The Aquilini Investment Group is not selling the Vancouver Canucks, but the team will be owned by one fewer Aquilini going forward.
Paolo Aquilini is departing the Canucks' ownership group and resigning from his position with the Canucks as Alternate Governor, according to a statement garnered from the Aquilini Group by Postmedia's Steve Ewen.
"In response to various media inquiries that we have received and due to a private family matter, Paolo has resigned from his positions with the team and will be leaving the ownership group," read the statement from the Aquilini Group. "The remaining owners take their role as stewards of this community asset with deep responsibility and pride, and remain fully committed to bringing the Cup to Vancouver. This team holds great meaning for the family and is not for sale. There will be no further comments."
The statement comes in the wake of rumours that the Canucks were up for sale. Nick Kypreos, in his weekly column in the Toronto Star, wrote on Thursday that there is some question as to whether "the Aquilini family is contemplating selling part or the majority of the Canucks."
The Aquilini Investment Group, consisting of father Luigi Aquilini and his three sons, Francesco, Roberto, and Paolo, purchased a 50 per cent share in the Canucks in 2004, then bought out co-owner John McCaw Jr. in 2006. Francesco has been the primary Aquilini involved in the Canucks, acting as Chairman and Governor as well as making the primary hiring decisions in management on both the business and hockey sides of the operation.
The statement to Postmedia came from Luigi, Francesco, and Roberto, but Paolo has also characterized his family's involvement with the team as stewardship more than ownership.
"The stewardship of the team is a huge responsibility; it is the management of what really is a public asset," said Paolo to Converge Media's Shara Lee. "It belongs to the people of British Columbia, and it is our job to handle that asset with great care – to make sure we are doing everything possible, both on and off the ice, to win the Stanley Cup."
Paolo's primary role with the Canucks was on the community side of the team. He served as the president of the Canucks For Kids Fund for over a decade and co-founded the Canucks Autism Network with his wife, Clara Aquilini. The charity was a passion project for Paolo and his family because of their personal experience raising an autistic child, Christian Aquilini, who also worked for the Canucks as a dressing room attendant.
It's unclear exactly when Paolo Aquilini stepped down as president of the Canucks For Kids Fund, but Michael Doyle, who was named president of business operations for Canucks Sports and Entertainment in 2021, is the current president of the charity and has been at least since sometime during the 2022-23 Canucks season.
Paolo Aquilini is no longer listed on the Canucks' website as part of the ownership group; neither is Christian Aquilini listed among the dressing room attendants, though the retired Pat O'Neill is still listed as equipment manager. Both Paolo and Christian were still listed on the website as recently as April 20, 2025, according to captures of the website from the Internet Archive.
As pointed out by Ewen and Patrick Johnston, the rumours of the Aquilini Investment Group selling the team could have their origins in the group seeking a valuation of the franchise in order to buy out Paolo's stake in the team.
