Or maybe he was just celebrating Mardi Gras.

Photo taken from the canucks.com message boards.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Jarkko+Ruutu

Colangelo resigned Monday and is expected to join the Toronto Raptors as president and general manager Tuesday. He'll replace Rob Babcock, fired Jan. 26 by the Raptors.

Playoff tickets costs won't be quite as painful this year. The Wings have cut prices 10% in all four potential rounds from 2004, season-ticket holders learned in a mailing received this week.

Word out of the Canadian hockey team's dressing room is Jarome Iginla and Todd Bertuzzi were two of the hardest hit by the loss to Russia. Iginla sat stunned in full gear for more than 20 minutes before undressing. With tears in his eyes, Bertuzzi apparently apologized to all his teammates for his interference penalty that led to the game-winner.

Full game results are available here.

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Technorati Tags: Olympics, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Mats Sundin rumours have surfaced today once again. Boston, Detroit, Chicago and LA are apparently the teams in the hunt. Names coming to the other way have been Frolov, Visnovsky, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Visnovski, Ruutu, Khabibulin, Leetch, Raycroft and Samsonov (if a long term deal could be worked out). This is something to watch as the deadline approaches.

There is something very interesting brewing. With Malkin`s stock rising exponentially as a result of his Olympic play, I talked to a person on the inside of that situation that confirmed there are whispers, just whispers at this point, that Pittsburgh may get “A Lindros-esque bidding war going for Malkin at the deadline.”

He said to me, “Malkin obviously can bring in some serious value. Value that may help Pittsburgh in similar ways that the Lindros trade helped the Nords go on to win cups in Colorado. It looks more and more that the Pens will remain in Pittsburgh, and if Malkin turns into the star he looks like he will become, the Pens will be faced with Crosby and Malkin near the max payroll. That doesn`t make sense for their marke. They would be better suited to grab three guys at 2-3 million and some prospects to lend depth. Just like Quebec did.”

"I'll take, and deservedly so, the responsibility of us not winning," Gretzky told a news conference Wednesday after Team Canada's quarter-final Olympic exit at the hands of Russia. "That's the situation I'm in, the position I have.

"I feel tremendously responsible that we didn't win. And quite honestly, I'm going to re-assess where I fit and what I'm going to do in the future.

"Hockey Canada is wonderful, my country is great, and I love it dearly. But I'm also human, too. It's tough and it's nerve-wracking. It's not fun when you don't win."

I'm disappointed by Canada's loss but the days where Canada was going to win every game and tournament in hockey are long over. 5 different countries won medals between the 1998 and 2002 olympics and the only major country that didn't medal in that time won gold in 1994.

Despite the loss I'm not any less optimistic about 2010.

Wow. So this is what it comes down to: Canada vs. Russia, and only the winner has a chance at a medal.

No point in waiting 700 words to get this out of the way: I really like Canada's chances.

GO CANADA GO!

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Technorati Tags: Olympics, hockey, Canada, Russia

In case of a tie at the conclusion of regulation time in a QuarterFinal, Semi-final and Bronze Medal Game, there will be a 10-minute sudden-death overtime period played, following a three-minute intermission. The teams will defend the same goals as in the third period. The team, which scores a goal during this period is the winner.

In the Gold Medal game there will be a 20-minute sudden-death overtime period, following a 15-minute intermission during which the ice will be resurfaced. The teams will change ends. The team which scores a goal during this period is declared winner.

All sudden death overtime periods are played with four skaters on four. Women play five-on-five.

If no goal is scored during the sudden-death overtime, there will be Game Winning Shot (GWS) competition (shootout). Each team must select five shooters to compete in the GWS competition. If the score is still tied after the teams have had five attempts each, the teams continue to shoot in pairings until the shooter of one team misses and the shooter of the other team scores.

But you know what would really help? Leaving Bryan McCabe on the bench. Or the press box.

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Technorati Tags: Olympics, hockey, Canada, Czech+Republic

My first thought was that this was just more crap from the same network that hired Eklund as a *ahem* columnist, but the full article is, in fact, here. The site even has a poll on whether or not they should do it.

Tsk, tsk.

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Technorati Tags: Olympics, hockey, Sweden, Sportsnet, Bengt+Gustafsson

Jagr was boarded by Finnish forward Jarkko Ruutu, who also plays for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, at 12:03 of the second period. In a hit that appeared designed to injure, Ruutu crushed Jagr head-first into the boards as the Czech star was playing the puck.

I missed the hit Jarko Ruutu laid on Jaromir Jagr, and it was classless -- not a surprise with Ruutu. In between periods, Joe Micheletti talked to Martin Rucinsky, and he wasn't pleased: "We all know Ruutu and that's the way he plays. And you know... hopefully we'll get some payback."

Jagr appeared to be wearing a thin, old-style helmet that he wore earlier in his NHL career -- a style the league no longer permits because of the amount of protection provided.

The Spirit Bear is a magnificent symbol for British Columbia.

It speaks to the majesty, uniqueness, and mystery of our province. It is a powerful presence and a thing of wonder that lives in a magical land of beauty, grace, and unbridled potential.

The B.C. Spirit Bear symbolizes the essence of the spirit of British Columbia. It evokes our unique Aboriginal heritage and First Nations’ special relationship with this land and all who live upon it.

The B.C. Spirit Bear is such a compelling symbol and such an inspiration, that your government will act to make it our official provincial animal.

Found only in British Columbia's northern forests, the rare "Spirit Bear" or "Kermode Bear" is widely recognized for its unique white colouring. A First Nation legend states that the Raven, their creator, made these bears white as a reminder of the time when the world was pure and clean and covered with snowdrifts and ice blue glaciers. Raven promised that these bears would live in peace and harmony forever.

Todd Bertuzzi was a force. He played a physical game and showed some good hands (he had 2 assists). He played with Iggy and Burnaby Joe on the powerplay and had some really good chemistry with them. If he played like that every night, even the most fickle of Canucks fans wouldn't be screaming to trade him.

Overall, it wasn't a bad game for Team Canada. They looked a bit tired at first, but got better as the game wore on. They'll need to be better against Germany, who if I remember correctly, trap more than the Minnesota Wild. I'll have the coffee brewing early for that one as well.

[Update 02/15/06, 7:45 am]: Added picture (taken during AB road trip).

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Technorati Tags: Olympics, hockey, Canada, Italy, Todd+Bertuzzi

The original news seemed narrow enough. Early last week, New Jersey authorities announced that charges had been laid against Wayne Gretzky's assistant coach, Rick Tocchet, and two New Jersey men, including a state police officer. They were accused of running a nationwide sports gambling operation.

There was no suggestion that Gretzky himself had any involvement, but investigators said his wife had placed bets with this group - something U.S. authorities pointed out wasn't necessarily illegal.

Still, for the North American media, particularly in Canada, this was The Perfect Storm. "Scandal," hockey and The Great One. There are moments like these when the sport's near-spiritual status in Canada reveals itself.

By the weekend, there was media speculation on a variety of topics - ranging from whether Gretzky was "distancing" himself from his wife to what the impact on Canada's gold medal chances would be if he went to the Olympics in Turin.

But significantly, the original media report that propelled this story into the stratosphere, the one that was attributed to "unnamed sources," seems to have been wrong.

Last Thursday, U.S. media reports cited unnamed "sources familiar with the investigation" as saying that Gretzky had been recorded on a wiretap talking to Rick Tocchet about how his wife could avoid being implicated. The suggestion was that this wiretap was several weeks ago, before the charges were made public. This would have contradicted Gretzky's assertion that he had no prior knowledge of the illegal gambling ring.

But since then, "sources" in New Jersey have told the Associated Press that the wiretapped conversation was actually last Monday, after Gretzky had been informed by authorities of the charges. This would corroborate Gretzky's statements.

In this environment, a single media report — in this case, one from a New Jersey newspaper few of us had ever heard of, citing an "unnamed source" — can assume a life of its own. That's what happened last Thursday.

At the CBC, we were unsure how to evaluate it. We felt we had to report it since it was certainly "out there," but we qualified the claim and stressed that it had not been confirmed. By the end of the day, we pulled back even further and included it as part of the many "rumours and innuendo" that this story was generating.

Other news organizations, even the next day, were not as restrained, and this probably helped contribute to the suspicions that were being linked to Gretzky at the end of the week. But it's a tribute to Gretzky, and to his reputation, that his strong denials of wrongdoing now seem to be widely accepted — in spite of media confusion.

Game Recaps: canucks.com . ESPN
Statistics: Score Sheet . Stat Sheet

• For about 57 minutes, the Canucks put together one of their better defensive efforts this season. They didn't give Minnesota a lot of room or a lot of chances (granted, the Wild converted on two of them). The Canucks only allowed 16 Minnesota shots on goal - at one point, the Canucks were outshooting the Wild 11-1 - as they were a lot better at getting the puck out of the zone. The 16 shots against was their second lowest of the season after the 13 shots they allowed to the same Minnesota Wild back in October.
• Except maybe for the Wild's second goal, the defensemen weren't scrambling as much as they have in recent games. Steve McCarthy looks like he's playing with a lot more confidence than in the first half of the season. Mattias Ohlund and Bryan Allen were solid as usual. Overall, the defense also chipped in with 10 shots on goal.
• The big line rarely played together last night. Naslund spent most of the night with Burrows and Ruutu; Bertuzzi rotated with Kesler, Morrison and Cooke. Again, I liked the results. Both lines were very much involved in the game.
• Bertuzzi looks like he's squeezing the stick a bit when he's out there, don't you think?
• Cooke and Kesler were probably the best of the forwards. Both threw their weights around and created havoc around the Minnesota net. Kesler is developing into a nice power forward type of player. Good speed, good hands and a good willingness to drop the gloves.
• The only disappointing thing last night occured when Gaborik went down late in the third period and the mini-minor hockey kids started chanting "Suck it up, princess". And their chaperones laughed, seemingly indicating that this was okay. Cheering an injury is never okay. And the penalty was a legitimate call. Not even Ruutu argued it.

Kaberle's a nice player, clever offensively with an average shot, and often less than average in his own end. The Leafs have never won anything with him on their blue line, but then again, you could say that about dozens of players.

That the decision to overpay a one-dimensional defenceman more than Dan Boyle, Robyn Regehr or Sergei Zubov was announced on the same evening the Maple Leafs were going down to yet another defeat in a season gone seriously sour, however, was a linkage too symbolic to ignore.

That it is the only significant transaction the team has made all year while gradually tumbling out of a playoff spot by the Olympic break tells you an awful lot about the manner in which the team appears utterly adrift.

Game Recaps: canucks.com . ESPN
Statistics: Score Sheet . Stat Sheet

• The score sheet says the Ducks only outshot the Canucks by two (30-28), but this is misleading. Many of the Canucks shots were "easily-stoppable". More than a few were from long-range. They barely tested Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
• I lost count of how many times the Canucks tried that long-bomb pass from blue line to blue line. You would think that after the play didn't work the first, I don't know, 50 times, they would figure it out. The Ducks kept reading the play and kept forcing the Canucks back into their own zone.
• Alex Auld had a horrible game, lasting only 17:19 minutes before he was pulled. He let in three goals in 13 shots. I'm sure he's looking forward to the two-week Olympic break.
• Maxime Ouellet actually played a decent game after relieving Auldy. He stopped all 17 Ducks shots in just over two periods and kept the game within reach.
• I thought Markus Naslund played a strong game. Besides an undisciplined, retaliatory penalty late in the second period, he was skating and hustling on the ice. He scored the lone Canucks goal - his 26th of the season - and put seven shots on Bryzgalov. I'll have more on Markus later this weekend.
• I can't say the same for Todd Bertuzzi. He was a non-factor for pretty much the entire game.
• Trevor Linden didn't play much, but he stood out when he was on the ice, especially on the penalty kill.
• If Dave Nonis is willing to play trade-sies with Brian Burke, I wonder what it would cost to get defenseman Keith Carney. The guy is solid.

"There are so many speculations and allegations," said Doan, who will play for Team Canada in Turin. "Nothing has come out that's concrete. There has been nothing proven against anybody."

"People are trying to stretch and stretch. Every time you hear something said, it's speculation and allegation. That's what is disappointing."

Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore has tested positive for a banned substance believed to be finasteride, sources told The Canadian Press on Thursday.

(snip)

A source said the substance is believed to be finasteride, a masking agent for steroids that is also commonly found in hair-restoration drugs and has led to a spate of recent doping cases. He said Theodore was likely to receive a therapeutic-use exemption because he has been using a hair-growth product prescribed by a doctor for years.

Game Recaps: canucks.com . ESPN
Statistics: Score Sheet . Stat Sheet

• That game was probably one of the sloppiest I've seen all season.
• The Canucks' defense was atrocious last night. Yes, they limited the Blues to 24 shots - only the second time they've kept an opponent to under 30 shots in the last eight games - but many of them were on Alex Auld's door step. The defense seemed to scramble and be out of position a lot. Though I suppose we can't expect too much when half of the defense are normally full-time players from the Manitoba Moose.
• No less than nine of the 20 players that suited for the Canucks last night played full-time for the Moose this season or last. The average age of the nine players - 24.4 years.
• For what it's worth, eleven of the Canucks dressed last night are still under 25 years old. That surprised me because the Canucks are supposed to be a veteran team, right?
• Morrison, Naslund and Bertuzzi actually had decent games last night. On more than a few shifts, they created some excellent scoring chances. They scored the Canucks' second goal and combined for 12 shots on goal.
• The Sedins weren't nearly as dominant as they have been for most of the season. They missed Anson Carter and it showed. They weren't awful, but they need to play with someone who can finish.