The BC Hockey Hall of Fame has unveiled its Class of 2026, and it’s headlined by a familiar face to Vancouver Canucks fans: Travis Green. The former NHL center and Canucks bench boss will be inducted later this year, joining a group that includes NHL veterans Josh Gorges and Andrew Ladd, influential builders Malcolm Ashford and Daryl Reaugh, and the back-to-back national champion Vernon Vipers teams from 2009 and 2010.
For Green, the honor is a full-circle moment rooted in British Columbia hockey culture. Born in Castlegar, BC, Green carved out a strong junior career with the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL, where he racked up 341 points in 283 games.
That kind of production turned heads, and the New York Islanders made him the 23rd overall pick in the 1989 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut on November 19, 1992, and wasted no time making an impact-scoring his first goal just two days later.
Green’s playing career spanned over a decade, but his transition to coaching is where he’s left a lasting mark on the game in BC. After hanging up the skates, Green got his coaching start in the WHL as an assistant with the Portland Winterhawks. By 2013, he was leading that same team to the Memorial Cup as head coach, showing early signs of the bench boss he’d become.
That success earned him a move up to the AHL, where he spent four seasons as the head coach of the Utica Comets. His time in Utica helped shape his coaching identity-one built on structure, accountability, and player development. Those qualities didn’t go unnoticed by the Canucks, who brought him in to lead their NHL squad in 2017.
Green spent four and a half seasons at the helm in Vancouver, guiding the Canucks through a transitional era. His record-133 wins, 147 losses, and 34 overtime/shootout losses-only tells part of the story. He helped shepherd a young core that included names like Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, and his Canucks made a splash in the 2020 playoffs, winning 10 games and pushing deep into the second round.
Now in his second season as head coach of the Ottawa Senators, Green continues to build on a coaching career that started in BC and has grown to span every level of the sport. His induction into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame is a recognition not just of what he did on the ice, but of the impact he’s made behind the bench-especially in the province where it all began.
Joining him in the Hall are two more BC-connected NHLers. Josh Gorges, a stalwart blueliner known for his shot-blocking and leadership, and Andrew Ladd, a two-time Stanley Cup champion whose career included over 1,000 NHL games, will both be enshrined alongside Green.
Builders Malcolm Ashford and Daryl Reaugh are being recognized for their off-ice contributions to the growth of the game. Ashford’s influence in hockey operations and Reaugh’s long-standing presence as a broadcaster have helped shape the sport in BC and beyond.
And then there’s the 2009 and 2010 Vernon Vipers-one of the most dominant Junior A teams of the modern era. Back-to-back national titles don’t happen by accident, and their inclusion is a nod to a remarkable two-year run that remains a high-water mark in BC junior hockey history.
All told, it’s a class that reflects the depth and diversity of hockey talent in British Columbia-from NHL stars to grassroots builders, from junior dynasties to coaching minds who’ve left a lasting legacy.