tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151278672024-03-07T12:26:44.588-08:00CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOGLOVE MY TEAM. LOVE THIS GAME.J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.comBlogger1043125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-43153697678651647042008-09-11T18:49:00.002-07:002008-09-11T19:13:16.927-07:00Moving Day<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Dear friends and readers,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After 3 seasons on Blogger, 3 months off and some convincing from <a href="http://thecrazycanucks.com/">The Crazy Canucks</a> crew, I've decided to make the move to WordPress and a new domain. The new (and hopefully improved) Canucks Hockey Blog is now on <a href="http://canuckshockeyblog.com/">http://canuckshockeyblog.com</a> - if have a link to Canucks Hockey Blog from your site, please change the link to <a href="http://canuckshockeyblog.com/">http://canuckshockeyblog.com</a> or <a href="http://www.canuckshockeyblog.com/">http://www.canuckshockeyblog.com</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">WordPress is a new beast for me. I hope you bear with me while I learn to take full advantage of its different features, plug-ins, widgets and such. My plan is to re-create my blog roll by the weekend and just make minor layout changes as I figure out the program. In the meantime, because I know some of you subscribe to the Blogger feed, I'll make every effort to cross-post here and on the new site. (I'll promise I'll try but please don't hold me to it and just point or subscribe to the new site.) I've also made the decision to leave my all my old posts here, though I've killed my old domain so you may not be able to see some of the pictures I've posted.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Alanah kinda alluded to it in <a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/CandB/comments/i_am_a_canuck/">this post</a>, but season 4 of <a href="http://canuckshockeyblog.com/">Canucks Hockey Blog</a> and <a href="http://thecrazycanucks.com/">The Crazy Canucks</a> promises to be a good one. We're hoping to pull out all the stops and give the average fan a voice louder than Dave Pratt.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thanks for 3 great seasons - I can't say enough how you keep me going - and see you on the new site!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">J.J.</span>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-34901865398413839512008-09-11T18:47:00.002-07:002008-09-11T18:49:11.341-07:00Food, Wine and Good Company... and that's it for now<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">New Canucks GM Mike Gillis, capologist Laurence Gilman, Henrik and Daniel Sedin and agent JP Barry met on Wednesday night, and at least by the Sedins' account, things went well (</span><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=9eeb71c2-6954-4ee2-89a9-aa68a3ef9330"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">).<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"I felt good after the meeting," Daniel said. "I talked to Henrik in the car after and it felt good. Mike is a nice man. I like his ideas on the team. He wants to play a more exciting style of game. We had an open dialogue."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The question is if the feeling is mutual (</span><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/sports/canucks/story.html?id=5dbe6a87-8ed7-442c-b89c-59751e361b19"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">):<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">More than anything, Daniel and Henrik Sedin went to dinner last night needing to be needed. But Mike Gillis isn't the warm and cuddly type.<br /><br />The two sides will learn to like one another. And Wednesday's bread-breaking was probably a pretty good start.<br /><br />In truth, Gillis has made it known for a while that he wanted his best two forwards to remain Vancouver Canucks beyond next season.<br /><br />In truth, a contract offer has been on the table most of the summer. In truth.<br /><br />But the universal perception -- shared by the twins -- is that Gillis was unsure about his leading scorers from Ornskoldsvik and might view them as former general manager Dave Nonis's leftovers.<br /><br />That perception was largely shaped by Gillis. And not only because of his famous April quote questioning if the Sedins were "players the team will be built around moving forward," but because he didn't contact them in the following four months to provide the context he admits was missing from his remarks.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After last night, perhaps Gillis was able to explain himself to the Sedins' satisfaction.<br /><br />Now, the party apparently didn't talk money or contract extension, but both sides laid down some groundwork (</span><a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=249153&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">TSN.ca</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">).<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Gillis described his meeting with the twins as a get-to-know session.<br /><br />"We didn't discuss it last night, and I'm not going to discuss it publicly with anyone," he said Thursday. "We want to keep quality players here, we want to have players that want to play here, and the strategy for any player is to try and accomplish those goals. You know, we've had a strategy in place for some time, and we're gonna follow through on it."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">If anything, there's no doubting the numbers the Sedins have put up in the last 3 seasons.<br /><br />From </span><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/sports/canucks/story.html?id=8e913012-e3a9-44f5-90a5-95ab22bda878"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Iain MacIntyre (Vancouver Sun)</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">You can argue Daniel and Henrik aren't "dominant" first-liners or "dynamic" first-liners or "intimidating" first-liners. You might even claim they're not "good enough" first-liners, but you must have awfully high standards because by any statistical measure, Daniel and Henrik are elite forwards.<br /><br />In the last two seasons, Daniel has 158 points and Henrik 157. Mats Sundin, who has left Gillis hanging on a two-year, $20-million offer and whose only contract right now is with an online poker service, has 154 points the last two seasons.<br /><br />Only 18 players have outscored the Sedins. There are 30 NHL first lines -- by definition, 90 first-line players. So the twins not only score like first-line players, but are among the better ones in the league.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And from </span><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/columnists/story.html?id=28ce02c2-519b-4245-be73-29d9d46383e5"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Ed Willes (Vancouver Province)</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The twins, after all, aren't exactly negotiating from a position of weakness. For starters, they are one year away from unrestricted free agency. They also represent an alarming share of the Canucks' -- for wont of a better term -- offence. (Last season Henrik accounted for 76 points and Daniel had 74. The next closest returning Canucks were Ryan Kesler and Taylor Pyatt with, ta-da, 37 points each.) And when you come right down to it, the numbers they've put up in the Canucks' no-goal system compare favourably to some of the NHL's elite.<br /><br />Over the last three seasons, for example, both Henrik and Daniel have put up more points than Brad Richards, Patrick Marleau and Marian Gaborik. Of those players, Marleau will be the lowest-paid this season at $6.3 million. Uh, if we can figure that out, rest assured there are others.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In fact, the Henrik and Daniel's 232 and 229 total points, respectively, in the last 3 seasons rank 19th and 20th in the entire league and their 0.9431 and 0.9347 points per game average during the same time span rank 31st and 33rd.<br /><br />JP Barry, the Sedins' agent, likes to trot out the names Scott Gomez (cap hit - $7.357 million; NTC), Chris Drury ($7.05 million; NMC) and Shawn Horcoff ($5.5 million; NTC) as comparables. Other comparables may include Martin St. Louis ($5.25 million), Mike Ribeiro ($5 million), or even, Olli Jokinen ($5.25 million) and Ales Hemsky ($4.1 million). Out of all these players, only St. Louis (246 points; 1.01 points per game average) and Jokinen (251; 1.02) have put up better numbers.<br /><br />This isn't to say that the Sedins are now worth double their current $3.575 million contracts. They're certainly due for a raise, but especially given the NHL's wacky free agent market, how much of one should they get? Or better yet, how much of a hometown discount are they willing to give?</span>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-7675813284023611662008-06-11T06:24:00.006-07:002008-12-11T09:23:32.548-08:00Trevor Linden: Player for the People<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">There's not much more I can add to <a href="http://canuckshockey.blogspot.com/2008/04/special-player-special-night.html">my post about Trevor Linden</a> from a couple of months ago. Like <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=993a2735-e171-4712-aec8-d8b82201ab20">what a lot of fans are doing today though</a>, on the day <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=c601e33e-48d1-40c7-bbe0-c62c5d3acb0a">he is set to officially announce his retirement</a>, I'll tell you about the one and only time I met and got to talk to him. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In my nine years working at GM Place, I sometimes saw Trevor before and after games by the dressing room or even at concerts, but besides the casual "hello" never really talked to him. The time I did was actually at a Cops for Cancer fundraiser at what used to be Mavericks on the Waterfront at the Plaza of Nations. He showed up, and almost immediately, there was a large crowd of people clamoring for autographs and photos. Myself included.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GwhfaY1Gq-LefK8L4X_eDGsKdGGDiGM33eLMI9AS9PMmIgAEQB08VCwLgtRGkqZUo_3Oi0G1RgCaNHd1Vis47b4csYbZvrLzmQh6MQaxyitDAOPhlZOOO-c1QOeC-QHs3F6m/s1600-h/meandlinden.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210626000723941266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GwhfaY1Gq-LefK8L4X_eDGsKdGGDiGM33eLMI9AS9PMmIgAEQB08VCwLgtRGkqZUo_3Oi0G1RgCaNHd1Vis47b4csYbZvrLzmQh6MQaxyitDAOPhlZOOO-c1QOeC-QHs3F6m/s320/meandlinden.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Despite the number of people waiting, Trevor stood there patiently and talked to each one. My turn came up, and for whatever reason, I froze up and didn't know what to say. I mean, what do you talk about with Trevor Linden, local hero? In the end, I engaged in what I can only describe as puck bunny small talk - basically, how's the summer, looking forward to next season, hope you guys kick butt, I wuv you Trev (in a manly way) kinda small talk. Despite my mindnumbing ramblings, he stood there patiently for a few minutes and we chatted and he listened.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's not a fancy story, but in it and from the many that we've all heard throughout his career, there's a common theme. Trevor was the kind of guy who would take the time to be with people, to be with his fans, to be with the kids at Canucks Place and BC Childrens Hospital. In this era of prima donna professional athletes, Trevor was nothing but a consummate pro. It's a shame that he never got to win the Stanley Cup; however, for many fans, not only in Vancouver or Metro Vancouver but all over this province, he's already a winner.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thanks, Trevor.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-46122415684093981762008-06-05T22:38:00.004-07:002008-12-11T09:23:32.840-08:00Glen Wesley Retires and How He Still Haunts the Canucks<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">From <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=239829">TSN.ca</a>:</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For the past decade, Glen Wesley helped shepherd the Carolina Hurricanes from homeless vagabonds in North Carolina to Stanley Cup champions.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Now, the last remaining original Hurricane is calling it a career.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After 20 seasons in the NHL and 13 as one of the most popular faces of the Hurricanes' franchise, Wesley announced his retirement Thursday because of family reasons. The team then gave the defenceman a job in the front office and pledged to retire his No. 2 jersey.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Canucks fans remember this all too well (not in a good way), but in 1986, the Canucks traded Cam Neely and a 1st round draft pick in 1987 to the Boston Bruins to acquire Barry Pederson. The Bruins used the draft pick to select Wesley. It's easily one of the worst trades in Canucks history, and now that Neely and Wesley have retired, can we finally forget it ever happened?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Not quite yet.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Neely, of course, retired as a Bruin, but check out how the Bruins have parlayed Wesley into some good assets.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMRtWtTGGjvMcvXtrC9MXK2LGM5LIZ3OL0JAv4ptnsbE32Z0I9zibaSIDw1UxwVQNiZk3E9AQkMli1VbBOdgvYGwJQKzCtUjSOVtChrezKgxF7G2WRhZKp4WFbRttEy6k-jjS/s1600-h/20080605_01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208649428962598114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMRtWtTGGjvMcvXtrC9MXK2LGM5LIZ3OL0JAv4ptnsbE32Z0I9zibaSIDw1UxwVQNiZk3E9AQkMli1VbBOdgvYGwJQKzCtUjSOVtChrezKgxF7G2WRhZKp4WFbRttEy6k-jjS/s320/20080605_01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">At 24, Dennis Wideman has blossomed into the Bruins' number two defenseman, averaging 25+ minutes per game and finishing 25th in scoring among all NHL defenemen; Milan Lucic is quickly reminding Bruins fans of a young Cam Neely; and Brad Marchand is thought of to be a very good prospect, especially after a successful junior career.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We may hear about "the trade" for years to come.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Some reaction from the 'Canes blogosphere:</strong></span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A thank you from <a href="http://casonblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/canes-new-director-of-defenseman.html">CasonBlog</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A tribute from <a href="http://canescountry.com/blog/?p=663">Canes Country</a></span></span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-6154282502692870212008-06-03T19:33:00.004-07:002008-06-03T19:46:19.288-07:00Shorty to Sportsnet<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://johnbollwitt.com/">John</a> sent me this tidbit from <a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/CandB/comments/replacing_jim_hughson_in_vancouver/">Alanah's</a> site this afternoon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The departure of Jim Hughson from Sportsnet Pacific to the hallowed halls of Hockey Night in Canada at CBC has left a large hole in the broadcast landscape for Vancouver Canucks fans. But that might be changing in a matter of hours.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Rumors out of Sportsnet have it that John Shorthouse has agreed to a deal with the network to call all their televised Canucks games this season, while still maintaining his gig at TEAM 1040 for those games being televised on other networks. </span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I guess this move isn't much of a surprise. Shorty has been rumored to take over from Hughson since <a href="http://canuckshockey.blogspot.com/2008/03/hughson-leaving-sportsnet.html">it was announced that Hughson would be moving full-time to CBC</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I agree with Alanah that this is a solid move. As well, it's a natural career path for Shorty, I think. The next question is, who takes over as the play-by-play guy on <a href="http://www.team1040.ca/">TEAM 1040</a>? (Not Dan Russell please.)</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-89993597413026687272008-06-03T19:22:00.003-07:002008-06-03T19:32:30.698-07:00Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The best evidence that Luc Bourdon touched many lives in his short 21 years on this earth are <a href="http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=18248">the many tributes</a> we've seen and heard in the last six days. It doesn't change the fact that he is gone, but for his family, friends and fans, surely it eases the pain to know just how much he was loved.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Perusing through <a href="http://forum.canucks.com/">the Canucks message boards</a>, I saw the following video, a nice tribute to a good player and an even better person.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X-XF0-iK4yM&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And for one more time... "Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc".</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-44132116661142393382008-05-29T16:57:00.006-07:002008-05-30T07:50:01.413-07:00RIP Luc Bourdon<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Despite the Nonis/Gillis thing, I wanted to take a couple of months off from the blog with the intention of previewing the draft and the free agency season. I intended to start posting again in the next couple of weeks, but after the tragedy this morning, I decided I had to say something.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">After a motorcycle accident this morning, <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=239196&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl">Luc Bourdon is dead</a>.</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident in northern New Brunswick on Thursday. He was 21.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Bourdon, a promising young defenceman who played his junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Val d'Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, split his first pro season in 2007-08 between Vancouver and the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">He scored two goals and was a plus-7 in 27 games with the Canucks last season.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=364711">Mike Gillis and the Vancouver Canucks issued a short statement</a> earlier this afternoon.</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">It is with deep regret that the Vancouver Canucks today announced defenceman Luc Bourdon passed away in a motor vehicle accident on Thursday morning. Bourdon was 21 years old.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">“We are deeply saddened by today’s news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family,” said Canucks General Manager, Mike Gillis. “Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">It's unfair that someone so young with such a great future ahead of him should be taken away. Especially someone like Luc who, you could tell, had a passion for hockey and a passion for life. In his short time with the Vancouver Canucks organization, we only got a glimpse of who he was a person, but you can tell he had a great personality about him.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Like the time he represented Canada won at the World Junior Championships:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/epRm2j-EHlE&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">And during the Canucks Dice and Ice Rookies Dance:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WXxsOgFOWxY&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">RIP Luc. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">[<strong><em>Update:</em></strong> 05/30/2008, 7:40 AM]</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Coverage from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=a0c58460-26c5-49cb-b7b5-22aa6279c1e3">Luc Bourdon 1987-2008: 'He was going to be a special, special player'</a> (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=6ed4e1ab-775e-4a26-93e3-580b33d0d590">Bourdon spellbound by the 'power and beauty' of bikes, mother remembers</a> (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=195e7305-5acf-4a2b-a237-d8cd8a82da3d">Not forgotten in hometown</a> (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=cbf8f29e-6122-4894-962a-729ad14092c2">Canucks GM Gillis vows to take action on risky activities</a> (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=9fa4bc66-6e3f-4e3b-9b4f-13512b62e3de">Canucks struggle with death of Luc Bourdon</a> (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a7d5eb67-165e-4818-ba30-6789304b8351">Remembering the real Luc Bourdon</a> (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080530.NHLBOURDON30/TPStory/Sports/columnists">NHL player Bourdon killed in motorcycle crash</a> (Allan Maki, Oliver Moore and Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Hockey/2008/05/30/5720856-sun.html">Moose in mourning</a> (Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/other/story/4179694p-4769110c.html">Crash cuts a promising hockey career very short</a> (Tim Campbell, Winnipeg Free Press)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1059168.html">Canucks’ Bourdon killed in motorcycle accident</a> (Willy Palov, The Chronicle Herald)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/features/reginapats/story.html?id=ad7866f9-70e4-4590-abb8-cc5107476f79">Hunt shocked by news of death</a> (Greg Harder, Regina Leader-Post)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=139351&sc=110">Luc Bourdon: A life that ended far too soon</a> (Wade Babineau, The Guardian)</span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-86103118996685331892008-04-07T19:25:00.003-07:002008-04-07T21:14:35.258-07:00A Special Player, A Special Night<blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"When I took the warmup and saw how many people were down in our end, I kind of had that feeling. As the game went on, it was quite overwhelming. You think of all the tremendous athletes that have played their respective sports, for me to receive that response is incredible. It's very special."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">- <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=4ae8a7e9-293b-4b84-9141-1cf0d546c1a8">via Jim Jamieson (Vancouver Province)</a> </span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Forget the fact that the Canucks ended the season with a 7-1 blowout loss to the Flames. Forget that, in the last two weeks, they lost seven of their last eight games when all they needed was three more points to make the playoffs. On Saturday night, those were irrelevant. Some people said Saturday was a mean-nothing game. This may have been true standings-wise, but for the fans, this game meant a lot of things. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For me - and obviously a lot of Canucks fans - it meant a chance to say thank you and farewell to Trevor Linden, and even, Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison. Though with all due respect to Naslund and Morrison, the night was undoubtedly about Trevor. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It definitely was a special night. The fans gave Trevor many standing ovations: one when he started the game with Kesler and Naslund and again; another when he started the third period; another during his final shift with a minute left in the game; another after the game was over and his teammates congratulated him; another as the Flames, one by one, came back on the ice and shook his hand (pure class by Jarome Iginla, Robin Regehr and the rest of the Flames); another as CBC, ceremoniously, named him the game's first star and he skated around the rink; and yet another when he gave the jersey off his back to a lucky fan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In case you missed it, here is the video of his final skate around GM Place:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pKbrVs4EAnQ&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">As long as I've followed the Canucks, and with the exception of those dark years in the late '90s, Trevor has been part of this team. Like every other Canucks fan, a lot of my memories of the team includes him. He was the captain the first time I ever watched a Canucks game on TV. He scored the OT game-winner the second game I ever saw live (1994, game 6 vs. Calgary). I remember the '94 run, the 1998 Olympics, his hit on Jeff Norton, </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">game 7 vs. St. Louis and game 7 vs. Dallas. There are many more, of course. While I agree that it's time for Trevor to walk away, at the same time it's hard to envision a Canucks game without number 16.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">His on-ice accomplishments were only a small part of what he's meant to this team and this community. He's always made himself available to many charities. He's a fixture at Canucks Place and BC Children's Hospital. He's a spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society. We don't usually hear about these instances, but that's because he never draws any attention to them. The NHL noticed and awarded him the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1997. So did the Government of BC which awarded him the Order of British Columbia in 2003.</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"You know, sometimes I ask myself that because I'm overwhelmed. I'm flattered. I feel extremely fortunate, blessed, the way things have gone. But I have to be honest with you: I ask myself that, too. Sometimes I almost feel kind of like: Who deserves this? I can't begin to say the effect it had on me. I'm a guy from Medicine Hat who played a game he loved, and to get that kind of response was really amazing."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">- <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=16c9bf04-9bdf-4be1-b0ad-f247698c0c2b">via Iain MacIntyre (Vancouver Sun)</a></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Trevor's response to Saturday's events is all you need to know about his character. He is a celebrity and a hero in this province, yet always humble. He is a tireless warrior, but respected even by his biggest opponents. He is a fierce leader and role model to every player that's ever donned the Canucks jersey not named Messier. In other words, he's embodied everything we've ever wanted a Canuck to be.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Trevor said he's fortunate and blessed and that's true. But so were we, Canucks fans, to have been witness to his career.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">More tributes for Trevor from <a href="http://johnbollwitt.com/2008/04/07/understanding-who-trevor-linden-is-and-was/">John Bollwitt</a>, <a href="http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/04/goodbye-trevor-linden.html">Joe Pelletier</a>, <a href="http://jesgolbez.blogspot.com/2008/04/farewell-trev.html">Jes Golbez</a> and <a href="http://www.yankeecanuck.com/?p=338">Mike the Yankee Canuck</a></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><br /></p>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-82104938562397807592008-04-05T06:42:00.006-07:002008-12-11T09:23:33.299-08:00One More Time With Feeling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbPHVYLdXmm1jU51XOj4n-vtBLnkGzj0CJsYNWEsiI-T7u4vULxuENufU1_ifgSdUxHANrPO0wsT7FSvm5FVSyMebWQBQqdyOjEhJzdXSjJpO1hXt_lmjN40yX1HMmPRMEl-r/s1600-h/20080405_01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185758495251403874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbPHVYLdXmm1jU51XOj4n-vtBLnkGzj0CJsYNWEsiI-T7u4vULxuENufU1_ifgSdUxHANrPO0wsT7FSvm5FVSyMebWQBQqdyOjEhJzdXSjJpO1hXt_lmjN40yX1HMmPRMEl-r/s320/20080405_01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoYzmUlKuglBtBPmDrKR-YnGRAahWT_fTLdPVePmD4nz_N_BRoSCCGoDCnA60qkM7pOmai987cgq3PC7iN1odhOIwqxy2uMHVUpRASLuxtUMVBnVjr1YgJ_Mhe9wxRxa8J5B1/s1600-h/20080405_01.jpg"></a><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tonight, I hope the fans give Trevor Linden one, good, final hurrah (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=4ad359c2-28f7-4499-ae7f-8960acfea8a3">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>). And if it happens to be the last time we see Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Tommy Larscheid, one for each of them too.</span><br /><br /></div><div>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a></div></div>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-4269732063760754062008-04-03T23:28:00.003-07:002008-04-03T23:33:14.359-07:00Oilers 2 Canucks 1<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Consider this an open post.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">If you're a Canucks fan, feel free to rant. If you're a fan of another team, feel free to gloat.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm still going to the game on Saturday which, in all likelihood, is Trevor Linden's final game. I'll be back with a post-mortem on this team shortly after that.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-90746486110277730082008-04-03T06:13:00.004-07:002008-04-03T06:39:08.258-07:00Game Day Post: Oilers at Canucks<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Edmonton Oilers are playing for pride (<a href="http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=3b6f616d-06b4-4f37-b4de-8033f5239dce">Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal</a>). If the Canucks have any, they'll do the same and take advantage of an Ales Hemsky-less Oilers squad. Regardless of how the Flames' and Predators' games end.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">All the cliches have been exhausted and I don't really have that much more to say about tonight's game. I'm just hoping it's not the last game I go to this season that has any significance.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Go Canucks! Go Blues! Go Wild!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>From the MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Game day previews from the Vancouver side. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=10e40843-bf40-480e-8729-0ef54b5ae618">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=2ae17ab1-4498-4f11-b72e-2796a65bf887">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=afe7359b-1f92-4100-8b79-e2370fd07a26">Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080403.CANUCKS03/TPStory/Sports">Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail</a>) </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Louie's ready to go. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=967bef5e-a38d-4445-9b51-8553bd04f0f4">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Pyatt's not. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=41ddf555-14ae-4d06-bf14-6e67f2ec9fe6&k=74855">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-41989470704119712242008-04-02T06:11:00.004-07:002008-04-02T07:05:47.048-07:00Avalanche 4 Canucks 2<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In the Canucks' defense-first approach, it's no surprise that they're 30-8-4 when they score the first goal in a hockey game and 18-6-2 when they have the lead after the first period. Here's the problem. Since the trade deadline, those records have been a lot more mediocre. The Canucks are only 3-3-1 when they score first and 5-3-1 when they have the lead going into the first intermission.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Once again, they blew a decent start and pissed away two points. It's the third time they've done that in the last week and pretty much explains the position they're in now - ninth place in the Western Conference and needing to win both of their remaining games and hoping for the Nashville Predators to lose at least one of theirs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And it's not just the fact that the Canucks are losing games, it's how they're losing them. Lately, they've allowed doubt and panic to seep into their games. One goal against is usually followed by another and sometimes another. Consider these numbers from their last four losses:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">March 25th vs. Calgary - They allowed two goals in 41 seconds in the third period.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">March 26th vs. Colorado - In the second period, they allowed two goals in 73 seconds and then another two goals in 62 seconds. Those four goals came in a span of only 6:47.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">March 28th vs. Minnesota - They allowed two goals in 5:44 in the first period and another two goals in 5:00 in the second period.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">April 1st vs. Colorado - They allowed three goals in 5:19.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In the game against Calgary and in both games against Colorado, they had the lead when they allowed those quick goals.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">What happened to defense-first?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Game recaps from the Vancouver side. (<a href="http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080402.wsptcanucks1/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home">Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=3068fa07-9aee-4193-87a2-4647c035c10e">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=6b016d6f-17bd-45d7-8d23-e1f000c3d98a">Ed Willes, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=4474120e-e464-4ccf-b847-a52094770ce4">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Botchford blames Louie. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=2da3317d-7582-4b2b-93c4-44d6dba1cfc0">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Cole blames Nazzy. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=4c84930a-a2c8-4e5c-8666-5f11ea8f48c8">Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Game recaps from the Colorado side. (<a href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/apr/01/avs-clinch-playoff-berth-win/">Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News</a>; <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8777501">Terry Frei, Denver Post</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>About the game around the blogosphere:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Decent team is putting it nicely. (<a href="http://hockey-madness.blogspot.com/2008/04/colorado-and-vancouver-difference.html">Waiting For Stanley</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tapeleg earned some bragging rights. (<a href="http://jerseysandhockeylove.com/blog/2008/04/01/avs-clinch-nuff-said/">Jerseys and Hockey Love</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Next game:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Colorado+Avalanche" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Colorado+Avalanche</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-11469670916612506802008-04-01T06:08:00.003-07:002008-04-01T06:55:18.329-07:00Game Day Post: Avalanche at Canucks<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The second of the Canucks' four must-win games is tonight and it comes against the Colorado Avalanche, a team they've had trouble beating recently (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=086336d1-9816-40fc-bd4c-27017210c584">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>). The last time they played the Avs, they were slaughtered 6-3 in Denver. The last time they played the Avs at GM Place, they gave up the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation and then lost in the shootout.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The recipe to reverse this trend should be simple. Just play like they did on Sunday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's funny what a win can do. Before beating the Calgary Flames, the Canucks looked like they couldn't win a game against the Quad City Flames. Afterwards, they proved that, as long as they work hard, hit hard, go into the dirty areas and win the many little battles - in other words, as long as they're willing to play playoff hockey to make the playoffs - then they can beat anyone.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Because stats at this time of year are pointless:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks have won four of their last five at home.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks have failed to gain at least a point in only one of their last twelve home games.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The Avalanche have lost four straight games on the road, and since beating the Canucks at GM Place on February 27th, have lost five of six road games.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">At 18-10-2, the Avalanche have the best intra-divisional record in the Northwest Division.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Despite averaging only 12 minutes of ice-time, Marek Svatos has eight points (5G-3A) and a +5 rating in five games against the Canucks this season.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The other Canuck-killer, Milan Hejduk has four goals and six points in seven games against them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin lead the Canucks in scoring against the Avs this season. They have nine (3G-6A) and eight (3G-5A) points respectively.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Taylor Pyatt is the only Canuck with a plus-rating (+3) against the Avs. He also has five points (2G-3A) in seven games against them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Last Sunday's heroes, Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden has had a terrible time against Colorado this season. In seven games each, Naslund has three points (0G-3A) and a minus-4 rating and Linden has zero points and a minus-6 rating.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Previews from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Team practices are optional the rest of the season... (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=538511a2-a304-4d8e-a372-ca3f4e89e521&k=37673">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">... and Luongo is taking full advantage. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=9d0fd146-d9ea-4dd7-9835-aaeabf85f2db&k=91411">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Inhospitable hosts. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=94603d44-7bb9-4fc8-93e9-805ac6afe1c9">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Needing the Twins to step it up. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=7d202256-fe4f-42c0-91eb-8bef5519c6b2&k=57257">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Bieksa's back. Hopefully for good. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=4e4d6680-ff91-4769-b3e1-4c6cfa92697b">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A piece on Milan the Canuck-killer. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=185d477f-d7fe-47c7-af3e-56c5fbcb8512">Marc Weber, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Still anyone's game. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=0778ee40-2126-4062-b6af-572a4e3d3653">Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A preview from the Colorado side of things. (<a href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/31/avalanche-report-win-and-theyre-in/">Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News</a>)</span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-17501728172794179042008-03-31T06:24:00.004-07:002008-03-31T07:09:46.468-07:00Flames 2 Canucks 6<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">One down, three to go.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Detroit Red Wings gave the Vancouver Canucks a gift earlier in the day - the ability to control their own playoff destiny again - and the Canucks took full advantage. They beat the visiting Flames 6-2 and took over eighth place in the Western Conference.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The game was a remarkable contrast from the one they played in Calgary just less than a week ago. Last week, they built a 2-0 first period lead and then wilted down the stretch to lose 3-2. Last night, the Canucks actually initiated a lot of the physical stuff and had to claw back from two first period deficits before finally pulling away.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">With three games left in the regular season, it doesn't get any clearer than this: win and they're in. And as <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=07e3e5ce-8743-41eb-86ba-5f93c8ef4a4b">Ed Willes (Vancouver Province)</a> said this morning, all the criticism the team has faced would be forgotten:</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For the Canucks, the only salient facts to emerge from their 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames is they're now back in eighth place in the Western Conference and with three homes games left on their schedule, they control their own destiny.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This is all you need to know. Everything else is irrelevant. So save the deeper analysis for another time because it was out of place after this night.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Not completely forgotten, in my opinion, but at least pushed aside temporarily (like, until the next loss). Last night, the team played like a team. They looked like they cared. They hit, they scored and they stood up for each other.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Like Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf did last week, Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden stepped it up when it mattered the most and were absolutely phenomenal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's </span><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=3f6441e0-2268-4dad-b199-5a20c97954dc"><span style="font-size:85%;">Jason Botchford (Vancouver Province)</span></a>:</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It was an improbable throwback to a different era, an iconic image that infused hope into a fan base that had no reason for any.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">As a smiling Trevor Linden glided across the ice after scoring his second of the game -- his biggest, most important goal of the season, the one that breathed new life into the Canucks' foundering playoff hopes -- his arms were outstretched to the heavens. The grateful, elated, relieved, in-love crowd showered him with a lingering standing ovation. It could have been his last as a player.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It was memorable.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">So was Linden's play. So was Markus Naslund's. So were the Canucks, a team who somehow beat the Calgary Flames 6-2 Sunday when the mood, the momentum and the flow suggested they had no chance.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">And <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=12324b57-f6dd-46b1-8345-cdcae2c6e678">Brad Ziemer (Vancouver Sun)</a>:</span></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If they really will both be gone after this season ends, Trevor Linden and Markus Naslund gave us something to remember Sunday night.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">They also gave Vancouver Canuck fans hope.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Linden and Naslund are two of the big reasons why we are able to put off the post-mortem and instead are once again talking about the playoffs.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The rest of the lineup was good too. Jeff Cowan and Byron Ritchie were noticeable, which means they were doing their job. Alex Burrows got Iggy off his game. Brad Isbister played big and threw his weight around. Taylor Pyatt played big and attacked the net constantly.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It was only one game but it was a good one. Three more of those this week would be nice.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Ahead again in the playoff race. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=29e7fd72-5c53-42a6-84ad-d39c494cd7e3">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080331.CANUCKS31/TPStory/Sports">Grant Kerr, Globe and Mail</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Relaxed Roberto. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=d2669a6a-d1a4-4611-9121-13ef62195a78">Marc Weber, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">From the Calgary side of things. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/heraldhockey/story.html?id=661ee6b2-4946-4ad2-81a8-8c61429a78d0&k=85799">Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/heraldhockey/story.html?id=10f01a7e-6889-414a-8e2d-d0bc9f9642a0&k=39661">George Johnson, Calgary Herald</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>About the game around the blogosphere:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Zanstorm took in the game from GM Place... (<a href="http://hockey-madness.blogspot.com/2008/03/flames-stink-it-up-at-garage.html">Waiting For Stanley</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">and Temujin liveblogged it. (<a href="http://hockey-madness.blogspot.com/2008/03/gdt-canucks-vs-flames-march-30-2008.html">Waiting For Stanley</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Next game:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A visit from the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Calgary+Flames" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Calgary+Flames</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-35264424261850614002008-03-29T06:20:00.004-07:002008-03-29T09:29:06.030-07:00Calling Out The Coach<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">My apologies for disappearing for a few days. It had nothing to do with being depressed over the Canucks' now four-game losing streak, but everything to do with Shaw and my Internet service going down for the 1,406th time in four months.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">*****</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Since Alain Vigneault was hired as the Canucks' head coach last season, he's made it a habit to call out players for poor performances. After four consecutive losses where the Canucks have looked as bad as they've ever looked, I think it's time to call out the coach himself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I think Vigneault has lost the room. His players look lost on the ice. They look like they don't know where to go and what to do. Their defensive coverage in front of the goaltender is horrible. Their offense is non-existent. They've given up a ton of odd man rushes. They've given up goals due to bad line changes. Simply, they're not playing together. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">There could be a variety of different reasons for these, but I believe first and foremost is a team that has tuned out the coach.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For almost two seasons now, Vigneault has the Canucks playing his system. And that's fine because the team has certainly had success with it. But what about the times where the system isn't working? There are, of course, many games within the games and a good coach knows to adapt to any situation. Especially in these last four games, Vigneault hasn't done that. Win or lose, he coaches the same game. Sure he juggles his lines more than Mario Lopez juggles his models, but at times when the system isn't working against a particular team, a coach needs to focus his group and adjust his attack.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Case in point was last night against the Wild. When the Canucks needed to kickstart their game on the powerplay, how many times did we see the dump and chase? How many times did the Canucks retrieve the puck? How many scoring chances did they produce as a result? The answers are: all game long, not very often, and almost none. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">When the Canucks fell back 2-0, why didn't the coach activate the defense? He should know as well as every other Canucks fan that sitting back and waiting for Minnesota to make a mistake wasn't going to happen.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The other night, after the Avalanche tied up the game in the second, the Canucks were noticeably rattled and started running around their own zone. Where was Vigneault's timeout to focus his team? Or what about when the Avalanche scored another goal a minute later? And another goal just four minutes after that?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Tiny details and perhaps a bit of 20/20 hindsight thinking, but the coach needs to be able to read the game and have a feel for the game.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">He also has to have a feel for his players.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A few days ago after the loss to Calgary, Tony Gallagher brought up that, with the Canucks down 3-2, their goaltender pulled and obviously needing to score to tie the game, Markus Naslund wasn't on the ice. On the ice in the final minute: Sedin, Sedin, Kesler, Pettinger, Morrison and Edler. Markus Naslund's final shift in that game - he scored a goal in that game, by the way - came with three minutes left.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">While Naslund would be the first to admint that he hasn't had a banner season offensively, he still has 24 goals. That's still second-best on the team. That's still 54th in the league</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">. It's not a great total, but it's not bad. And it's still more goals than guys like Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, Patrik Elias, Ryan Getzlaf, Alexander Frolov and Jonathan Cheechoo have. When the Canucks needed a goal, why didn't Vigneault put him out there? In that same Calgary game, seven Canucks forwards had more ice-time than Naslund. Heck, Mike Weaver had more ice-time than he did. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Like Trevor Linden is finding out, and especially for a lead-by-example kind of guy like Markus, it's hard to be a leader when you're not on the ice. It's hard to ask a player to be more confident when you don't instill confidence in him.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">But probably the most troubling thing about this is what seems to be a disjoint between Vigneault and some of the veteran leaders of this team. It was refreshing when Vigneault came in and wasn't afraid to name the guys who he thought didn't play well. For the younger guys, that was probably a good approach as they still needed to know what the expectations are at the NHL level. For the guys that have been around, they may well have taken that approach as a slap in the face.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Let's look at the list of players that we know, at one time or another, have questioned the coach's tactics: Naslund, the Sedins, Willie Mitchell and Matt Cooke (when he was here). Trevor Linden, while he has been diplomatic, is surely wondering the same. Even Roberto Luongo, if I'm not mistaken, popped off once. Their one thing in common? They're the leaders of this team. We know Vigneault loves his grinders, and probably rightly so given what he has gotten from the likes of Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows, but if he truly wants his best players to be his best players and his leaders to be his leaders, he also has to adapt his style to enable that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">By the way, the only other Canucks coach I know that has elicited this much reaction from the leadership group? Mike Keenan. And he loved his Harry Yorks and Brian Noonans too.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Now, the season isn't quite over yet. Given their inconsistency this season, it's not out of the question for them to pull out of this funk, win their last four games - all at home - and make the postseason with some momentum. When they do that, I'll give Vigneault his due credit. For now however, he needs to be called out as much as his players.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-54743455946792342822008-03-26T06:02:00.005-07:002008-03-26T07:02:52.602-07:00Canucks 2 Flames 3<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm still trying to come up with the right words to describe last night's 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Heartbreaking, disappointing, infuriating, frustrating come to mind. Pissed is another.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm pissed off. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks shouldn't have lost last night. Not with the way they came out and outplayed the Flames in the first period. Not with the way they controlled the play, drew four powerplays, outshot the Flames 21-7 and built a 2-0 lead. They did everything right in the first 20 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And then they pissed it away. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In the final forty minutes, the Canucks were thoroughly dominated and outshot 33-13. They looked outmatched and out of it. Scarily, it was eerily reminiscent of how they looked against the Ducks in the second round of the playoffs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks were outshot 18-3 in the second period, though thanks to Roberto Luongo, they still held a 2-1 lead going into the third. It should have been enough. After all, going into tonight's game, no team had been able to beat them in regulation when leading after two periods. They had a league-best 26-0-1 record when leading after two periods. I guess there's a first time for everything.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It wasn't just the game they pissed away. Had the Canucks hung on for the win, they would have crawled to one point back of the Minnesota Wild for the Northwest Division title with one game in hand. They would have extended their lead to four and five points against the ninth place Nashville Predators (who, by the way, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_ylt=Au78Y5.nK8bf3EST4rQrgyUmvLYF?gid=2008032527">shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets last night</a>) and tenth place Edmonton Oilers respectively. This morning, the Canucks are in seventh place, four points back of the Northwest Division lead and only a two and three point lead against the Predators and Oilers.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=3d0b2946-15ad-44c4-8421-46d2b5def9e8">Brad Ziemer (Vancouver Sun)</a> probably described this game the best:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After a roller-coaster season, it probably should come as no surprise that the Canucks are not going to make things easy on themselves as they head down the home stretch of the regular season.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tuesday's game was in many ways a microcosm of their season. They were very good in the first period and then played terrible the rest of the way.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Who knows which team will show up tonight in Denver.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks are like a box of chocolates and all that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">If there is one positive after the loss, it's that the Canucks, amazingly enough, still control their own destiny. If they want to make the playoffs and even win their division, all they have to do is win their games. They don't need help from other teams. They just need to worry about their own.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">As demoralizing as it was to piss away a couple of points last night, at least they don't have to sit for long and dwell over it. They get back at it against the Colorado Avalanche tonight. I hope the team that showed up in the first period is the team that shows up. And shows up for the entire game.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Louie was hot, the team was not. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=f75adfab-e393-4b9e-aa58-b9f3c50df1b1">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=85346637-84ce-4681-8106-3297d16d6562">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A meltdown of epic proportions. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=5002a49b-de7d-4e86-b21a-8a96c22bdbf4">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080326.FLAMES26/TPStory/Sports">Eric Duhatschek, Globe and Mail</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Their best players were better than our their best players except for Luongo. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=bd9db68b-9e21-4fac-9968-e122ce0592d6&k=63062">Ed Willes, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Calgary's points of view. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/heraldhockey/story.html?id=d766f70d-a312-4b1c-8fb8-fea6c81d4426&k=78905">Jean LeFebvre, Calgary Herald</a>; <a href="http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/Flames/2008/03/26/5105451-sun.html">Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>About the game around the blogosphere:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Hannah adds another word to describe the game. (<a href="http://canucks.vox.com/library/post/anger-is-what-i-feel-3-2-canucks-loss.html">Canucks Fangirl</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Sean walked into a bar, caught the last two goals... and drank. I would've too. (<a href="http://hockey-madness.blogspot.com/2008/03/there-was-this-guy-who-walked-into-bar.html">Waiting For Stanley</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And this is after a Flames win. Tough crowd. (<a href="http://hitthepost.blogspot.com/2008/03/flames-v-nucks-postgame-separated-at.html">Hit The Post</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Next game:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tonight against the Avs.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Calgary+Flames" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Calgary+Flames</span></a><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-17207816757431128552008-03-25T06:25:00.004-07:002008-03-25T06:51:22.670-07:00Family Comes First<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Canucks fans need not worry when Roberto Luongo returns to Florida to be with his pregnant wife. After all, this sort of thing happens, and if you ask JS Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks, it just serves to show what is important in life. Besides, the story may even have a fairy tale ending.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">If you remember last year, Giguere had to leave the team in the last week of the regular season for the birth of his son (<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sports/columns/article_1742621.php">Marcia C. Smith, OC Register</a>).</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">On April 3, Giguere was enjoying a rare day off from hockey in his Newport Beach home when, about noon, his pregnant wife felt her water break.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Their son was arriving three weeks early. Known for his quick reaction time on the ice, Giguere called their doctor, packed some bags and drove to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">"I had always planned on being home for the birth," said Giguere, who married Kristen in the summer of 2003 after the Ducks' last trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. "It's too important not to be there."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">He called Kristen's parents, who rushed to the delivery room, video cameras in hand. He tied on a paper gown and stood beside his wife, holding her leg as she labored.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Then, at 12:20 a.m. April 4, he watched Maxime Olivier Giguere — all 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 21 1/2 inches of him — wiggle into life.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Later that morning Giguere text-messaged his teammates, who had joked all season about Giguere's fatherhood arriving during the playoffs. </span></blockquote><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">But that wasn't all. Little Maxime had a rare eye condition and JS had to stay behind for the Ducks' last road trip of the year and the start of the playoffs. After numerous tests and scans, doctors finally diagnosed the condition, and as we all know now, performed successful surgery. JS also returned to the Ducks and eventually won the Stanley Cup.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">With all the talk in the last couple of days about what the Canucks would do when Gina's water finally breaks (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=e8336879-6cd2-4112-9b3f-0ae863ac3479">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=f1311ed6-1ca4-4556-9a5f-48c8d4ce210f">Marc Weber, Vancouver Province</a>), well, it's simple really. Roberto will fly to Florida to be with Gina and Curtis Sanford will take the reins and Drew MacIntyre or Cory Schneider will back Sanford up. Family comes first and the rest will take care of itself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"> </span><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-82415249212223287472008-03-20T06:03:00.004-07:002008-03-20T07:08:41.662-07:00Game Day Post: Canucks at Oilers<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thanks to their most recent run - 10 wins in 12 games - the Edmonton Oilers have crawled to within five points of a playoff spot (<a href="http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=d14384ce-0c62-4103-9592-5002cf02bc44&k=35347">Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal</a>):</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The implications of tonight's task are staggering given that a win over the Vancouver Canucks will vault the Edmonton Oilers to within three points of eighth place in the Western Conference.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A loss, on the other hand, will result in a stubborn seven-point deficit.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Talk about a swing game.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Needless to say, there's a lot of optimism in Oil Country right now.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's time to see if our Vancouver Canucks have any sort of killer instinct. A Canucks win tonight would essentially kill Edmonton's playoff chances. Going into tonight's game, the Canucks' magic number against Edmonton is 12 points; they have 9 games to get there. If they win tonight, that magic number goes down to 8 points in 8 games. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Even if the Oilers could sweep their remaining games after tonight - and thus extend their run to 17 wins in 20 games (yeah sure) - they would still need a lot of help. 8 points in 8 games is only 50% of available points and the Northwest Division teams have been taking around 61% of the available points all season long.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Everyone remembers the last time the Canucks and the Oilers met - very entertaining game and lots of shenanigans in the dying seconds. Some are expecting much of the same (<a href="http://www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/Oilers/2008/03/20/5056786-sun.html">Robert Tychkowski, Edmonton Sun</a>):</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"It was just two teams going back and forth at each other," remembers Kyle Brodziak, one of seven Oilers who dropped the mitts that night. "Both teams really wanted to win that game and nobody was backing down. That's how it escalated."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"I think it's going to be a similar game to the last time we played them," predicted Brodziak. "It's a crucial game, both teams are hungry for the win, and they're a pretty hard-nosed team. We definitely can't back down from them in any way. We have to come out with the same urgency and same grit that they do."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm sure the game will be hard-hitting and all that, but unless the score's lopsided for either team, I doubt that we'll be seeing Fight Night at the Rexall this time around. There's simply too much at stake for both teams to be running around like stupid. Just in case, however, the Canucks will be ready (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=08fc1294-8090-4392-b763-7d339d34d56f">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>):</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"We're going to ice a lineup that can take care of itself and go in and play a hard game." -- Canucks coach Alain Vigneault</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Rick Rypien was in the minors and Nathan McIver a spectator the last time the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers met in a memorable melee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Bruise Brothers won't be bystanders tonight in the Alberta capital. Rexall Place could be turned into Wreck-All Place if punch-ups play a part in the push to the playoffs.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">With Mason Raymond out for at least the rest of the regular season, Ryan Shannon will also draw into the lineup and play next to Henrik Sedin and Taylor Pyatt (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=a6d1cae2-d347-48f0-8432-7ff22ce19ad9&k=52627">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from today's MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Nine games versus the Northwest. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=95a94d38-6097-4e3e-a507-ed8091b611af">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I agree with this one - I hope the Canucks don't finish in seventh place. Actually, I just hope they don't play the Pacific. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=d0414d4f-b1a3-41f9-bbbf-96f5bfe23acd">Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Baby talk out of bounds for Luongo. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=396498b0-c7ad-4f99-971a-92be893aab6b&k=22447">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-44207346815822986922008-03-18T06:24:00.004-07:002008-03-18T07:16:19.946-07:00Coyotes 1 Canucks 3<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I've ordered the Canucks pay-per-view game on Shaw seven times this season. I've had problems five of those times. Last night, I missed the last 10 minutes of the game because the screen blacked out. It was stupid. Fucking stupid. (Or maybe I am for forking out the money anyway.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For those who want a refund, the number is (604) 629-8888. You can also send an email from this link:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="https://secure.shaw.ca/need_help/Request_Help_Form.asp">https://secure.shaw.ca/need_help/Request_Help_Form.asp</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">They'll offer you a refund of anywhere of $4.32 because they claim that there was only ten minutes left in the game. I'm personally of the opinion that we should all get full refunds but I'll leave it to you to think if $4 is fair or not.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">*****</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks looked a lot more interested last night than the last time they played Phoenix (the 2-0 loss). As he'd done all season, Luongo shut the door. For the first time in a long time, the Sedins provided the offense. As was expected, Rick Rypien and Nathan McIver didn't let the Coyotes throw their weight around. If the Canucks were intimidated last time around, they weren't last night, and in fact, controlled a good chunk of the game.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">While the Morrison, Naslund and Pettinger line didn't show up on the score sheet, I thought they had another great game. Naslund and Morrison looked like they may have rekindled some chemistry from their WCE days. Pettinger hasn't looked out of place either and seemed to be able to read where Nazzy and Mo were going.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">If this line could be a consistent threat, then it's obviously good news for the Canucks but especially good news for the Sedins. It certainly makes the opposition coaches think twice about who they want defending which line. I don't think it's a coincidence that, one game after combining for nine points, Nazzy, Mo and Pettinger faced Ed Jovanovski for most of the game. The Sedins faced Keith Ballard and Derek Morris and took full advantage.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">*****</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Does injury news even surprise us anymore? This time, Mason Raymond is expected to be out of the lineup for four weeks with a second degree MCL sprain (<a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=232299&hubname=">TSN.ca</a>).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After the game, Alain Vigneault wasn't pleased:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"In my opinion it was a dirty hit," Vigneault said. "I can't see how they couldn't have seen that, knee-on-knee. I hope the league is going to review it."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Alanah (<a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/CandB/comments/even_when_vancouver_wins_they_lose/">Canucks and Beyond</a>) has the Youtube video:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G9L7FtXCfXw&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I agree with Alanah. The hit was definitely a knee-to-knee, though I can't tell if Ballard intentionally stuck out his knee. Raymond's quick and Ballard's not. To me, it just seemed that Ballard went for the hit, Raymond kinda got by him and Ballard ended up getting him late. Tough call for sure, but even tougher break for Raymond, who's really been one of the Canucks' bright spots this season.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Split Sedins. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=864435aa-f95e-4cad-ae84-07583687b2dc">Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province</a>; </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Payback's a bitch. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=d091343d-91c6-4dd5-a0b5-0804753c41f5">Ed Willes, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=a1d17338-fefe-45ea-bacb-1fdc936e0175">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=f2e33d5f-eef5-4959-9f5a-6d42b53238b4">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=21c37983-250a-405e-a0a9-f0c81e8a39f7">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Ohlund speaks to the press. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=da3299d4-eaa9-42a2-a862-b510f498aaeb">Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=7ea6f94a-3ceb-4f5a-b376-5fbb994686c6">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>).</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Next game:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Phoenix+Coyotes" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Phoenix+Coyotes</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-8844614611446755162008-03-15T11:37:00.007-07:002008-03-15T11:50:11.430-07:00Pronger Gets Eight Games<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The verdict is in. Chris Pronger gets suspended eight games for his stomp on Ryan Kesler (</span><a href="http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=232096&hubname="><span style="font-size:85%;">TSN.ca</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">):</span></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The National Hockey League has handed Anaheim Ducks defenceman Chris Pronger an eight-game suspension for stomping on Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler in a game Wednesday night.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The team has nine games remaining in the regular season, starting Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues. He is eligible to return for the team's final game on Apr. 6 against the Phoenix Coyotes.</span></blockquote></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I suppose it's better than nothing. Though it would've been nice, I wasn't expecting him to get the same 30 games that Chris Simon got. I thought though that the action alone would have been worth at least ten games. I mean, it's not like Pronger has been suspended seven times before. Oh, wait a minute. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Instead, because the Ducks have nine regular season games left, Pronger gets a nice little rest before the playoffs start.</span></span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-57109839084058846892008-03-14T06:59:00.004-07:002008-03-14T07:17:52.731-07:00More on Kesler/Pronger<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">For those who haven't seen the clearer video clip of Chris Pronger going Michael Flatley on Ryan Kesler, here it is:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bt5rBWarx6A&hl=" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Pronger didn't get suspended over this stomp. Chris Simon got 30 games. The argument was that the video was inconclusive, nor does it show intent. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Number one, the new video is definitely clearer and you see Pronger looking down on Kesler before putting his skate on his calf. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Number two, intent is never an easy thing to judge, which is why I think professional sports should discipline players based on their actions. Of course no one intends to hurt another player on purpose, but, intentionally or not, they do sometimes, right? They do the crime, they do the time.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thankfully, Kesler wasn't hurt, but what if he was? I would bet that Chris Pronger would have gotten the Chris Simon treatment (or something close to it). The sad thing is, until someone does get hurt, the league doesn't give two hoots about it.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-15628487820408669882008-03-13T06:20:00.005-07:002008-03-13T06:50:07.532-07:00Canucks 1 Ducks 4<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Something that was mentioned during last night's broadcast but not talked about much afterwards was Chris Pronger's alleged stomp on Ryan Kesler's calf (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=173a407e-4228-4bfa-9b25-92d2c48f929a">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>):</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Chris Pronger stomped on Ryan Kesler, and the Anaheim Ducks stomped on the Vancouver Canucks.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Kesler, fortunately, was alright. We'll see about the Canucks, who provided little initial resistance and were beaten 4-1 here Wednesday, halting their three-game winning streak and stalling their National Hockey League playoff drive.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Kesler, cross-checked from behind by Pronger after scoring earlier this season, appeared to be deliberately stepped on by one of the league's dirtiest players when the Canuck fell at the Duck captain's feet after delivering a check in the second period.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"He stomped on me," Kesler said. "He got me on the calf."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">If true -- and it appeared to be -- it was an especially despicable act by Pronger, whose teammate Corey Perry is currently out six weeks after suffering a skate cut to his leg.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tom Larscheid was the one who mentioned it on air and I don't know if Kes is the type to make this kind of thing up. (I can't find the video anywhere, but I'd appreciate a link if any of you find it.) The thing is, I wouldn't put it past Pronger to do something like that. We all know that he's a heckuva defenseman. We also know that he's a heckuva bully. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Not that the Canucks offered much resistance. As dominant as they were against the Kings the other night, they were just as passive last night. The Sedins got pounded in front of the net. Naslund got pounded by Francois Beauchemin on a (nice) open ice hit. And the worst part was that there was no retribution. The Canucks looked scared, played scared and looked like they just wanted to head straight to Phoenix.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More on the game from today's MSM:</strong></span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Bigger, stronger, faster, hungrier. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=0140717a-159a-4b11-b09b-678214a3f6b5">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=21aaa83f-1730-4bf2-a31f-b150eb14efff">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">At least Louie got a little bit of rest. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=05bec9b9-32a2-4204-863e-e76772654c83">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=0d099385-99ef-46ed-bd6a-3f2214aece25">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">That's home ice advantage. (<a href="http://www.ocregister.com/news/ducks-todd-marchant-1997924-vancouver-canucks">Dan Wood, OC Register</a>; <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_8554554">JP Hoornstra, LA Daily News</a>)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Next game:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tonight against the Coyotes.</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Anaheim+Ducks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Anaheim+Ducks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-85327691464689470362008-03-12T06:54:00.003-07:002008-03-12T07:19:34.807-07:00Hughson Leaving Sportsnet<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's official. Jim Hughson is leaving Sportsnet after this season (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=619726d9-d2b9-463a-a522-40c9b5e89bb2">Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun</a>).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tough job: Replacing Bob Cole. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tougher job: Replacing Jim Hughson.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Stepping into the shoes of one of our nation's iconic voices on the oldest sports television program still on the air, Hockey Night in Canada -- a process that will begin for Hughson once his exclusive six-year contract with the CBC kicks in after this season -- is no small task.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">No, it's not.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Hughson, simply, is one of the best. Canucks fans know it. Most others acknowledge it. Like any good NHL GM would, CBC pounced on an opportunity to sign him to a good, long-term free agent contract.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Good for him. Not so much for Canucks fans. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">He's been a voice for Canucks games since 1994. He also filled in for the legendary Jim Robson in the early '80's (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hughson">wiki</a>). Needless to say, we've gotten accustomed to his play-by-play calls, his delivery and his put-downs of John Garrett. If there's any bit of good news for us, it's that Hughson has mentioned that he will still be doing a few of the Canucks' HNIC games.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Whoever replaces Hughson will have big shoes to fill. <a href="http://www.team1040.ca/">TEAM 1040</a>'s running a poll right now as to who it should be. Their choices are:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">John Shorthouse</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Don Taylor</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Kevin Quinn</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Peter Loubardias</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Dave Randorf.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">In other polls, I've seen Joey Kenward (Vancouver Giants) and Dan Russell (CKNW) mentioned as well.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I'd love to see Shorty and Randorf get a chance, though getting Shorty on Sportsnet would mean having to replace him AND Larscheid on the radio side. I heard Kevin Quinn a couple of weeks ago and he was okay. I don't like the way Loubardias calls a goal and I don't know much about Joey Kenward. And Dan Russell... well, let me put it this way... the day he calls a Canucks game on Sportsnet is the day I watch a Canucks game on mute.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">What do you guys think?</span><br /><br />______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-34172600526039587512008-03-08T12:08:00.003-08:002008-03-08T12:13:25.380-08:00Game Day Post: Blues at Canucks<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Finally, some good news (<a href="http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/icehole/archive/2008/03/08/ohlund-likely-to-play-against-blues-kesler-and-bieksa-also-cleared.aspx">Jason Botchford, The Ice Hole</a>):</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks received some surprisingly good news Saturday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Not only did Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler get medical clearance to play but so did Mattias Ohlund who, just a few days ago, many people thought would miss the rest of the regular season because of bone chips in his knee.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The pain and swelling in Ohlund's knee have subsided and it's a good bet he will play Saturday against St. Louis.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"He looked fine this morning ... and if he looks good in warmup and says he can play, he'll play," Vigneault said.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Ohlund said he felt ready.</span></blockquote>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15127867.post-60062045553684046882008-03-06T22:17:00.005-08:002008-03-07T06:49:34.373-08:00Predators 2 Canucks 6<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">There were a lot of good things to like about the Canucks' 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators. They played, perhaps, one of their most complete games of the season and six different guys scored. Most importantly, they overtook the Predators and put themselves back in a playoff position. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Unfortunately, I think what most people will be talking about tomorrow is the stupid ending to a good game. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Jordan Tootoo is an ass. With a little more than a minute left in the game, he charged at Aaron Miller and injured him with a late hit. Then when Luc Bourdon tried to get at him, he cross-checked Bourdon to the face. Was he trying to defend himself from Luc? Of course. Did he need to introduce his stick to Bourdon's face in the process? Of course not. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This is exactly the kind of bullshit the league should be eliminating.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The thing is, this isn't Tootoo's first cheap shot. He's a repeat offender and this is already his third such offence in a year. And that's not counting some of his less-publicized late hits. Last season, <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=200808&hubname=nhl">he did the same thing to Stephane Robidas</a>, albeit with a glove instead of a stick. Earlier this season, <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/bob_mckenzie/?ID=220443">he took a run at Daniel Winnik's head</a>. Apparently, </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Tootoo's </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">a slow learner.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm curious to find out if the league will review the incident and issue some sort of additional punishment. If they weren't planning on it, then they should. I love hard-hitting hockey as much as the next guy, but I'm sick and tired of this kind of cheap shit.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'll post more in the morning.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">[<strong><em>update:</em></strong> 03/07/2008, 6:09 PM]</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">After a good night's sleep, I'm less foaming at the mouth this morning. I hope Alain Vigneault is too (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=b8960f8a-e632-4481-a1ed-520c1b01ebc7">Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province</a>).</span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"I'm just trying to get the game over with," said Vigneault. "It's 6-2 and I don't know why things like that happen and why a player would run 100 feet with the game over. No respect for the game and no respect for the opposition.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">"There's a few of that type in the league and hopefully the league will deal with it."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Hopefully.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">One other thing that will probably overshadow the Canucks' offensive outburst is the possibility that Kevin Bieksa will be suspended for his *ahem* instigator penalty late in the game.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">You be the judge (the clip also includes a replay of Tootoo's cheap shot too if you want to get your blood boiling like mine was last night).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tRnnv43EjRI" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">To end on a happier note... It was refreshing to see the swagger back in the boys' play last night and I hope they can get on a roll. They host St. Louis tomorrow and then play eight of their next ten games on the road. Heading out with a little momentum going their way won't hurt.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>More from the MSM:</strong></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Canucks' six goals tied a season-high and matched the combined total from their previous four games. (<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080307.CANUCKS07/TPStory/Sports">Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=afbaf932-3f52-4795-9158-acc41676c308">Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=0ed5f3cd-cd0a-457a-a0ba-e45aa5b19567">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">What's this? A positive-sounding article from Tony G? (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=b63163e3-ac1e-4400-8b91-14f7254eccbe&k=11035">Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">They didn't score a goal - seven games and counting now - but they sure chipped in. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=f1a56b98-ca4c-43cc-a188-eb827f4822e2">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Like Jim Hughson said last night, "Everyone can come back on the bandwagon now." (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=566620a2-acb4-4f4e-96b3-42c9f051ffcb">Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">On Ohlund's injury. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=9fb8eced-2bec-49e0-92de-963a7a12ddf8">Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun</a>; <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=5978e544-73f4-4d84-af2b-ad86f531b238">Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">What to do with Naslund? Because the best time to talk about this is in the middle of a playoff race. (<a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=06be8ac1-7e2f-41e5-bbd3-9dc695a467ad">Ed Willes, Vancouver Province</a>)</span></li></ul><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">About the game around the blogosphere:</span><br /></strong><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">T'was a good night. (<a href="http://hockey-madness.blogspot.com/2008/03/canucks-kick-hell-out-of-clawless.html">Waiting For Stanley</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Bieksa the Bad Ass. I like that. (<a href="http://canucks.vox.com/library/post/canucks-prey-on-the-predators-6-2.html">Canucks Fangirl</a>)</span></li></ul>______________<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at <strong>gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com</strong>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Technorati Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/NHL" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">NHL</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/hockey" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">hockey</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vancouver" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Vancouver</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Canucks" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Canucks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Nashville+Predators" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Nashville+Predators</span></a>J.J. Guerrerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01179741308920871228noreply@blogger.com3