CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOG

Moving Day

2008-09-11T18:49:00.002-07:00

Dear friends and readers,

After 3 seasons on Blogger, 3 months off and some convincing from The Crazy Canucks 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 http://canuckshockeyblog.com - if have a link to Canucks Hockey Blog from your site, please change the link to http://canuckshockeyblog.com or http://www.canuckshockeyblog.com.

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.

Alanah kinda alluded to it in this post, but season 4 of Canucks Hockey Blog and The Crazy Canucks 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.

Thanks for 3 great seasons - I can't say enough how you keep me going - and see you on the new site!

J.J.

Food, Wine and Good Company... and that's it for now

2008-09-11T18:47:00.002-07:00

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 (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun).

"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."

The question is if the feeling is mutual (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun):

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.

The two sides will learn to like one another. And Wednesday's bread-breaking was probably a pretty good start.

In truth, Gillis has made it known for a while that he wanted his best two forwards to remain Vancouver Canucks beyond next season.

In truth, a contract offer has been on the table most of the summer. In truth.

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.

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.

After last night, perhaps Gillis was able to explain himself to the Sedins' satisfaction.

Now, the party apparently didn't talk money or contract extension, but both sides laid down some groundwork (TSN.ca).

Gillis described his meeting with the twins as a get-to-know session.

"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."

If anything, there's no doubting the numbers the Sedins have put up in the last 3 seasons.

From Iain MacIntyre (Vancouver Sun):

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.

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.

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.

And from Ed Willes (Vancouver Province):

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Trevor Linden: Player for the People

2008-06-11T06:24:00.006-07:00

There's not much more I can add to my post about Trevor Linden from a couple of months ago. Like what a lot of fans are doing today though, on the day he is set to officially announce his retirement, I'll tell you about the one and only time I met and got to talk to him.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks, Trevor.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Glen Wesley Retires and How He Still Haunts the Canucks

2008-06-05T22:38:00.004-07:00

From TSN.ca:

For the past decade, Glen Wesley helped shepherd the Carolina Hurricanes from homeless vagabonds in North Carolina to Stanley Cup champions.

Now, the last remaining original Hurricane is calling it a career.

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.

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?

Not quite yet.

Neely, of course, retired as a Bruin, but check out how the Bruins have parlayed Wesley into some good assets.

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.

We may hear about "the trade" for years to come.

Some reaction from the 'Canes blogosphere:

A thank you from CasonBlog
A tribute from Canes Country

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Shorty to Sportsnet

2008-06-03T19:33:00.004-07:00

John sent me this tidbit from Alanah's site this afternoon.

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.

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.

I guess this move isn't much of a surprise. Shorty has been rumored to take over from Hughson since it was announced that Hughson would be moving full-time to CBC.

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 TEAM 1040? (Not Dan Russell please.)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc

2008-06-03T19:22:00.003-07:00

The best evidence that Luc Bourdon touched many lives in his short 21 years on this earth are the many tributes 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.

Perusing through the Canucks message boards, I saw the following video, a nice tribute to a good player and an even better person.

And for one more time... "Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc".

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

RIP Luc Bourdon

2008-05-29T16:57:00.006-07:00

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.

After a motorcycle accident this morning, Luc Bourdon is dead.

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident in northern New Brunswick on Thursday. He was 21.

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.

He scored two goals and was a plus-7 in 27 games with the Canucks last season.

Mike Gillis and the Vancouver Canucks issued a short statement earlier this afternoon.

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.

“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.”

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.

Like the time he represented Canada won at the World Junior Championships:

And during the Canucks Dice and Ice Rookies Dance:

RIP Luc. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones.

[Update: 05/30/2008, 7:40 AM]

Coverage from the MSM:

Luc Bourdon 1987-2008: 'He was going to be a special, special player' (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
Bourdon spellbound by the 'power and beauty' of bikes, mother remembers (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Not forgotten in hometown (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Canucks GM Gillis vows to take action on risky activities (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Canucks struggle with death of Luc Bourdon (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
Remembering the real Luc Bourdon (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
NHL player Bourdon killed in motorcycle crash (Allan Maki, Oliver Moore and Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
Moose in mourning (Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun)
Crash cuts a promising hockey career very short (Tim Campbell, Winnipeg Free Press)
Canucks’ Bourdon killed in motorcycle accident (Willy Palov, The Chronicle Herald)
Hunt shocked by news of death (Greg Harder, Regina Leader-Post)
Luc Bourdon: A life that ended far too soon (Wade Babineau, The Guardian)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

A Special Player, A Special Night

2008-04-07T19:25:00.003-07:00

"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."

- via Jim Jamieson (Vancouver Province)

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.

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.

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.

In case you missed it, here is the video of his final skate around GM Place:

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, 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.

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.

"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."

- via Iain MacIntyre (Vancouver Sun)

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.

Trevor said he's fortunate and blessed and that's true. But so were we, Canucks fans, to have been witness to his career.

More tributes for Trevor from John Bollwitt, Joe Pelletier, Jes Golbez and Mike the Yankee Canuck.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

One More Time With Feeling

2008-04-05T06:42:00.006-07:00

Tonight, I hope the fans give Trevor Linden one, good, final hurrah (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun). And if it happens to be the last time we see Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Tommy Larscheid, one for each of them too.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Oilers 2 Canucks 1

2008-04-03T23:28:00.003-07:00

Consider this an open post.

If you're a Canucks fan, feel free to rant. If you're a fan of another team, feel free to gloat.

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.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Game Day Post: Oilers at Canucks

2008-04-03T06:13:00.004-07:00

The Edmonton Oilers are playing for pride (Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal). 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.

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.

Go Canucks! Go Blues! Go Wild!

From the MSM:

Game day previews from the Vancouver side. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
Louie's ready to go. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Pyatt's not. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Avalanche 4 Canucks 2

2008-04-02T06:11:00.004-07:00

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.

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.

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:

March 25th vs. Calgary - They allowed two goals in 41 seconds in the third period.
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.
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.
April 1st vs. Colorado - They allowed three goals in 5:19.

In the game against Calgary and in both games against Colorado, they had the lead when they allowed those quick goals.

What happened to defense-first?

More from the MSM:

Game recaps from the Vancouver side. (Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Ed Willes, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Botchford blames Louie. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Cole blames Nazzy. (Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun)
Game recaps from the Colorado side. (Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News; Terry Frei, Denver Post)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Decent team is putting it nicely. (Waiting For Stanley)
Tapeleg earned some bragging rights. (Jerseys and Hockey Love)

Next game:

Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Colorado+Avalanche

Game Day Post: Avalanche at Canucks

2008-04-01T06:08:00.003-07:00

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 (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province). 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.

The recipe to reverse this trend should be simple. Just play like they did on Sunday.

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.

Because stats at this time of year are pointless:

The Canucks have won four of their last five at home.
The Canucks have failed to gain at least a point in only one of their last twelve home games.
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.
At 18-10-2, the Avalanche have the best intra-divisional record in the Northwest Division.
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.
The other Canuck-killer, Milan Hejduk has four goals and six points in seven games against them.
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.
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.
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.

Previews from the MSM:

Team practices are optional the rest of the season... (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
... and Luongo is taking full advantage. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Inhospitable hosts. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Needing the Twins to step it up. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
Bieksa's back. Hopefully for good. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
A piece on Milan the Canuck-killer. (Marc Weber, Vancouver Province)
Still anyone's game. (Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun)
A preview from the Colorado side of things. (Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Flames 2 Canucks 6

2008-03-31T06:24:00.004-07:00

One down, three to go.

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.

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.

With three games left in the regular season, it doesn't get any clearer than this: win and they're in. And as Ed Willes (Vancouver Province) said this morning, all the criticism the team has faced would be forgotten:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Here's Jason Botchford (Vancouver Province):

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.

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.

It was memorable.

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.

And Brad Ziemer (Vancouver Sun):

If they really will both be gone after this season ends, Trevor Linden and Markus Naslund gave us something to remember Sunday night.

They also gave Vancouver Canuck fans hope.

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.

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.

It was only one game but it was a good one. Three more of those this week would be nice.

More from the MSM:

Ahead again in the playoff race. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun; Grant Kerr, Globe and Mail)
Relaxed Roberto. (Marc Weber, Vancouver Province)
From the Calgary side of things. (Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald; George Johnson, Calgary Herald)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Zanstorm took in the game from GM Place... (Waiting For Stanley)
and Temujin liveblogged it. (Waiting For Stanley)

Next game:

A visit from the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Calgary+Flames

Calling Out The Coach

2008-03-29T06:20:00.004-07:00

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.

*****

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.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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?

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.

He also has to have a feel for his players.

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 2 Flames 3

2008-03-26T06:02:00.005-07:00

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.

I'm pissed off.

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.

And then they pissed it away.

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.

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.

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, shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets last night) 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.

Brad Ziemer (Vancouver Sun) probably described this game the best:

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.

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.

Who knows which team will show up tonight in Denver.

The Canucks are like a box of chocolates and all that.

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.

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.

More from the MSM:

Louie was hot, the team was not. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
A meltdown of epic proportions. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Eric Duhatschek, Globe and Mail)
Their best players were better than our their best players except for Luongo. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
Calgary's points of view. (Jean LeFebvre, Calgary Herald; Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Hannah adds another word to describe the game. (Canucks Fangirl)
Sean walked into a bar, caught the last two goals... and drank. I would've too. (Waiting For Stanley)
And this is after a Flames win. Tough crowd. (Hit The Post)

Next game:

Tonight against the Avs.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Calgary+Flames

Family Comes First

2008-03-25T06:25:00.004-07:00

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.

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 (Marcia C. Smith, OC Register).

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.

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.

"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."

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.

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.

Later that morning Giguere text-messaged his teammates, who had joked all season about Giguere's fatherhood arriving during the playoffs.

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.

With all the talk in the last couple of days about what the Canucks would do when Gina's water finally breaks (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun; Marc Weber, Vancouver Province), 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.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Game Day Post: Canucks at Oilers

2008-03-20T06:03:00.004-07:00

Thanks to their most recent run - 10 wins in 12 games - the Edmonton Oilers have crawled to within five points of a playoff spot (Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal):

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.

A loss, on the other hand, will result in a stubborn seven-point deficit.

Talk about a swing game.

Needless to say, there's a lot of optimism in Oil Country right now.

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. 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.

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 (Robert Tychkowski, Edmonton Sun):

"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."

"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."

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 (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

"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

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.

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.

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 (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province).

More from today's MSM:

Nine games versus the Northwest. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
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. (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
Baby talk out of bounds for Luongo. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Coyotes 1 Canucks 3

2008-03-18T06:24:00.004-07:00

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.)

For those who want a refund, the number is (604) 629-8888. You can also send an email from this link:

https://secure.shaw.ca/need_help/Request_Help_Form.asp

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.

*****

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.

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.

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.

*****

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 (TSN.ca).

After the game, Alain Vigneault wasn't pleased:

"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."

Alanah (Canucks and Beyond) has the Youtube video:

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.

More from the MSM:

Split Sedins. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province;
Payback's a bitch. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Ohlund speaks to the press. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun).

Pronger Gets Eight Games

2008-03-15T11:37:00.007-07:00

The verdict is in. Chris Pronger gets suspended eight games for his stomp on Ryan Kesler (TSN.ca):

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.

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.

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. Instead, because the Ducks have nine regular season games left, Pronger gets a nice little rest before the playoffs start.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

More on Kesler/Pronger

2008-03-14T06:59:00.004-07:00

For those who haven't seen the clearer video clip of Chris Pronger going Michael Flatley on Ryan Kesler, here it is:

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.

Number one, the new video is definitely clearer and you see Pronger looking down on Kesler before putting his skate on his calf. 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.

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.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 1 Ducks 4

2008-03-13T06:20:00.005-07:00

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 (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun):

Chris Pronger stomped on Ryan Kesler, and the Anaheim Ducks stomped on the Vancouver Canucks.

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.

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.

"He stomped on me," Kesler said. "He got me on the calf."

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.

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.

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.

More on the game from today's MSM:

Bigger, stronger, faster, hungrier. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
At least Louie got a little bit of rest. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
That's home ice advantage. (Dan Wood, OC Register; JP Hoornstra, LA Daily News)

Next game:

Tonight against the Coyotes.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Anaheim+Ducks

Hughson Leaving Sportsnet

2008-03-12T06:54:00.003-07:00

It's official. Jim Hughson is leaving Sportsnet after this season (Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun).

Tough job: Replacing Bob Cole. Tougher job: Replacing Jim Hughson.

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.

No, it's not.

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.

Good for him. Not so much for Canucks fans. He's been a voice for Canucks games since 1994. He also filled in for the legendary Jim Robson in the early '80's (wiki). 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.

Whoever replaces Hughson will have big shoes to fill. TEAM 1040's running a poll right now as to who it should be. Their choices are:

John Shorthouse
Don Taylor
Kevin Quinn
Peter Loubardias
Dave Randorf.

In other polls, I've seen Joey Kenward (Vancouver Giants) and Dan Russell (CKNW) mentioned as well.

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.

What do you guys think?

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Game Day Post: Blues at Canucks

2008-03-08T12:08:00.003-08:00

Finally, some good news (Jason Botchford, The Ice Hole):

The Canucks received some surprisingly good news Saturday.

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.

The pain and swelling in Ohlund's knee have subsided and it's a good bet he will play Saturday against St. Louis.

"He looked fine this morning ... and if he looks good in warmup and says he can play, he'll play," Vigneault said.

Ohlund said he felt ready.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Predators 2 Canucks 6

2008-03-06T22:17:00.005-08:00

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. Unfortunately, I think what most people will be talking about tomorrow is the stupid ending to a good game.

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. This is exactly the kind of bullshit the league should be eliminating.

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, he did the same thing to Stephane Robidas, albeit with a glove instead of a stick. Earlier this season, he took a run at Daniel Winnik's head. Apparently, Tootoo's a slow learner.

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.

I'll post more in the morning.

[update: 03/07/2008, 6:09 PM]

After a good night's sleep, I'm less foaming at the mouth this morning. I hope Alain Vigneault is too (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province).

"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.

"There's a few of that type in the league and hopefully the league will deal with it."

Hopefully.

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.

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).

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.

More from the MSM:

The Canucks' six goals tied a season-high and matched the combined total from their previous four games. (Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
What's this? A positive-sounding article from Tony G? (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
They didn't score a goal - seven games and counting now - but they sure chipped in. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Like Jim Hughson said last night, "Everyone can come back on the bandwagon now." (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
On Ohlund's injury. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
What to do with Naslund? Because the best time to talk about this is in the middle of a playoff race. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)

About the game around the blogosphere:

T'was a good night. (Waiting For Stanley)
Bieksa the Bad Ass. I like that. (Canucks Fangirl)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Nashville+Predators

Game Day Post: Predators at Canucks

2008-03-06T06:03:00.005-08:00

It was fun to have the Canucks' top-six defensemen together for a couple of games *snicker snicker*, but alas, another injury has befallen one of them (Vancovuer Province).

Mattias Ohlund had an MRI (magnetic resonance image) on Wednesday to evaluate the extent of a knee injury he suffered Tuesday in Denver.

Luc Bourdon was called up to replace Ohlund in the lineup.

Tonight's as good a night as any to get a win streak going. They win and they're back in eighth place in the Western Conference. They win and the Avs lose to the Ducks and they're back in sixth. They lose and they burn the game in hand they have over the Coyotes who, after beating the Stars last night, are only a point back of the Canucks now.

To say that this is a huge game would be understating it.

More previews from today's MSM:

Mason's back in the lineup. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
In light of their recent slump, maybe the Sedins should be more fazed. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
And the rest of the team should be as well. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
The fans certainly are. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
Shades of 2004. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Slowly but surely, Mo's getting there. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 1 Avalanche 2

2008-03-05T06:08:00.004-08:00

The good news is, the Canucks seem to have found their secondary scoring. The bad news is, their primary scorers are nowhere to be found.

After a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche last night, the Canucks extended their losing streak to four games and dropped to ninth place in the Western Conference. In those four games, they've scored a grand total of six goals and Sedin-Sedin-Naslund contributed a grand total of one assist.

In fact, Sedin-Sedin-Naslund have been quite quiet for six games now. The team scored 13 goals in span; none were scored by those three. So who's been doing the scoring? These guys:

Shannon - 2 goals, 3 assists
Kesler - 3 goals
Raymond, Salo, Edler - 2 goals, 1 assist
Burrows - 1 goal, 1 assist
Pyatt, Ohlund, Mitchell - 2 assists

Obviously, much, much more is expected from Sedin-Sedin-Naslund. What is disappointing is that three of the last four games were one-goal games and even getting just one timely goal from them could have been the difference between four losses in a row and three wins in four games. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but Vigneault took Naslund off the Sedin line four games ago.

Ed Willes (Vancouver Province) offers two trains of thought. The more optimistic one says:

Depending on how you looked at things, in fact, the Vancouver Canucks were sitting in an enviable position before they skated into Denver to meet the Colorado Avalanche, and they're still not that badly off. They're in a three-way cluster around the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference and hold games in hand over both the Nashville Predators and the Avs.

They're still 6-3-5 over their last 14 games and they're very much alive in the Northwest Division pennant race.

The other one, not so much:

I mean, it almost seems pointless to go over it all again but if you wondered why so few still believe in the Canucks the evidence was on display again Tuesday night. Watching this team trying to score goals is like watching someone trying to pass a kidney stone.

Their best players seem to be incapable of changing the momentum of a game. That lack of offence puts too much pressure on Roberto Luongo to play like Superman every night and even Luongo isn't good enough to get this team in the playoffs the way they're playing.

If that wasn't enough, it now seems the Canucks' defensive corps, which was supposed to be the strength of the team, has been vastly overrated. They're not supplying offence. The Canucks still surrendered 31 shots Tuesday night.

I agree that it's too early to jump off the bandwagon. I just wish the team wouldn't make it so hard to stay on it.

More from the MSM:

On the outside looking in. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
All about Foppa. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
And from the Colorado side of things. (Adrian Dater, Denver Post; Woody Paige, Denver Post; Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Tapeleg was at the game and has a recap and lots of pictures. (Jerseys and Hockey Love)

Next game:

Tomorrow night against the Nashville Predators

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Colorado+Avalanche

Game Day Post: Blue Jackets at Canucks

2008-02-29T06:16:00.003-08:00

The Vancouver media tried to create a bit of controversy yesterday when they played a sound clip of Roberto Luongo, who obviously wasn't too happy at Wednesday night's loss, over and over and over again.

"We had about six chances to get it out and either we shot it off our own guys or we didn't get it out," Luongo said. "The next thing you know there's a shot from the point and Sakic is all alone at the side. I was able to get the first save, but he chipped the second one over me. It's unacceptable, inexcusable, that should never happen in an important game like that. So we just pissed away two points tonight."

First, Louie responded (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

"First of all, I don't throw my teammates under the bus," said Luongo. "We all work hard and try to do the right things out there and work for each other. Obviously, it was a tough way to lose and I was upset. I take losing seriously and I don't enjoy it. We're a team and I respect my teammates and what they do out there. I'd never single out anybody."

Then his teammates backed him up:

"Why would I take it personally? Sakic shouldn't score at the end of the game," said Mitchell. "Players like that [Luongo] with a fire in their belly hate to lose and I love those players. That's the difference between a winner and a loser. You're on the right team when your best player wants it that bad."

(snip)

"We've got a lot of quiet guys in this locker-room and it's always good when Louie steps up," said Burrows. "When we see that he's mad, guys want to give it a little bit more."

Controversy over, ok?

What was funny about this whole thing is that a lot of the same people that said that Louie shouldn't have said that after the loss to Colorado are the same people that complain about the Canucks lacking a vocal leader.

Well, now they have one.

More 'Nucks-related pieces in today's MSM:

Trying to avoid the shootout. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
Burrows needs to cut down on those potato farmer jokes. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Baumer's back... with the Moose. (Randy Turner, Winnipeg Free Press)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

A Career Night

2008-02-28T20:38:00.005-08:00

I know there was no hiding my man-crush for Brad Richards. When the Canucks weren't able to get him at the trade deadline and potential first-round playoff opponent Dallas did, I wished that maybe I was wrong and hoped that Richards was, like a lot of Canucks fans in this city thought before Tuesday, indeed washed up.

He's not.

Brad Richards wasted no time showing what he can do for the Dallas Stars.

Richards had a career-high five points—all on assists—in his Dallas debut, setting up new linemate Niklas Hagman’s first NHL hat trick and sending the Stars past the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 Thursday night.

Fuck.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Pyatt, Pettinger, Oh No!

2008-02-27T13:44:00.002-08:00

Courtesy of Waiting For Stanley, here's more about the newest Canuck, Matt Pettinger.

Ladies and gentlemen, lock up your puck bunnies.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Game Day Post: Avs at Canucks

2008-02-27T06:30:00.003-08:00

Everyone's talking about tonight's opponent, the ~~new~~ old and improved Colorado Avalanche (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)

Needless to say, it's a big game. The Canucks are only two points up on Colorado, though Colorado has played a couple more games. They've already four games against each other this season. The Canucks won the first two, while the Avs won the last two. Including tonight's game, they play four more times the rest of the season.

I'm not sure if Matt Pettinger will make his Canucks debut tonight. Word is, he's scheduled to fly in sometime today to meet the team and coaches. If he plays, the projected lineup is:

Sedin-Sedin-Naslund
Raymond-Shannon-Pyatt
Burrows-Kesler-Isbister
Pettinger-Rypien-Linden

On the Avs side, Forsberg and Foote are nice, but it ain't 2001 anymore. (I honestly don't know if Floppa is even playing tonight.)

More from today's MSM:

Morrison and Miller on the mend (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)
Talk about well-prepared. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

More Trade Deadline Day Fall Out

2008-02-27T06:00:00.004-08:00

In reference to the Canucks not doing much at yesterday's trade deadline, Cam Cole (Vancouver Sun) had this to say:

But strip trade day down to its essentials, and here's how it appears, after the re-surface: The big guns solidified their positions, and Colorado is on the outside looking in, but it's hard to imagine them staying there.

And that means someone currently in is likely to be out.

If it's the Canucks, they may look back on Feb. 26, 2008, as one more in a series of shoulda-woulda-coulda days.

It could also be the Nashville Predators.

I've already made my peace with what didn't happen yesterday. Is it a missed opportunity? Sure. Will it bite them in the ass? Maybe, though given the way they've been playing lately, I have complete faith that, come April 5th, this team won't be on the outside looking in.

There's no doubt the upper echleon of the Western Conference got stronger. Dallas, Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose all acquired players they needed. The great thing is, if the playoffs started today, two of those teams would meet in the first round. And if somehow the Canucks came back and won the division, they won't meet any of those teams in the first round. Right now, they'd meet Minnesota.

More from the MSM:

Some unhappiness at the lack of activity. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
A tale of two Matts. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
The Matt on the way out. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
The Matt on the way in. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Marc Weber, Vancouver Province)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

An Unsung Hero

2008-02-26T21:18:00.005-08:00

A little more than a month ago, I raised enough money for the BC Children's Hospital Skate for a Cure and had a chance to meet a Canucks player and get a picture taken with him. When I got to GM Place, I asked one of the arena hosts which player was there and he responded, "The two players that do the most community work around here - Trevor Linden and Matt Cooke."

In the last couple of years, Matt Cooke had a bit of falling out with Canucks fans, but it wasn't always that way. The Canucks drafted him in the 6th round (144th overall) in the 1997 Entry Draft. He made his Canucks debut the year after and immediately became a fan favorite due to his rambunctious style. Canucks fans voted him as the team's Unsung Hero in 2003.

For whatever reason, Cookie's style didn't mesh well with Alain Vigneault's system. Under Marc Crawford, he knew his role - the shit disturber - and played it well. Under Vigneault, quite simply, he looked lost at times. He was okay but he wasn't the same, and today, the team that drafted him and the only team that he had ever played for traded him to the Washington Capitals.

Cooke was one of my favorite players. I have one signed Canucks jersey and it's his signature on it. I love his all-out style. I'm sure you've heard me say this before but I always thought he bled Canucks blue and left everything on the ice. Unlike his critics, I've never perceived him to be a dirty player. Yappy and annoying and always playing on the edge maybe, but definitely not dirty.

He was clutch. I'm sure you'll remember the following couple of videos, both of which are now part of Canucks lore. Both games were in the playoffs, and in both, the Canucks needed a late goal; Matt Cooke delivered.

Off the ice, Cooke is as good people as good people come. A couple of years ago, he started the Cooke Family Foundation of Hope.

The Cooke Family Foundation of Hope was brought to life in 2006 by Michelle and her husband, Canuck left winger Matt Cooke. The couple both grew up in small towns where the values of sharing with neighbours and helping out in the community were deeply ingrained.

Since moving to Vancouver, the Cookes have always been drawn to social issues and community work and, along with other Canuck families, are still involved in the annual Canucks Dice & Ice Event, The Province Empty Stocking Fund, The Children's Heart Network, JDRF, The Michael Cuccione Foundation, as well as frequent visitors to Canuck Place (a hospice for terminally ill children) and B.C. Children's Hospital. Since the 2006 season opener, the Foundation has purchased a suite at the Vancouver Giants games and donate evenings there to deserving children from various community charities throughout the Lower Mainland.

At the Skate for a Cure, I actually drew Trevor Linden's name but switched with someone so I could meet Cooke instead. (I had met Trevor before at other fundraisers.) The picture below was the picture taken that day.

I'm glad I met the Cookie Monster that day. I'm gonna miss him, though I'm sure many others will as well. If not on the ice, then definitely off it.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Matt For Matt... And That's It

2008-02-26T20:05:00.005-08:00

I've had a few hours to digest what happened - or I should say, didn't happen - today.

Like a lot of Canucks fans, my initial reaction to Dave Nonis pulling off the grand total of one trade was one of disappointment. Maybe it was because I psyched myself for Brad Richards (or someone of similar caliber) or maybe I was just expecting more than Matt Pettinger. This isn't anything against Pettinger. I'm sure that once he gets on the ice and plays Cookie's same crash-and-bang style, we'll all get to like him. Plus, he apparently calls Victoria home (canucks.com) and you guys know I'm a sucker for locals that don the 'Nucks jersey. My reaction had purely to do with expectations, and as I watched Colorado, Dallas, Anaheim, San Jose and Detroit load up, I started expecting Nonis to do a bit more.

Talking about Pettinger, here is something a Caps fan mentioned on On Frozen Blog:

Aside from the ladies losing a piece of eye candy; the rest of us see nothing wrong with this trade.

It sounds like Taylor Pyatt has a bit of competition.

Anyway, after scanning the list of players that moved today, I can kinda see why Nonis didn't make the splash we all wanted. The Canucks' glaring need, of course, is a top-six forward, and quite frankly, it doesn't look like there were many available. Or if they were available, maybe the price was too high.

The only player traded today that I would have given up a combination of our good prospects was Brad Richards. It sounded like the Canucks were right there until the very end, but I guess the Lightning preferred players who can play now and not in the next couple of years. Hossa would have helped, but no way the Canucks could have beat Pittsburgh's offer (or at least not without crippling their farm team). Olli Jokinen would have been nice, but who knows if he was even available.

There were other players available that may have upgraded the Canucks' top-six. Andrew Ladd and Tuomo Ruutu were traded for each other. The Blackhawks had Marty Havlat and Robert Lang available as well. But truthfully, I'm glad we didn't throw Luc Bourdon, Cory Schneider and our first-round draft pick at those types of players. (Though I'll admit that Ladd is an interesting prospect but that could be just my local bias again.) Especially with the team's prospect pool finally looking decent, I would have hated to see RJ Umberger for Martin Rucinsky or two 2nd-round draft picks for Sopel-type deals.

Interestingly enough, none of Calgary, Minnesota, Nashville or Phoenix acquired anything of significance for the stretch run (unless you count Chris Simon as significant). I don't know how much this factored into Nonis' approach, but maybe, the feeling is that the Canucks can hang around these teams and make it into the playoffs. They can then take their chances against the likes of the Wings, the Stars, the Sharks and the Ducks.

I guess we'll find out in the next couple of months if this was the right approach.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Trade Deadline 2008

2008-02-26T04:36:00.031-08:00

[added: 02/26/2008, 7:53 PM]

Sorry guys. Had to step out. You can find the rest of today's trades on NHL.com. I've got a summary from the Canucks side of things coming.

[added: 02/26/2008, 12:31 PM]

This made me smile and shudder at the same time (TSN.ca).

The Minnesota Wild added lots of toughness on Tuesday, acquiring Chris Simon from the New York Islanders for a sixth-round draft pick.

Dear God, aren't Derek Boogard and Todd Fedoruk enough?

[added: 02/26/2008, 12:11 PM]

Nice trade by Pittsburgh to obtain Marian Hossa (TSN.ca)?

The Atlanta Thrashers have traded sniper Marian Hossa and winger Pascal Dupuis to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect Angelo Esposito, forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen and a first-round pick.

That said, Pittsburgh is getting themselves a heckuva player in Hossa without sacrificing too much from their current lineup. Dupuis and Armstrong, I think, cancel each other out and Erik Christensen isn't exactly irreplaceable. To me, Hossa's rental for this postseason - and by all accounts, this is just a rental - costs the Penguins Esposito and a low first-round pick.

Not bad.

[added: 02/26/2008, 11:40 AM]

The only big name out there is Marian Hossa. Sportsnet was reporting that he could be on his way to Pittsburgh; TSN is saying it's not done and that a Hossa/Hedberg deal may be on the table with Montreal. With Matt Pettinger the only name coming to the Canucks, should Dave Nonis make a pitch for him?

Unlike Richards and Jokinen, Hossa is an unrestricted free agent after this season. He's purely a rental player and Nonis has been adamant that he won't throw many assets after that. The only other big UFA to be traded so far is Brian Campbell. He went for Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick. Does that change the market for Hossa? Will a prospect and a 1st round draft pick do it? And if that's the case, should Nonis offer Bourdon or Schneider and a draft pick to Atlanta?

[added: 02/26/2008, 10:45 AM]

Those of you who've followed my blog for a while know I'm a big Matt Cooke fan. Don't get me wrong. Matt Pettinger is decent. What I don't understand is the need to replace to Cookie with a Cookie-like player.

Here's Pettinger's scouting report (from Sportsnet.ca):

Assets: Works very hard and never takes a shift off. Loves to play a crash-and-bang style and is very effective in the corners. Can play either wing position.

Flaws: Isn't blessed with supreme skills, so he must always play his heart out in order to get on the score sheet. His hard-nosed style leads to injuries.

Career Potential: Third line winger.

Listening to the Sportsnet panel, it sounds like Pettinger has a bit more scoring upside so maybe the move is intended to upgrade our bottom-six. For what it's worth, he's on pace to score 10 points this season.

[added: 02/26/2008, 10:39 AM]

And the first Canuck to be traded is... Matt Cooke.

Coming back is Matt Pettinger from the Washington Capitals.

More in a minute.

[added: 02/26/2008, 10:00 AM]

Report: Patrick Roy and Ray Bourque sign with the Colorado Avalanche for the rest of the season.

Okay, maybe not those two but after getting Peter Forsberg to re-sign with the team yesterday, they've also now re-acquired Adam Foote. And word has it that Rob Blake might be on his way too. Shit, maybe we can send them Aaron Miller.

[added: 02/26/2008, 9:48 AM]

With a few deals already done, here are some reactions from the blogosphere.

The Battle of California on the Brian Campbell and Brad Richards deals:

Brian Campbell for Steve Bernier/1st rounder? Holy crap, that's a steal. I'm assuming there's a conditional pick involved should Campbell sign. For the first time in, well, ever, the Sharks have a legit #1 defenseman in his prime. Maybe the power play will finally score now AND the Sharks keep Patrick Marleau. Not too shabby, eh?

As for Dallas getting Brad Richards (it's official), fuck you Dallas.

Five For Fighting on the Brad Richards deal:

I have mixed feelings about the Brad Richards deal, just based solely on getting to know these guys in the locker room. I'll especially miss Mike Smith. He had such a great attitude and sense of humor in that locker room, and I don't doubt that he helped keep Marty Turco loose. Those two had such a great friendship.

The Shootout on Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen going to Tampa Bay:

It is with a sad and heavy heart to report that HullJack have traded Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and Mike Smith for center Brad Richards and goalie Johan Holmqvist from Tampa Bay.

I will not lie that I am not pleased about this trade, at all. I lost my Jew and Juicy in one felt swoop.
So with this sadness, I think it is now time to say goodbye to 2 of my favorite players.

Puckhead's Thoughts on acquiring Cristobal Huet:

The Washington Capitals made a trade to bolster a position that I felt they had needed some help with. Cristobal Huet was traded to the Capitals for a 2nd round pick. Almost for nothing.

This tells me one of two things, Olie Kolzig doesn't look like he will get a contract extension after he is done, and Brent Johnson's days are numbered. The Canadiens obviously are going with Carey Price, and McPhee pulled a goaltender from out of nowhere. He would have been crazy not to take this opportunity.

[added: 02/26/2008, 9:39 AM]

PS. Dave Nonis - You still there?

[added: 02/26/2008, 9:27 AM]

I'm talking to John via Skype regarding the Cristobal Huet trade to the Washington Capitals (TSN.ca). Neither of us expected that trade at all.

The obvious next question is, which other goaltender is on his way to the Habs? Montreal is in a dogfight with Ottawa for the Northeast Division championship. Carey Price is good, but I doubt they go into the stretch run and the playoffs with a Price/Halak combo in net.

Good trade for the Caps. Kolzig's had an inconsistent season and Washington wants to take the next step. At the very least, Kolzig and Huet can push each other.

[added: 02/26/2008, 9:16 AM]

Tuomo Ruutu is now a Carolina Hurricane and Andrew Ladd is a Chicago Blackhawk (Sportsnet.ca).

Ruutu is a nice pick-up, though due to injuries or for some other reason, just never found his stride in Chicago.

I do like this trade for the Blackhawks. I'm surprised Carolina gave up on Ladd, a good Maple Ridge kid, who, after winning the Cup back in 2006, brought it to the Stone Temple. He's a big winger with some decent hands and should look good on a line with any one of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marty Havlat or Patrick Sharp. He's also only 22 years old.

[added: 02/26/2008, 8:42 AM]

Apparently, Brad Richards is now a Dallas Star (TSN.ca).

The Stars get Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist.

The Lightning get Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern.

No draft picks, no bluechip prospect on defense exchanged.

Here's hoping for a Marty Turco first-round flop.

[added: 02/26/2008, 8:37 AM]

Bob McKenzie just mentioned that Brad Richards has officially been asked to waive his no-trade clause. It sounds like he's headed to the Dallas Stars.

That sucks.

[added: 02/26/2008, 8:28 AM]

The first of today's big fish, Brian Campbell, has just been traded to the San Jose Sharks (TSN.ca).

In one, swift move, the Sharks addressed one of their biggest needs. Campbell is a heckuva defenseman and he can move the puck. Now they have someone who can actually get the puck to the likes of Thornton, Marleau (if he's still a Shark by the end of the day) and Michalek.

[added: 02/26/2008, 8:18 AM]

Wade Belak has just been traded to the Florida Panthers for a 5th round draft pick (TSN.ca).

I don't know if I'm more surprised that some team actually wanted Belak or that that team actually gave up something to get him. Belak, incidentally, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

[added: 02/26/2008, 7:55 AM]

I know, I know. As Alanah said last night, I'm quite emotionally invested in the possibility of Brad Richards in a Canucks jersey. This morning, RJ from the Vancouver Viewpoint mentioned he would actually prefer to see Olli Jokinen come over.

RJ is right.

Truth be told, I prefer Olli Jokinen as well. On episode 60 of The Crazy Canucks, I spelled out why too. He's the big center the Canucks have always needed plus his contract is much more manageable. I even argued that I would give up Ryan Kesler if it meant upgrading the top-six to include Jokinen.

Both will cost the Canucks prospects and cap space for sure. The difference is that Richards will cost the Canucks more cap space, and for the reasons RJ mentioned, Jokinen will cost the Canucks more prospects. Bourdon, Schneider and draft picks won't be enough to land Olli Jokinen. To get OJ in a Canucks jersey, start with that package for Richards and then add Kesler or Edler.

Also, I focused on Brad Richards because I know Nonis is hot on his heels and I don't blame him. Again, money issue aside, giving up a package with Bourdon and Schneider ain't bad. Regardless of what high-end player the Canucks acquire and regardless of whether they acquire him through trade or free agency, it's going to cost them significant money (see: Boyle, Dan). Jokinen probably isn't much of a target, perhaps because of how many young players it's gonna cost to get him or perhaps because the Panthers don't want to give us any more of their All-Stars.

[added: 02/26/2008, 7:33 AM]

Woo-hoo! Finally, a trade!

The New Jersey Devils have acquired Bryce Salvador from the St. Louis Blues for Cam Janssen.(TSN.ca).

Solid deal for the Devils. Salvador provides the Devils with some defensive depth. He was playing mostly between 17 and 20 minutes a game for the Blues. Cam Janssen, well, he's been injured all season.

[added: 02/26/2008, 7:09 AM]

Always one of the funniest liveblogs on trade deadline day is Jay Onrait's (TSN). Check it out. He even has some Baby Spice rumors.

[added: 02/26/2008, 6:56 AM]

I actually forgot that TSN has John Ferguson Jr. on its deadline day show. But then again, is there any other ex-GM out there that's more astute than JFJ? I mean, he is the guy that brought luminaries like Brian Leetch, Ron Francis and Luke Richardson to the Leafs on past trade deadline days. Nevermind that he paid primo assets for them in the twilight of their careers.

If I'm not mistaken, Sportsnet has Doug MacLean on. His claim to fame is acquiring guys like Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote to lead the Blue Jackets.

JFJ vs. Dougie Mac. Who can give the better analysis on today's trades?

[added: 02/26/2008, 6:47 AM]

James Mirtle brings up a good point. Brian Campbell's people should send Dan Boyle's people a thank you card.

[added: 02/26/2008, 6:18 AM]

Jay Feaster is apparently a slow learner (Erik Erlendsson, Tampa Tribune)?

Defenseman Dan Boyle agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $40 million, with a salary cap hit of $6.67 million a season, while left wing Vinny Prospal was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for 22-year-old defensemen Alexandre Picard and a conditional 2009 draft pick.

Ladies and gentlemen, that $6.67 million cap hit ranks fourth among all NHL defensemen. The three d-men with higher cap hits? Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom and Scott Niedermayer.

Don't get me wrong. I love Dan Boyle as much as the next guy. I'm just not sure I love him more than, say, Dion Phaneuf and Sergei Zubov. Especially when Boyle is 38, which is when this contract ends, I don't know if I'd still love $6.67 million ways.

[added: 02/26/2008, 5:49 AM]

Okay, so I had time to drive up to Tim Horton's and still no trades?

[added: 02/26/2008, 5:13 AM]

Nothing confirmed on the Brad Richards front, though Ben Kuzma (Vancouver Province) and the TSN panel are reporting the rumored proposals from the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and our Vancouver Canucks:

From Dallas - Mike Smith (G), Jussi Jokinen (LW), Jeff Halpern (C) and Mark Fistric (D)
From Columbus - Dan Fritsche (C), Gilbert Brule (C), Ron Hainsey (D), Ole-Kristian Tollesfsen (D)
From Vancouver - Luc Bourdon (D), Corey Schneider (G), draft picks

At first glance, the Stars' offer probably is the strongest, though I'm not sold that Mike Smith is a number one goalie. He's certainly ahead of Schneider in his development, but I think Schneider has a bit more upside. Or that could just be my Canucks bias. Columbus' offer is quite strong as well, but would Richards really want to move to Columbus?

[added: 02/26/2008, 4:52 AM]

The first big name to move yesterday wasn't because of a trade. It was the Colorado Avalanche signing Peter Forsberg (TSN.ca)

As a Canucks fan, I hope the Avs miss the playoffs.

[added: 02/26/2008, 4:45 AM]

Oh crap. Maybe not Brad Richards (link via Canucks and Beyond)?

[added: 02/26/2008, 4:36 AM]

G'morning boys and girls. I see Paul, James, Lyle and Mike are working the web already. Any West Coasters up yet?

Should hopefully be a good day. I'm looking forward to seeing Brad Richards and Mark Recchi in Canucks jerseys by the end of the day.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Monday Morning Surfing

2008-02-25T06:59:00.004-08:00

Here are some of today's quick links. As can be expected, there's a lot of trade chatter going on.

How a few wins can change your outlook on life. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
Bring on Brad. (Vancouver Province)
Matt Cookie the mentor. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
Isbister's been around but I think he's sticking around this year. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)

I'll post more later tonight if anything happens.

And on a quick programming note, I'll be liveblogging tomorrow's trade deadline day. Make sure you come by and join in the hijinks.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Whirlwind Weekend Wrap-up

2008-02-25T06:06:00.004-08:00

As planned, it was a whirlwind weekend for John, Rebecca, Alanah, Dave and I and The Crazy Canucks podcast.

On Saturday, we did a panel session at the Northern Voice Conference at UBC and we had probably close to 50 people attend and listen to our *ahem* expertise. The questions they threw at us were wide-ranging and quite interesting - i.e. our relationship with the team (in progress), the kind of access we get (getting better), our journalistic integrity (we're not Eklund or Perez Hilton), the kind of hardware and software we use (you'll have to ask John and Dave about this), and others. Very cool experience for sure.

(Photo Credit: Duane Storey on Flickr)

On Sunday, we went to the Canucks Open Practice and set up shop with the Ultimate Canucks Search folks just outside section 101 at GM Place. While Jamie and Bruce from the UCS pimped out their "So You Think You Can-Nuck" contest, we also had a chance to pimp out The Crazy Canucks podcast. We posed for pictures and recorded an episode on-site. We also chatted with a few fans "on-air" and got their thoughts on the Canucks post-season chances. We even met a couple of other Canucks bloggers and podcasters; Hannah (Canucks Fangirl) stopped by and so did Kent (We Are All Canuckleheads) We have tons of audio from this event so hopefully we can put it all together in the next couple of days or so.

But the biggest highlight of the day was a (free) 30-second spot for the podcast on the GM Place jumbotron. Scott Rintoul (TEAM 1040), who was hosting the event, came by and did an interview that they played on the big screen. Really cool of them.

(Photos Credit: Canucks Fangirl on Flickr)

More pictures from the Open Practice on John's and Rebecca's Flickr sites.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

The Buzz With Brad

2008-02-24T19:04:00.003-08:00

Over the last 24 hours or so, there's been a fair bit of buzz about the possibility of the Vancouver Canucks acquiring Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's the latest (via TSN.ca):

Sources tell TSN the Tampa Bay Lightning have reached out to star forward Brad Richards and have alerted him to their interest in trading him.

It's believed the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets are the most active in the hunt, although according to source, Richards isn't expected to be given the list until later Sunday night.

In the last episode of The Crazy Canucks podcast, we talked briefly about some of the guys that might be coming over. Olli Jokinen was a big topic, but so was Brad Richards. Because of his $7.8 million price tag for each of the next three seasons, John and Alanah were admittedly hesitant to pull the trigger on the deal. Personally, I would welcome Brad Richards and here's why.

There's no denying his price tag is a big risk. Heck, at $23.4 million over the next three seasons, it's a huge risk. However, for the last couple of years, we've been talking about the summer of '08 because it's the summer when Naslund's, Morrison's, Cooke's and Linden's contracts all expire, clearing $11.5 million in cap space and paving the way to sign one, maybe even two or three, very good free agents. I know I was salivating at the opportunity to pluck at least one of Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, and to a lesser extent, Patrick Marleau.

As we all know now, those guys have re-signed with their current teams. Mats Sundin is still out there but he'll probably re-sign with Toronto regardless of where finishes this season. Marian Hossa will simply go where the money is. Instead, the free agent pool this summer will be headlined by guys like: Kristian Huselius, Daymond Langkow, Daniel Cleary, Pavol Demitra, Michael Ryder, Radim Vrbata and Ryan Malone. Good players, for sure, but not exactly players you would throw big money at. There are some interesting restricted free agents - i.e. Jeff Carter and Corey Perry - but unless Nonis goes nuts like Kevin Lowe, offers them multi-year, $5-6 million per year contracts, and gives up four first-round draft picks, I doubt they ever don Canucks colors unless Nonis acquired them by trade.

Which brings me to the Brad Richards' contract. It's not a great contract by any means, but given the silly contracts handed out to last year's UFAs, it's not that bad either. Gomez and Vanek are not $7 million a year players and that's exactly how much they got through unrestricted and restricted free agency. I would prefer the Canucks spend $7.8 million of their freed up cap money on a Stanley Cup winner, Conn Smythe winner and Olympic gold medal winner than signing say, Huselius for 5 years for $30 million or Pavol Demitra for 4 years for $25 million. Richards would be kinda like the Canucks' UFA signing this summer except they'll have him for the playoff run this season as well.

Capwise, it may work out just fine as well for the Canucks. Here's when their key contracts are up over the next few seasons (numbers courtesty of NHLSCAP.com):

2008 - Naslund (UFA), Morrison (UFA), Cooke (UFA), Linden (UFA), Shannon (RFA unless more than 27 GP), Miller (UFA) and Sanford (UFA)
2009 - Sedin (UFA), Sedin (UFA), Pyatt (UFA), Burrows (UFA), Ohlund (UFA), Edler (RFA) and Krajicek (RFA)
2010 - Luongo (UFA), Mitchell (UFA), Kesler (RFA), Raymond (RFA), Bourdon (RFA) and Schneider (RFA)

Unless the salary cap nosedives in the next few seasons - and by all accounts it should actually go up by a few million bucks - the Canucks should not only have enough cap space to account for players' raises, but also, enough flexibility to sign or let go of players as they need.

Admitedly, Richards is having a horrible year. Keep in mind, however, that he's having a horrible year on a horrible team. He is a -25 so far this season, but this is on a Lightning team that doesn't get good goaltending on a regular basis, doesn't have much of a defense, and has the second-worst GAA in the entire league. In fact, the entire Lightning team except for Vinny Lecavalier are minus players and Richards plays more minutes than any other forward except for Marty St. Louis. A change of scenery and playing with a better team can get him back to being a point-per-game, plus-player, and at only 27 years old, there's no reason to think that can't do that.

The only other question left is what the Canucks would send to Tampa Bay. The Lightning need defensemen so they'll obviously want some of the Canucks' depth on defense. They're also trying to shed salary so that pretty much ix-nays a combination of the Canucks' $3 million-ish contracts. (They'll probably take one, but not any more than that.) The Lightning will also want some youth to rebuild. Will Bourdon, Schneider and an exchange of draft picks be enough to get Richards in a Canucks uni? Maybe Kesler, Bourdon and an exchange of draft picks? Maybe Bieksa instead of Bourdon (but not both)? If that's the cost of acquiring Richards, I'd pull the trigger. As much as I like those players, Richards significantly upgrades the Canucks' group of top-six forwards - with someone with proven big-game credentials no less - without significantly downgrading the lineup anywhere else. The other option is to get into a bidding war for a Kristian Huselius.

Frankly, I like the Richards deal better.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

The Crazy Canucks Around Town

2008-02-22T06:53:00.004-08:00

It's going to be a busy weekend for The Crazy Canucks Podcast folks this weekend. (By the way, if you missed episode 60, here it is.)

On Saturday, John, Rebecca, Alanah, Dave and I will be at UBC for this year's Northern Voice Conference. Northern Voice is a social media conference and we've been asked to hold a panel session on the topic of sports blogging and podcasting. Rebecca will be facilitating our panel:

These are 4 individuals who all have different levels of technical knowledge, different blogs or podcasts but we all share one thing - our love for hockey and the Canucks. During our session we’ll simply be exploring the basics (how to start a sports blog), some of the philosophies (how do you keep it going, get an audience, deal with heckler Oilers fans or feel about being “outsiders” of the organizations), and lastly some of the more technical aspects (how do we all come together and record a podcast from all corners of the country) followed by Q&A.

Then on Sunday, we're going to the Canucks Open Practice, joining the good folks from the Ultimate Canucks Search. The Canucks were kind enough to set us up with a kiosk on the concourse of GM Place so we can record a podcast episode (or two or three) and generally just have fun with all the ultimate Canucks fans that stop by.

If any of you are going to be at either event, please do stop by and say hi. :)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Moose Goalie's Game-Winning Goal

2008-02-22T06:48:00.002-08:00

A couple of nights ago, the Manitoba Moose won in overtime against the Chicago Wolves. Drew MacIntyre - yes, the goaltender - scored the game-winner (Adam Wazny, Winnipeg Sun)

If you haven't seen the video yet, here it is.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Manitoba+Moose

Canucks 3 Predators 2 (SO)

2008-02-22T05:49:00.004-08:00

For the first time in four months, the Vancouver Canucks finally had their top-four defensemen in the lineup. How'd they do? Well, they allowed 51 Nashville shots on Roberto Luongo.

The good thing is, Luongo was the best Canuck last night. He stopped 49 of those 51 shots plus another 3 in the shootout. As we've gotten used to by now, he won a game the Canucks simply had no business winning. In the team's current three-game winning streak, he hasn't allowed more than two goals per game.

In what was probably his best game as a Canuck, Mason Raymond scored a beauty of a goal, added an assist and scored the shootout winner. His line with the other little engines that could, Ryan Shannon and Matt Cooke, combined for 5 points (1G-4A) and 5 shots on goal. To be honest, I cringed when Vigneault put this line together a few games ago. I was worried that opposing teams would just bowl them over. So far, they've been able to utilize their speed to elude them and use their skill to keep the puck away from them.

But the story of the night was Kevin Bieksa's return (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun; Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province; Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province). He, of course, missed 47 games and played the night before with the Manitoba Moose. He played a modest 15 minutes, but you can tell he needs to get used to playing the guys again. He had a miscue with Louie early in the game and left his man open on the Predators' second goal. But overall, Bieksa was okay. He definitely adds a different dimension to the defense. Case in point was him going after Jordin Tootoo, who took a bit of a run at Henrik Sedin. Bieksa probably would have beat him had Tootoo not lay down and play dead.

The win moved the Canucks up to seventh place in the Western Conference standings, four points up on the ninth place Phoenix Coyotes. They're starting to heat up as well. They've won four of their last five games and only has one regulation time loss in their last nine games (5-1-3). Just in time too.

About the game around the blogosphere:

Zanstorm's pissed... at the Sedins. (Waiting For Stanley)
Hannah's happy we squeaked out a win. (Canucks Fangirl)

Other Canucks news in the MSM:

Mo stories from the father-son road trip. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Some quick trade talk. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
I personally don't care what network Jim Hughson ends up with, as long as he's doing Canucks games. (Vancouver Province)

Next game:

Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Nashville+Predators

And The Winner Is...

2008-02-21T23:24:00.002-08:00

And the contest winner is... Shane Mattenley.

Send me an email, Shane, and we can arrange to meet and I can give you your tickets.

Thanks everyone!

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

What Should Nonis Do Contest Time

2008-02-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

Contest time.

With news that Peter Forsberg won't be coming back to the NHL this season, Dave Nonis' job just got a bit more challenging (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province). Signing Forsberg, likely or unlikely as it may have been, would have given the Canucks a top-six forward without costing them any of their young players. Now, If Nonis wants to make this team better for the playoff push and beyond, he has to deal away some assets.

The question is, what should Nonis do? Should he trade or should he stay put? Who should he trade and who should he trade for?

Post a comment and share your thoughts. On Thursday night, I'll randomly select a name to win a couple of tickets to the Vancouver Canucks Open Practice on Sunday. Great seats too. They're in section 117, row 4 - I believe these are two rows behind the players bench.

I'll sticky this post over the next couple of days to give y'all a chance to enter.

Cheers!

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Game Day Post: Canucks at Predators

2008-02-21T06:06:00.004-08:00

Kevin Bieksa played for the Manitoba Moose last night, and by all accounts, looked pretty darn good and looks ready to get back into the Canucks' lineup (Adam Wazny, Winnipeg Sun).

Bieksa wasn't sure of his status after Manitoba's 2-1 overtime victory over the Chicago Wolves last night but the team confirmed he will be going back to Vancouver today. The Canucks play in Nashville tonight.

Bieksa showed why he's such a big part of the Canucks future with his cool robust style. He mixed right into the action, starting the game on the point and making a point to get involved -- as evidenced by the way he hammered former Moose Jesse Schultz twice to the ice before the game was two minutes old.

The Grimsby, Ont. product took a regular shift, killed penalties and spent significant time on the power play. Bieksa took a minor penalty and counted an assist on Pierre-Cedric Labrie's second period goal.

It's been four months since Bieksa last played in the bigs. It was a long road back, and truthfully, I'm surprised he even came back this season. Shows you what I know.

Ed Willes (Vancouver Province) has a nice piece on his return:

So, now that Bieksa's return to the Canucks lineup is so close he can feel it, he can laugh about everything that's happened and, when pressed, even see the positive things.

But way back in November, when his wife Katie broke the news that Bieksa was going to be out a lot longer than the week or two he envisioned, he didn't feel that way. Mostly he felt scared and confused about why this was happening; why something so freakish could derail his season and possibly his career.

"It's the worst part of the game," said Bieksa of his recovery. "It's slow. It's monotonous at times. But the closer you get the easier it is. This week is easier than last week and last week was easier than the week before. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

It's been a long time coming.

Knock on wood, the Canucks will have their top-four defensemen back in the lineup for the first time since November 1st either tonight in Nashville or Saturday against Detroit. They've weathered the storm - they have a decent 25-14-8 record since November 1st - and, at least on the back end, they're finally getting healthy. Having Bieksa back at this time, the Canucks are basically adding a top-four defenseman close to the trade deadline without giving up assets, and hopefully, should provide the team with a jolt over the stretch run.

More from the MSM:

With Bieksa back, McIver's going back to Manitoba. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
Great piece on Trevor and Lane Linden on the 'Nucks father-son road trip. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Honey, let's shrink the goalies. (Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 3 Wild 2 (OT)

2008-02-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

That's more like it!

I don't want to get ahead of myself too much but last night's 3-2 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild makes me feel a lot better about the Canucks' postseason chances. While Saturday night's win was more of a pure blood and grit kinda win, last night's had more of a playoff feel to it. Both teams matched lines, both teams slowed the game down, and both teams approached the game more strategically.

The Canucks won and deservedly so. Just like on Thursday night, they controlled a lot of the play and certainly created more scoring chances. Thankfully, this time they came out with the two points.

On even-strength, Ryan Kesler's line played well against Marion Gaborik's line. Sedin, Sedin and Naslund were clutch. Louie was clutch. The Little Engines That Could - Ryan Shannon, Matt Cooke and Mason Raymond - played great and even chipped in with a goal.

Shannon, especially, is beginning to look more comfortable. Unlike at the start of the season, he looks more patient with the puck and more competitive without it. In other words, he's letting the game come to him instead of vice-versa, and in the five games since his call-up, he has three assists and is a plus-2.

By the way, someone explain to me the Wild fans' animosity towards Mattias Ohlund. I know he slashed Mikko Koivu and Koivu missed 24(-something) games after that, but surely they haven't forgotten that that was a response to Koivu' dirty shot to Ohlund's head moments before that. Personally, I loved Ohlund's game last night - he had 26 minutes of ice-time, an assist on the game-winning goal and a plus-2 rating. It didn't shut up the fans, but I'm sure it pissed them off.

About the game around the blogosphere:

Zanstorm's a lot more optimistic. (Waiting For Stanley)
The Canucks won and Hannah did too. (Canucks Fangirl)

More from the MSM:

Unlike on Thursday night, lady luck, puck luck or whatever was on the Canucks side. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
It's a bit of a longshot, but the Northwest Division title is still in sight. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
Scraping for points. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
Backstrom deserves a lot of credit for Minnesota's point. (Bruce Brothers, Pioneer Press)
More on the Luongo pads controversy. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun; Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal; David Shoalts, Globe and Mail).

Next game:

Tomorrow night against the Nashville Predators.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Minnesota+Wild

Catching Up

2008-02-19T06:05:00.004-08:00

I know I've got a bit of catching up from the happenings of the last week so bear with me and random babbles:

Earlier this month, the Canucks had one win in nine games. Now, they're 3-1-1 in their last five, they're back in seventh place in the Western Conference, and everyone in Canuckland is breathing a bit easier. (Easier than last week anyway.)
I'm sure there's no need to point this out but tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild is another big one. I actually managed to catch last Thursday's game at a sports bar in Toronto and I thought the Canucks, overall, outplayed the Wild and deserved the full two points.
I got back in time to catch Saturday night's game against the Oilers. Heckuva game, and like everyone, I was most impressed with the boys' effort. I was also least impressed with Craig Mactavish's coaching techniques and his Oilers players' shenanigans. Sending Zach Stortini out when the game was virtually over was a dipshit move. So were Brodziak and Greene goading Mitchell and Linden into fights with two seconds left, Steve Staios slashing Alex Burrows after his goal and Jarret Stool taking a run at Burrow three Mississippis while Burrows was celebrating. Incidentally, Staios was fined by the NHL for that slash (TSN.ca).
Another one bites the dust. Taylor Pyatt's travelling with the team but won't play tonight or maybe Thursday because of an "upper body injury" (that really looks like a shoulder injury). That's extremely disappointing. Pretty Eyes was playing some of his best hockey and has been one of the more consistent forwards over the last couple of months. Jeff Cowan will take his place in the lineup. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Maybe Kay Whitmore is still holding a grudge against the Vancouver Canucks for trading him for Joey Kocur, but I don't understand his constant flip-flopping over Roberto Luongo's pads. Yes he can wear it, no he can't, no he has to trim them first, no he has to cut them. Oh, meantime, all the other goalies can wear it. Make up your freakin' mind. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
I received an email from Malcolm, a Canuck Place family volunteer. I've supported Canuck Place in the past but he is doing something extraordinary. Not only does he give his time to help the kids that stay there, but on September 6th later this year, he's participating in the Canuck Place Adventure Challenge, a fundraiser event that consists of a 6 km kayak, a 32 km bike ride and an 8 km run. All this for Canuck Place. In the meantime, he's documenting some of his stories, and if you get a free minute, make sure you stop by. (Canuck Place Adventure Blog)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Win One, Lose One

2008-02-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

After a horrible, horrible 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche last night, the Canucks bounced back with a solid, spirited effort. The two points was nice and ~~it brought them to an eighth place tie with the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference~~it allowed them to stay a point back of the Nashville Predators for the eighth playoff spot, but personally, I was most happy to see them not hang their heads and dwell on the night before.

Because of the obvious lack of offensive flair in their lineup, the Canucks don't score a lot of pretty goals in the shootout. However, Ryan Shannon's goal last night was. My favorite part? It wasn't the creativity or the fact that it was the game-winner. It was that, after Shannon scored, Khabibulin punched him in the back of the head and Shannon simply turned around and celebrated in the Bulin Wall's face.

Boo-ya!

*****

I'm off to Toronto tomorrow morning and will be there all week. The Canucks don't play until Thursday, but in case there's any major news, I'll try and post something real quick from my hotel. I just hope I have some luck finding a pub that'll show the game.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Chicago+Blackhawks

Canucks 2 Thrashers 1

2008-02-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

I think most Vancouver Canucks fans would be in agreement that last night's 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers wasn't pretty, though as they say, a win is a win. After the doom and gloom at the start of this road trip, the Canucks are at least going home with four of the possible eight points.

Alex Burrows had a great game (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

It also marked a highlight-reel night for Alex Burrows, who got under Kovalchuk's skin and also scored the winning goal. The super-pest strategy could have backfired, but the agitating Burrows wasn't worried about that.

"If we can get under his skin, that's another part of the game that we've got to do," said Burrows.

"Those Russian guys. Normally, it [agitating] doesn't really wake them up. They like to shut it down and just going at him is part of my game."

Scoring isn't, but Burrows is one of the Canucks' most-improved players and his sixth goal spoke of hustle and enough skill to thread the needle.

Mattias Ohlund was back in the lineup and provided a huge psychological lift (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

Vigneault's convinced the process started well before the puck was dropped. It started when Mattias Ohlund went above the call of duty to help the Canucks improve to 14-16 in one-goal games.

Not only did the defenceman start the sequence for the tying goal -- his slapshot from the left boards was deflected by Daniel Sedin -- he returned from taking care of a family matter to rejoin the Canucks at the morning skate.

"For him to take a red-eye [flight] last night and to come here and play says so much about the individual and how much he cares about his teammates," said Vigneault.

"It was a huge lift for us and I'm really pleased to be his coach because he's a top-notch competitor."

Ohlund logged 23:36, had two shots on goal and played well even though he could have been easily distracted by events in Vancouver.

The win was a big monkey off their back but now comes another key stretch of games. The Canucks have seven games left before the trading deadline. Five of those seven games are at home and four of them are against Northwest Division rivals. As the Forsberg and other trade talks heat up, the team has that long to put themselves back in playoff contention or slide right out of it.

More from the MSM:

Going home on a high. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
55 games in, the Canucks finally had their first regulation win after trailing after two periods. (Charles Odum, AP via Globe and Mail; Carroll Rogers, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

More Forsberg talk:

Maybe, maybe not. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province).

Next game:

Saturday night against Colorado (a Hockey Day in Canada game) and Sunday night against Chicago

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Atlanta+Thrashers

Game Day Post: Canucks at Thrashers

2008-02-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

If we want to look at positives, we can at least look at the Vancouver Canucks' play over the last couple of games. They lost both in the shootout but were arguably their better efforts of the road trip.

Markus Naslund, especially, has looked good, making some key defensive plays and putting up some points on the board. Is the pre-lockout Markus back for good? Well, who knows, but for all the grief that he's put up in this city, he's certainly looked like a leader. And yesterday, for the first time in as long as I can remember (maybe ever), he made a bold prediction (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

"At the end of the day, we'll make the playoffs and go from there," predicted Naslund. "I really like our team if we have everyone back. We're as good as anyone."

As a Canucks fan, hearing those words from the oft-questioned captain is something real sweet.

More pregame pieces from the MSM:

No offense to the 9th, 10th, 11th d-men on the depth chart, but... (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Zach-lovin' it. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Winnipeg Sun)
More Foppa talk. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 2 Stars 3 (SO)

2008-02-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

For a team that played without five of its top six defensemen, the Vancouver Canucks did pretty good to earn a point last night. Among the veterans, Markus Naslund was their best forward, Matt Cooke and Alex Burrows stirred things up pretty good, the Sedins and Sami Salo were okay and Roberto Luongo made some big saves when he needed to. Even Mike Weaver stepped it up a notch. Among the kids, I thought Mason Raymond looked more and more confident as the game went on and the rest of the patchword "d" played admirably well (until about the 10-minute mark of the third period anyway).

For all that, they got a single point against the best team in the Pacific Division. That's huge. Believe it or not, if they win against the Thrashers tomorrow night, they'll have taken half of the available points in the road trip. It's not great, but I guess considering the circumstances, it's not bad either. I mean, things could be worse.

More from the MSM:

No one's complaing about the 'Nucks' effort. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Fitzgerald makes his NHL debut... wearing Lukas Krajicek's stuff. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
A not-so-good update on Aaron Miller and mum's the word on Mattias. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
An update that's not really an update on Peter Forsberg. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
Former Vancouver Giant does well in Dallas. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
The Stars have now won four straight games, all against the Northwest Division. (Mike Heika, Dallas Morning News)
Both captains came through on the shootout. (Tracey Myers, Star-Telegram)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Nazzy had a hat-trick of sorts. (Canucks Fangirl)
A liveblog from the Dallas side of things. (The Shootout)

Next game:

Off to Atlanta to thrash the Thrashers tomorrow.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Dallas+Stars

Game Day Post: Canucks at Stars

2008-02-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought that the Canucks' injury woes couldn't get any worse came yesterday's string of bad news (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):

The prolonged post-practice conversation between Alain Vigneault, Dave Nonis and medical trainer Mike Burnstein said it all Monday.

Here in Big D, where they serve big steaks, the trio wasn't making dinner plans. They were wondering what cuts of hockey beef the Vancouver Canucks will ice tonight against the Dallas Stars.

While Sami Salo is set to return after missing two games with a groin strain, Aaron Miller didn't practise and is questionable after blocking a shot Friday in Florida. Mattias Ohlund has returned home for personal reasons and his playing status is also uncertain.

This is freakin' ridiculous.

Alex Edler and Luc Bourdon as a top pairing would have been great if we were talking about the Manitoba Moose. Heck, a blueline that consists of Edler/Bourdon/Weaver/McIver/Fitzgerald isn't bad really if we were talking about the Moose. That these guys might form the Canucks blueline tonight is lame (pardon the pun).

More from the MSM:

The Stars are hot, the Canucks are not. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
The Marty motivation factor. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
It's not quite as bad as the 'Nucks, but the Stars have some injuries on the blueline as well. (Mike Heika, The Dallas Morning News)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Vancouver Canucks vs. The State of Florida

2008-02-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

This is my 1,000th post. I can't believe that, after all my random ramblings, you guys keep coming back. Quite simply... thank you.

*****

I was hoping for some sort of fairy tale story for my 1,000th post. You know, the one where Roberto Luongo comes back after a week off, sweeps the road trip and rights the Vancouver Canucks ship that's lost its way in the last month.

After starting 2008 with wins against both New York teams, the Canucks have won just twice more (both against St. Louis). As crappy as we thought their 5-7 record in October was, their 4-7-1 record in January was one point worse.

I'm at a loss for words. For some reason, they just can't put things together. Alex Burrows had a good game, I thought, but few others did. Taylor Pyatt has been the best Canuck over the past few games. Maybe Mattias Ohlund too. Both were okay last night. The Sedins created some good sustained pressure but didn't have many scoring chances. Luc Bourdon looked good in some parts of the game, but took himself out of the play in others. Overall however, it's been a while - I'm thinking since the Rangers game - since the Canucks have played the proverbial 60-minute game.

More on last night's game:

Remember when the Canucks couldn't lose to the Southeast teams? (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
Louie not making any excuses. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
Believe it or not, we're only 12 points from being in the Steve Stamkos sweepstakes. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Their big-3 was better than our big-3. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
There were as many fights as goals last night. (Damian Cristodero, St. Petersburg Times; The Tampa Tribune)

A lot of Luongo talk before tonight's game:

Shut 'em out, Louie. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Again, thanks Mike Keenan. (Ben Kuzma, Vancovuer Province; George Richards, Miami Herald)
He deserves a warm welcome back. (George Richards, Miami Herald; Steve Gorten, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Meh... he'll snap out of it. (Brian Biggane, Palm Beach Post)
Olli Jokinen might not play tonight. (Steve Gorten, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Stars 4 Canucks 3

2008-01-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

There were some good parts in the Vancouver Canucks' 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars last night. Like maybe the first few minutes and the last few seconds. What they did in between, well, I can't say I'd file it under the good category.

Don't let the score fool you. The game wasn't close. The Stars held the territorial advantage and had the better scoring chances. They also had more 2-on-1's than Jenna Jameson. Sure the Canucks had more shots on goal, but as has been the case lately, there wasn't much finish.

It was actually quite frustrating to watch the game last night. On home ice, the Canucks should be more dominating than that. I hate to always play the injury card, but it's tough watching guys who would normally be in the press box or with the Moose get outplayed on a regular basis. Yes, I'm talking about Mike Weaver, who got outmuscled a lot, and Nathan MacIver, who got turned around a few times. And this isn't necessarily a criticism of those guys because they've filled in admirably at times. However, it's a bit much, especially with all the injuries, to expect them to replace the Mitchell and Bieksa long-term.

Curtis Sanford was just as brutal and he knows it (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province).

The Canucks lost a winnable game Tuesday and the reason was all over Curtis Sanford's face, in his disheartened body language and in his own words.

"The last two goals are saves I have to make and I should make," the backup said after getting pulled for the second time in his past four starts.

"I put the team in a bad position and I put Alain [Vigneault] in a bad position. It's embarrassing to get pulled in front of your own fans. [Vigneault] had to do that. If I was in his position I would have done the same thing. I waved at Modano's goal, basically. I didn't fight through the screen on the last goal."

It's too bad really. A couple of key saves here and there could've made a difference. Ask the Stars. They got more than a couple of key saves from Marty Turco, who seems now to relish playing against the Canucks.

More from the MSM:

The Canucks have given up the first goal of the game for seven consecutive games now. It's like 2005 all over again. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province; Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
Methinks Turco likes it when we chant his name. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
Willie's out but hopefully for not too long. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancovuer Sun)
Something from the Dallas side of things. (Tracey Myers, Star-Telegram)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Hannah's frustrated as well. (Canucks Fangirl)
Talking Turco. (Andrew's Dallas Stars Page)
His Stars won but Art wants to talk about the refs. (Stars Scene)

Next game:

Tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning

(Note: I have a couple of family things to attend to tonight and tomorrow so I won't be posting a game-day post. I'll be back on Friday.)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Dallas+Stars

Game Day Post: Stars at Canucks

2008-01-29T06:16:00.000-08:00

Tracy and I were hoping to be at GM Place tonight as the Canucks celebrated their 200th consecutive sellout, but alas, our kitchen renos are still in full swing and there's still a lot we need to do. It should be a good time as the Canucks have special plans for the fans who attend, including video tributes from players and stories from long-time season ticket holders.

200 consecutive sellouts is nothing to sneeze at - the last time the Canucks didn't officially sell out a game was on November 12th, 2002 against the St. Louis Blues (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun). I remember working Saturday night Canucks games at GM Place and there would only be 13,000 people there. I remember, one season, the Grizzlies outdrawing the Canucks. But that was also the era when both teams combined couldn't string three wins in a row. (There was a joke back then too about Orca Bay not knowing how to log on to the Internet because they couldn't put three W's together.) For the Canucks, things are much different and definitely much rosier these days (Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail).

On the ice, things aren't quite as good. Well, they're doing their darndest to keep pace with the Flames and Wild and they're still hanging around for the Northwest Division title, but their already depleted defense just received a double dose of bad news: Willie Mitchell and Lukas Krajicek will miss tonight's game against the Dallas Stars (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun; Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province). That means Curtis Sanford will have a group of Mattias Ohlund, Sami Salo, Alex Edler, Aaron Miller, Mike Weaver and Nathan McIver in front of him and I wouldn't be surprised to see Ohlund, Salo or Edler log 30 minutes of ice-time.

More preview pieces from today's MSM:

Already, Curtis Sanford's appeared in more games than Dany Sabourin. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
Don't worry ladies. You'll get to see more of Taylor Pyatt's pretty face again. (Vancouver Province)
Fresh from the AHL All-Star game, D-Mac will back-up the Sandman. (Tim Campbell, Winnipeg Free Press)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

The Crazy Canucks: Episode 57

2008-01-25T06:42:00.001-08:00

No Canucks game last night so John, Rebecca and I (Alanah's on IR and Dave was MIA) got together to talk about the week that was in episode 57 of The Crazy Canucks podcast:

It’s two Bollwitts and JJ again for tonight’s episode where we discuss the latest loses, last night’s shootout victory and the buzz machine that is Vancouver media. We dive into this Sunday’s All Star game as Atlanta’s turn hosting is already proving to be a challenge from a viewer’s perspective.

Enjoy. :)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Blues 2 Canucks 3 (SO)

2008-01-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

After stopping Andy Macdonald in the shootout and winning the game for the Canucks, Roberto Luongo skated out of his net and did a little fist pump. The rest of the team skated out, greeted him and patted each other in the back. The losing streak was over and everyone was excited and relieved.

To me, the most telling part of the game was just how much the fans stuck with the team, even when they were trailing in the third period. There was no bronx cheer from the crowd, even after a Louie gave up a couple of un-Luon-god-like goals, but instead, plenty of encouragement. Maybe we're beginning to shake off our reputation as a goalie graveyard after all.

The Canucks needed that win. If they had lost, they would have entered the All-Star break with five straight losses with the possibility that Columbus and Nashville would knock them down to 10th in the Western Conference. As it stands, they have a three-point lead on both teams and a chance to rest easy for a week.

More from the mainstream:

Finally, a come-from-behind win. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun; Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
Matty Ohlund is a monster performer. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)
Louie looked shaken and stirred early but recovered nicely late in the third period and the shootout. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun; Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
In the shootout, the Blues are the anti-Edmonton. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)

Next game:

January 29th against the Dallas Stars.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, St.+Louis+Blues

The NHL All-Star Game on Versus

2008-01-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

Versus just extended their agreement with the NHL through to the 2010-2011 season (New York Times), but their focus this week is the NHL All-Star game on Sunday. And they're offering some goodies to bloggers who would help them promote it. Far be it for me to turn down free swag so I told them I would.

Except for the odd game on TSN, I don't watch Versus as much and have relied mostly on message boards and such to see how they're showing and marketing the game. For the All-Star game, they have some ad spots on YouTube:

Not bad actually. The ads have kinda like a Friday Night Lights feel to it. I hope some of you folks tune in.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey

Game Day Post: Blues at Canucks

2008-01-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Canucks,

For the love of people who will be listening to people calling into talk shows for the next week bitching about you, please don't lose five games in a row.

That's all. Thanks.

J.J.

Less whining and more informative pieces from the MSM:

Jaffray in, Beech beached. (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun; Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
The Blues are the new Wild. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
Produce and play more or play more to produce? (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Still waiting for the big one. The big trade that is. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
The Canucks aren't the only one on a mid-season skid. (Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Dispatch)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Mole Hills and Mountains

2008-01-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

All of Vancouver is up in arms because Alain Vigneault *ahem* called out Roberto Luongo during after yesterday's practice (Brad Ziemer, National Post):

"I know Roberto really wants to get onto the same roll that he was on to prior to this and he probably would be the first one to tell you that since probably the Islanders game (on Jan. 8) the goaltender that he has faced, except for probably that Detroit game, has had a slight edge there," Vigneault said. "The facts are simple. We need our best players to be at their best. And Roberto is one of them."

Has Roberto looked average the last few games? Yes. Does he deserve some criticism? Perhaps. Should we be making a big deal over what Vigneault said? Not at all.

In fact, after Monday night's game, Luongo himself admitted as much (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province):

"Listen, I'm trying to do the best I can out there," Luongo said in a soft voice. "I'm working hard.

"I'm a human being like everyone else. It's hard to be on top of your A-game for 82 games.

"Obviously I gave up bad goals tonight, but you can always do better."

And I have no doubt he will. There's no need to make a mountain out of this mole hill.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Wild 4 Canucks 2

2008-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you don't mind, I want to focus first on the positives of last night's 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. For example, the Canucks outshot the Wild 40-26, the second straight game they've put up 40 shots on goal. Much like in the Kings game, they also held the territorial advantage and generated more than a few scoring opportunities. If anything, the Canucks simply suffered from not having any puck luck and a blown call that led to Minnesota's go-ahead goal. If the Canucks keep generating scoring chances like that, I imagine they'll eventually put the puck into the net more often.

Or is it that simple?

There's no doubt that most Canucks fans will be calling for changes after a fourth consecutive loss (and sixth in seven games). I can hear the Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg rumors gaining steam. I can hear Krajicek to Pittsburgh for Erik Christensen. In other words, I can hear the sky falling in Canucksland.

For the most part, I'm willing to ride out this slide. Every team goes through this and especially a team as decimated as the Canucks. Last night, they played again without Willie Mitchell, and as a result, had problems containing the Wild in front of the net. A perfect example was the Brian Rolston goal when Mike Weaver lost a battle in front of Roberto Luongo. Weaver only logged 8 minutes of ice-time, meaning Aaron Miller (19:08) and Lukas Krajicek (20:26 and he was in the penalty box for six minutes) had to play more. In an ideal world, Miller and Krajicek should log about 15-16 minutes.

One other I did notice is that, except for the Kesler, Cooke and Burrows line, the Canucks didn't get players in front of the net. The Burrows goal was a result of Kesler crashing the net. Ditto Pyatt's. The Canucks took a lot of shots from the outside and Backstrom gave up a lot of rebounds, but unfortunately, there was usually no one there to tap them in. Against the Kings, they didn't any traffic in front of Labarbera and he saw every single one of the Canucks' 46 shots.

More from the MSM:

0-17-1 and counting. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
Line matching to Lemaire's advantage. (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
Louie outplayed again. (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)
I'm sorry. I'd much rather make the playoffs sooner than later. (Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun)
Good non-call my ass. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
You know, they're only two points back of first place... (Matthew Sekeres, Globe and Mail)
Freakin' Bouchard. (John Shipley, Pioneer Press; Michael Russo, Star Tribune)

About the game around the blogosphere:

Freakin' Bouchard. (Wild Puck Banter)
Gotta stay positive. (Waiting for Stanley)

Next game:

Wednesday night versus the Blues.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Minnesota+Wild

Bits, Bites and Tonight's Game

2008-01-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

Tracy and I had a busy weekend entertaining her cousin from Vernon and his girlfriend, and hence, the lack of posts. It didn't help that the Canucks lost to Kings (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun), their third consecutive loss and fifth in their last six games.

Here are some random bits and bites:

. First of all, a wholehearted thank you to everyone who supported me during this weekend's BC Children's Hospital's Skate for the Cure. Thanks to you, I raised $330 and Tracy and I had a great time doing laps around GM Place. I also had a chance to meet Matt Cooke for being one of the first 325 people to raise over $250. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

. This mini-dip the Canucks are on has relegated them to fourth place in the Northwest Division and eighth place in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the ninth-place Columbus Blue Jackets and five points ahead of the St. Louis Blues. How big is that game on Wednesday against the Blues? Well, the Blues could inch to a point back of the 'Nucks with three games in hand.

. The last time the Canucks lost three games in a row was 13 months ago in December 2006.

. For playing his 1,000th career game earlier in the week, the Canucks gave Markus a classy tribute on Saturday night. So did the fans. They gave Markus a standing ovation and stayed standing up for about ten minutes while the Canucks gave him some goodies and played a video highlighting his career and his work in the community. For all the crap he gets from fans and such, it was a good to see him get some love for the ten-plus years he's given to this city.

If you missed the video, here it is:

. Matty Ohlund was back in the lineup after missing 11 games, but in what seems like the year of cursed Canucks d-men, Willie Mitchell was scratched due to back spasms. And apparently, he might not be back until after the All-Star break (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun).

. Ohlund vs. Koivu, part 2 (Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Province)? Probably not, though it's weird to think that tonight's Canucks vs. Wild game could be the most entertaining game this week. And yes, I know the All-Star game is this week.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 2 Red Wings 3 (SO)

2008-01-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

We recorded an episode of the The Crazy Canucks podcast last night, and while John and I were crying about our three consecutive losses, Rebecca reminded us that it was a .500 road trip and the Canucks, believe it or not, took 3 of a possible 6 points.

Is the glass half-empty or half-full?

The Canucks had another slow start. The Red Wings outshot them 16-5 in the first period and 49-28 in the game. They built a 2-0 lead before the Canucks eventually decided to get back in the game.

Now, the Canucks did play better in the latter half of the game and they managed to salvage a point, but these slow starts are beginning to kill them. They've given up the first goal in four of their last five games. Coincidentally, they've lost four of their last give games.

About the game around the blogosphere:

Sean breaks it down, period by period. (Waiting for Stanley)
Some Nazzy love. (The Yankee Canuck)

More from the mainstream:

Making 47 saves wasn't enough. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)
It takes the Canucks about two games to put up 49 shots, doesn't it? (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
It's too bad Edler's slapper missed Hasek. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)

Next game:

Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Detroit+Red+Wings

Holy Nash

2008-01-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

More on the Canucks' third consecutive loss later. In the meantime, check out Rick Nash's game-winning goal last night.

Holy freakin' wow.

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey

Game Day Post: Canucks at Red Wings

2008-01-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

It looks like Alain Vigneault finally realized his team needs to score more and recalled Mason Raymond from the Manitoba Moose; Rick Rypien and Mike Brown were sent back down (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province). Looking at the numbers, Trevor Linden and/or Brad Isbister should draw back into the lineup.

This gives the Canucks a couple more options up front. It doesn't really matter who plays with the Sedins, but whoever doesn't gives the second line some potential for offense. Good thing too. I love what Matt Cookie brings to this team but if I have to watch him whiff at a puck in front of the net again, I'll go nuts.

My line projections:

Sedin, Sedin and Pyatt
Naslund, Beech and Raymond
Cooke, Kesler and Burrows
Isbister, Ritchie and Linden

Today's quick links:

Happy 1000th game, Markus! (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
The Wings have a great team. On the ice and off it. (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
It hasn't been a happy new year so far. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Beechy's just trying to fit in. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
More Sundin talk. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
The window of opportunity is not just this year and the next. It's for as long as Roberto Luongo is in a Canucks jersey. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)

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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

If The Price Is Right

2008-01-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

The 'net is abound with many suggestions on how to fix the Canucks' offensive woes. Okay, mostly Markus Naslund's offensive woes.

I don't doubt that Peter Forsberg will look good on a line with Nazzy (Barry Macdonald, 24 Hours):

Adding Forsberg to the mix? Imagine the possibilities. Like Markus Naslund finding his form, and the net with a little more regularity. Like the Canucks having another line that they can count on offensively. Like a parade.

Ditto Mats Sundin (Ken Campbell, The Hockey News via Metro Vancouver):

Vancouver needs a second-line centre in a big way, especially with the uncertain status of Brendan Morrison. Sundin has proven this season that his offensive skills and instincts are as sharp as they have ever been and that he can be counted upon to score in all situations. I’m sure Jason Jaffray is a nice young man and all, but don’t you think Sundin would be a great fit between Markus Naslund and Taylor Pyatt?

What about Marian Hossa (Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun)?

A league executive indicated if Waddell decides to deal Hossa, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings will all be in the hunt.

If Dave Nonis wants to upgrade his forward group, he definitely has options. The question is, how much would it cost the team?

Sundin and Hossa are this year's Forsberg and Smyth. Both are impending UFA's and both will cost an arm, a leg and both nuts to get. The Predators and Islanders had to give up a couple of top prospects and a couple of high-round draft picks to get them, and no doubt, Sundin and Hossa will cost the same. Think Ryan Kesler or Alex Edler plus Luc Bourdon or Mason Raymond plus a first-round draft pick and perhaps another draft pick.

In a cap system where teams need young players to step up and make significant contributions for cheap, I could live with trading one Moose prospect and the draft picks for either (Sundin preferably), but not with having to give up a core part of the team or the team's future. And that's assuming that the next in lines - i.e. Michael Grabner, Jannik Hansen and Nathan Maciver - can step in and play the same role that Raymond and Edler are playing this season and that guys like Juraj Simek and Shaun Heshka can progress further. As we know from this year, you never want to keep the prospects cupboard bare in case the team goes through a rough patch of injuries.

Which brings me to Peter Forsberg. He's trying to make another comeback (TSN.ca), and if he's successful, it will cost the Canucks nothing more than $$$ to get him in the new Free Willy jersey. This is key - they won't have to give up a Kesler or an Edler; they just have to sign him.

Admittedly, there's a risk involved in signing Forsberg. He has had his share of injuries and there's not guarantee that, even with whatever procedure he has to go through with his ankle, that he won't get hurt again. Chances are, he will, but likewise, there is no guarantee that a Sundin or a Hossa won't get hurt either. The only hope is that he remains healthy enough to re-invigorate Naslund and help get the Canucks deeper into the playoffs.

With Roberto Luongo, the Canucks are as good as most teams in the league. With a Peter Forsberg or a Mats Sundin, they could even be like tonight's opponent, the Detroit Red Wings. It would be nice, but only if the price is right.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Canucks 2 Blue Jackets 3

2008-01-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

Don't look now, but after a 10-game stretch of .500 hockey (5-5-0), the Vancouver Canucks only have a slim, four-point hold on a playoff spot. Last night, they started sloooooow, took some stupid penalties (five of them in the first 11 minutes of the first period) and spotted the Columbus Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead. Yeah, I rushed home from work just in time to see that.

Bah.

After the game, Roberto Luongo stood up and took the blame for the loss (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province):

"I'm not going to throw my teammates under the bus," Luongo said. "I've got to do a better job myself and try to make an extra save in the game and maybe we make it to overtime.

"I just have to work through it in practice and make sure I get back to what I was doing in December."

Props to Louie for saying that, but the fact is, his teammates were plain awful and shouldn't be absolved of any responsibility. Except for Alex Burrows' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the rest were the result of being lazy or being beat. Lukas Krajicek and Markus Naslund, especially, took a couple of lazy penalties each after giving up the puck in their zone. What is disconcerting is the fact that, like early in the season, the Canucks aren't winning puck battles and getting very easy to play against.

I only mentioned it in passing a couple of days ago, but I think the injuries are catching up to the team. That it's taken two months before the long-term losses of Morrison, Ohlund, and Bieksa have started to make an impact is admirable. (Luongo, Krajicek, and Salo all missed time in that span too.) For that, credit should be given to the team - and the farm - for stepping up. Alex Edler has been a godsend and his play is being recognized leaguewide (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun). Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond both chipped in as well before their effectiveness started wearing off.

Now that both have been sent back down to the Moose, however, the next group of callups (Nathan McIver, Rick Rypien and I'll include Kris Beech as well), save for Beech's goal last night, have yet to make a significant impact. It's not a small thing. McIver hasn't been able to play more than ten minutes a game which means that Mitchell, Salo and Edler are playing 25+ minutes. Rypien hasn't even played ten shifts a game in the two games he's played.

Here's hoping for a turnaround before facing what should be a pissed off Wings team tomorrow.

About the game around the blogosphere:

Remember when you can make a spur of the moment decision to watch a game live at GM Place? (The Neutral Zone Trap)
Paying back Kes. (Puck-rakers)

More from the MSM:

Our checkers got outchecked by their checkers. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
0-15-1 when trailing after two periods. Ouch. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Pretty boy ain't so pretty anymore. But at least he's back on the ice. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Not often Nik Zherdev gets praised for playing a complete game. (Aaron Portzline, Columbus Dispatch; Tom Reed, Columbus Dispatch)

Next game:

Tomorrow night in Detroit.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Columbus+Blue+Jackets

Game Day Post: Canucks at Jackets

2008-01-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

Taylor Pyatt, protective cage and all, might play, and if he doesn't, Alain Vigneault says Trevor Linden will draw back in (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province). Pyatt has been the Canucks' best forward in the last couple of weeks and it would be a shame if he can't go.

You would've thought that if Pyatt couldn't go, then Markus Naslund would simply take his place on the Sedin line. Apparently, AV has other plans: Naslund will be on the wing on the team's top checking line with Kesler and Burrows (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province). Publicly anyway, Nazzy is welcoming this new challenge.

"It's obviously going to be different for me and I do have to be a little more cautious," he said.

"They're obviously out there to shut other people down. But, that being said, they're good enough to take advantage of other teams.

"It's a little bit of a new challenge for me. I do want to be able to play in all different scenarios. I like those guys. They're not just defensive guys. They can skate and they can put the puck in the net."

No doubt this is a gamble. While Kesler's line is primarily responsible for shutting down opposing teams' top lines, they've also consistently produced scoring chances in recent games. What they've lacked is finish. I'm sure Vigneault is gambling that Naslund can adjust to this new role and finish those chances without hurting the team too much on the defensive end of the ice.

More from today's MSM:

Where will the goals come from? (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Of course, this is the first year in three years that I don't have Zherdev in my hockey pools. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
Fans - and teammates - back up Louie. As it should be. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
Turning up the cold in Columbus. (Jeffrey Sheban, Columbus Dispatch)
The Jackets have the second-best home record in the league (15-6-4). The good news is, the Canucks won their only other game there this season. (Tom Reed, Columbus Dispatch)

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks

Weekend Wrapup

2008-01-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

It was Jeckyl-and-Hyde kinda weekend for the Vancouver Canucks. On Friday, they suffered a regulation time loss at home for the first time in more than two months; last night, they won on the road for the first time since Christmas. I'm actually glad they won last night. They came into the game on a two-game losing streak and I would've hated to write this post after three consecutive losses.

For the last couple of months, we've been able to somewhat sidestep the issue of secondary scoring. When the Canucks started to right the ship in November, everyone was contributing and the team didn't have to rely on the Sedins to put the puck in the net. Especially after this weekend however, the issue is noticeably beginning to rear its ugly head again.

The Canucks have scored 20 goals in their eight games since Christmas. Of those 20 goals, twelve - or 60% of them - were scored by the Sedin line. Yes, they've had revolving wingers (i.e. Naslund, Raymond and Pyatt) but that doesn't seem to matter. They're the only line right now that are consistently producing anything on offense. (The Kesler line has also produced chances but just haven't been able to put the biscuit in the basket, ya know?)

Case in point was last night's game and the third period of Friday night's game. Whenever the Canucks needed a goal, Vigneault threw the Sedin line out on the ice. At times, they were on the ice every other shift and the end result was a season-high 22:15 minutes of ice-time for Henrik and a near season-high 20:59 minutes of ice-time for Daniel.

The team has been up-and-down since the end of November, a month in which they compiled a 9-2-2 record and took 77% of the available points. In December and so far in January, they have a more average 11-7-2 record and took only 60% of available points. It's not bad but it's not great. Are their injuries - Morrison, Ohlund and Bieksa especially - finally catching up to them?

About the game around the blogosphere:

Edler bails Rypien out. (Waiting for Stanley)

More from the mainstream:

Compared to losses last Thursday and Friday, the Canucks were tougher to play against last night. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
It was the Sedins show. Why aren't BOTH of them all-stars? (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
It was the schedule's fault. (Norm Sanders, Belleville News-Democrat)
The Blues can't score in the shootout. Sound familiar, Canucks fans? (Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Next game:

Tomorrow night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks