Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Nonis vents his feelings

----Due to the graphic nature of what is inside Dave Nonis' bowl of cereal, I have decided to censor the bowl specifically.-----

As reported by TSN via the Canadian Press, the Canucks' GM has vented his opinions on the NHL's new policy on free agents and the current scheduling at a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

"I think we have a free agency age that is a joke. Pittsburgh is going to put seven years of development money into him and he can leave when he's 25. I think if you assemble a good team, fans want to see that team stick together for more than one or two years. Our current agreement does not lend itself to that."


Here is what Nonis said about the current scheduling system:
"I hate the schedule, It does nothing for us. We should play every team in the league at least once. We all pay the same dues and right now the western teams are getting it right in the teeth for no good reason. We fly as much as we ever did and the eastern teams don't do a bloody thing."


And more tirades about the free agency:
"I think the (salary) cap is necessary to keep some teams from spending wildly," he said. "It has levelled the playing field."

"If you are a team that is struggling, it's a good thing, being able to get new faces, it helps generate interest in your market.
If you are a team that is having a hard time holding your team together because of free agency and players are leaving, then it's not necessarily a good thing. You may lose the continuity a lot of markets enjoy.
The Detroit Red Wings could have a five-year run if they did a good job of recruiting, trading, drafting and developing," Nonis said. "You could keep those players together.
You are going to see movement among players every single year. To me, that's the worst part of our agreement. Get used to it. It's not going to change."
Nonis disagreed with a notion that division rivalries were created and enhanced by the new schedule.
"Rivalries are built through playoffs," he said.
"I know the reasoning behind the schedule, I know why they did it. I don't necessarily agree that it is a good thing. It doesn't save us any time, we're not saving any money on travel and I know our fans want to see us play every team at least once."

NHL general managers will be having a meeting on November 7th, and the scheduling will be one of the topics discussed. I would anticipate this type of schedule to be changed by next season.

Flame Futility

The Capitals got 2 goals from Richard Zednik and 2 assists from Alex the Great in a 4-2 win over the Flames tonight.
Calgary now is 3-6-1 and in 13th spot in the Western Conference, 1 point ahead of the lowly Coyotes, and 6 points out of a playoff spot.

"We're really trying to establish the fact that we have to get the identity as a hard working team," said Flames coach Jim Playfair. "We have spent a lot of time talking about our identity and we haven't done the work required to re-establish it."
Is that where the goals are going to come from? Hard work? The Flames have only scored 25 goals in their first 10 games. Not very much. Only the Flyers and Blue Jackets have scored less goals. As the Flames' stats show, there are alot of players that need to get going. Especially Alex Tanguay, who hasn't hit his stride in Calgary yet.
Miikka Kiprusoff has a 2.79 goals against average and a .909 save percentage, and has not been his stellar self. But he isn't getting any help either.
So when does Darryl Sutter push the panic button? Will he pull off a trade, or fire Playfair? With a longterm ankle injury to Stephane Yelle and shoulder injury to youngster Erik Nystrom, Sutter has done nothing to replace these guys, except the whispers of interest in Yanic Perrault.
Something needs to happen soon, before the Flames put themselves too far behind the 8-ball and cannot recover from it.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Surprise! Leafs beat Thrashers 4-2

So flip my pre game predictions upside down and shazam, the Leafs win a wacky one. This is the first time they have won consecutive games this season, so forgive my negativity prior to this one.
Ilya Kovalchuk scored a beauty, using Ian White as a screen, at the 8:12 minute mark of the 1st period. But then the Thrashers got into penalty trouble minutes later, and the Leafs scored 3 consecutive powerplay goals in a row within 2 minutes on goals by Darcy Tucker, Tomas "I'm on a killa streak" Kaberle, and well...Darcy Tucker again. The Leafs' powerplay is clicking? Pinch me I'm dreaming. They were 3 for 7 on the night.
The Thrashers never recovered from that, even though they outshot the Leafs 33-22 in this one.
A wacky stat? There were 3 delay of game penalties tonight: 2 by TO and 1 by Atlanta. All 3 delay of game penalties created 5 on 3 opportunities.
Leaf coach Paul Maurice made funny faces to the press after the game, calling this one: "funny"
I found Michael Peca's post game comments interesting.

"I find (skilled) teams with the makeup like Atlanta .. want nights off from time to time. It was our goal to drive up the tempo and energy and give them a reason to not want to engage in this game."

The Leafs have now beaten the Thrashers 5 straight times since the 05/06 season, and have scored 26 goals on them, and only allowed 5. Wow. Total obliteration. Who's next?
BOX SCORE

Ovechkin cracks me up

CALGARY — Alexander Ovechkin will be looking for Jarome Iginla Monday night when the Washington Capitals challenge the Calgary Flames. And if he has to, Ovechkin said he's willing to settle things on the ice.

Are we talking about a fight? A goal-scoring contest?

No, we're talking about getting an autographed hockey stick from the Flames' captain.

"I want to ask him for his stick," Ovechkin said at Monday's morning skate at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "I have other sticks — (Mario) Lemieux, (Pavel) Datsyuk, (Zdeno) Chara."

Asked when he was planning to ask Iginla for an autographed hockey stick, Ovechkin replied: "When I have a chance. Even during the game? Yeah, maybe during a face-off."

Can you believe this guy?! Love it.
For the rest of the story, go check out the Globe and Mail.

Leafs vs Thrashers tonight: This could get ugly!

All you have to do is look at the faces of some of the Sabres fans on Saturday night, as the streaking Thrashers ended Buffalo's chance of achieving the reocrd for wins at the start of the season. The Thrashers are 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 8-1-2 record, and are not showing any signs of slowing down.
What are the Leafs' chances? I liked their effort against Montreal on Saturday, winning in a shootout. But the Canadiens only showed up for for brief periods of time in that one. I don't like how the Leafs panicked as soon as the Habs put on some pressure. It reminded me of the Pat Quinn era. I don't think that they are giving 100% for 60 minutes either. The Thrashers are. And their record is a testament to that.
Marian Hossa has not scored in 3 games, after getting off to a red hot start. Hopefully he doesn't break out tonight.
We should expect Bobby Holik, who has drawn praise from his coaching staff for his great 2-way play, to be all over Mats Sundin tonight, neutralizing him.
The Thrashers are averaging 3.75 goals per game. The Leafs: 3.33 goals per game.
A bigger difference is goals against per game. The Thrashers have a 2.58 goals against average. The Leafs have allowed an average of 3.91 goals per game.
That stat is what makes me think that the Thrashers will win this one about 5-3.
If the Leafs do pull out a win, it should be a major confidence booster. But they need to play a solid 60 minutes to stop a team like Atlanta.

Another Staal in the NHL

Thanks to his skilled hands, long reach, and effective penalty-killing, 18 year-old Jordan Staal will stay with the Penguins and sign a 3-year entry level contract.

"Jordan has earned a spot on our roster," Penguins general manager Ray
Shero said in a release. "We all knew about his skill level when we drafted him,
but his work ethic, maturity and consistent effort have enabled him to make what
normally is a difficult transition for a teenager."
Staal already looked brilliant in preseason, and has carried his great play into the first 9 games of the regular season. The Penguins were forced to make this decision on Staal before he plays his 10th game. Their other option was to send him back down to the Peterborough Petes if he didn't seem mature enough to stick in the NHL.
I think that Staal is fortunate that the Penguins are such a young team. It helped his chances.
Anyone else admiring and enjoying the Penguins' 6-3 start? Last season they started off on a nine- game losing skid. But the arrival of Malkin has only solidified this teams' chances of success long term, and as it seems, short term as well.
Staal is currently 8th in team scoring with 4 goals and 1 assist in 9 games. He is also a +1.
So this entitles the Penguins to pay Staal $850,00 does it not?

Uncertainty in Philly

After winning their first under new coach John Stevens, the Flyers then took a beating from the Penguins on Saturday, 8-2. Stevens had a meeting with the veteran leadership committee the following day. He was looking for answers.

"We had a real good talk about where we're at and what's going on in the
locker room," Stevens said. "The thing they came up with was, `Who are we?
What's our identity?' It's a real good question. I think we have to go back and
put a real big emphasis on our play without the puck. We need to work and we
need to check."
Interim General Manager Paul Holmgren had this to say:
"We have to get back to playing better first," Holmgren said. "We took
some steps in the right direction against Atlanta. I know what the coach's
message was today - let's get back to work, let's get back to taking care of our
own end first."

RJ Umberger mentioned:
"We're back to square one," Umberger said. "We worked on defensive positioning.
We came out hard (vs. Pittsburgh), that isn't the issue. We're giving up too
much. We knew this wasn't going to change overnight.
"It's a process that's
not going to be easy. I think we have to establish ourselves as a defensive team
and go from there. We got in a track meet with them (the Penguins) and we can't
do that."

It is going to take a few wins for the players to believe in themselves as a team, and to buy into Steven's new system. If this doesn't happen soon with players of that calibre, we could see some
more major changes in Philly. A blockbuster trade perhaps?

Sunday, October 29, 2006

The Leafs who played on the record winning streak team in 1993

The Sabres thankfully only tied the Leafs record for wins out of the gate at 10 wins. There is much controversy over the whole ordeal because of the fact that there were no shootouts back when the Leafs achieved this feat. So it seems funny that the Sabres lost the potential record setting game in a shootout.
We all know how good the Sabres are this year. But how good was that Leafs team in 1993?
Here is alist of the players who were in that lineup.

Forwards

1. Doug Gilmour. He flourished in his years in TO. He was 4th in scoring during the 93/94 season, only behind Gretzky, Fedorov, and Oates. He had 111 points.
2. Dave Andreychuk. Scored 53 goals and 99 points that season, and led the league in powerplay goals...big suprise.
3. Glen Anderson. Was traded to the Rangers later in the season for Mike Gartner, I believe.
4. Wendel Clark. 46 goals and 76 points, and about 10,000 bone- crunching hits.
5. Nikolai Borshevsky. Small but skilled.
6. John Cullen.
7. Peter Zezel. Another one of my alltime faves.
8. Rob Pearson. Grinder/PK
9. Mike Krushelniski. Grinder.
10. Bill Berg. Grinder.
11. Kent Manderville. Tough as nails.
12. Ken Baumgartner. Boomer.

Defence

1. Dave Ellett. A monster on the blue line. Led D with 43 points.
2. Dimitri Mironov. 2nd in Leafs' D scoring with 36 points. Go-to guy.
3. Jamie Macoun. Another player in the Gilmour deal. Mr. Reliable. Mr Mean.
4. Todd Gill. Great hitter.
5. Bob Rouse. Ask Wings fans what they think of Rouse.
6. Sylvain Lefebvre. Reliable as well. Would win a Cup with the Avalanche 2 years later.

Goalies

1. Felix 'the Cat' Potvin. Potvin was huge with the Leafs, but never really materialized with any other team he played with.
2. Damien Rhodes. A great backup. Did Rhodes play any of the first 10 games?

Head Coach

PAT freaking BURNS. The ex cop. Gad, I miss him. He was a great coach.

This was the best Leafs team since decades ago, maybe even since the won their last Cup. They were skilled and super tough.
The 10 game winning streak was a positive experience and a boost to players and fans alike. We had lost to the Kings in the in the 7th game of the semi-finals months earlier. Remind you of this years' Sabres?
The 93/94 season would end abruptly in the semi-finals again, on a goal by Vancouver's Greg Adams in the 2nd overtime of the 5th game.

Coyotes sign Yanic Perrault

The Coyotes have acquired a bit of help to offset the longterm loss of Steve Reinprecht, signing center Yanic Perrault to a 1 year $700,000 deal. That is a pretty good pricetag for a player who had a career year last season in Nashville, scoring 57 points in 69 games.
According to TSN, Perrault had recently turned down offers from the Black Hawks and the Islanders. The Senators, Flames, and Lightning also showed interest. These teams MUST HAVE offered Yanic more than $700,000. So why did he sign in hell for so little?
Apparently he has a condo in Phoenix. At least, that's what I heard on HNIC this past Saturday.
Perrault still has alot to offer. He led the NHL last season in faceoff winning percentage (62.1%) The average for his career is 62.5%. He immediately injects more life into a dying team, especially on the powerplay, where winning that many faceoffs will give the Coyotes control on the PP more often.
How much will Perrault's presence change the Coyotes' fate? Probably not very much. In fact, his points per game average could take a huge hit playing on his new team, IMO.
I would have rather seen him go to the Flames. I think he would have fit in much better there.

Sunday Headache Sunday



I swear, this is exactly what happened to me last night! Haha!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Saturday night is alright for fighting (Leafs 5 Habs 4 (SO)

Fighting, as in the Canadiens fighting back in the 3rd period to come back from a 2 goal deficit and force this game into overtime. I don't even know where to start with this one. What an amazing finish.
The Leafs dominated the Habs right up until the half way mark of the 3rd period. They established an amazing forechecking game (which coach Paul Maurice said they would do prior to the game) that the Habs couldn't match. They outshot them about 37-16 at the halfway mark of the 3rd, and were up 4-2.
All of a sudden, Sergei Samsonov, who went from trade bait to superstar tonight, scores his 2nd goal of the night at the 13:44 mark, and the dominating Leafs lost their composure.
2 1/2 minutes later, with the Habs taking advantage of the scrambling Leafs, Sheldon Souray steps into a shot from the point and blows it right through JS Aubin, who looked weak on that one.
And now it's a brand new game. At this point, the Leafs started to regain their composure and were pressing. But so were the Habs. Aubin and David Aebischer started looking like gods.
The action was furious! The Montreal crowd (with about maybe 30% Leaf fans in attendance) was raucous and loud. The war had begun.
But nobody could score on Abby or Auby.
In overtime, the Leafs pressed even harder. But Aebischer wanted nothing to do with that, flopping around like a fish out of water and stopping everything that came his way. The Buds outshot the Habs 8-2 in the damn OT and couldn't win it. It never should have gotten this far...
In the shootout, the first shooter, Tomas Kaberle makes Abby look like Luongo and roofs it over top of the laid out goalie. Next up..Samsonov, makes Aubin look like Dan Cloutier, easily putting the puck between his legs.
From that point, 10 more shooters are all stopped by the goalies. Montreal fans are hugging eachother in the stands, literally freaking out. It feels like the playoffs.
But the 13th shooter overall, Kyle Wellwood, performs an absolute killer move on Aebischer and scores....finally. Alexander Perezhogin, who has super skills, is denied by Aubin after that, and the Leafs win it.
JS Aubin is pumping his arms with excitement, winning in his home province. The Leafs congratulate him for his stellar shootout performance.

Zanstorm's 3 stars:

1. Tomas Kaberle. An unofficial hat trick, from a defenceman!
2. Sergei Samsonov. Had lots of hustle and responded after being put back onto a scoring line.
3. David Aebischer. The final shots were 51-22. If not for Abby, this one could have over alot earlier.

BOX SCORE

JJ captures the moment

JJ Guerrero from Canucks Hockey Blog was at the Nucks/Capitals game last night. By the looks of it, he had a pretty good seat in the house as well. He has posted a video of Morrison's winning goal last night on YouTube that really captures the anxiousness of the crowd as Brendan skated in, the silence when it looked like Kolzig stopped it, and the burst of excitement when the ref pointed down signalling a goal. JJ covers every Canuck game with passion, and has taken it to the next level with this clip. I also like the last part of the clip which is a good shot of the new score clock/entertainment center!
Awesome, JJ. Hope you don't mind me putting this on here.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Click on all photos to enlarge them considerably.

Winter has reared its ugly head in our hometown of Smithers in the past 24 hours. It looks to have snowed about 13-16 inches in that time frame. It could be a record for the day: October 27th and 28th.




This is completely out of the ordinary for us. I don't think we have seen snow like this in October since Michael Jackson was 'cool.' Nowadays, with global warming, we pray for a white Christmas, as the impending snowfall that doesn't melt usually arrives just prior to Christmas. Our kick ass ski hill, which is nearing a serious upgrade, could open sooner than it's November 24th projected time. Excellent! I'm shining my skiis already!



Alas, with all the joys of the 'white shit' comes PROBLEMS and WORK. I heard from a police officer last night that there were 27 vehicle accidents about 3/4 of the way through the storm. Most people were not ready for this. Some didn't have winter tires on, and others were still driving like it was July. Reminds me of Vancouverites!
I am very thankful that I don't have a longer driveway. But with all the shovelling I did this morning, I feel like I'm ready to challenge Minnesota Wild goon Derek Boogaard to a scrap. We'll see after a couple rum and cokes. My neighbor and I are going to try build a 'Great Wall' between our driveways if this snow continues!
Can you see the dog in the background (center left of the bottom picture)? I get this feeling that one of these days he's going to take a chunk out of my leg...I don't trust him.

Hockey Wives













From left to right: Brandy Blake, Angelica Bridges, Dina Arnott, and Stacia Robitaille. The question isn't 'why did I post this.' The real question is: 'Why did Sherry post this at Scarlett Ice?'
Agreed 100%, Sherry!
For the record, Angelica is married to Sheldon Souray.

Friday, October 27, 2006

A great game: Canucks 3 Capitals 2 (Shootout)

Well, I guess we can stop picking on Temujin. He was at the game tonight, and the Canucks squeaked out a win over the Capitals 3-2 in a shootout, with Brendan Morrison sneaking a shot through Olaf Kolzig's pads to win it in the extra frame. Good on Morrison, who shrugged his shoulders after the shootout goal as if to say: "I'll take it."
What a game. The Nucks really should have won this one about 7-2, but Kolzig made kept the Caps in it. The final shot total was 44-21 in favor of Vancouver. The Canucks played a great game. If you could fault them, you could say that they took too many penalties in the 2nd period when the Capitals finally started playing well. When they were up 2-0, and dominating, Ohlund took a holding penalty, and Dainius Zubrus scored a PP goal. Alex Ovechkin scored another just under 2 minutes later, and uh-oh, we thought the Canucks could ruin this one, and that Temujin really was a f---ing curse to the team. But the Canucks held on until the 3rd period started, and then dominated the 3rd period, outshooting the Caps 15-2. But Kolzig played brilliant.
An uneventful OT solved nothing, and we thought for sure that Roberto Luongo would gaff in the shootout. However, Matt Pettinger shot the puck at Luongo and Yo stopped the puck easily. Naslund absolutely undressed Kolzig and scored on a backhand. Then Ovechkin made Luongo look stupid, but put the shot off the post. Next up was Morrison, who faked left and right on Kolzig, and then put the puck between Kolzig's legs. Kolzig was already sliding backwards, but the puck squeezed through his legs and crossed the goal line. What a terific climatic ending to the game.

Zanstorm's 3 Stars
1. Olaf Kolzig. Amazing saves. Was the best player of both teams.
2. Brendan Morrison. 1 assist, a +1. The best he has played all year.
3. Roberto Luongo. Looked pretty solid. Saved the Canucks' butts when Washington woke up.

What do you guys think of Ovechkin? I think he looked inconsistent. Sure he had 2 points (1 goal 1 assist.) But he disappears for large segments of the game, IMO. A part of that can probably be attributed to the Canucks' good coverage of him tonight.
The Nucks also did a great job neutralizing Alexander Semin, who was only visible tonight when he was knocked on his ass, and his nose was bleeding.

GM Place has a new score clock tonight/Preview

From Canucks.com. It is the NHL’s latest ProStar centre-hung video display system, or, a super powered score clock. It weighs 49,000 pounds and its four large HD-ready light emitting diode (LED) screens (13.5 feet by 24 feet) display 4.4 trillion colours. In all, the eight computers and 1.2 million pixels spread over eight screens draw as much power as your average house – which isn’t too bad considering it’s roughly equivalent to 80 big-screen televisions. Check out the article on Canucks.com for more.

Ok, on to the game tonight against the Capitals.
Have no fear. Roberto Luongo had the Capitals' number last season when he was with the Panthers. He was 7-0, with a 1.96 goals against average against the Caps last season.
The Canucks have won 3 straight games against the Capitals in recent years, and have 6 out of 8 games as well. As TSN mentioned, the Capitals have not beaten Vancouver since February 2001. So there is reason to be optimistic, right?
Maybe. The Capitals are better than they were last season, but realistically, they only have one line. So I am expecting the Canucks to shut them down for the most part, and achieve a 4-2 victory tonight.
Can't wait to watch the Ovechkin/Semin combo.
Oh, and I should mention that our friend Temujin is at the game tonight. The Canucks have never won when Temujin is at the game. Their record is 0-7 with him in attendance. In an effort to change this bad luck, we pitched in money and bought him a Capitals jersey, (since he always wears Nuck jerseys) and created a sign for him that reads "I love Semin." Not sure he'll make it on TV with that, but hopefully no one kicks the crap out of him, because he doesn't have medical.

The McCarty Auction

Darren McCarty has seen better days. He filed for bankruptcy last April and is now auctioning off some of his prized possessions. These include replica Stanley Cup trophies, various jerseys, photos, a Harley, Corvette, motorboat, and alot of other collectibles from his career. But the most significant items will be his 3 Stanley Cup rings that he earned in his years with Detroit. I wonder how much sentimental value those hold for him still.
Officially he has $1.9 million US in assets, and is $6.2 million in debt.
But hey, let's not focus on the negative. McCarty is a tough, gritty, and funny character. Check out the clip.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

A great night of hockey

Did anyone see the Cam Janssen/Steve Montador fight? It resembled the Tucker/Eaves fight from the other night. Montador did not look like 'El Matador' in this one, and bit off more than he could chew. To his credit, he was taking a stand against Janssen for running Van Ryn and especially Gary Roberts, who was laid out by Janssen earlier. I have not seen much of this guy yet, but he really is a beast.
The Panthers are so inconsistent, and lose 2-0. They only had 4 shots in the 3rd period.

Nice to see the Flyers win one for their new coach John Stevens. Peter Forsberg returned to the lineup and scored the winner in the shootout. How does that feel Hitchcock?
Hey, does Slava Kozlov have amazing shootout skills or what?

You have to laugh at the Oilers for losing to Phoenix. I wonder if Gretzky gave them a tearful speech before the game, because the the Coyotes looked like a motivated team for once. They even fought with eachother. Did you see Derek Morris make a pancake out of Marty Reasoner's face? Another one-sided fight on the night.
Go figure, Georges Laracque scored another goal on his former team. If he would just pretend that every team the Coyotes played were the Oilers, he'd get maybe 83 goals.

I hear the Boston fans were littering the ice after the Bruins' loss tonight. Andrei Markov scored the winner with 1.2 seconds left in the 3rd period, and the fans threw a LOT of garbage onto the ice. It was so bad that the referees decided not the drop the puck to finish the game off. Yikes.
Alexei Kovalev recieved a 2-minute penalty and a game misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct. After the game he vented:

"As you saw, the refs screwed up the whole game, and then they tried to fix it at the end. I wish, if they were going to decide to have a bad game, they would be bad for both teams," said Kovalev. He was complaining that opponents have tried to take out his knees in the past 3 games. "I have to protect myself."

Yeah yeah, wear a condom.

Will the real Marty St. Louis please stand up? He scored a hat trick in Tampa Bay's
5-1 drubbing of the Hurricanes tonight. Is this St. Louis breaking out of his 'slump' or does he have Bertuzzi syndrome?

Senators open a can on Leafs 7-2


The Leafs have bigger holes in their defence than Heatley has between his teeth. "


Disastrous. That would explain the Leafs' collective defensive play tonight. Right after Jeff Oneil scored the Leafs' second goal to make the game 3-2 and nearly cap a 3-goal comeback, the Sens opened the flood gates and obliterated the uninspired Leafs.
Dany Heatley had a natural hat trick in the 2nd frame, or, a 'natrick' as one TSN guy put it. Jason Spezza finished the night with 1 goal and 4 assists. Defenceman Joe Corvo also had 1 goal and 4 assists, and Ray Emery played superb stopping 29 of 31 shots. Unreal. The Sens are officially back, if they weren't back already last weekend after destroying the Devils, and then the Leafs twice now in the same week. After the game Jason Spezza stated:

"Guys are a little more comfortable with the puck now. With that 8-1 game, it seemed like we stopped gripping our sticks after that... "

So how many times do the Buds still have to play the Sens this year? The answer is too many.
Leafs' coach Paul Maurice looked bewildered in the postgame press conference, but still confident. He complimented the Sens for being on such a role, and defended goalie Andrew Raycroft for being a 'fighter' and not wanting to leave the net despite the blowout. Maurice blamed the Leafs' team defence for not tightening up and for giving the Senators way too much room to skate and play their offensive game. Call me coo-coo but I thought the Leafs were going to play smarter and more effective defence under Maurice, but that has not happened recently. They have given up 33 goals in their last 7 games. (Anyone got a calculator?) Don't mind me, I'm just trying to cheer myself up. Then again, it could be worse. We could have lost to the Coyotes, like the Oilers did tonight! HA! I feel better already!
Here is the BOX SCORE if you can keep your food in your stomach.

Belfour playing well finally

After the Panthers' win over the Rangers, Eddie The Eagle said he is feeling more comfortable between the pipes.

"I'm starting to get in my groove," Belfour said. "My timing is better and I'm seeing the puck much better. We definitely needed this win."

Belfour stopped 35 of 37 Rangers shots, in a game that the Panthers took 6 penalties to the Rangers' 2. Belfour is now 2-2-0 with a not-so sparkling 3.06 goals against average, and a less than stellar .893 save percentage.
If Belfour can regain his form to how he was playing in Toronto a couple of years back, and even at periods last season, his numbers will improve, and the Panthers will start winning alot more consistently.
At 41 years of age, alot of skeptics are saying he is done. I am saying he still has something to offer, provided his back holds up. Belfour is alot like Gary Roberts. He is a fierce competitor and will do anything short of killing someone to keep his back in good shape.
Perhaps the biggest issue will be how he reacts to sharing alot of the load with Alex Auld. I'm pretty sure that Eddie believes in his own mind that he can handle playing 50 or more games. I'm not sure coach Jacques Martin will allow that. But you have to wonder if Belfour is able to stay sharp when he doesn't play as many games. He has always played large amounts of games per season his whole career. If Martin cuts back his playing time, will Belfour become disillusioned? Angered? Drunk? Disorderly? Psychotic?

MY FRIENDS CALL ME BOB...
























With his first shutout as a Canuck in hand, and what can be considered as his best performance of the season, its high time to drop the, all too formal "Roberto" moniker and treat the guy as one of our own. I don't know about anyone else but I can't say "Roberto" without saying "Roberto Luongo"
Given the name Roberto, which can be easily shortened, changed or altered to better suit our new franchise player, I'm suggesting "Bob".
According to the research of my best friend Beaner, Luongo actually had the name "Bob" painted on one of his previous goalie masks, which can only suggest, he hates his parents for giving him the stupid name in the first place and prefers the abbreviated version already.

Other options, briefly considered during last nights second intermission rum break:
Rob
Robby
Bobby
Bert (sorry...too many issues with this one)

I'm currently working on a photoshop "Bob" Luongo mask, which will include his new "handle", boldly painted on the chin, similar to "Kipper" and the other superstar "nicknamed" goalies.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Hawks Hospital : Canucks 5 Hawks 0 (Final)

Finally, Western Canadians who don't have Express-vu get to see a Black Hawks game. You have to think that the Hawks are in trouble now. With injuries to key players like Martin Havlat, Michal Handzus, Tuomo Ruutu, and of course Nicolai Khabibulin, the Hawks are on the verge of running into a losing skid. The Hawks had their best start to a season since 1990-91, winning 4 of their first 6 games, but the Hawks have lost their last 2. These losses are coming on the heels of the above players (minus Ruutu) getting injured seemingly all at once. They were riding high with their new acquisitions until that point.
So, without getting all stat-crazy, let me just say that the Hawks will be vulnerable, and we should see the Canucks take advantage of that. The Canucks were getting secondary scoring last game against Dallas, and I'm thinking that there will be even more of that tonight, unless Hawk backup goalies Sebastion Caron or Brian Boucher steal the show, or the Hawks are better defensively than I thought.
5-1 Canucks. They get their powerplay going again, Morrison and Salo get 3 points each, and Kesler finally gets one. Hell, even Bulis should snap out of his funk too. Anything else would be uncivilized.

GAME TIME: 5:30 on Canucks Pay Per View. I may drunk blog it...
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It's hard to live blog when Blogger is down and out like Patrick Eaves.

This has not been a good night for Chicago, and a great night for the Canucks. The boo-birds are out in Chicago. The Canucks have played a fantastic game. They finally capitalized on the powerplay, on a goal by Brendan Morrison.
There are alot of positives for the Canucks in this one.
1)More secondary scoring! Thank gad! Goals from Cooke and Morrison may break them out of their slumps.
2)Roberto (Bob*) Luongo. He didn't let the first goal in, and didn't let any goals in for that matter. A solid game for him, with some brilliant saves. Love the way he dragged his leg out to rob Radim Vrbata early in the game.
3)Henrik Sedin is shooting the puck! He now has 2 goals tonight. Anyone else like his first goal? I think he intentionally fluttered the puck on Brian Boucher, who completely wiffed on it. Nice way to get your first goal of the year, Hank!
5)Whenever Ryan Kesler starts getting points will be a good thing. He is playing very well in all areas and needs to be rewarded soon.
6)Taylor Pyatt looks at home with the Sedin line. He bagged his 5th of the season tonight. Have all his goals been in the top shelf this season? He's got a bullet.
7)Holy crap. Hawk fans are booing their team. It appears the Hawks will slump without their key players in the lineup.
8)Hey Hut...suck it! You said Hawks by 2? I said 5-1 Nucks. Who's the man?
9) Kudos to Shorty for saying that referee Magoo waves his arms around so much that he is going to take flight. Hilarious.

Zanstorm's 3 stars:
1. Roberto Luongo. Solid throughout.
2. Henrik Sedin. 2 goals and 1 assist.
3. Matt Cooke. 1 goal, and a gritty game.

* see Hodge

FALLING FROM GRETZ

40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, 6 All-Star records, four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and 9 MVP awards and 10 scoring titles. He is the only player ever to total over 200 points in a season (a feat that he accomplished four times in his career). In addition, he tallied over 100 points a season for 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively. A pretty nice way to polish off one career in hockey and start another, but even with a resume like that, nothing seems to be helping the God of hockey as he coaches the Phoenix Coyotes.

Wayne Gretzky made is debut last year with the Coyotes and they finished 38-39-5 in the toughest division in the NHL. With that record, he signed a 5 year contract extension as well as players like Ed Jovanovski, George Laraque, Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick, and Nick Boynton, all of who have yet to prove their worth.

Gretzky is feeling the pain, winning only 2 games out of 10 played, and having said that after losing a game as a player, he always had the routine of practice and preparation for the next to help erase the memory of a previous loss. As a coach however, he is quoted saying
"It's much worse, you dwell on it for hours and hours before the next game starts. There's no way to really relieve that disbelief of losing a hockey game."

He needs to do something more to shake up his team than just putting goaltender Mike Morrisson on waivers. He signed a one year contract with
Phoenix and has put up numbers like, 0-3 in 4 starts with a 6.13 GAA and .790 save percentage.

Shootouts are not the worst thing


I don't like the games being decided in a shootout fashion either, especially not after only 5 minutes of 4 on 4. But you cannot deny the excitement that it generates. If you haven't read Reality Check's piece on what he thinks about it, then check it out.
My opinion: I would like to see 5 minutes of 4 on 4, if the game is still tied, then 5 minutes of 3 on 3, and if that still doesn't cut it, then have a shootout. I really don't think that many games would still end up tied after 3 on 3. We saw a bit of 3 on 3 in the Canucks game last week, and it truly was an exciting thing. I think with this idea, you can please everyone.
What do you think?

Reason #1 why I love this season already

Because the mighty Detroit Red Wings aren't so mighty anymore. That alone is reason to get plastered for a week straight. How long did we have to put up with these guys dominating the Western Conference? My hatred for Detroit spans back years ago to when the Leafs were still in the West. That was one helluva rivalry that I really miss. But anyway...back to the hatred... I love the takeover of the Western Conference by teams like San Jose, Anaheim, and soon Nashville. Why? Because it's not Detroit or fucking Colorado. My pool picks in the playoffs aren't going to be from either of those teams this year. Thank God! Change is good.
I do feel an inkling of remorse for those fan bases, but that inkling is like one tidbit of sand on a 10 mile beach. Welcome to the real world guys!
Back to Detroit specifically. They are currently playing .500 hockey. They have given up as many goals as they have scored. Dominic Hasek doesn't seem to be the Dominator right now, or anymore, take your pick. Nor is Chris Osgood. Putting the 'C' on the Norris trophy-winning Niklas Lidstrom hasn't helped either. And that really is where the problem lies. I was running that by Christy as well, you can't lose 2 good Canadian veterans like Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan and expect a more prominent season, especially in the case of Shanahan who still has a alot of leadership and offensive output left in the tank.
The bad news for Detroit haters? There is still plenty of skill left on that team to work themselves out of a bad predicament. The biggest factor, long and short term, is that the Red Wings' scouting staff is one of, if not the best in the NHL. That alone should give Wings fans hope, and Wing-haters fits.

Kudos to Hodge

As you can see, Hodge has whipped up a new banner for the site, and has done a hell of a job. His Photoshop wizardry is unmatched. We really wanted to have Luongo in there, rather than 2 Sedins sitting on their asses looking pathetic. And since Mats Sundin is a god, he had to be in there too.
Anyway, nice work, Hodge.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Sens 6 Leafs 2, I'm not suprised


Fine. If you won't take your visor off, I'll remove it for you."


The Senators are finally playing like they should be, which is like contenders. They got scoring from 5 different players: Mike Fisher, Andrej Meszaros, Patrick Eaves, Dany Heatley, and Chris Neil. Mats Sundin and Matt Stajan scored for TO.
Haven't seen much fights in recent games. Tonight had 2 battles between Belak and McGratton, and Tucker and Eaves. It appeared that Eaves really didn't want any part of Tucker in that one.
Andrew Raycroft was relieved of duty at the start of the 3rd period after allowing 5 goals on 21 shots. But not all of the blame should be on Raycroft. The Leafs' defence, especially Tomas Kaberle (caught up ice) and Ian White (not getting the puck out of the zone) can be faulted on 2 of the goals.
Another difference tonight was special teams. The Leafs finished 0 for 6 on the PP and the Seators were 2 for 5.
The two teams will play again on Thursday night. It should be a violent affair as the rivalry is heating up again, especially with Tucker mauling Eaves.
BOX SCORE

Leaf players were openly critisizing the schedule in the media recently. They don't want to play the Senators so often every season. Including the preseason, the Leafs have played the Senators 7 times in 1 month. Commish Gary Bettman will be looking into the matter, and the current concept may be changed next season.

New Canuck Jersey?

There is a bit of chat over on Kukla's Corner Canucks Forum about potential Canuck jerseys. PuckHound61 found this picture at another site. What do you think of it? To me, something looks really off, like the colors of the emblem.
Joe Pelletier then asked if the Canucks should put Johnny Canuck on their jersey. What do you think? I'd say, make him look a little more pissed off, and presto, I'm in!


NHL News for Tuesday

  • Blues defenceman Jay McKee had surgery yesterday to repair his broken hand. Apparently he had 2 pins inserted during the operation. He will M.I.A. for about 6 weeks. The injury occurred during his 3rd shift as a Blue.
  • The Predators are not rushing Steve Sullivan back into action with his back spasms. I guess I should drop him in my pools....
  • Jordan Leopold was expected to return to action this week, but has suffered a setback in his return from hernia surgery. Leopold, who the Avalanche acquired in the Alex Tanguay deal, will not be available until early November.
  • Nathan Horton, who we keep waiting for to break out, has been demoted to the 4th line in Florida. A big reason is that he hasn't had a shot on goal in over 2 games, and has been taking stupid penalties.
  • Peter Budaj will probably get the start for the Avalanche on Wednesday night at home against the Capitals. Budaj played well last night in the Avalanche's 6-1 steamrolling of the Kings. Bye bye Jose.
  • Peter Forsberg had this to say about the coaching change in Philly:
    "Sometimes it's good to get a change, it doesn't matter what you do. John
    Stevens is a winner, and the young guys like him, and he's going to be a good
    change for us. When I've dealt with him, he's been great".
  • Flyers = coach killers. But even Dave Reid, who does commentary on the NHL Network, and used to play under Hitchcock in Dallas, said that Hitch was a perfectionist, and liked to yell at his players alot, even over petty things, like a missed pass on shitty ice surfaces. That may work initially, but the players will get tired of that sooner rather than later.

Oh crap, Sean Avery speaks

Thank you to reader/commenter J Tron for the link to this interview with Super Pest Sean Avery in Toro Magazine. I hate to say it, but in some ways I understand and agree with what Avery is saying. Alot of times I get judged for spouting of what I think as well, or am accused of being too honest.
But a real talent is having the power and ability to control what you say, and when and how you say it. Avery's mock on French Canadians hiding behind visors last season was wrong, even if there was a tad of truth to it. But there really was no point in singling out French Canadians when there are players from every race and culture who do it. Avery doesn't think before he speaks.

Battle of Ontario continues tonight

"We know what they did last game," said Leafs coach Paul Maurice. "They're feeling good about themselves now. We'll have our hands full."
That was reference to the Senators' 8-1 anihilation of the Devils on the weekend. The Sens have found their offence 'just in time' to play the Leafs tonight. Andrew Raycroft and Martin Gerber will getting the starts. I hope Gerber stinks it up.
The teams have already played eachother twice this season, a home and home series to start the year. The Sens won the first game 4-1, and the Leafs won the second game 6-0. This will be their second home and home series, with the first game being played at the ACC in Toronto tonight.
My prognosis? I think Hans Solo said it best when he said: "I got a bad feeling about this." 6-3 Senators. Gonna be hard to stop the emerging Senators.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Stars 2 Canucks 1 in a sad one

This game really angered me to no end. The Canucks scored within the first 2 minutes on a goal from Daniel Sedin on a brilliant setup from Henrik and Taylor Pyatt.
But Niklas Hagman scored a flukey goal about 36 seconds later from the point that Luongo really should have had. But the puck skipped over his stick and trickled into the net. Fuck. The Canucks were up 1-0 and would have contolled the game at that point, being up a goal. After this point there was intense action, even though both teams didn't give up alot of quality scoring chances. The Canucks had so many blooming positives after Hagman's shitty goal. They played tight defence and generated a hell of alot more scoring chances than Dallas did, out shooting the Stars 19-12 going into the 3rd period. The Sedins looked invisible tonight, but guys like Chouinard, Linden, Kesler, and especially Burrows were playing phenomenal, but couldn't capitalize on their chances.
Which leads me to the turning points of the game.
The biggest differences of the game were the Canucks' inability to convert on the powerplay (0 for 6) and the phantom calls in the 3rd period on Bieksa especially who really didn't hook the Stars' player on his break to the net. That penalty gave the Stars a 5 on 3, which they capitalized on, on a goal by Mike Modano. The Canucks were so sound up to that point that once again, Luongo did not have to be brilliant tonight. So, a fucking silly call ruined the Nucks on this one. It really angers me, because it was a waste. From that point, the Canucks had 1 more powerplay opportunity, but couldn't capitalize. And really, all bitching about phantom calls aside, the Nuckleheads needed to capitalize on the PP to win this one.
Plus, Marty Turco shut the door when he had to, as the Canucks outshot the Stars 34-26.
To be positive, the guys like Morrison, Burrows, Linden, Green, and co. looked so much more impressive. Luc Bourdon played 9:58 and looked solid out there. Good for him.
The Canucks were so close to deflating to stinking Stars. Hopefully they can keep their heads up, draw from this close loss, and absolutely destroy Chicago and Washington in the next 2 games.
My one drunken question is...Vigneault, why didn't you leave Pyatt on the Sedin line??? It was working for you earlier...But he kept changing his lines impatiently...

What to expect fom Dallas tonight

Marty Turco has lost his marbles. He now stands in the corner, as shown, and waits for pucks to come to him and for the photographer to throw him some candy through the peep hole. The worst part is that it's in the no-goalie zone, so the refs keep penalizing him. I think he is expecting Sergei Zubov to don the pads and play goal for him so he can stand in the corner.
In all seriousness, the Canucks have their hands full tonight against a red hot Stars team that preaches the same defensive style that Vigneault does. The biggest difference is that the Stars have a buttload more talent than Vancouver does, so Roberto Luongo is going to have to be extra sharp.
The Stars are 7-1 to start the season and don't look to be slowing down anytime soon. They are getting scoring from all lines. In fact, only Matthew Barnaby doesn't have any points. New captain Brendan Morrow is thriving in the leadership role, and is leading the team with 9 points. New Star Mike Ribeiro, the Spineless Star Weasel, is second with 7 points. But the biggest positive for Dallas is the play of Marty Turco. He is tied with Ryan Miller for top spot in the NHL with 6 wins, he has a 1.98 GAA and a .930 save percentage. So unless he has a rotten night, the Canucks are going to be in tough.
This really could be a great goaltender battle if Luongo doesn't let the first shot in. It will also be a battle of defence and who will crack first. The Canucks have to score the first goal...because we know how good Dallas is after they score first.
The loss of Willie Mitchell will hurt the Nucks. I say this one will be close, but the Stars will prevail 2-0. I never said I was always a positive person. But to throw a positive spin on it, the Canucks DID beat a streaking Predator team last week, so you never know.
Start time: 5:30 on Sportsnet Pacific.

BUM ON THE STREET Part 4

LUC TO GET ANOTHER CHANCE






















With Willie Mitchell getting his head knocked off Saturday night by Jason Arnott and unable to dull the pain with the help of copious amounts of Tylenol, Luc Bourdon will get another chance to prove himself tonight against Dallas .

Althought the Bourdon has been hyped as another Phaneuf style defenseman, he has struggled this year with what looks to be a complete lack on confidence in all aspects of the game. He showed a lot of promise in preseason last year and was then sent back to the minors for another year of experience, where he suffered a broken leg, missing a good portion of the season.

Here's your chance Luc, don't fug it up.

Hodge's prediction: Bourdon hands the big E his thirty ninth concussion in a classic blueline trolley track collision.

CLARKE FINALLY DOES THE RIGHT THING













Wow, what a weird turn of events in Philly. Calling the Hitchcock firing was about as insightful as predicting Forsberg to get injured, but who would have thunk Bobby Clarke was going to admit being an idiot and actually take the blame for a dismal tenure in Philly.

Amazing how looking in the mirror every morning can make even the bizarre nutjobs see the light.

All we need now is Bob to admit he was being a complete dickhead with that kesler offer and fork over a million bucks to the Canucks and I'll start the "lets forgive Bob" campaign.

The last playoff series win for Bobby Clarke


It was in the 03/04 playoffs against the Leafs. Game 6 went to overtime. The action was furious, the Leafs' defence was shitty. Darcy Tucker layed out Sami Kapanen and 'scrambled his eggs.' But moments later, the Leafs' defence pinched in one too many times, and got burned by Jeremy Roenick on a 2 on 1.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Mitchell and Green questionable for Monday's game

Willie Mitchell is experiencing headaches after getting crunched by Jason Arnott on Saturday night.
Josh Green's eye is swollen shut after getting hit by the puck late in the game versus Nashville by I believe Marek Zidlicky.
I guess we can assume that this means that Luc Bourdon and Tommi Santala will get to play tomorrow night against Dallas.

Theodore 'Noose'

After Jose Theodore's not so heroic effort in his return to Montreal on Saturday night, you have to wonder what the immediate future holds for him in Colorado, or even the NHL for that matter. Theodore started well for the Avs that game, but proceeded to allow 8 goals against down the stretch, the most goals against him in one game in his career. The real meltdown occurred half way through the 3rd period with the score tied 5-5. Theodore allowed 3 goals in a span of 3 minutes.
Talk about saving your worst for the best time. The fans in Montreal jeered and taunted him the whole game. The thousands....and thousands in attendance chanted his name to get him off his game. Must have been a shot to the nerves.
Alot of people are wondering if Jose should have got the start in the first place. The Avs were on a roll with Peter Budaj in net. But now we know where Jose stands under pressure, and it ain't pretty.
He now has a 2-3-1 record with a 3.68 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage. Peter Budaj, smelling opportunity, is 1-0-1 with a 1.98 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
At some point you have to wonder if Theodore is ever going to regain his Hart Trophy form. My guess is no way Jose. He has been given enough chances. At a $5.5 million price tag, how much patience do the Avalanche brass have with him? Even if he fails, who in their right mind would ever take this guy on via trade?
It all adds up to Jose's NHL career coming to an early ending, or at the very least a huge risk of that happening. I know coach Joel Quenneville defended his goalie after the game.

"Power plays put them back into the game, so it wasn't the goalie's fault."

That is true in part, but Jose didn't look too sharp as the game went on, did he?
Theodore had this to say:
"After the first couple of saves I felt good and the whole first period I felt great. But it was a power-play kind of game tonight."

You have to think that somewhere inside, Quenneville's patience is running out, and the clock is ticking on Theodore's time as a #1 goalie in the NHL.
For perspective of the game from an Avalanche fan, visit Tapeleg.

A new era in Philly

Hitch: "Hey Bobby, I hear you got fired!"

Clarke:"Nah, I fired myself, and then took you down with me!"




After their worst start in 15 years, the Flyers have cleaned house. Ken Hitchcock was fired early this morning, and Bobby Clarke was allowed to resign. Owner Ed Snider said that he had thoroughly investigated the team throughout after the Sabres destroyed the Flyers 9-1 last week, and made the proper decision.

"It's difficult to let a coach of his calibre go," Snider said. "It was not done frivolously."
Hitchcock had this to say:
"I'm disappointed we weren't able to bring in the Cup," Hitchcock told the Canadian Press. "It's disappointing, personally, I wasn't given the opportunity to turn it around."

Clarke was the Flyers' GM for 13 seasons.
"I deeply regret not being able to bring a Stanley Cup here," Clarke said solemnly on Sunday. "I didn't deliver."
"I recognized myself that I hadn't been very good," Clarke said. "It wasn't because of our record, I can guarantee you that.

"The zest or the job - I lost it."
Yeah, and the team that you created was falling apart.
Paul Holmgren will take over Clarke's position. Apparently, according to Clarke and other sources, Holmgren was making alot of Bobby's decisions already, as Clarke was suffering from 'burnout.'
John Stevens former coach of the Philly Phantoms and who was assistant coach for the Flyers this year, has been promoted to head coach. Snider likes how Stevens has already worked with the youth on the Flyers, winning a Calder Cup in 2005.
"John Stevens has quickly proven that he can coach in the National Hockey League," Snider said. "He worked very closely with many of our younger players when he coached them as Phantoms. We believe that we have a core of great young talent and we think that John is the right guy to coach this team."
It's funny how I was just saying to Hodge and Beaner last night that Bobby Clarke wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. I though he was untouchable. In the end he kind of was. Letting him resign was a polite way of letting him go after 40 years of service as a player and in management.
Anyone think Clarke will take another GM job elsewhere? Does anyone feel remorse for Bobby? Me neither. It's kind of funny to think that as a GM, Clarke will be remembered most for his acquisition of Eric Lindros, and what he gave up to get him. Oh yes, and then the whole feuding that occurred between them for all those years. To his credit, the Legion of Doom line was pretty good. He did assemble a team that went to the Finals against Detroit in 1997, and was the GM with their success in the 80's as well. But controversy followed him everywhere.
I know Hitchcock will be back someday. Right now, he's probably eating about 50 cheeseburgers and waiting for the next coach to be fired somewhere.

I WISH I WAS THERE

Everyone and their dog in the state of Missouri has had to be on the edge of there seats since about two weeks ago. I grew up about 1 hr 30 minutes from the stadium, and have been to a few games here and there, the most recent being their second to last game of this season, while we were visiting my family. Their new stadium rocks, and we had tons of fun, I think Hodge even enjoyed himself. I cannot even watch St. Louis Cardinals on TV since they made the playoffs; they make me that nervous. Now that they are in the World Series, and leading 1 game to 0, I'd say that's reason to party though.....for everyone in the state of Missouri. I doubt all these hockey fans here in Canada will even understand why I've been running around pulling my hair out and checking my blood pressure every 3 hours over such a silly game. I just can't help myself, baseball has always been my game, and St. Louis has always been my team. I remember Boston stomping all over them, who could forget, in the World Series a few years ago. The Cardinals just had waltzed right through the season into the World Series. They had a week to rest; translation; a week to mess with your psyche and uncompose yourself. They were swept in 4 games. Ouch, I hid under a rock for a month and wept. This time around, they limped in...barely limped in, and now it's Detroit who's had "that week" after blanking the Yankees, I'm still not sure if they know what happened to themselves, and then beating the Athletics. Give the Tigers some love too though, 3 years ago, they could barely call themselves a team, being the worst in baseball.

So I guess this is me, saying GO CARDINALS!!! This is their time. Hommahommahomma....

Oh yeah, and if it wasn't for the Cardinals winning last night, I'm not so sure the Blues would have pulled it out, beating Chicago 4-3. All of that positive energy in St. Louis, how could they not? I know the Blues have a ways to go before they are a playoff team again, but I think they are going to be alright. The city must be buzzing right now!

Canucks win, Leafs lose

What a wild night of hockey. The action tonight did not disappoint. The Canucks suprised me with a come from behind victory over the Predators, who had won 3 in a row on their road trip in New York. The biggest story of the Nucks victory was SECONDARY SCORING. Yes, we finally got some of that from the Canucks tonight from guys like Jan Bulis, who scored the Canucks' first goal and also had 1 assist), and Brendan Morrison, who tied the game in the 3rd period. Alain Vigneault, who reads Waiting For Stanley, put Taylor Pyatt on a line with the Sedins, and Naslund with Morrison and Bulis. The result was balanced scoring. Even Kesler and Burrows looked alot better tonight.
If Anson Carter was the Black Knight last season, then Taylor Pyatt is the White Knight this season. Yeah, Beaner, I coined that phrase. Forget about it.
Luongo really closed the door on Nashville after he allowed the 3rd goal, and gave the Canucks a chance to win. We really didn't want to see this game go into a shootout did we? Thank Saint Luke that Krajicek put the puck on net in OT, and Vokoun missed it completely. Canucks win 4-3. I am trully impressed by the team effort.
I wonder how Willie Mitchell is feeling after that hit from Jason Arnott. It was a borderline boarding call. Mitchell wobbled to the bench much like Kapanen did after Tucker smoked him in the playoffs 2 years ago. He did not return.
Zanstorm's 3 stars:
1. Jan Bulis. 2 points and a spirited effort.
2. Lukas Krajicek. I like this dude. All over the ice tonight and bagged the winner.
3. Paul Kariya. 6 SOG, 1 assist, a +1.
BOX SCORE



The Leafs did not have the same fate on this night. Brendan Shanahan scored a goal scorer's goal on Andrew Raycroft on the PP late in the 1st and the shootout winner to bury the Leafs. Is it any wonder why the Red Wings are floundering without this guy in the lineup?
Darcy Tucker continues to play his trump cards for a raise in renegotiations with 2 goals tonight, his 6th and 7th. Jeff O'Neill bagged a beauty in the top shelf over Henrik Lundqvist with only 3 minutes left in the 3rd to send this one into OT. Too bad he couldn't do that more often. The OT was uneventful, and only Shanny scored a shootout goal, putting the puck through Raycroft's legs.
It's never a good idea to give the Rangers a chance to go on the power play. They are bloody lethal, scoring 2 PP goals tonight.
At least the Leafs were competitive tonight, I will give them that much. Ian White goes from goat to sort-of hero with 2 assists and a +3 rating. He kind of looks like a weaker version of Brian Leetch. Kudos to Alexei Ponikarovsky as well, who is improving even more. He scored a beauty breakaway goal in the 1st, and looked like Mats Sundin doing it. His physical game is also impressive.
BOX SCORE
Zanstorm's 3 stars:
1. Brendan Shanahan. Deadly.
2. Darcy Tucker. 2 goals, 1000 hits.
3. Jaromir Jagr. 2 assists, impossible to contain.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Fourth Sedin


People that have met me say I look like the Sedin twins. Hodge and Beaner call me the 3rd Sedin. Well, thanks to Predsguy, I thing I have found the missing piece of the quadruplet puzzle, at least, on this picture anyway.
It's Alexander Radulov, who we will get to see up close against the Canucks tonight with Josef Vasicek being injured.

What to watch for tonight

  • Well, don't look for Marion Gaborik. He is out with a mild groin strain. I guess he and Demitra enjoy eachother a little bit too much. That will hurt the Wild's chances against the Sharks tonight.
  • Jose Theodore will get the start tonight for the Avalanche against the Canadiens. The fans are going to crucify him all night long. This is a pivotal point for Jose. If he plays well despite the mocking, he could completely turn his game around. At least that worked before for goalies getting mocked out of Montreal in the past. This will be Jose's second mocking, I guess.
  • John Michael Liles has given up his #26 jersey to Peter Stastny's son Paul so that Paul could wear his daddy's number. How sweet of him. Group hug everyone! Liles will wear former Av Rob Blake's #4.
  • Should the Bruins trade Glen Murray? Yes they should! And they can spend his $4.15 salary elsewhere, like on a bonafide goaltender perhaps.
  • Will the Panthers be able to score more goals on a road game in Atlanta tonight? They are coming off a win last night at home against Philly with Belfour in net. Yeah, suck it, Belfour haters!
  • Canucks versus Predators. This could get ugly for the Canucks. My prediction on this one is 5-1 Predators. But if the Nucks win, be sure to heckle Predguy over at Predspage.

What to do when telemarketers call

This is a clip from the Bob and Tom Show. A telemarketer is about to pay for doing what he does...

Bob & Tom Show - recorded call

Friday, October 20, 2006

Canucks do it Salo-style

Sami Salo, the Finnish God, scored the winner for the Canucks with only .7 seconds left in ooooooveeerrrrrrtiiiiiimmmmme. He faked out a Blues forward at the point, went around him, and blasted a shot over Curtis Sanford. It was a dull game up to the 3rd period that did not have much flow because of all the penalties. The 3rd was good because of the late comeback. There were 22 penalties total, 10 against Vancouver and 12 against the Blues. The 4 goals scored in regulation were all PP goals.

Quick notes:
* the Canucks came back from being down 2-0 in the 3rd period.
* Taylor Pyatt scored his PP goal playing on a line with the Sedins. He looked like a white version of Anson Carter standing in front of the net. He has better hands than I thought. That was his 3rd goal this season. Hey Vigneault, maybe you should leave him on that line.
* Markus Naslund played the point on the PP tonight, and didn't look out of place. At least he can get his shot off there, and that is where he scored his goal tonight. If I saw him one more time circling in the slot on the right side and missing his shot like he has done all this season and last UNSUCCESSFULLY, I was going to drink a bottle of cyanide.
* Curtis Sanford (love the mask) stopped 36 of 39 shots for the Blues. A great game by him.
*Luongo saved the Canucks asses in OT, taking a sure goal away from Doug Weight. Luongo also let the first shot in tonight again as well. But it was a perfect shot from Petr Cajanek.
* Linden's time on the ice: 5:48. What's the fucking point, really? Bring back Magnus Arvedsson and let him take Trevor's spot. Or Artem Chubarov perhaps!

BOX SCORE

LET THE RIVALRY BEGIN












Ingmar Bergman of "Shoots and Scores" fame started this bitter Canuck/Blues blog rivalry with his nasty "Canucks on a golf course" post earlier this summer, and I have waited patiently for the chance to return the love. Although the Canucks have struggled in the past with the Blues, this year should prove different with less expectations of dominance in the division.

Tonights Prediction :

  • Canucks win 5-0
  • Luongo stands on his head after resting last game.
  • The Canucks secondary scoring comes alive.
  • Trevor Linden is one of the games 3 stars.
  • AV listens to Hodge and sticks Kesler on the top line.

Forsberg's new protective hockey attire


Forsberg is hurt again. This time it's his wrist. Bobby Clarke has ordered him to wear this new armour attire for the remainder of his stint with the Flyers.
The Montreal Canadiens players have already ordered 23 of them. However, the armor has alot of pros and cons.

Pro's

- the suit can withstand a Chris Pronger slapshot from close range.
-it makes a cool banging sound when a player wearing it is checked into the boards.
-Sean Avery will break his limbs if he hits you. Everybody wants to see that.
-a player wearing the suit cannot be hooked or held up because it is too slippery. This will eliminate obstruction calls in the future.
-players are injury-free, or their money back. Ironman record in jeapordy.
-player looks like a hero. Girls love heroes. Scoring is a given.
-say your name is William Wallace. That will scare the shit out of everybody, except the girls.

Cons

-not very flexible.
-not very breathable. You'll sweat like a hooker in church.
-impedes a player's speed
-difficult to hop over the boards for a line change.
-impossible to get up after falling down.
-jersey doesn't fit over top of it.
-the guys are going to laugh at you.
-did I mention the guys are gonna laugh at you?

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Kids thrash it up.

A break from hockey for a minute.....My brother just sent me this video. How old are these kids? 11? I've never seen kids do something this cool. The song is 'Refuse/Resist' by Sepultura. Noise to most of you I bet, but music to MY ears!
Couple things... 1) these dudes are Brazilian as is Sepultura. Sepultura is a cult hit in Brazil.
2) I think they are copying the live version, so the first line he yells is 'fuck shit up!'
3) How about the drummer? Holy crap! He's using a double bass pedal! Total skills at an early age!

Random NHL News for Thursday

  • Jeremy Roenick has 1 assist and is a -4 rating in his first 6 games. He is now playing on the Coyotes' 4th line and hasn't bitched about it.....yet. Give him time, and about 10 more losses. Then he'll start whining about how he should be given more icetime to help contribute offensively.
  • The Avalanche have a minor dilemna on their hands with who to start in goal against the Canadiens on Saturday night. What would you do if you were coach Quenneville? Play Theodore because you think it will jump start his season to prove himself in front of his former team and fans? Or do you go with Mr. Money In the Bank Peter 'the praying' Budaj? I know the Avs need to get on a role soon, but you'd have to think that at the $$$ they are paying Theodore, they need any reason to get him going and playing at the level he is expected to be playing at. What happens if Theo plays and stinks up Montreal?
  • Bryan Berard was expected to have surgery today on a herniated disc in his back. He will be out of action until late January.
  • Tuomo Ruutu is skating with the Hawks again, but there is no timetable for his return.

Which coach will be fired first?

There are some disappointing starts by teams, some suprising, others not. In most cases, the coach gets fired first. Even though it is early, who do you think will be the first coach to lose his job this season?

  1. Dave Lewis - Bruins
  2. Ken Hitchcock- Flyers
  3. Larry Playfair - Flames
  4. Wayne Gretzky - Coyotes
  5. John Torterella - Lightning
  6. Bryan Murray - Senators
  7. Glen Hanlon - Capitals
  8. Some other poor sack


Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Avalanche headed for Air Canada Center (Avalanche 4 Leafs 1 Final)

Should be a great one. The Avalanche don't have much thunder so far this year with a 1-2-2 record. They lost their last game to the not-so shitty anymore Black Hawks 5-3. A big question for the Avs will be how well Jose Theodore can handle a team that has the most shots in the NHL.
The Leafs look sharp with a 3-1-2 record winning the last game over the Flames in Sundinian fashion. That was over 4 days ago, so there could be some rust. As long as Raycroft can hold them in there until the rust wears off, this should be a win for the Leafs.
Zanstorm's prediction..
5-2 Leafs. It wasn't an avalanche that hit the ACC, it was only whiff of snow.
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Period 1
The Leafs strike early (2:22) on a goal from Bates Battaglia (still one of the best names ever!) From that point it was all Avalanche, who outshot the Leafs 10-5 in period 1. It really should be at least 3-1 Avs right now, but Andrew Raycroft is playing an outstanding game. Only Brett McLean, a BC boy, could solve Raycroft, after the Leaf goalie made 2 great saves, and the Leaf defence was standing around. Leafs look a little sloppy and rusty, especially Jay Harrison and Ian White on defence. They are turning over the puck and losing battles in their own zone.

2nd and 3rd periods
This really wasn't typical of what we've seen from TO this year. They were outworked and outskilled, and the Avalanche looked like they all injected a bag of crack before the show. They were skating circles around the Leafs, and moved the puck around to near perfection. It really seemed like the Leafs didn't have many quality chances on their 28 shots. When they did, Peter Budaj was solid in net.
Personally, I think this kind of game is something we should see alot more of from the Avalanche this year. Obviously the lackluster play of Theodore hasn't helped them to this point.
The Leaf fans at the ACC boo'ed the losing team off the ice tonight. Quite the contrast from Saturday night.

Zanstorm's 3 stars:
1. Peter Budaj. He was solid.
2. John Michael Liles. 2 goals and a +3 on the night.
3. Brett McLean. 1 goal and about 7 blocked shots.

BOX SCORE

Flyers waive 3 players / Other NHL news

*The Flyers have waived forwards Petr Nedved, Niko Dimitrakos, and defenceman Nolan Baumgartner. To replace them, they have called up Stefan Ruzicka, Ben Eager, and Alexandre Picard. This is a result of the Flyers' lousy start this season, and of course, the 9-1 ass whoopin' they recieved last night from the Sabres.

*TSN is reporting that on the heels of the Russian club Yaroslavl filing lawsuits against the Oilers and Flames over the players Andrei Taratukhin and Alexei Mikhnov, Metallsburg has also filed a lawsuit over the Penguins' signing of Malkin today. This just before Malkin plays his first NHL regular season game tonight against the Devils.

*Last night was the first time in his career that Trevor Linden was a healthy scratch. Vigneault said that it was to rest him for the long haul. Makes Linden look like a charity case doesn't it? Maybe he shouldn't be on the roster at all then.

* Rumors have Yanic Perrault possibly signing with Ottawa. We'll see. He was also rumored to Florida. Spector's is also saying that Jason Allison is/was holding out for a contract that would pay him $3 million per year. Hey Jason, there is a reason why you haven't been signed yet! Lower your damn price tag!

*Sandis Ozolinsh is nearing a return for the Rangers after left knee surgery.

Mini Golf


I got a score of 34. Beat that, chumps!

Oilers Get Revenge, Kill the Orcas.

What a bummer. Dan Sabourin allowed 2 goals on the Oilers' first 2 shots of the game. My first impression was..'oh fuck, this is going to turn out like the Sabres/Flyers game.' But then Sabourin settled down, looking shaky and awkward, but keeping the puck out nonetheless. The rest of the Canuck team could not score any goals on Jussi Markannen until the end of the 3rd period, when Naslund scored a PP goal, and in some ways, the Oilers played the same type of defensive hockey that the Canucks had played in the previous outing. Once again, the Oilers didn't bring their 'A' game in my opinion. It could have been worse.
The problem of the Canucks getting secondary scoring is front and center again. It does not look like they will be getting any immediate help from guys like Burrows, Bulis, Chouinard, or even Morrison.
The bright spots offensively seemed to be the Sedins, Kesler, and Salo, who had seemingly plenty of chances.
The rest of this stupid fucking game I can't really remember because of this pompous, loud-mouthed, bullshitting moron sitting at our table buying us drinks so we could be his friends. Every time he bought a round, he would yell: "Raise your glass! Here's to the Canucks getting 2 goals to tie it, and to the slap shot to win the game in overtime!" I'd potentially forgive him for being a dumbass because he bought us drinks..but Sambuca and some overly sweet Hazelnut flavored shooters don't cut it! Gad!

Look at this photo, and then forget that incident ever happened. For the record, Sabourin finished the game with a .900 save percentage, if that makes you feel any better!
I made that Photoshop image a couple days ago, so I am fully aware that Roloson didn't play, and that those are road jerseys! Hope you get a kick out of it anyways.. I'm still learning.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Orcas spotted terrorizing Edmonton


Last night's game was truly great. The Canucks played a team game in front of Roberto Luongo much like they did against the Red Wings in the season opener, making the Oilers look not only dull, but completely lost as well. Of course, alot of the Oiler fans at the Battle of Alberta are blaming the Oilers for not showing up, or Hemsky for being too fancy with the puck when he entered the Canucks' zone. That may be true in part, but a tight defence can also make the opposing team look completely flat.
As for tonight's rematch in Edmonton, expect a different game completely. According to James Mirtle, Roberto Luongo will sit this one out, and newcomer Dany Sabourin will get the start. Remember, Sabourin only played one period with the Pens last year, and allowed 4 goals against. But he had a great season with the Penguins of the AHL.
So it's a toss up. If the Canucks play as well as they did last night, the towel boy can put the goalie pads on and finish on the winning end. But I would bet that the Oilers come out flying and hitting tonight, and the game will be much less one-sided.
If you are superstitious at all, I have a gem for you. Temujin of West Coast Chaos will be at the game tonight cheering for the Canucks. Every Canuck game he has been to, (and there has been a handful), the Canucks have LOST. OOOO, bad omen!

Lewis does the Boston Bruins Shuffle

Dave Lewis is growing impatient with his teams' lack of scoring, so he has shuffled his lines some more. Glen Murray will now play on the B's top line with Patrice Bergeron and rookie Phil Kessel. Brad Boyes will play on the second line with Marc Savard and PJ Axelsson. Marco Sturm's fantasy has dropped considerably now that he is playing on the 3rd line with Shean Donovan and Wayne Primeau. And finally, the only line left untouched by Lewis is the 4th line, which is made up of Yan Stastny, Mark Mowers, and Jeff Hoggan.
It is rather suprising that the Bergeron-Sturm-Boyes line hasn't worked out so far. Who would have seen that coming? Hopefully the Bruins can pick things up soon. As it stands right now, they are LAST in the Eastern Conference with only 3 points (1-3-1). In their first 5 games they have scored only 10 goals, and allowed 21 against. Does anyone else agree with me in my prediction that Dave Lewis will be fired before Christmas?

Monday, October 16, 2006

Canucks 2 Oilers 1 Final!


The Canucks have come to play tonight. The shots were 17-7 Nucks. But Dwayne Roloson stopping everything the Canucks are throwing at him, with the help of about 2 or 3 shots off the post as well. But you can combine this one-sidedness with the fact that the Oilers have not shown up yet. Hopefully they stay that way.
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The Oilers come out hitting in the 2nd. Their first serious rush up ice..Bergeron skates in on the left side, lets a wrister go. Luongo lets out a juicy rebound and there is Raffi Torres to put the rebound home. Go figure.
About 4 minutes later, the Canucks pull a mirror-image goal. Bieksa breaks in on the right side, wrists it on net. Roloson lets out a huge rebound and Taylor Pyatt bags the rebound goal! This reminds me of playing NHL 2004! Rebound goals! 1-1 game!
The Canucks are playing very well defensively, and neutralizing the Oilers' speed. With only a minute left in the 2nd, Sami Salo skates with the puck behind the Oilers net, up the side boards..waits...waits..shoots and scores! 2-1 Canucks! Where is the Oilers' game? Christ they suck ass right now! Love it!
Shots are 32-15 Canucks with 5 minutes left. Are the Oilers going to surge?
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The Canucks continue their stellar defensive play in the 3rd, clogging up the neutral zone and waiting for chances. The Oilers have NO speed game here. Luongo must be bored! This is such a composed Canucks team. Yeesh! Oilers pull their goalie and generate NOTHING offensively. A near perfect game played by the Canucks.
Oilers get all frustrated after the buzzer sounds to end the game, acting like a bunch of pussies, and this one is over!!!
Be forewarned though, the Oilers will be a different team at home.
The Canucks got scoring and better outings from their 2nd and 3rd lines tonight! Praise Jeeziz! Canucks were good in the faceoff circle as well, winning 32 faceoffs. Oilers only won 23.

Zanstorm's 3 Stars
1. Sami Salo - Scored the winner
2. Ryan Kesler - what a great game by Kess
3. Dwayne Roloson- A great outing in a losing game.

Zany's goats:
No Canucks on this night. But the whole Oiler team are the goats tonight minus Roloson. Even when the Oilers tried to penetrate the Nucks' zone tonight when they were down a goal, they were too pretty with the puck, and really did nothing! Pathetic!

WHO'S GONNA STINK TONIGHT

I'm not sure if the Canucks have a good enough team to beat Edmonton, but this logo was too funny not to post.

The Scouting Report on Luongo

I talked to a friend of mine named Cache Harris who is a goalie coach here in Smithers, and he brought up a great point about Roberto Luongo's weakness and what needs to be done about it. We have noticed, from the shootout loss and from the breakaway goals scored on him, that Roberto gets out of position and beaten easily. This is especially true with players breaking in who are left handed. They fake a shot, freeze Luongo, go to the backhand, and lift a shot over a fallen Luongo.
Check out the clip...



Looks all too familiar doesn't it? He's been doing that all along in his career it seems. He overcommits to a faked shot and doesn't have any movement side to side.
What Cache was telling me, is that the Canucks' goalie consultant, Ian Clark should help Luongo with his balance, and especially his lateral movement. Remember how Alex Auld practiced that movement before every Canuck game? It is a quick way for a 'butterfly goaltender' to shuffle side to side and not get out of position.
From what I have been reading, it appears that Clarke already was working with Luongo in 01/02. So hopefully this time around, with more time with Clark, Luongo can work this out.
Here is an example of Bruins' goalie Tim Thomas showing positional composure on a breakaway, even though Eric Staal scored on the play.

Now imagine Luongo doing that with his super long legs and massive frame. He'd be nearly unbeatable.

Waiting For Stanley was created in June 2006.