Full-blown frustration sets in as Mitchell and Raymond square off at Canucks practice

From the Vancouver Sun:

They can't win a game to save their lives, but the Vancouver Canucks have their game faces on at practice today at UBC.

Losers of eight straight home games, the Canucks' tension and frustration boiled over with a practice altercation involving defenceman Willie Mitchell and winger Mason Raymond.

Mitchell ran at Raymond during a drill and, when the speedy sophomore came back at the veteran in the corner, Mitchell punched Raymond in the head and cross-checked him hard on the shoulder. VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT

The fracas drew several players and coaches, and tough defenceman Shane O'Brien skated to Raymond's defence and challenged Mitchell to fight before tempers calmed.

This only adds to speculations that team chemistry is in question, one of many problems that are plaguing the group.
I don't have many further comments or opinions on this depressing mess right now. It's tough to be positive. It's also too bad they couldn't go on a massive road trip to get away from the pressure-packed GM Place. But they have to wait until February 10 for that to happen. In the meantime they play Minnesota, Carolina and Chicago at home.
This could get ugly. At some point a change has to happen if this team cannot turn it around. I just hope that some kind of change happens before they get too far into the hole.

The Sun article also mentions that Mats Sundin was assigned to the Kesler-Burrows checking line. That may just work. There hasn't been much chemistry between Sundin and anyone else lately, except maybe Pavol Demitra, who remains out with a sore groin.

Below is a clip of several fights between teammates in the past. Remember the Probert-Primeau tilt in the Red Wings practice in 1994?





**UPDATE**
Here is some post-practice interviews. The players and coach like the aggression in practice and understand the frustration levels right now.

It appears that Wellwood and O'Brien are going to sit out against the Wild, while Rob Davison and Pavol Demitra will draw back in.

Image above from Vancouver Province

T Tags: Mitchell+Raymond+fight+video Canucks+fighting+at+practice Mason+Raymond Willie+Mitchell Shane O'Brien frustration

Predators 5 Canucks 3

Yes, now the panic button is hit. It shouldn't quite be yet but it is. I watched a lot of the Calgary-Buffalo game and then the Canucks-Preds game and we fail in comparison to the intensity and consistency shown by the Flames.
This loss to the Preds will only intensify the media and fans' pressure on the team and that was the last thing Vancouver needed. There is a lot of hockey left to play, but that is becoming less and less the point.
Tonight so much went wrong.
- Sundin did not perform the way we expected him to. He was useless out there.
- I believe Mason Raymond was benched for the 3rd period or most of it. I say bench him and bring up Jason Jaffray. At least Jaffray has more heart and is more gritty.
- A 3-1 lead blown. So much for the trap.
- I have been a big supporter of Alain Vigneault, but it's ALMOST time for change, whether it be by trade or a coach's firing. This team is not to rebuild this season. It is meant to win.
- I didn't see the desperation needed.
- I hate Kevin Bieksa. He = Jovo 2.

At some time today I'll digest the players and coaches' post game reactions, but keep in mind that I'm not going to sugar coat anything.
This game was a step backward from the Sharks game, and that is not a good thing. Remember, there are no more excuses. This was a team that we had beaten 6 games in a row. We can't lose to teams like Nashville. We are supposed to be better than them.

BOXSCORE AND HIGHLIGHTS

F**k it. This is bull shit.
It's times like these where I believe I picked the right name for this site over 2 years ago. Not only are the Canucks fans waiting for a Cup: they are waiting for a team that they cheer for to be consistent and be successful. There is nothing about this Canucks team right now that suggests that any waiting will soon be over.

Canucks-Predators Preview: Updated all day

I think Elliot Papp from the Vancouver Sun summed up all of our thoughts on the potential post-All Star Break Canucks squad storyline:

Mats Sundin is here. The all-star break is over. Roberto Luongo is back. The schedule isn't bad. The Canucks are almost completely healthy. I don't know about you but I can't find one itty-bitty excuse for this team if it continues its follies of the previous three weeks. The Canucks found every conceivable way in which to lose a game in the last six -- fall behind, catch up and then lose; fall behind and never catch up; take the lead and blow it; lose in regular time; lose in overtime; lose in a shootout. They lost to lousy road teams, lousy power-play teams, teams without their No. 1 goalie, teams with a rookie goalie and teams who pulled their goalie in the last minute. Hands up anyone out there who thought the Canucks would hang on and beat the Sharks last Tuesday. Maybe you hoped but did you really believe??

Let me answer the last 2 questions: I DID think the Canucks would hang on and beat the Sharks 1-0 in regulation and YES I really believed that. It was a game that saw an improved team effort. I've seen them play that kind of 'shutdown' hockey before and I was getting deja-vu.

UPDATE 1
So nearly the worst case scenario happened last night. The Blue Jackets, Wild, Ducks and even the Stars all won their games. That drops the Canucks down to 10th spot in the West I believe. My initial reaction is that this is almost like seeing Cameron Diaz with and then without makeup. But then I settled down and realized that the gap between the Canucks and 5th spot is not as big as Diaz's mouth.
The Canucks will need to start winning right away. This is going to be a battle, and the team seems ready for it.
I was reading somewhere that (the writer feels) that Alain Vigneault may bring back the trap, which is a method that has worked in the past. You saw it against the Sharks and it almost worked. I hope AV does do just that. The players can learn to play defence again and then open up. This team was drawing too many comparisons to the Leafs before the game against San Jose. That isn't a good thing.

UPDATE 2
The Canucks have beat the Predators 3 out of 3 games this season, outscoring them 9-2 in the process.

-The Preds have lost 4 of their last 5 games and only scored 8 goals in the process. They are in the NHL basement in goals for per game.

UPDATE 3: Sundin making strides
From the Vancouver Sun:

At Tuesday’s practice, Mats Sundin didn’t tag along behind Daniel and Henrik Sedin on the first power play, but confidently ran a second unit. The day before, Sundin not only survived the practice-ending conditioning skate, but led it. He had terrific scoring chances the last two games and finished one of them.

It's almost time for Sundin to contribute offensively at a more consistent rate. His time is near.

UPDATE 4: Watch out for Steve Sullivan
From Canucks.com:

Prior to suiting up for his first game of the season on January 10th against the Blackhawks, the 34-year old had not played a game since February 22, 2007 against the Montreal Canadiens when he suffered a back injury that kept him out for 687 days until his recent triumphant return to the lineup. He became only the third player in the post-World War II NHL history to miss over 600 days and then return to action – Jim Peplinski of the Calgary Flames and Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins being the others. Sharks forward Claude Lemieux has since become the fourth player to join that list.

Stevie is not to be underestimated. He is going to light it up at any moment. I hope it's not against the Canucks...

UPDATE 5: Play that funky music
I'm going to try something new for this site. Earlier in the season, I'd have the old Canucks intro tune (U2's Where the Streets Have No Name) playing pre game in the background on this site. From this point forward, if the Canucks win a game I'll post a song right after my post game post gets posted (you dig what I'm sayin'?)
I won't say what tune it is, but it is synonymous with the Canucks. The tune will be turned off sometime around lunch the following day so you don't get too damned annoyed.

UPDATE 6: Flame-out
The Canucks' journey to a playoff spot in the final 34 games in 2-fold. Yes, they have to stay ahead of the clusterf**k in the middle of the West. But they also need to keep pace with the Flames. Yeah, they are 9 points ahead of Vancouver right now but that gap can be closed very quickly if the Flames lose a few and we win a few. In my opinion, I don't see the Flames continuing on at their current torrid pace long term.
It's funny how all the media caught on today to Vancouver dropping to 10th spot last night. Kinda late on that one, boys and girls. Tonight's game is not a must win in general, but it is in the fact that the media is going to hop all over them for losing now that they are in 10th. The team doesn't necessarily need that kind of pressure put on them. Sometimes I wish they were even further down in the standings so that the media would leave them alone or write them off. That would take away some of the spotlight and pressure.
At the same time, these guys are paid to deal with pressure.

GAME TIME: 7:30 PST
TV: TSN

Tech Tags: Canucks+Predators+preview January+28+2009 positivity fear Demitra+injured+ribs

Canucks - Predators Preview / Live Blog

UPDATE: A 2-1 win. Phew! Labarbera is the first star of the game. He is unfortunately affectionatly known as Barbie or Lady Baba on CDC's live blog. We'll have to think of something more manly.

Jason Labarbera will start in goal tonight...and hopefully finish. Curtis Sanford's groin problem isn't going away anytime soon either as he is listed as week to week. Sounds familiar. I sure hope Labarbera shows us something good.

Mike Halford of Orlando Kurtenblog has a great Labarbera profile post up.

If the Canucks are going to continue their win-one lose-one trend then tonight they'll beat the Predators. The Canucks have beaten Nashville twice this year: 3-1 and 4-0. Their 3-1 win on December 9th didn't come without controversy. The laid out some huge hits, and Burrows was accused of leaving his feet to hit JP Dumont, Davison accused of a head shot. What a game. Check out the highlights here.

The Preds just may come out with a feisty effort to gain some revenge.

"We questioned some of the hits. We were very public about that," Coach Barry Trotz said." … They are a good team, they are a physical team, and they are coming into our building and we have to make sure we win a hockey game, and that's primary." - The Tennessean

Yeah sure. Scott Nichol has missed every game since that devastating Rob Davison hit (pictured- Getty images). Concussion. He just resumed skating about 24 hours ago according to the Tennessean. Wow.

Vancouver needs the win to catch up to Calgary, who now leads the Northwest by 5 points. Nashville dropped a few slots and out of a playoff spot recently. A win for them puts them back in. Look at the dog fight in the West. Unreal.

Come on, Canucks. Win this one for me. I have a New Years Day hangover and I need something to cheer me up!

Game Time: 5:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet

Canucks.com liveblog here. I guess I'll post it here as well.





T Tags: Canucks Predators Game+preview liveblog Jason+Labarbera+starts+for+Canucks

Sakic loses battle with snow blower / Shut up Ryan Miller / Canuck hits on Nashville

What a bizarre sequence of events that have happened to Joe Sakic recently. He was already out of commission with a herniated disc in his back, and now he'll miss 3 months after injuring his hand in a snow blower accident. Sakic has had surgery on his 3 broken fingers and damaged tendons as a result of the accident. My question is: "How in the blue hell did he injure himself snow blowing?"
For one, he didn't run his had over with it. Maybe he was repairing it. Aha! Even more dumb:

Sakic is actually fortunate that the injury was not worse. Reportedly the future Hall of Famer was attempting to dislodge some wet snow from around the blades. While the blower was off, when the snow was cleared the torque from the blades jammed his hand, says the article in TSN.

Secondly, it seems strange that he is using a snow blower when he has back problems. If I was a boss and this guy was off on WCB using that machine I would be suspicious. But that is only speculation on my part.
My other thought is a conspiracy theory....
Sakic goes off on long term disabilty and the Avalanche have enough room to sign Mats Sundin. How do you like that one? Then Joe can come back just before the playoffs. Who knows. Just throwing that BS out there.
How did I come up with that image? Ah, I typed in "snow blower accidents" in Google Images and that image was quite dominant in the results.

---

This whole situation with Ryan Miller accusing a referee using profanity is lame. What is he thinking? The MSM is corelating it to the Avery situation but that is just pathetic. Unless Miller is a serious Christian and is offended by such language and it perhaps violates his beliefs, then SHUT THE HELL UP!

---

The Yankee Canucks has a great piece up today about the 3 big Canucks hits on the Predators last night. Here's my opinion:
1. Rob Davison's hit was a beauty and completely legal.
2. Alex Burrows left his feet to hit JP Dumont. That constitutes a penalty. But as far as the head shot goes...I'm not buying that really. I didn't see him stick his elbow out like Randy Savage would. The impact to the head was coincidental. If you look at the image to the left, you can see that Burrows' hand or wrist area makes contact with Dumont's yap. But yeah, Burrows did jump.
3. I really don't think Kesler meant to board Shea Weber. People are so quick to judge a lot of these people and say the player should have let up. Many times THERE IS NO TIME to let up. The incident happens over the coarse of 1 or 2 seconds. Nobody's brain can rationalize anything in that time frame. You go for the hit. I will say that Weber changed his course of direction just before the hit, making himself prone to get boarded. And that kind of thing is what should be eliminated from the game first. Are these players psycho or what?? Take the bloody hit already!

T Tags: Joe+Sakic+injures+hand snow+blower+accident Ryan+Miller+complains+about+referee+profanity Canucks+hits+Predators Burrows+hits+Dumont Kesler+boarding+Weber Davison+the+killer

Salo out, Sanford in, plus a trade to announce

Let's start with the insignificant trade:
Jim Sharrow to the Hawks for a conditional pick in the 2009 Draft. Whoop.

Salo says his groin injury isn't as bad as the one he had earlier in the year (where he missed only 2 games). He won't be out long. To be honest, I'm losing patience with this guy. But if Lawrence Nycholat draws in I'm happy. I think he has done a fantastic job whenever he was called upon earlier this year.

Curtis Sanford, who was disappointed because he sat out the Colorado game, will get his chance to shine tonight against the Predators. Remember, he was playing terrific before his back gave out against the Jackets, stopping 11 of 11 shots. At this point I would definitely say I trust his play over Schneider's. Schneider needs more development and will only get better and better down the road.

I think we should almost expect a victory tonight. Well we really need one.We beat the Preds 4-0 in early November. Wellwood had 2 goals... his 5th and 6th in 7 games at that point. You can watch Woody's brilliance here.
But through all the Predators have been through the past 2 seasons they are never to be underestimated. Yeah, the Blues whooped them 6-3 last night, but Nashville beat the Wild 1-0, Colorado 3-2 and Buffalo 2-0 in a 3 game winning streak prior to last night's loss.
So which Nashville team shows up tonight?
Hell, which Canucks team shows up tonight?

GAME TIME: 5:00 PST
TV: SPORTSNET


Demitra is making news as one of the scapegoats in the Canucks' recent losing skid. Said Vigneault:

"Sometimes those skilled players just want to make one pass too many instead of getting more pucks to the net and keeping the play simple," head coach Alain Vigneault said. "He's got to keep plugging away and has to find a way to contribute. If not offensively, than he has to make sure he's really reliable defensively.

"I think he has more to contribute like a lot of our other guys on our team."

Yeah, you can't single out Demitra only. But he is the highest paid guy however. Said Demitra:

"I felt like when I was playing with the Sedins we dominated the puck but just didn't get any goals," Demitra said. "I've been feeling good lately and I just feel if I score one goal, all of a sudden I'll score 10. I just need a lucky bounce.

"My biggest thing is how I feel on the ice. Are my legs going? Am I getting scoring chances? And I am. Obviously, I want to score. I want the numbers every single game but it's not always going to happen, especially on the road."

T Tags: Salo+groin+injury Sanford+returns Canucks Predators game+preview December+9+2008
Canucks+trade+Jim+Sharrow+to+Blackhawks

Wellwood 2 (plus 2 other Canucks goals) Preds 0

Continuing on with Wellwood week here at Waiting For Stanley...
Yeah, nothing like The Wood erasing the Canucks' PP woes on his own. Love it.
Wellwood is no longer a secret. He is no longer an overweight disgrace. He is no longer that poor kid on the bus that got picked on throughout his elementary school years. No, Wellwood is a god.
-Wellwood manged 2 goals, both on the power play with only 12:28 of ice time.

-Good to see Luongo play as well as we expect him to.
-The Canucks outshot the Predators (while having a 1-0 lead) in the 3rd period 13-4.
-Domination.

-Michel Ouellet was invisible on the 2nd line and the first line whenever opportunties arose. But it was his first game as a Canuck. He saw limited special teams ice time and played only 10:26.
-Wellwood. That's right...chant his name. That's 4 goals and 1 assist in 7 games. Demitra WHO??? Ray Ferraro (bless his heart because he is one cool cat) was saying that the Canucks really miss Demitra to kickstart their power play. Then Wellwood responds with 2 PP goals.


BOXSCORE and HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks+shutout+Predators November+4+2008 Kyle+Wellwood+is+god

Alright! Michel Ouellet clears re-entry waivers!

The Canucks have called up the skilled forward from Manitoba and he has surprisingly cleared re-entry waivers. I didn't think he'd go un-claimed. In 10 games with the Moose this season, Ouellet has 4 goals and 10 points. What's not to like? He is leading the team in points.
So does that mean that Jason Krog is out of the Canucks' lineup tonight? Krog was replacing the injured Jannik Hansen last game. **UPDATE** He has been sent down to Manitoba as per TSN.** Maybe Mike Brown sits? I don't think the Canucks have lost anyone else have they? Doubt it.

On to tonight's game against the Predators.
A disturbing stat from Canucks.com:

After three power play goals allowed to the Red Wings on Sunday, the Canucks have now surrendered three-or-more power play goals in a single game more times this season than in all of last season combined.

Is that sick or what? What in the blue hell is going on here? Answers:
1. New personnel on the ice
2. New personnel behind the bench
3. Roberto Luongo is not up to his dominant form yet

As for the Predators, they are not to be underestimated. When JP Dumont bolted from the Sabres for a huge raise I thought he'd turn into a shitbag. Well he's the opposite. JP has 2 goals and 14 points in 11 games so far, leading the team. Since he joined the Preds a few years ago, his stats have steadily increased from his years in Buffalo, and each season has been a career year for him.He has no PP goals yet this season. He scored 7 last year, 5 the year before, and 9 the year before that. Hell, the way the Canucks kill penalties, JP could break out in scoring tonight.
-And how about Shea Weber? The defenceman has 5 goals and 12 points in 11 games. Don't think he won't be jumping in on the rush all night.
-Smithers' own Dan Hamhuis seems to be struggling in the stats category with only 3 assists and a -5 in 11 games so far.

Predator Stats

- Nashville sits right below Vancouver in goals per game in 7th spot (3.27)
- They allow a lot of goals against per game as well. They sit in 25th spot allowing 3.36 per game. The Canucks are 20th allowing 3.17 on average.
- Nashville's power play is 18th at a 16.4% accuracy. The Canucks are 15th at 18.3%.
- The Preds and Canucks are also close in penalty killing futility.

The Preds are coming off 2 wins against Florida on the 1st and Edmonton on October 30th. They allowed only 3 goals in that span and scored 6. Should we be afraid? Yes and no. It's hard to say really. As has been the theme of the year so far: which Canucks team shows up tonight? If you're a betting man, I'd take Nashville to win tonight, especially considering how the Canucks perform after emotional games against teams like Detroit for example. But you never know. I don't think the Canucks want to fall too far below 500 either, they lost their last game and do have home ice advantage, if that means anything. Maybe another positive for Canucks fans? Check out the Preds' goalie stats. Not that impressive.
OK, so flip a quarter to pick the winner. Fuck it.

Go Canucks! And go Michel Ouellet! This guy could raise a few eyebrows. He may look like a Matt Cooke with better hands.

Game Time: 7:00 PST
TV: TSN (good)

In the meantime...
A CANUCKS MOVIE???

Make up you bloody mind already! GM's losing patience with Radulov and Sundin

Firstly, the Predators want Alexander Radulov to make up his mind by September 1 on whether or not he'll honor (which is a word not in Radulov's vocabulary) the rest of his contract with Nashville.

“We know he signed over in Russia but we are asking him to reconsider and to make a decision to come back,” Preds GM David Poile said. “… We feel Alex is a very, very good young player with a great future ahead of him. We feel he got some bad advice in this situation and hope eventually he will want to return to play with best players in the world in the best league in the world.

“But having said that, we don’t want to force him to come back until he wants to come back. That is not good for Alex or for his teammates. As of Sept. 1, we’re moving on.”

Tough place for Poile to be in. He also tells the Tennessean that if Radulov signs a 1 year deal with Russia, that Nashville would re-address Radulov coming back next season. Say what? If he bails on his current contract, why the hell would Poile take him back again? Let the dishonorable bugger go, or become someone else's problem. Easy for me to say though.

Secondly, Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren has now made it clear publicly that he is basically tired of Waiting for Sundin. From the Vancouver Sun, of all places:

"Personally, I'd like it to all go away," Holmgren told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "What's the sense when we don't even know if he's going to play yet?"

It appears Mike Gillis has much more patience than Holmgren. Some are saying that maybe Gillis should put the heat on as well. I wouldn't. Let Holmgren run his mouth. Gillis can be the nice guy. Like that makes any difference, right? Nice guys finish last don't they?
What the hell would Holmgren possibly do to shed enough salary to take on a Sundin contract? Obviously, he must have a few potential deals in limbo while he waits for Mats. Those deals could, or would have to resemble blockbuster status. That is probably where the impatience is coming from.
Some people wonder why all of this attention about indecisiveness is focussed on Sundin and less on Joe Sakic and Teemu Selanne. Well that is an easy answer. Sakic is great, yes. But his loyalties lie solely with the Avalanche. So there isn't much mystery there except mostly for Avalanche fans. As a Canucks fan, I hope he doesn't come back because I want the Avs in the Northwest Division basement.
Teemu Selanne still has a lot left in the tank. But he has already pulled this hooplah before. So he's a repeat offender of indecisiveness. Blah, blah, been there done that, who really cares that much about Buzz Lightyear anyways?
Want some speculation? Maybe the Avalanche will lure Sundin if Sakic decides to retire (e2...ha). Lord knows they can't afford both Sakic AND Sundin at the same time. But the loss of Burnaby Joe would have Avs GM Giguere in need of a #1 center. We also know that the Avs have little problem luring high calibre players. So cue the Sundin-to-Colorado rumors. It would make sense, if the Swede decided he wants to play and would make much more sense than him going to Montreal, the Rangers or Flyers. And don't forget that Forsberg is loyal to Colorado if he returns a few months into the season. Hey, you'd have to think that Sundin and Forsberg have at least discussed that since they've been golfing so much lately.
If Sundin does end up in Colorado, we will have the right to assume/speculate that he was waiting for Sakic's decision all along.
Just throwing that concept out there.
Either way, Holmgren getting tired of waiting and maybe "putting some pressure on" Sundin won't affect Mats' timeline. But we do know that the last thing Sundin said was that he would like to make a decision by the end of August.

T Tags: Mats+Sundin Alex+Radulov decision+time Flyers Avalanche Predators

It could all come down to tonight

Oh yeah, I can make a mockery Photoshop of the Oilers over and over again and poke fun at the bastards, but in reality, I have a lot of respect for this team that was doomed to fade away and die this year. The Oilers, with a lot of help from shootout wins, just about managed a playoff berth to pull off the unthinkable. A respectable feat this season was for them.
But tonight's game is all about business, not respect. Tonight, Canucks and Canuck fans alike could lay their heads on their pillows in shame and defeat or they could stay up a little later with happy thoughts of grand possibilities of making the playoffs. A win by Nashville and a Canucks loss will eliminate us. Simple as that.
The Canucks know they have to win and are throwing all the cliches around to the media. Let's just say there will be some extra motivation if they see on the scoreboard that the Blues defeated the Predators tonight (or even vice versa). That game will end at about 7:30 pm, right when the Canucks hit the ice.
Are you feeling at all positive? It's tough to be after that Colorado loss isn't it? Luongo is not that sharp lately, the Canucks have lost 4 of 5 (the Preds are the polar opposite), and the injury bug strikes again. Taylor Pyatt will not play tonight as he suffered a concussion from that hit in the corner last game from Jeff (pull my) Finger. As much as I liked Pyatt's gritty efforts lately, he hasn't been scoring enough. So let's see somebody else step it up.

Oiler notes: Alice in Hemskyland (knee) will not play tonight. Kyle Brodziak is out as well with a broken finger. Excellent. Now, can someone please shadow this Glencross guy? He's fucking dangerous, and red hot at the moment!

My call

Is St. Louis up to the task of gaining revenge for a 3-goal blown lead against the Preds a couple of nights ago? It's possible. But without any logic whatsoever, I think the Preds will beat the Blues and the Canucks will beat the Coilers 2-1. I think this is going down to the last game of the season where Mr. Positivity returns. And he says the Hawks beat the Preds and Canucks beat the Flames so Vancouver gets into the playoffs. Is there any other way to think? May as well stay positive right to the end.

GAME TIME: 7:30 PM
TV: Canucks 'fricking' PPV

**UPDATE**
Apparently Matt Pettinger is sick, so the great Jannik Hansen has been called up from Manitoba. There are stipulations, according to TSN:

Vancouver had previously used up all of its recalls. Both players will take the pre-game skate so if Pettinger is able to play then Hansen is ineligible to play. Expect Hansen to play because with Taylor Pyatt out the Canucks desperately need another top-six forward. They also want Rypien in the lineup because of the physical factor.

T Tags: Canucks Oilers Preview Predators Blues playoff+race Pyatt+injured concussion

Mr. Positive returns

I guess the Canucks have let their fans down too many times over the years, because I have talked to a lot of Canucks fans around the Lower Mainland and not one single person is giving the Canucks a chance to make the playoffs. I swear, everyone has thrown their white towels in, rather than wave them in the air for support. It's not over yet. Are you just bracing yourselves for potential pain? Or is your support in your team that fickle? Right, you are just getting used to having your hearts ripped out come playoff time.
Well this slut of a season is not over yet. I stand by my statement that the Canucks are better at home and the Preds are half-assed on the road this season. Now my concern is with those damned Oilers. They have a rematch with Calgary on Tuesday and then they play us in our final game of the season. Yes, it may just come down to the final night. Can you believe it?
I'm going to go out on a limb and say we beat the Flames tonight and that we win at least 3 of our final 4 games.
Remember, the Canucks have not lost more than 4 games in a row all season.

I shall be at the game tonight, and it will be great to see all the aspects of the Canucks' game first-hand.
The Flames have won the last 2 games against the Canucks. I couldn't care. Miikka (because one "i" and "k" weren't good enough in his first name) Kiprusoff has stopped 56 of the 59 shots he's faced in his last two starts versus the Canucks. Don't give a rat's ass. This is it, Nucks. Nobody is believing in you right now. They think you are doomed. You fucking hear me???? DOOMED! Now go out there and prove the legions of naysayers wrong!
I'll put up a post after I return from the game tomorrow.

T Tags: Canucks Flames Playoffs Doomed Oilers Fucked

There was this guy who was on his way to the bar...

Tonight was different. Tonight I was having a delicious mushroom steak dinner with my family. When I went to the computer to check the score of the Avs-Canucks game, it was 2-1 Nucks after 1 period. "Good" I thought, "The Canucks will protect this lead tonight." Well, in between logging off my parents' computer, searching for lost keys with my wife, and then actually getting to that bar, the Avalanche had scored 4 unanswered goals, and it was 5-2 Avalanche by the time I got there. I thought they were showing highlights from an earlier game in the season!
The bar was empty. Every person had left in disgust early in the 2nd period.
I'm not going into details about the game, because I want Temujin to do that as he has been given contributor keys to this site. Instead, I will let you know what lies ahead for mostly Nashville, who seems to be the favorite to bounce someone out of a playoff spot.
Here is who Nashville has left to play, and their records against these teams:

- Friday, Columbus. The Preds have 6 wins and 1 loss against the Jackets this season.
- Sunday, Detroit. The Preds have 3 wins and 4 losses against the evil Wings this season.
- Tuesday and Thursday, St. Louis. The Preds have 3 wins and 2 losses against the sucky Blues this year.
- Friday, Chicago. The Preds have 4 wins and 3 losses against the Hawks.

These upcoming games are a tossup for Nashville. The only team they OWN is Columbus. The rest are all close. Keep in mind, the Preds play 4 out of 5 of their remaining games on the road. They are 16-17-4 on the road this season.

As for the Canucks:

- Friday, Minnesota. The Canucks 3-3 against the Wild this season.
- Sunday March 30 and Saturday April 5, Calgary. Canucks are 4-2 against the Lames.
- Tuesday, Colorado. The Canucks have won 2 and lost 5 against the Avs. God dammit!

The Canucks play 4 of their last 5 games at home. The Canucks are 20-12-5 at home.

So what am I trying to say here? Be positive! The Canucks can turn this shit around on a 4-consecutive-game homestand and bury the Preds in the final week. The Preds may play easier teams in the final 5 games, but their records against those teams don't show any domination.
No, a Northwest Division is probably not going to happen. But who cares? Let's just get in and see what happens! I like our chances of getting in because of the home ice advantage factor.
I'm not scared of Detroit. Fuck' em! We can take those sucks in a 7-game series!

T Tags: Canucks Avalanche Western+Conference+Standings Playoff+spot+race

No suspensions for Tootoo or Bieksa

Strange ruling by the NHL today in regards to the shenanigans late in the game between the Canucks and Predators last night. Kevin Bieksa instigated the fight between himself and Greg DeVries within the last 5 minutes of the game. That is supposed to warrant a 1 game suspension. Today, according to TSN, "the league has rescinded the suspension, deeming the call outside the spirit of the rule." Define "spirit of the rule". Is it because a player shot a puck at him? Oh well, we didn't want to lose another defenceman anyways.
And define how a cross check to a player's (Bourdon) face by Tootoo doesn't warrant a suspension. I don't know. I like the hit on Miller even though I regret the outcome. No word on the big guy's status yet.
The Canucks wanted Tootoo suspended on the Miller hit, calling it charging. But it was not to be. Vigneault mentioned: "I'm just trying to get the game over with," said Vigneault. "I don't know why things like that happen and why a player would run 100 feet with a game over.
No respect for the game and no respect for the opposition. It's unfortunate there are a few of that type in the league, hopefully the league will deal with it."
Don't forget though, Rypien absolutely decked that rookie Preds d-man seconds earlier. Tit for tat.
Tootoo showed no regrets. "Hitting is part of the game. It's a clean hit, shoulder-on-shoulder. (Miller) is the one that bailed out and when you bail out, that's when you get injured.
You've got to be a man to play this game and you've got to be able to keep your head up," Tootoo told the Canadian Press. "Clean hit. Nothing more to say."

Tootoo is a haywire no doubt, and he's a guy you hate when he doesn't play on your team because he's such a pain in the ass. He hits to hurt. He's like a bulldog. Even though he cowered from a fight last night, I have to say that he can hold his own in a tussle when he wants to. With that in mind, I am going to turn my cheek like Jesus did and give to you a Jordin Tootoo compilation video, where you can see hits and scraps. This Inuit is nuts. And minus any dirty stuff, it's good to have players like him in the NHL.




T Tags: Kevin+Bieksa Jordin+Tootoo No+suspension video fights hits

Canucks kick the Hell out of Clawless Predators 6-2

5 goals scored in the first 6:21 of the game...madness. The Canucks jumped to 2 goal leads only to have Luongo choke, allowing 2 goals and putting the Preds within 1 goal TWICE. But then the game settled down....for the Canucks not Nashville. The Preds looked uncharacteristically sluggish and sloppy in their own zone and the Canucks made them pay dearly, leading 4-2 after the first period. Vancouver outshot Nashville 24-9 in the first period alone, and 44-23 overall.
The Preds just couldn't get anything going, and whenever they did after the 6:21 mark of the 1st, Luongo stopped them. The Canucks showed the hustle and scoring touch that we have been waiting for over the 4 game losing skid. And now, like Jim Hughson said: "You can all jump back on the bandwagon now."
-The Sedins were on a tear tonight and that was good to see. But Nashville gave them a lot of room. I guess they didn't read the scouting report.
-Naslund is either nursing an undisclosed injury, or lacks heart out there.
-The Shannon-Raymond-Pettinger line is quick and effective. Love it.
-Alex Burrows is a beast. He is finally finding the net to compliment his excellent checking and badgering skills.
-No word on Aaron Miller's condition yet, but that looked like a separated shoulder after that reject Tootoo crushed him into the boards. Miller could be out 2 months if that's the case. Looks like Mike Weaver is going to get some playing time. Vigneault didn't like the hit.

"I don't know why things like that happen and why a player would run 100 feet with the game over. No respect for the game and no respect for the opposition."

I didn't see how many strides Tootit took, but he sure was going fast. I didn't mind the hit, but the way he cowered from a fight afterwards was just gutless. Tootoo is a piece of junk. And then he cross checks Bourdon up high as Luc came at the jackass to offer up some retribution. Tootoo=classless trash.
-See? Luc Bourdon did not look out of place at all. Ohlund who? Bourdon only played 13:33 though. He could play more.
-This was the Bieksa we've been waiting to see. Great game by the Bieksallent one.
-Byron Ritchie doesn't get much praise, but his return tonight was somewhat of a spark to the team as well. An excellent penalty killer and forechecker. One of my faves.
-Loved that Mason Raymond goal. Smithers' own Dan Hamhuis coughed the puck up and Mason made him pay, scoring a wrap around goal getting his own rebound. I was thinking that that play reminded me of Jan Bulis a little. Only, Jan Bulis would have miss the open cage.
-A Canucks win...a Coyotes loss.....Canucks move into 8th place....a bunch of money was raised in the Canucks For Kids Fund Telethon....John Bollwitt was spotted behind Dan Murphy post game......yeah I'd say it was a good night.

GAME SUMMARY

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks+Predators+Review Aaron+Miller+injured highlights summary

Bad news for the Canucks as they play Nashville tonight

Good lord. The Canucks' season has yet another obstacle to climb, as it has been discovered that Mattias Ohlund has bone chips in his knee. According to TSN:

He will then be given four to six days to see if the swelling has gone down (using anti-inflammatory drugs) enough to return to play.
If Ohlund has not recovered enough to play at that time he will undergo arthroscopic surgery, ending his season. It is unsure if Ohlund would be available to the Canucks during the playoffs.

Luc Bourdon has been recalled to take Ohlund's spot.
While I like Ohlund's stability on the blueline, he can't hit the net with his shots.....at all. I was getting sick of seeing his point shots miss the net. Bourdon won't do that. Luc will add some youth to the blueline and maybe some LIFE, which the Canucks could use more of in their game. Bourdon has filled in masterfully earlier this season when the Canucks' blueline was depleted. So I'm not worried about the loss of Ohlund.
I'm just wondering what it is going to take to have a fire lit under several Canucks players' asses in order to play with some desire. Desire to actually make the playoffs. As you can see from the current standings, a loss in regulation against the Predators tonight will put them in danger of dropping down to 11th spot behind the Coyotes and Black Hawks if those 2 teams win their next games. Both the Hawks and Dogs are starting to roll.
The Canucks are trying to avoid losing their 5th straight game tonight. They haven't lost 5 straight in about 2 years. A regular win puts Vanouver ahead of Nashville with 1 game in hand and puts them within 3 points of Calgary and Minnesota.
To be honest here, like a friend of mine mentioned today, which team in the top 8 in the West is the most likely to fall out of playoff contention? The Predators are better than I thought. The Avalanche have Forsberg to rejuvenate the team and a Jose Theodore that has returned to form. I don't see Calgary falling out either. At least these teams know how to put the puck in the net. The Canucks don't. And it all starts with the Sedin twins and Naslund. What do they have...3 combined points in the last 4 games? SUCKY!
It all adds up to having a few drinks before the game just in case it stings too much. Best case scenario is a win, and then the alcohol buzz feels even better.
The Canucks beat the Preds 2-1 in the shootout a couple weeks back. But they surrendered 51 shots. Luongo was God.
I'm still on the positive wagon. I say the Nucks pick their game up and beat the Predators 2-1 tonight.

-It's amazing how many Canucks fans that I talk to that say they are not watching the team anymore. They'd rather watch CSI or whatever else. I think that is a tad premature. -

As a side note....wouldn't it have been nice to pick up Mark Recchi off waivers earlier in the year? His leadership, scoring touch, and grit would be really useful right now. Plus he's a BC boy. Hindsight is 20/20 hey Nonis?

GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet (HD). Yeah, watch 'em lose in high def!

T Tags: Canucks Predators Preview Ohlund+injured

injury Western+Conference+Standings

Canucks 3 Preds 2: I wanna kill me a Sedin

Yes, I want to kill me a Sedin....and make sweet man-love to Roberto Luongo. Ha! I kid. But really, I must have uttered about 1000 obscenties towards the twins tonight. They stank it up on the ice badly, not scoring anything, but taking stupid penalties at wrong times. Bastards. I'm still mad. Hank Sedin took a high sticking penalty in the 3rd that led to the Predators scoring the tying PP goal. Then Daniel Sedin takes a holding penalty in OT, almost costing us the extra point. Ass. Those shits should have been benched. Pyatt, Shannon and Raymond should have played more, while the Sedins rode the pine.
Oh well, at the end of the day, it was truly the god known as Luongo that saved our asses, stopping 49 of 51 shots and all 3 shootout attempts by Nashville.
-Bieksa was used sparingly, playing only 15:48, but that will change as time goes on.
-I'm suprised none of the top 3 Swedes were in the minus category.
-Mason Raymond is proving, over and over again, that he belongs on the Canucks' roster.
-Taylor Pyatt only missed one game and returned with a vengeance tonight, with 4 shots on goal and a spirited effort.
-I loved how Luogod pumped his arm after the shootout victory. He sure was on his game tonight. Even in the shootout he looked unbeatable.
-You know what this game has me thinking? That Nonis could leave this team as it is and still have playoff success. I don't anticipate a big move by Nonis by February 26th.
-Nashville really suprised me tonight. It amazed me how much their defencemen pinched in on the plays. And it wasn't just one of them, it was all of them. The Canucks looked confused as to how to defend against that strategy. Thank Jesus we had Luongo on his game tonight.
-We are now 4 points up on the 9th place Coyotes now. Breathing room. Greatness.
-For the record, it was Smithers' own Dan Hamhuis that logged the most minutes for Nashville tonight, at over 24:00. Hate the Preds, like the Hamster because he's from my hometown. He played well tonight.

T Tags: Canucks Predators Luongo+is+god Pyatt Sedins+suck

Canucks - Predators Preview: Bieksa returns

The speculation on Bieksa's Canucks return has ended. After playing 1 game in a conditioning stint with the Moose last night, where Bieksa had an assist in a 2-1 victory, Bieksa is ready to go tonight against the Preds. That is good as long as Bieksa plays well. Like I said earlier, he was struggling at the beginning of the season prior to getting injured. I'm going to be positive and think of it as a boost to a Canucks squad that seems to have turned their game around. I think Daniel Sedin summed it up really well a couple of days ago:

“When you’re losing, you’re almost happy just to be in games. You don’t really play to win; you play not to lose. But I think we’re over that now.”

Mattias Ohlund echoed Sedin's sentiments:

"It finally feels like we have some momentum as a team. Not just two wins in a row, but this is the way we have to play. We’re realizing again how we have to play.”

I'm feeling pretty good about our chances of a win tonight. The Canucks lost 3-0 to the Preds back in November, where we were held off the scoresheet by some kid goalie named Dan Ellis. Vancouver had 29 shots. The Preds scored 3 goals on 15 shots total. 2 of them were on the powerplay. But this is a revived Nucks team. I say we win 4-2.
You can see by the standings the importance of tonight's game once again. It would be great to pull 4 points ahead of the Coyotes and have played the same amount of games.

T Tags: Canucks Predators Preview Kevin+Bieksa+returns Western+Conference+standings

Life is so good in Canucksville

What a great game last night. A shalacking. An ass kicking.
The biggest story of the night was the Sedins breaking out finally, scoring a combined 4 points. It seemed like Nashville didn't check them as hard as the previous teams had. But it also seemed like they were skating and playing their game at 100%
The other story was that Linden, at one point, had an assist on Burrow's goal, tying him with Markus Naslund as the All-time Canucks leader in points. Then Naslund and the Sedins ripped it all up in the 3rd period and Naslund had 2 assists. Then it was Linden who scored in the empty net to make it 5-2. Now I see that Linden's assist was taken away.
I guess that puts Naslund up by 2. But I have a thought here. How much does Linden value this record? Maybe Vigneault could have a bit of a healthy competition between Naslund and Linden here if he'd let Linden play more games. That would be a positive wouldn't it? Put a little jive in Linden's stride perhaps?
One thing is for sure: it is a mother fricking great time to be a Canucks fan right now as they are on fire.
Bring on the damned Penguins! We'll send them back to filthy Pittsburgh in a 'wah'mbulance. Obviously the Albertan teams can't stop Crosby, so we'll take care of that. Clean up their mess kind-of-thing.

T Tags: Canucks Predators Review Naslund+Linden+race points+record

Canucks-Predators Preview / Ducks / Auld / Recchi

CANUCKS VS PREDS

The Canucks roll into Music City tonight still not playing their best hockey. They remained undisciplined against Chicago yet still managed a win.
When are the Sedins going to break out again?
Word is that Vigneault wants to play Curtis Sanford in one of the next 2 Canucks games. I would hope that would be tonight, and save Luongo for the Penguins on Saturday night. (Crosby must lose)
CONFIRMED: Sanford will play tonight, according to Rotowire.

This game is about revenge as well, as the Preds beat the Nucks 3-0 on November 1st.
Look out for Jason Arnot, who broke a Predators record last game with 12 shots in one game against the Leafs. Arnott also had 1 goal and 1 assist in the Preds shutout over the Canucks 1 month ago.
-The Preds have won 3 of their last 5.
-The Canucks have won 4 of their last 5.

I think we beat Nashville 4-2 tonight and get our revenge. Arnott breaks his arm from taking 20 shots.

GAME TIME: 5:00 PST
TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC

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DUCKS CAP

I thought that Niedermayer's decision to play again would put the Ducks over the cap. But does it really? Not according to Hockey Analysis:

Burke is talking about making a deal anyways. But would that be to move a defenceman for a good forward? I can see Beauchemin or Schneider being on the block. But let's see if Burkie gets any takers.

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AULD SHIPPED TO BOSTON

The Bruins are having serious health issues with their goaltenders this season, and have acquired Alex Auld to help out, in exchange for Nate DiCasmirro and a 5th round pick in 2009.
The B's lost Tim Thomas to an apparent ankle injury last night, and his status is unknown. But it's probably not very good if the Bruins went out and got Auld.
Manny Fernandez has back spasms and a knee issue that have not been resolved yet. His return is delayed.
Tuuka Rask is only 20 years old, so I suppose the Bruins won't put too much pressure on him. This is where Auld will help out....maybe. Auld isn't that good. Poor Alex has moved from shitty-defensive team to shitty defensive team in his brief NHL career.

I don't know much about DiCasmirro, except that he's a 29 year old left winger, and has not put up serious numbers in the AHL. But he can fight though.

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RECCHI'S NHL FUTURE OVER?

The Penguins have assigned Recchi to their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The last big name Penguin to go that route was John Leclair, and look what happened to him! I still can't believe that nobody wanted Recchi..... crazy.
I just listened to Dave Nonis on Team 1040 mention that Recchi is a risk at his current dollar value and that he isn't gambling on him.
In my opinion, I disagree. Recchi is worth the gamble. Geez, he only helped Carolina win the Cup 2 years ago.

T Tags: Canucks Predators Preview Alex+Auld+traded+Bruins Niedermayer Ducks+to+trade Recchi+sent+to+minors

Snowballing

If you paid to watch last night's game you must be kicking yourself, thinking you could have bought another half sack of cheap beer to drown your sorrows in. Or maybe a really cheap hooker......
Half of my hangover today is self-induced, the other half is Canucks-induced.
The Canucks' early season continues to spiral downward, as they outshot the Predators 29-15 last night and still managed to lose 3-0. The Predators scored on their first 2 shots of the game and that really put a fragile Canuck squad on its heels, as Nashville played loosey-goosey the rest of the way and more or less shut the Nuckleheads down.
It's amazing how glaringly obvious that this Canuck team is playing nervous and off it's game. It's frustrating to watch. Now you can see players becoming selfish, trying to do everything themselves, going through 3 or 4 defenders, and other players who simply refuse to shoot the puck because their confidence is gone. Ah yes, the signs of a slumping team. And it may not go away anytime soon. It seems that the more time goes on, the worse the team's chemistry gets.
I gotta say right now, Ray Ferraro is a blessing to have on PPV. He has a great hockey mind. He mentioned that the team has to settle down and start with and win the first 5 minutes of every period. Simplify. But that is all easier said than done. The full roster has to commit to it 100% in order for it to work. You could hear in the post game interviews that this is not the case right now. Not everyone is on board.
In last night's game, Luongo had to make those saves, especially the first one, but didn't. The fans were jeering him in the stands. Wow.

“To boo our goaltender?” asked Morrison. “I thought that was maybe crossing the line a bit.”

It seems every game has some form of tragic error in it. The Canucks fuck up once and the other team puts it in the net.
And now the injuries... 2 Canucks (Salo and Bieksa) go off the ice bleeding last night, both probably out for about a month at least. They couldn't stitch Bieksa's calf at GM Place last night and he was sent to the hospital.
Salo took a puck in the face from one of his own guys (no names....Edler!) and may have fractured his orbital bone.
The loss of those 2 d-men should be looked at as a postitive. This team needs a bit of change to the roster to give it a spark, in my opinion. That is why the Forsberg rumors are only going to become that much stronger now. And rightfully so. A player of Forsberg's calibre is needed right now. A shakeup. Yes, that means I am hitting the panic button and losing my patience right now.
Vigneault isn't.

“We’re going to stick together, and we’re going to fight our way through this,” said Vigneault. “That’s all we can do right now.”

Other Canuck issues:
-the Sedins are officially ineffective out there. Splitting them up last night didn't do any good and probably only led to separation anxiety.
-we have the worst home record in the NHL. 1-6.
-a dried up powerplay. We were 0-for-6 last night. Nashville was 2-for-4.

Pro's
-the play of Kesler especially was tremendous. He just isn't getting the results.
-Ohlund and Hansen looked good as well.
-Bieksa looked improved until the skate lacerated his calf.
-a couple of wins, preferably back-to-back could turn this team around.

Hang in there, Canuck fans. This will probably get worse before it gets better.

Highlights....I mean LOWLIGHTS of the game.

T Tags: Canucks Predators review suck shit goddammit