According to Canucks.com, Mason Raymond has been sent back down to Manitoba. Raymond was actually benched in the Canucks' last game against Detroit. In 9 games with the Nucks this season, Raymond showed a lot of flash, but only had 1 assist and 11 shots and was a -2.
T Tags: Canucks Mayson+Raymond sent+down Manitoba Moose
Labels: Canucks
When Jagr acts like a baby, I really don't like the guy. But when he's enjoying hockey and cracking jokes, I really get a kick out of him. Such is the case last night, where he got hit in the mouth with a puck, losing several teeth. After the game he quipped:
"I didn't see myself yet. It's Halloween tomorrow. I don't have to buy a mask."
"How do you explain this? I can't," befuddled captain Mats Sundin said.Well geez, Mats, you're the captain. You should know what's going on.
Perhaps coach Paul Maurice should have figured out it would be a long night when the Capitals spent almost the entire first minute of the game in the Toronto zone. Those defensive struggles spawned the first boo of the evening.Typical Leaf Nation shit. I find it hard to blame either goalie too much still when the rest of the team hangs them out to dry.
There would be more. Many more.
And many of them were directed at Andrew Raycroft, who obviously remains the fans' scapegoat despite the fact that starter Vesa Toskala struggled just as much. (Toronto Sun)
"Let's go Raptors!"The Leaf faithful was jeering the Leafs towards the end of the game, anticipating the start of the NBA season.
It was as though the Leafs really believed they are what Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is selling, when in fact the opposite is true. The Leafs, as a corporation, are incredibly successful.Good point.
As a hockey club, however, they've not won a Cup in 40 years, have missed the playoffs the past two seasons and are stuck in the ditch that is the NHL's bottom half. (Damien Cox, Toronto Star).
Folks, something is going to have to give here. Whether it's a big trade or a management shakeup, it seems unthinkable that even MLSE and its barely engaged board of directors will simply allow another season to limp along with two wins here, a couple of blowout losses there, an overtime triumph and then a couple more defeats.It's ok to jump ship, Damien. Bank on Paul Maurice losing his job first and maybe soon as JFJ will save his own ass.
This is the last two non-playoff seasons being played over again one more time. This is Groundhog Day, the hockey version. (Damien Cox again).
Here's a two step plan to fix the Leafs. It takes money, but MLSE has that in abundance.
Step 1) Buy the Nashville Predators
Step 2) Trade the entire roster for their entire roster.
Be sure to include the GM and Coaching staff as part of the deal. Don't even let them be in the same room as the current guys for any length of time. (GeeIWonder, commenting at the Battle of Ontario.)
Labels: Rangers
It seems to be the trend over the past few weeks. GM's are signing their prospects to contract extensions to avoid free agency. The Flames signing Kipper to a 6-year $35 million deal is wise, even if Kiprusoff is currently struggling. That's only $5.8 million per year long term.
I like the Kings' signing Dustin Brown to a 6-year $19.05 million deal. That's $3.175 per season. Brown is going to be a beauty, and that will be a steal when he does.
The same applies to the Wild re-signing Brent Burns to a 4-year extension worth $3.55 per season. Burns had 22 goals last season and looks to be a player on the rise.
But you know the biggest reason for all this....yeah, that damned Kevin Lowe trying to pry players away for stupid money. Teams are better off locking up their commodities early rather than let them hit free agency and get bought away.
So good on these GM's for bucking up and avoiding the stresses that morons like Kevin Lowe bring about during the offseason.
T Tags: Wild re-sign Burns Flames Kiprusoff Kings Brown contract extensions
Along with losing comes controversy, finger-pointing, disruption, frustration, etc. Vigneault called out Willie Mitchell (among others) publicly after the game and Willie didn't appreciate it.
"He got beat twice," Vigneault said after the loss to Detroit. "That's not the Willie Mitchell we know as a defensive specialist."Vigneault really wasn't impressed with how Mithchell played the 2-on-1 especially. He didn't take out the passing lane, while Luongo was playing the shooter.
"If people are unhappy with things, (as a) player you'd like to have that addressed," he said. "You don't like to hear about it through the media most of the time. That's his way of motivating I guess.This may or may not be a distraction to the team. I'd say Mitchell is a fierce competitior and will respond. As will Kevin Bieksa, who was terrible last night as well. Vigneault had a few words about him as well:
"I'm a player. I just go out and play and try and do my best. If he's not happy with what I'm doing I have to listen and dig in a little deeper and do a better job."
"With Kevin, I think he can be better. (It's) my job to get the most out of these guys."If I was a coach I'm not sure if I'd use words through the media about specific players to motivate them. Of course, the media is going to single out players' performances and ask the questions, so it would be hard not to be honest about it. You heard Nonis talking about Bieksa's performance after the game to the media as well, so it's not just Vigneault.
Labels: Canucks
What is it about players who played in Edmonton being the biggest crybabies. It must something in the water. I see even Jari Kurri likes to wear a skirt. Brokeback City.....
Anyway, I just watched Messier's retired number ceremony, and the Moose crying his eyes out. Since I'm still snarky over the Canucks' loss I figured I would take a jab at the Coilers.
Scary thing tho, folks. The Canucks are tied with the Oilers for last spot in the Northwest Division after the Oilers beat the Ducks last night and we lost to the Wings. Technically though, we have scored more goals than them and win that in the tie breaker.
Who would have thought Vancouver would be struggling this badly already?
T Tags: Oilers babies crying
Feeling a little rough around the edges today? Gloomy because it's "back to work"? Well, just remember, someone is always worse off than you are.
Labels: humor
Can you believe that Zetterberg already has 20 points? Will someone injure this guy already?
Zetterberg & co. made the Canucks look stupid last week, making them look like slugs, and outshooting them 39-15. A disgrace of a game to say the least.
I don't see that happening tonight. The Canucks looked very good beating Washington on Friday and should carry that over to tonight, as well as make ammends for that disgraceful game against Detroit last Wednesday.
The Canucks will need to skate hard while containing the Wings' speed. No use giving them any PP opportunities either, as that net-crashing bastard Tomas Holmstrom is red hot as well.
Interesting stats at Canucks.com:
The Canucks have a .800 winning percentage when leading after 1 period. They are a perfect 1.000 when leading after 2.
When trailing after 1 period, they have a .250 winning percentage. When trailing after 2, they are ZERO %. They have not yet come back from trailing after 2 to win a game.
Amazingly, the Wings won every game after trailing after 2 periods.
Let those stats play with your mind.....
Screw it. I say the Nucks win 4-3 in OT tonight, because the Canucks have something to prove in this one. I'm actually getting this game on PPV. But if you want to see a free Period 1, tune in to channel 299 on Starchoice (the Starchoice channel) as the Nucks PPV game will be on that channel until the Edmonton-Ducks game ends on the PPV channel 238.
Game Time: 7:30 PST.
Well, that was a hell of a lot better. The Nucklebutts showed up tonight and played pretty well. Ovechkin's late goal only put a damper on Vancouver's effort and made it unnecessarily close. I thought the Canucks played their game very well tonight.
Good on Pyatt to bag 2. We need more offence from him.
Badda bop bop bop....I'm loving Kesler's play this season. Hope he keeps it up.
Vigneault got some response from his squad by mixing up the lines again.
- Shots were close: Caps 28 Canucks 26.
- Canucks were 2-for-5 on the power play. The Caps were 2-for-4.
- Luongo continued his stellar play tonight.
So, put away the panic meter for now. But let's be realistic here. The real challenge comes on Sunday night, where the Nucks play the Wings....at home. Hopefully they can carry some momentum from tonight's game. I think they just might.
As a side point....don't you feel a little bad for Ovechkin? He needs better talent around him. He plays well with Semin but needs something more. You can't deny that his efforts are second to none.
T Tags: Canucks Capitals review
I'm not going to give a big analysis on tonight's game except to say that the Canucks had better win this one. I'm pretty sure that if they lose, the panic button will be nearing the red, if it isn't already.
Strangely enough, both teams have only won one game in their last 5. I don't know what Nonis is going to do to motivate this bunch of clowns for tonight's game, but I say a shakey Canucks team squeaks one out in Washington 2-1.
From Canucks.com:
The Capitals haven't beaten the Canucks in regulation since March 28, 1998. They are 2-6-1 in the last nine meetings, with both wins coming in overtime.Now that's pretty positive isn't it?
Bryan McCabe. Interesting how once again, when the Leafs lose key players to injury they start winning. That was a hell of a job by them and especially Jiri Tlusty last night shutting down the Penguins. Too bad McCabe couldn't go out long term. Remember how the Leafs rallied when Sundin went out with an injury last year? Or was that the year before? I'm thinking they'll do the same with the Tucker/McCabe injuries.
I heard the TSN panel talking about it last night and saw that the viewer poll on the matter showed 58% of fans in favor of making visors mandatory in the NHL.
Well I would have voted no. Does the League really need to make this a law in order to protect it's players? Why should the players be forced to be protected? Isn't that like having to pay car insurance when you've never been in an accident before? I hate paying for insurance. Yeah, strange analogy, but you get my drift don't you?
To throw another analogy at you, it should be like signing a waiver form before bungee jumping or white water rafting. Sign the form and take your chances.
I never liked the concept of forcing everyone to do something because a certain smaller minority either fucked up or had shit happen to them. Not every NHL'er wants to wear a visor. I know in 2005 the issue surfaced and the majority of players voted it down.
Sure, you get the guys who get clipped on or around the eye, get scared and start wearing a visor because they've seen the light. Fine. But leave it as an option for the rest who have not suffered the same setback.
It's a moral issue for me. I would hate to have a visor in front of my eyes. I am supposed to wear glasses but don't for that reason. They fog up and aren't comfortable.
The players would eventually get used to it if forced to wear them, sure. But I say let's get down to the root of the issue and deal with the issue of high sticking, whether it be intentional or non-intentional. (No, I wouldn't know where to start with that one).
Better yet, let's deal with more pressing issues, like hard shoulder pads connecting with heads causing concussions. OK, now I'm just beating a dead horse.
I think Craig Conroy almost said it best a couple of years back: "If I was a GM and I was paying a guy a lot of money, I'd definitely want to make it mandatory," said then-Kings centre Craig Conroy, who does not wear one. "But as a player, I don't think anyone should be forced to wear one."
T Tags: NHL visors mandatory
Don't mind the close score, because this one wasn't really all that close in several ways.
- the Wings outshot the Canucks 39-15, including 10-4 in the 3rd when they were up 3-1. Praise be to Luongo, who kept it close. The score could have been 10-2.
- the Canucks took 5 penalties to Detroit's 6, yet are still the most penalized team in the NHL.
I don't quite understand the Canucks' refusal to shoot the puck more tonight. The Wings fired pucks from all over the place. Are the Nucks gun shy? Waiting for the perfect shot? Well cut it out god dammit! It is not the way to win games.
Another very evident factor was Detroit's speed. The Canucks could not contain them tonight.
4-6-0. Locked into 11th spot in the Western Conference. 5 points out of a playoff spot. Only 5 points up on the Coilers. Is it time to panic yet? Not quite. But it's getting there. I don't see any improvement in this team as the games go on. It's actually getting worse isn't it? This is not how we were supposed to start off the season. Don't be surprised if Nonis pulls off a deal if the Nucks lose a few more. There are high expectations for this team.
Sami Salo returned tonight. Gee, welcome back Sami.
Rick Rypien suffered a hand injury in the 2nd and did not return.
Game Summary
T Tags: Canucks Red+Wings review
Well here is a true test of where the Canucks are at at this point...by taking on the Hurricanes. The Canes have returned to their Cup contender form and are 4-1-3 to start the season. The Canucks are 4-4-0.
So much can go wrong for the Nucks tonight.
- Luongo isn't known for being sharp after a night off is he?
- The Canucks hardly deserved to win their last game against Columbus, being outshot 14-0 in the second period, taking too many dumb penalties it seemed.
- The Canes are on their game right now and the Canucks are not. I hope that changes tonight and they can put a better overall game together. But I am not counting on it.
The Canes are good, and will burn their sorry asses if Vancouver wants to run around in their own zone and take too many penalties. The Canucks' PP is good for 6th in the NHL. The Canes are 2nd. Their penalty kill ranks are 16th and 17th overall respectively.
The Canes lost their last 2 games in OT. They are going to be hungry tonight.
My Prediction
I'm just not one of those Canucks "rah-rah" types. I could predict that the Canucks would win every game, but I simply refuse. I don't see enough consistency with this Canuck team yet, and I sure see it in Carolina. So I say the Canes take this one 6-3. A win by the Canucks though would be a real moral boost for players and fans alike. But if you have not caught any Carolina games yet this season...prepare to be awed by how much they have changed since last year.
Game time: 4:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
T Tags: Canucks Hurricanes Preview
Labels: Canucks, Hurricanes
I said in the previous post that I'd miss most/all of the Canucks-Jackets game and that is what I did. So my wife and myself cruised out into the bush west of Smithers to find the shoe house, which we found, and then decided to go 15 km further into the bush. No man's land. Pristine territory. Love it. I once seen a black wolf near the area pictured at the bottom. Yeah, that's my wife standing on the roof of my truck.
My muffler pipe took a beating because of all the potholes in the road and broke in half. My truck sounds like a drag racer now....
T Tags: Shoe+house Smithers Rocky Ridge Nipples
Labels: Shoe house, Smithers
What the hell, this game comes on too early (2:00 PST). I'll miss most of it as my wife and myself are going for a cruise out into the boonies to see a shoe house. It's about an hour drive from here. You probably are wondering about the shoe house, but I'll post pics of it later.
So....the game is on PPV. Forget about it. The Jackets are on a roll and have found a winning identity..finally. The shakey Canucks can loosen up a little mentally now that they are on the road and hopefully put a few wins together.
I say they start today and barely beat Columbus 4-3 in the shootout.
As I will be missing most or all of it, let me know how it goes whoever of you has the gonads to buy this game.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Canucks
Chicago, who has not been in the playoffs since 2002, are finally starting to like like a team that can make it somewhere. In the last few games I've seen them play, they have so much composure, even if they are down 2 goals against a favored team.
Tonight in Toronto was a shining example. The Leafs were up 3-1 at the start of the 3rd, but were down 2 men. The Hawks made them pay and then absolutely stole this game from them, scoring 5 goals in the 3rd.
Chicago was only shorthanded once all night. The Leafs: 7. Chicago bagged 4 PP goals to make them pay.
I just can't believe how impressive the Toews-Kane-Ruutu line looks. They dominate the play when on the ice. They are 19, 18 and 24 years old respectively.
Toews: drafted 3rd overall by the Hawks in 2006
Kane: drafted 1st overall by the Hawks in 2007.
Ruutu: drafted 9th overall by the Hawks in 2001.
Duncan Keith: drafted 54th overall in 2002.
Kane and Toews are on pace for 80 points or more this season. It's early.
The misery for Hawks fans having to cheer for a basement-dwelling team does have its upside: HIGH draft picking! Now those picks are paying off.
But is this team going to keep up this pace? (They are currently 5-3-0.) What happens when the hype wears off a little? When they lose a few games in a row? How much of a maturity factor is there?
Well, you have to admire Hawks' management adding a decent complimentary blend of veterans to the young roster. Kevyn Adams, Robert Lang, Yanic Perrault, Jason Williams, and even Brent Sopel were key additions for leadership. Yeah, how good was Sopel tonight? He was great. And you could see him talking to the guys on and off the ice showing them the way.
Lang has come back alive in Chicago and has 6 points in 7 games. He looks like he's having fun. So does Samsonov actually....can't imagine why.
Patrick Lalime looked solid in the backup role tonight, and The Bulin Wall is playing superb.
This is a Hawks team that is having fun playing and believes in their coach's system right now. I can't help but be excited for them and the Hawk fans, as they have been through enough grief in the past several years.
Let's just see how long this joyride lasts. I get a feeling there will be some serious highs and lows for this squad this year as they mature. The playoffs really are not out of the picture anymore in the Windy City. It's about fucking time.
And to think that Martin Havlat isn't even playing yet.......
ToewsTube
-scores 1st NHL goal
-Toews drops the F-bomb on TV
-Toews scores what definitely will be one of the goals of the year against the Avalanche.
KaneTube
Kane predraft feature.
T Tags: Black Hawks Toews Kane
Labels: Black Hawks
Period 1
You almost couldn't ask much more out of the Canucks in period 1. They controlled the play for most of the period, outshooting the Kings 10-7 and leading 1-0.
-You gotta love Taylor Pyatt sticking up for Hank Sedin and fighting Ivanans and beating him to a bloody pulp.
-The Cooke-Burrows-Kesler line is paying huge dividends early and may put up some more points yet. Not only were all 3 in on the fitst goal, but they really set the tone in the first period by having a great first shift when the puck first dropped in this game.
-Aside from that, the Kings were short handed 3 times in the opening frame. Expect a different Kings effort in the 2nd, and see if the Canucks can hold them off.
Period 2
And now for a completely different story....
The Kings storm back in the 2nd scoring 3 unanswered goals. The Canucks missed an in-close 2-on-0 and the Kings score soon after when Jack Johnson scored his first NHL goal on a Kings 2-on-1. Almost payback for JJ, considering Jan Bulis sent him ass over tea kettle with a hip check last season in I believe his first NHL game last season.
- Rypien's highsticking double major put the Canucks in an even bigger hole, as Mike Cammalleri had multiple swipes at the puck in front of Luongo and scored, as Bieksa just watched basically. Ah, tough night for Bieksa. The puck took an unfortunate bounce off his skate 4 minutes later, onto the stick of Luby Visnovsky who made a perfect slap pass to Frolov. 3-1 Kings.
The Canucks looked lost for most of the period, and the crowd let them know their displeasure, booing the Nuckleheads off the ice at the end of the 2nd period.
The Kings outshot the Canucks 8-5 in the middle frame.
Expect a better Canucks effort in Period 3, but I can see the super skilled Kings offence making them pay for any times they are caught up ice pressing to tie this one up.
**Anyone see Dany Sabourin's efforts against Carolina tonight? Wow. Super glove save in the shootout to preserve the win. He was amazing in goal for Pittsburgh tonight.**
Period 3
The Nucks put up somewhat of a valiant effort to try tie this one up. Kesler nicely set up Ohlund, who roofed a beauty to make it close. But it was all scrambly from there. Dustin Brown put the nail in the coffin after being awarded with an empty net goal even though he didn't actually put the puck in the net (Naslund tripped him, Luongo was on the bench.)
Canucks outshot the Kings 13-2 in the 3rd but Jason Labarberra was solid.
Total shots on goal: Canucks 28 Kings 17
Gotta love the Kings' explosive defence. They buried their chances. The Canucks just couldn't.
Good to see Kesler get the 2 assists as well. He showed an assload of hustle.
Vigneault mentioned post game that the Canucks are doing a lot of things right, but are not playing a full 60 minutes. When they stop playing well they are getting burned and are unable to come back.
The Canucks will get their game back, but it may take a little while yet. Maybe heading out on the road for 4 games will help. It must not be fun playing in front of a graveyard-like GM Place.
BOXSCORE
T Tags: Canucks Kings Review
Couldn't resist. Someone sent me this today.
Damage Report below,
We need to tell you that there was some damage to the statue of the
American Bison in front of the house in Big Sky. We did attempt to
prevent the damage, throwing stones at, and hitting, the attacker. The
attacker could not be dissuaded, and kept up his assault for eight
hours. The incident even caused a traffic situation in front of the house.
The damage consisted of:
1) The loss of about two inches from the left horn. The broken piece is
on the work bench in the garage.
2) Hoof scratches on the side of the Bison.
3) Some chips in the right rear hoof.
4) Blood stains behind the Bison.
Big surprise, Souray comes out of the gate slow as an Oiler and then re-aggravates his shoulder injury that he has struggled with for years. Did anyone NOT see this coming? Gotta love these players that nearly double their production or have a career year during the last season of their contract, inflate their worth, and get signed by a different team at outrageous dollars, only to have their production drop off and get a major injury in the first year under their new contract. Souray fits the bill. He is out indefinitely.
Best part about all this? No, not quite that such a bad thing happened to the Oilers.....it's that Souray injured his shoulder while fighting a Canuck....Byron Ritchie, oh and during back to back losses to the Canucks as well.
Go Coilers!
In more important news, there was a chair on the ice at the Canucks' practice...
T Tags: Sheldon+Souray shoulder injury aggravated Oilers
Labels: Oilers
The Canucks seemed so composed and ready to take this game until Nabokov stoned Danny Sedin and absolutely changed the momentum of this game. 2:33 into the 3rd, Joe Pavelski capitalized on a fortunate mini breakaway with the Sharks up 2 men and wango tango....the Sharks took over, scoring 3 goals in 3:20 in the 3rd period. So much for the Sharks' offensive futility and especially Cheechoo's futility. Cheechoo's goal was brilliant...a wrister just under the crossbar while he was being knocked off his feet.
I feel bad for Luongo. Gad he played so well in this one. But tonight it was not to be.
Quickie Stats
The Sharks outshot Vancouver 34-26.
The Sharks were 2-for-7 on the powerplay. The Nucks were 2-for-6.
The Sharks won 58% of the faceoffs.
Joe Thornton had 1 goal and 2 assists in the 3rd period. What a bitch.
I drank 1.5 glasses of Spiced Rum and Coke before I had to go to work and miss the last part of the game.
I am going to guess that Cheechoo goes on a hot streak now that he has finally scored his first goal of the season. We'll see.
T Tags: Canucks Sharks Review
"It caught me off guard," Kesler said Monday. "I didn't know who it was at first."He (Boulerice) introduced himself and asked me how I felt. I was taken back."Needless to say, Boulerice was put on waivers by the Flyers today, despite his apologies to Kesler for the brutal cross check to the jaw. Hell, why pay a goon his salary for 25 games that he isn't going to play? Odds are, Boulerice will not be claimed and will not see anymore NHL icetime this year, or maybe ever. That will please a lot of goon skeptics I'm sure.
Being a Stars Wars junkie I really appreciated this clip. Recently someone spent huge dollars creating an X-Wing replica and then trying to launch it. Well, that experiment failed The video below is a remake of that original clip of the failed launch. I don't know who did it, but any Star Wars fan can appreciate the result. Check it out.
Video courtesy of Break.com, of course.
What Really Happened At The X-Wing Launch - Watch more free videos
T Tags: Star+Wars X-Wing replica launch explosion failed video
I don't know if TSN's article about the Leafs' lack of defence makes me more laugh or be angry.
TORONTO - The Toronto Maple Leafs are having an awfully tough time keeping the puck out of their net these days, but no one's pointing a finger at Vesa Toskala or Andrew Raycroft.Lack of team defence in Toronto is not a divine revelation. It's been going on for years. Last year, sure, Raycroft had the odd bad night. But the team defence in front of him was.....ASS. In recent past, the Leafs' have always had this problem. They just had superb goalies like Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour to bail them out. Well, Raycroft and maybe even Toskala are not Cujo's and Belfour's.
Every player in a blue and white jersey feels some responsibility for the team's defensive struggles.
"We've got to keep four, five, six goals out of our net," forward Alex Steen said after Saturday's 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. "It's not helping us when they're scoring six goals on us. We've got to minimize the chances they get.
"It's not the defencemen (that are at fault), it's everybody. Us forwards need to come back, help out, and make sure we're available."
No team in the Eastern Conference has allowed more goals than the Leafs.
Labels: Leafs
I'm too busy at work to analyze this one. Are the Canucks going to continue their trend of win-lose-win-lose? I say no damned way. 4-3 Canucks tonight. Anyone else want to wager? I've got to think of a prize for who gets the most score/teams correct this year. How about $100?
Start your guesses!!!
I missed the first 2 periods of this one because of working a 13 hour day, so all I saw was the Canucks shutting down the Coilers in the 3rd and Naslund's great flukey goal.
Good to see Rypien score a goal and add an assist, and Burrows accomplish the same output.
I now have full confidence that the Canucks are actually back on track.
''In Chris Simon's situation and the situation with Jesse Boulerice, if they cause injury we're into a whole heap of problems,'' said Colin Campbell. ''Not only the player but the teams and our league and our sport.
We saw what transpired under the Bertuzzi (and) McSorley situations when there is injury, it never stops. So I would hope players would understand and see what could happen and what can come of these things and that they have to control themselves.''
It can't get any worse than Wednesday night's 8-2 killing by the Flyers can it? Probably not. But I have temporarily lost faith in the Canuck's abilities to do much of anything. The Flyers made the Canucks look like slugs with their speedy game, and their ability to move the puck around so quickly. They looked like they have been around eachother for years, even though that team was gutted and reformed in the past 2 years.
The Oilers have the same ability to make us look like pylons. They use a speedy aggressive style. The Canucks are not the quickest team and need to get back to Vigneault Basics. Meaning: clog up the neutral zone and slow the opposing team down. Vancouver's "running around in their own zone" on Wednesday night was very uncharacteristic of this team under Vigneault.
Expect an adjusted effort tonight. Expect new line combos. I will update the Canucks' roster this afternoon as the info becomes available, since Ryan Shannon was sent back down to Manitoba on Thursday.
Ah, an update already...Rick Rypien has been called up today. A little bit of added muscle and speed.
My call
A little gun-shy after the ass whooping...I'll say the Canucks settle back down and win this one 3-2. Don't underestimate this Oiler club. The Canucks had better not do that. They have enough skill to bury you if you let them skate circles around you.
T Tags: Canucks Oilers Preview
King Sundin passed Darryl Sittler's Leafs points-scoring record last night by scoring his 390th career goal. What better time to do it than at home at the ACC and in an 8-1 slaughter of the Islanders, the team that pushed the Leafs out of a playoff spot last season.
Strange how close the resemblance of Sittler and Sundin's goals and assists totals are. But of course, a big hats off to Sittler, who achieved the same points total but in 68 fewer games.
Sundin has been a model of consistency in his career, especially in his points-per-game statistics.
The announcer at the Air Canada Center gave Mats all 3 stars in last night's game, to the roar of the crowd.
But let's be honest here. I am a big fan of Sundin and always have been. But this accomplishment, as impressive as it is, won't mean much if Sundin doesn't lead this team to at least a Stanley Cup Final spot. That is what Leaf fans want, and I'd love to see Sundin get there as the captain. Alfredsson shed that "European captain not being able to get to the Finals" image last year. And now it is Sundin's turn. It would cap off a great career.
Sittler never had the proper personnel around him to get to the Finals because of jackass management. Sundin doesn't quite have that excuse. The Leafs have had some decent teams since he joined them in 1994. 
Sundin Quick Fact
Sundin, along with Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner, and a 10th round pick in 1994 were traded by Quebec to Toronto in exchange for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson, and the 22nd overall pick in 1994.
Sundin's career stats
Not-so-updated list of All Time Leafs scorers (Top 50)
T Tags: Leafs Sundin+passes+Sittler All-time+scoring
Labels: Leafs
You can score a pretty goal with the Sedins all you want, but when you were a team-worst -4 in an 8-2 drubbing, you get sent down to the minors. Such is the case with Ryan Shannon, according to TSN. He'll be back though.
"(League officials) have to do something severe enough to scare guys from doing that," said Kesler. "I didn't see him coming and he just took my head off," said Kesler. "I think he has a reputation of doing that, so we'll see what happens."See TSN for more Kesler and Canucks reactions.
Labels: Canucks
“It has to be preparation,” said Naslund, who finished the night a minus-two. “This is as bad as I’ve seen this team play. We talked about getting back into good habits, like we had last year, but we haven’t done that so far.”Naslund may have been the best Canuck out there last night. Or at least, showed the most effort, along with the Sedins. But not even close enough of an effort.
Anyone else wishing we still had RJ Umberger (even tho the bastard didn't want to sign here)?? I'm have nothing more to say about last night's disgrace, except that I hope it was a valueable lesson to the Canucks and that I can't believe how well the Flyers are playing already with all that new personnel."I reacted in a bad way - the wrong way," said Boulerice.
Canucks.com has some freaky statistics about the Canucks and Flyers.
The Flyers have dominated the series lately, going 13-3-0 with one tie in the last 17 meetings. They have won five straight at Vancouver, and have recorded eight wins and four ties there since a 5-3 loss on Jan. 17, 1989.I can remember one time when the Flyers absolutely obliterated us at home on New Year's Eve a few years back.
Philadelphia's top line of Briere, Gagne and Mike Knuble has accounted for five of the team's six goals through two games.Well there you go. We'll just shut that damned line down tonight (Mitchell) and see if duds like Lupul and Hartnell can accomplish anything. When the Canucks are on their game and doing it Viggy-style, they can make even guys like Thornton go pointless and limp.
I have received flack for being a Leafs fan from members of the Crazy Canucks Podcast in the past. So when one of them puts up a pic of herself in a Bruins jersey, I steal the image, post about it, and never again take any flack from her for cheering for a team other than Vancouver!
Just buggin' Rebecca... I was just shocked is all. What's next, John in a Flyers jersey? JJ in a Habs jersey? Alanah in a Wings jersey? (Whoop, been done already! Sorry for resurfacing a bad memory from your past Alanah....)
T Tags: Miss+604 Bruins jersey ship-jumping
"I came to camp determined to prove to the Islanders I belonged in the NHL and I'm very appreciative of Garth Snow and Ted Nolan for giving me the chance," said Berard. "The guys have already shown this season what kind of character this team has and how strong a team we are. My goal is to do everything I can to make us better."Berard brings in a great primary offensive punch to the Islander's defence, that has been lacking since Adrian Aucoin left, no offence to Marc-Andre Bergeron.
Labels: Islanders
It is a 1-year deal and the dollar value has not been released. I wonder why Fitzpatrick was not or did not re-sign with Vancouver. Did we not want him? Did he not want to be here. Why? Did he want to play closer to his home state of New York? Was he unsatisfied being the #7 guy in Vancouver? Not liking the money here?
All I know is that he was cheaper ($525,000) than Aaron Miller ($1.5 million) and was probably just as effective. I liked his play because he was consistent, in my opinion.
One thing though, Miller is bigger, and can probably clear bodies away from Luongo's crease better than Fitzy could. Other than that, I have no idea as to why Rory isn't playing here this year.
From TSN:
"This morning I shared with my teammates news that I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia," Jason Blake said on the team's website.
"It is highly-treatable, and I have begun taking a pill on a daily basis that has proven to be very effective in controlling this cancer. The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life. This situation will not impact my ability to live my life as I otherwise would, and will not affect my ability to perform at my highest level for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm looking forward to my first season with the Leafs and helping our club compete for the Stanley Cup."
Period 1
Unreal. Cory Sarich shoots the puck from the point and it goes off Bieksa's skate in in. Only 2:10 into the first. Deflating. It took the Canucks a while to get going in this game as well. The Flames were ready to go right off the hop.
I fell asleep about 6 minutes into the first. Now I'm alive.
Anyone catching the Hawks/Wings game out there? What a beauty.
Shots: Flames 10 Canucks 7
Period 2
Wow, the Canucks come out flying in period 2, outshooting the Flames 10-3 after 10 minutes and scoring 2 goals (Ohlund and Naslund). It's good to see Naslund shooting the puck more lately. He's shooting from all over the ice, and that is what he said he'd do before the season started.
The Nuckleheads get into a bunch of penalty trouble in the second half of the 2nd yet manage to kill off two 5-on-3's.
I think Luongo would pursue an acting career if the NHL made the nets bigger (and he quit hockey like he said he would.) The guy is an embarassing overacter sometimes. Case in point, the sell job on on his knee after Langkow was pushed on top of him. That was pathetic. Aaron Miller shouldn't have pushed Langkow on top of Louie either. Not a wise move.
Oh look, Shannon has finally figured out how to hit an open net! The SSS line bagged a PP goal with under 3 minutes left. I like this Shannon kid.
Oh, look at Luongo skate gingerly off the ice after the 2nd ends. At least he's fine (hack hack)
Shots on goal: Canucks 13 Flames 8
Period 3
The Canucks looked completely content to trap away the 3rd period until Naslund Naslund took a roughing penalty 5 minutes in. Langkow buried a shot from the slot right afterwards making this it close.
Langkow scored again later on as the Canucks' defence falls apart and gets out-muscled at 12:12. Uh oh. Calgary has had the momentum ever since Langkow's first goal in the 3rd. This could get fugly.
Could Luongo be the worst puck handler in the NHL??? Best actor...worst puck handler.
The last 5 minutes of the 3rd was intense but this one is going to OT.
Shots on goal in the 3rd: Calgary 9 Canucks 6
OVERTIME
Too many men on the ice by Vancouver. Oh no...... The best chance on that PP went to Burrows shorthanded on a semi breakaway. Ha.
Naslund looks like a man on a mission tonight. He broke through 2 defenders and almost scored.
Then Naslund keeps the puck in the zone on a quick PP near the end of OT, gives the puck to Ohlund who wrists a pinball shot that goes off a defenceman and Kipper and into the net. Not sure if Sedin really touched the puck before it went in though.
The sea of red goes home in tears and this sober Canucks fan cheers.
Great game!
Shots in OT: Canucks 5 Flames 2
Overall: Canucks 31 Flames 29
Quick points
-Phaneuf really is that good isn't he? I thought he played well.
-Is it going to be Daymond Langkow that benefits the most from Mike Keenan's coaching? It seems like it early on.
-Linden was a scratch tonight, as was Raymond.
- The Canucks were 4-for-7 on the PP. The Flames a lousy 1-for-6.
My 3 Stars
1. Daymond Langkow
2. Markus Naslund
3. Dion Phaneuf
T Tags: Canucks Flames Review
PERIOD 1
I thought I told someone to throw a bottle at Roenick. The old loud-mouthed bag of shit has scored 2 goals in the first period. The Canucks look flatter than my ex girlfriend's chest. The Canucks had a few chances here and there, but mostly we are seeing them look rusty from the goaltender out, and the Sharks are burying them.
Hard to watch huh? The Nucks will get their legs going in the 2nd, but it may be too late.
Shots: Sharks 13 Canucks 8
PERIOD 2
The Canucks get their legs back, but Nabokov is on his game tonight. It's too late, isn't it?
Shots: Sharks 9 Canucks 8
PERIOD 3
Now the Canucks really have their legs going. I get a kick out of how the fans chant "It's a goal" when Shannon's potential goal was under review. And then they boo after it's ruled 'no goal'. That was obviously a no goal. Shut the hell up people.
Chalk this one up to.......er.....the Canucks were too rusty at the start and just couldn't catch up after that. I sure appreciated Vancouver's effort as the game went along. Don't fret Canucks fans. The Nuckleheads will start much stronger against Calgary. 1st game jitters were to be expected.
3 stars
1. Roenick (2 goals)
2. Nabokov (Steady as can be. Really strong when the Canucks came alive)
3. Morrison ( The best Canuck I reckon)
I liked the play of Ryan Shannon, but he needs to hit the net when he has a chance.
What happened to Mason Raymond??
TTags: Canucks Sharks review
Finally, the Canucks are back in action. Tonight they face the Sharks at GM Place, a Shark team that was edged by the Oilers in a shootout last night.
The Canuck press is experiencing deja-vu. Who is going to provide the offence beyond the Sedins line this season? I say blah-blah no problemo. The Canucks are going to have to score by committee, and I think they have the team that can do just that.
Mason Raymond impressed Canucks brass so much in preseason that he will start the regular season playing on the Sedin line. I foresee great things for this kid already.
The Canucks second line will consist of Ryan Shannon-Naslund-Kesler. This is the line I am most looking forward to seeing play. I am pulling for Kesler to have a great year and score 25-30 goals. I haven't seen much of Shannon yet either. Naslund is surrounded with grit it seems.
That leaves Pyatt-Morrison-Cooke on the 3rd line. Not bad. I want to see more out of Morrison this year. Otherwise I get the feeling he will be flogged before the trade deadline.
The 4th line? Not sure. Cowan-Ritchie-Isbister? I don't have high hopes for Izzy, but it would be great to see Cowan especially re-emerge into a sniper. But they aren't going to get much ice time.
The Canucks beat the Sharks 3 times in 4 games last season.
The Canucks are 20-13-3 all time in season openers (Canucks.com)
I'll do my usual game predictions this season again, and pick the Sharks to win tonight, 4-3. They are warmed up already after playing last night and losing. The Canucks may show some rust. Anyone else wanna take a stab at the outcome?
Anyone attending the game tonight: please throw a beer bottle at Jeremy Roenick's face. Thanks.
Game time: 7:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Drink of choice: Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and Coke.
Food of choice: Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and Coke.
T Tags: Canucks Sharks Preview
The whole saga over the Oilers signing Dustin Penner at an inflated price just won't go away. Yesterday, Ducks' GM Brian Burke quipped: "If I had run my team into the sewer like that," he continued, "I wouldn't have thrown a grenade at the other 29 teams - and my own indirectly." Burke accused Lowe of being "colossally stupid."
Today, Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish fired back immediately. According to the Edmonton Sun, Lowe called Burke an "egomaniac" and a "blowhard". MacT was a little more comical:
"He reminds me of the Wizard of Oz," said MacTavish. "You comb his hair, put a white shirt on, wheel him out in front of the camera and he'll say whatever you guys want.
Clearly it's a crusade of self-promotion on his part. But what goes around comes around in this league."
The folks at Sports Media Challenge compiled a list of the top 10 NHL blogs based on "influence, community and relevance" and this site placed 7th.
Thanks for the honor, but I have to be honest here..... there are plenty of sites that didn't make the list that should be miles ahead of me, including:
The Battle of Alberta (one of my big influences to start NHL blogging in the first place)
The Battle of Ontario
Alanah's Kukla's Corner (Canucks Op Ed was another major influence for me)
I'm not sure what kind of clout these people have. Thanks for the mention, but please lay off the crack!!! It's just not good for you.
My other site: The best historical NHL trades site on the web:
EACH TEAM NAME HEADER IS A LINK THAT LEADS TO THAT CITY'S MAIN NEWSPAPER HOCKEY SECTION
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