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This day in history: The Whitecaps are born

On this day in 1973, the late Denny Veitch and Herb Capozzi officially announced the Vancouver Whitecaps franchise on the top floor of a downtown Vancouver Davie Street hotel as the club began life in the original North American Soccer League (NASL).

Veitch, the first Whitecaps general manager and the father-of-law of current club president Bob Lenarduzzi, is known for creating the club’s name. Lenarduzzi tells the story in the above video.

The name "Whitecaps" came to Veitch while he was driving across Lions Gate Bridge on a beautiful sunny afternoon. He looked down and saw the whitecaps on the ocean and looked up and saw the whitecaps on the mountains, and thus Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club was born.