space for their physio, treatment tables, a bigger gym, and just more space for all types of stuff.”

That limitation goes beyond a few missed practices. It affects the team’s daily operations and how the players and staff function year-round.

“When you think about other teams, like the Whitecaps- they play at BC Place but they’re actually based at their training facility,” Johnston continued. “When there’s a concert on at Rogers Arena, the concert buys out the Canucks’ team spaces, so they can’t actually get in there. So on a Tuesday in March when you have a player who’s looking to get treatment, they often can’t get into their own facilities because there’s a concert going on.”

The Canucks are currently one of the only NHL franchises without either a dedicated practice facility or plans underway to build one. Johnston called that a major outlier for a team trying to be taken seriously.

“Having 24/7 access to your own space is part of being a modern sports organization,” he said. “There’s a reason why the other 31 NHL teams either have this or have a plan for it. It’s not just missing out on a couple practices- it’s all the other stuff included. Having a permanent base, a place you have access to all the time, is important and it’s the sign of a modern, functioning NHL organization.”

According to Johnston, the Canucks have explored options over the years, but nothing has stuck.

“There have been plans and negotiations,” he explained. “At one point, there was a deal to do one across the street in the Plaza of Nations in a development that still hasn’t happened, so I suppose to their credit maybe they knew something there by walking away from the deal. They’ve had talks with UBC, other things around Burnaby, the Oval; they’ve looked around. It’s not like this is a new process.”

Still, that process has stalled.

“They’ve hit an impasse in terms of how they approach this and make a deal,” said Johnston. “Many of these guys are developers, and making deals is nothing new to them, so it is a bit odd from that standpoint that it’s taking as long as it has.”

As Johnston pointed out, infrastructure like this doesn’t usually happen as a solo project.

“These things get done in partnerships,” he said. “That’s how the Aquilinis operate anyway. It’s not a case of them going out, buying the land, and doing the whole thing themselves. That’s not how they’ve done business, and most developers don’t normally do that.”

While president Jim Rutherford has remained patient when asked publicly about the facility, it’s clearly a long-standing organizational priority that continues to go unresolved- and one that could continue to impact the team negatively the longer it drags on.

Watch some of Johnston's answer below:

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1930788659869196574

Sponsored by bet365
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Why does having a practice facility matter so much anyway?: Canucks Conversation

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