Hanlon was known as an intense, dedicated player, one who had no trouble getting mentally prepared for a game but equally who had a hard time calming down afterward. So seriously did he take his performance that coaches occasionally had to use their 30-second timeout to calm him down after he had let in a goal. In spite of the emotion and hyperactivity, he quickly earned the loyalty of Vancouver fans who considered him "The Franchise." By the time Hanlon was 23-yeas-old, no less exalted a hockey personage than Don Cherry called him, "The best goalie in the NHL."

Hanlon played for the Canucks until 1982, but he was plagued by a series of injuries to his knee and shoulder that kept him out of action for long stretches. Although he was a team player in every respect, working hard on his game and volunteering his time generously in the community, he was traded in March 1982. The Canucks management was looking for more scoring power and St. Louis was looking for depth in goal, so Hanlon was sent to the Blues. He left Vancouver with dignity, with nothing but kind words for the Canucks organization and the area press. He maintained his 'team first" attitude in St. Louis, in spite of not getting much ice time. After a short stint with the Blues, Hanlon was traded to the New York Rangers, in January 1983.

The Rangers gave Hanlon more playing time, and he remained a Blueshirt until 1986, when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He played the next five seasons with the Red Wings organization. Although Hanlon once stated that he was paid to win games, not just post shutouts, he did lead the league in shutouts during the 1987-88 season. He retired in 1991, but after a year off he returned to the game as a goaltending coach for the Canucks. He stayed in that position until 1999, before moving on to coach the AHL's Portland Pirates. Hanlon coached the Portland for three seasons before replacing Washington Capital head coach, Bruce Cassidy midway through the 2003-004 season.

Courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame