Forsberg to Rangers? Naslund hopes so.

Ok, I know some papers are starting to hype Forsberg already and that perhaps he will make an early return. But let's be realistic here. Forsberg is nowhere close to returning to play in the NHL. He has already said he would like to play for Colorado. And bottom line? The guy is made of glass like a certain Canucks player that we are accustomed to seeing being injured.
This is BS news at this point and it will be for months. Yes Naslund wants him in New York. Yes, Naslund wanted him in Vancouver. I'm not going to buy into a Forsberg return until his his foot heals, which may not happen at all. So dream on, New York. And dream on, Naslund. This is not news. Mats Sundin signing with the Canucks is news. Forsberg returning to the NHL is, well, a broken record.

T Tags: Forsberg+return Forsberg+to+Rangers injury Markus+Naslund

Bertuzzi defends Naslund's tough times in Vancouver

Todd Bertuzzi was quick to defend his buddy Markus Naslund in regards to the former captain's tough final years here and the verbal lacerations he received for it. From the Vancouver Sun:

"I think, the near the end, it got pretty hard on him," Bertuzzi said after a practice with his new mates at the Pengrowth Saddledome "And it wasn't deserved."

Too soft, too quiet, too European - Naslund heard it all in his final year as captain of the Canucks. All the while, Bertuzzi seethed on behalf of his friend, who scored 25 goals on a team starved for offence.

"That guy gave everything he had to that city," Bertuzzi said. "For a handful of people to disrespect him and call him out like that? I don't think that was something he was forecasting."

"It got brutal," Bertuzzi said. "I think you read the papers. I think everyone read the papers. Me, being a personal friend of his, I know how tough it was."

Hey, I'll take some resposibility for the things I've said about Naslund. But I stand by what I've said about his play and his performance as Canucks captain. It wasn't always pretty. Sure, Naslund learned how to back check under coach Alain Vigneault (and he wasn't terrible at it from what I saw), but too many times we saw him miss the net and not capitalize on chances and plays in order to bring his points total up. He was even given multiple chances with the Sedins. When a guy makes as much money as Naslund was and wears the captaincy, he will come under scrutiny in Vancouver and B.C. It goes with the turf. Damn it, we worship hockey here.
Was Naslund terrible? No. He just wasn't good enough.
I think some of the anger from fans came from Naslund playing in the shadow of Trevor Linden as well. Not only as a captain, but as a person. Pretty tough shoes to fill. Most of the fans wanted Linden to be the captain ever since he came back.
More anger comes from the fact that we are sick of waiting for a Stanley Cup. Mediocrity doesn't sit well with us. Naslund did not "give everything he had" to this city and team last season especially. Bertuzzi didn't either before he left the Canucks.
Are we, the fans and the media too hard on Canucks players? Maybe we say things that are cruel at times and can hurt people's feelings, but guess what....NHL players sign up for the job. It goes with the turf of being a superstar, and a well-paid one at that.
It's all in the past now. We are better off without both of those guys. They had their time here, some of it great, some of it lackluster. Time to move on.

T Tags: Bertuzzi+defends+Naslund Canucks

One Ranger fan already getting a dose of Naslund reality

From the Rangers Review:

Despite picking up the first goal for the Rangers, Markus Naslund has continued his hyper unselfish play to the detriment of the team. Look Markus, I get it, believe me, I do. You are a new player coming to a new team with some good players, you don’t want to appear as a selfish “me first” player. However your continual overpassing is getting to the point where it is a detriment to us out there. You were brought in here for 2 simple reasons. 1, you have the speed to keep up with this new attack game we are implementing, and 2, you have a wicked wrist shot. For f***s sake USE IT!!!

I had to laugh. Hey! Wait until he repeatedly takes shots from the circle and misses. You're going to love that trick too! Oh, and don't forget the lame post-game interviews.

T Tags: Rangers+fan Naslund+complaints

Markus Naslund talks about his Vancouver Past

From Mr. Gallagher at The Province. Naslund talked to Gallagher about his time as captain of the Canucks, the Bertuzzi incident and the Rangers.

"Everyone coming to you after the game was part of being captain of a Canadian team, and I didn't mind it that much, but I don't miss it now," said Naslund with an understated laugh. "There were times it wasn't fun and it was tough, of course, because I didn't have the answers. But that was part of the job and I accepted it and it didn't really bother me.

"Maybe I didn't have as much fun playing last year as I used to, and that was always the reason I played and the reason I play now. There were a number of reasons for that. I wasn't playing as well as I should have been and had in the past and that bothered me, and the style we played wasn't something I enjoyed particularly.

"Here, it tends to be a little more open, where you have centres who are looking for you, and everyone is looking to get the other guy the puck. I've always enjoyed ... getting scoring opportunities and that seems to be happening more here playing with Scott or Chris.

"I've been getting scoring chances but I seem to be a little rusty and I'm just not putting them away yet. I never really knew what kind of team they had here but we've got great goaltending, a pretty solid D and three good offensive centres. There are lots of NHL-calibre forwards who aren't going to make the team. There's a lot of depth here. It should be fun."

I am not even going to comment on that because any of you that know me know what I think about Naslund as a player and a captain. No use kicking a dead horse.
Bottom line: I hope the Rangers finish in at least 9th spot this season.
Follow the above link to read the rest of Gallagher's article. Keep a barf bag nearby, or if you are a Nazzy-lover: a box of tissues. How's that for being objective? Cue sarcasm.

Speaking of perimeter-useless players: The Rangers cut Petr Nedved today. Na na na na....

T Tags: Markus+Naslund+talks+Canucks captain Bertuzzi Rangers

Markus Naslund interview with Game On's John Giannone

Pretty self-explanatory and repeated reasons why he faltered the last couple of years in Vancouver, why he chose he Rangers, and what to expect from him this coming season.



Hat tip to Paul Kukla for the find.
I sure hope the Rangers miss the playoffs. Wouldn't hurt my feelings.

T Tags: Markus+Naslund+interview MSG video Rangers

Naslund never more ready to start a season / Bernier ready for impact

Markus Naslund was interviewed by HockeyExpressen.se recently after a quiet summer back home. He says he has a lot to prove after 2 sub-par seasons....blah blah.
He employed a personal fitness trainer from Vancouver this summer. Is it just me or does he look more bulky in that photo?
He said he feels more prepared for the season than ever before.
I think it's fair to say that I am bitter towards the guy. Never was a fan except for those uber-productive years of his.
Regardless, it makes me even angrier when he says things like "I've never been more physically ready to play" for example. It just proves the point that he didn't want to be here, and was not playing to his potential. Or, in other words, WASTING OUR TIME.
Now he plays for the enemy Rangers. How fitting. Now I like him even less. The only thing that could make me dislike him more is if he scores over 35 goals and 90 points on Broadway.

Photo credit: Hakan Nordstrom of HockeyExpressen

---

Now on to a player that actually matters on this side of the continent. Today there is a great piece by Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province on Steve Bernier. Bernier talks about why his insecurities started (getting sent to the minors in San Jose while he was kicking ass and taking names), the trade to Buffalo, and what he wants to do in Vancouver.

"I don't want any doubts any more. There's a lot of very good players and I want to prove myself. I want to play a lot of minutes."
I need to work hard every game, every shift," Bernier said. "My goal this year is that every time I'm on the ice, people know it. Either I make a play or I help my teammates with a big hit. Every shift I want to do something that has an impact on the game."

Although concerned about his mental state, I can't wait to watch Bernier play in a Nucks jersey.

T Tags: Markus+Naslund Rangers interview
Steve+Bernier+ready+to+kick+ass Canucks