The Cyclone Taylor Trophy is the award given each year to the most valuable player on the Vancouver Canucks. It is named after Cyclone Taylor, a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who led the Vancouver Millionaires to the Stanley Cup in 1915. The award was dedicated to him prior to the 1979-80 Canuck season, the season after his death on June 9, 1979, although an award for the Canucks MVP has existed since the team's inauguration in 1970. Previously it was a Canucks MVP Award as selected by the fans while the other MVP award, the President's Trophy was selected by CP Air and later Canadian Airlines. However after the 1995–96 season, the Cyclone Taylor Trophy officially became the lone Canucks MVP award since the winners of each trophy was identical.

Orland John Kurtenbach is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League (NHL) teams during his twenty professional seasons, principally the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he became the NHL franchise's inaugural captain.