What did Luongo say to Ovechkin after the All Star Game?

As they shook hands after the All Star Game shootout, where Ovechkin made Luongo look silly, Roberto said something to Alexander. Ovechkin looked a little confused and awkwardly smiled and then skated away. What do you think Louie said? Use your imagination! No censorship here!
(This is what happens when there is too much downtime from Canucks hockey. I get bored.)






I'll start this off.

Luongo: "They call me the Italian Stallion. What do they call you?"
Ovechkin: "Horse killer!"

---

Luongo: "Your teeth distracted me. I couldn't focus on your shootout attempt. Jesus, man, can't find a dentist?"

---

Luongo: "I would have tried harder to stop your shootout attempt, but I didn't want to aggravate my groin."

Ovechkin: "I aggravate your groin some other time then."

---

Tech Tags: Luongo Ovechkin All+Star+Game caption+contest

The return of Luongod: Canucks-Coyotes preview / updated all day

I'll take the cautious approach. Roberto Luongo is either going to return and
a) save the skins of a mediocre team through insane saves
b) inspire the team to play better for a whole 60 minutes
c) look rusty in his return and the team continues to suck

I'll have any Canuck updates prior to the game against the Coyotes, like the possibility of Wellwood sitting out this one for example. Until then, I put together a few Photoshop images that I think capture the day and the moment. Enjoy.

UPDATE 1

Sami "Glass" Salo will not return to the lineup just yet. He practiced with the team and could make his return this weekend against Columbus.

UPDATE 2

It appears Wellwood may sit this one out, as the struggling center has cooled off considerably in recent weeks. (Yes, I am dealing with the fact that he isn't Superman after all, even though he could be).

UPDATE 3

Luongo said all the things a true team captain would say after practice today:

“We win as a team and I am not going to come in here and win a game by myself,” Luongo said. “We need 20 guys to play as a team and play well. That is the way we always won here and that’s the way it is going to be from here on out.”

Ryan Kesler, who looked visibly pissed off after the loss to the Devils echoed Luongo's sentiments:

“I don’t care who we have in the net,” said centre Ryan Kesler. “We could have had a brick wall in there lately and we still would have lost. We have to be better defensively and with Louie coming back, obviously it’s going to help. But we still have to be better defensively in front of him.”

You tell 'em Kesler. If this team doesn't respond now...

UPDATE 4

- Curtis Sanford not-so surprisingly cleared waivers and has been assigned to Manitoba.

UPDATE 5
It sounds more and more like this team is raring to go tonight. Demitra talked about his demotion and promotion to Sundin's line today:

"Obviously, I wasn't happy about it," said Demitra. "But you have to get focus, get mad and be ready to play. Mats was the reason I came here, because of the rumours during the summer that he was going to be here. All my life, I was playing with one guy all year, and Mats is going to make hockey so easy.

"He has shown for many years that he's a top player in the league because he's got that big body and he's tough to get a puck from. He has great vision and can find you -- so it's going to be nice to play with a guy like that. And you just need to get chemistry going."

More on that here. OK, so does what Demitra said make him look like a tit or what? Fine, Gillis dangled Sundin in front of him to get Demo here, but that isn't the point. What's this garbage about him "playing with 1 guy all year?" How about you just do your damned job and you'll EARN a scoring role!? Demitra has done nothing to deserve any "royal" treatment from a coach. Lose the fucking superstar attitude, man. You are not a superstar!
Is he going to sulk if he fails on Lines 1 or 2 in the future and gets put on a different line? I just detect a lousy attitude from him and it re-enforces my point that the guy is a gutless puke. Go out there and earn your damned paycheck! Jesus. We don't need this kind of shit right now, putting it bluntly.

Line combos for tonight:

Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Taylor Pyatt

Pavol Demitra-Mats Sundin-Jannik Hansen

Alex Burrows-Ryan Kesler-Steve Bernier

Darcy Hordichuk-Ryan Johnson-Mason Raymond


STATS TO PONDER

From CDC:

The Canucks will want a strong start against the Coyotes. Vancouver is 14-0-2 when leading after 2 periods and 17-6-4 when they score first.

Well there you can see the problems of late. They have not been leading after the second period all that often and are not scoring first enough.

The Canucks will now try to avoid losing six in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 3-18, 1978.

UPDATE 6

Remember the last time the Coyotes came to town? Yeah, we won 1-0, but local boy Kyle Turris was benched by Gretzky, causing a bit of controversy. Tonight, Turris will play in front of his friends and family.






































































T Tags: Luongo+returns Canucks Coyotes game+preview photoshop Luongod Mighty+mouse Batman

Johnny Canuck vs Lords of the Underworld

Two years ago the Canucks were labelled the Devils of the West because they trapped so well and defended leads better than most Western Conference teams. I don't think the same can be said about this year's version of the Canucks. Not yet anyway. But both teams still have something major in common: they have been playing without their star goaltenders since November. The Devils have been without Martin Brodeur since November 1st, and Brodeur was expected to miss 4 months with torn bicep tendons. The Canucks lost Luongo on November 22nd.
Yet the Devils have done something that the Canucks have not been able to do: WIN CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT THEIR #1 GOALIE. New Jersey did struggle as soon as Brodeur went out however. They would lose 5 of their next 6 games. But then they would win 9 of their next 10 after the skid. The Devils are 18-13-1 without Marty. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, but still, they have performed rather admirably without Brodeur.
The Canucks are barely keeping their heads above water without the god known as Luongo. They have a 10-11-3 record in his absence. They have not won back to back games since December 14 and 17.
Luongo could potentially play against New Jersey tonight, but it is speculated he'll wait until Thursday against the Coyotes to make his long-anticipated return. What a difference he'll make to this insecure squad.

Look at Scott Clemmenson's stats compared to Brodeur's. Pretty close.
Look at Jason Labarbera's stats compared to Luongo's. Not so close. But in the games Labarbera has played for Vancouver he has good numbers. In 5 games he has a .917 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA. The save percentage is close to Luongo but the GAA is not.

The Devils sit 6th in the tough East, 4 points up on 8th spot Carolina.
The Canucks are clinging to 5th spot in the West, 4 points up on 8th spot Colorado.

There are a lot of Canucks who are not 'rolling' right now.
There are plenty of Devils who are:
-Patrick Elias has arisen from the dead and is already approaching his points total from last year. He has 19 goals and 48 points in 42 games this year.
-Zach "attack" Parise is leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 49 points in 42 games played. Tell me: How the hell is this guy only named to the Eastern Conference Allstar RESERVE LIST? Good Lord. A travesty.
-Brian Gionta is another player who has rebounded from a dismal 2007-08 campaign. He currently has 10 goals and 36 points in 41 games.

So if Luongo does not play we will have a battle of the backups. 2 teams with generally the same philosophy go head-to-head.

Can the Canucks put up a more consistent effort? I'm going to go with "yes". I also really doubt Sundin will take a late penalty this time around. In fact, given the rate of his improvement (and the fact that it's January 13, I think he could have a heck of a game.

Send the Devils back to hell...or...New Jersey. Same thing. :)

Speaking of that, here is a little song to get you into the mood:



GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: CANUCKS PPV

T Tags: Canucks Devils Game+preview Brodeur Luongo Clemmenson Labarbera Devils+stats hell Satan Slayer

Luongo ready for full-on practices and could return this week

From the Vanouver Sun:

Vancouver Canuck superstar goalie Roberto Luongo will partake in a full team practice on Monday and appears set to return to game action this week.

Luongo survived a rigourous 75-minute workout run by goalie coach Ian Clark today at GM Place.

Seven players took shots on Luongo in a variety of drills designed specifically to test his injured groin.

“I pounded it pretty hard and the groin is feeling fine,” said Luongo. “We pretty much explored everything today. There were some broken plays where you kind of had to react and kick your leg out and be in a bit of a vulnerable position and I didn’t have any problems. So that’s really encouraging. I’m really happy with the way things went.”

This is the most excited I've heard Louie sound since his injury. His return will be an enormous welcome to a team that just cannot play consistently. His presence as team captain will be felt in all areas, but especially between the pipes. It's amazing how well a team can perform in front of a goalie they trust. I think the Canucks have found that in Luongo's absense mostly with Jason Labarbera in net.
Luongo's return will force a decision to be made by management on who his backup will be: Barbie or Sandman. I'd say Labarbera at this point. It appears that Sanford may have blown his chances against the Sharks, as he played sub par and could not shut San Jose down.
I guess it's fair to say that we could see Luongo back by Thursday against the Coyotes or Sunday against the Blue Jackets. The team could use a kick in the ass, as they are now only 4 points ahead of 8th spot Colorado, who has 2 games in hand.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+returns practice January+2009

Luongo's return drawing near *UPDATED*

But there is no set date yet. After practice yesterday Luongo said:

"I'm able to do movements totally pain-free," he said. "I'm able to kick it out and not worry about hurting it again. But it's still in a controlled environment. I'm not (going) full-out in practice."

Until you see him doing an all out practice, he is still week-to-week. At least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, we have Barbie, who isn't showing any signs of letting up.

UPDATE

From Sportsnet: Roberto Luongo could be back in the Vancouver Canucks net within 7-to-10 days.

Luongo took part in his first full practice Thursday since re-straining his groin on Dec. 12. Sportsnet sources say if Luongo's progress goes well over the next few days he could be ready to return as early as next week.

I am a man, but inside I feel like a giddly little school girl for some reason! If the Canucks can stay healthy, they may just be going on a winning streak in the near future. Alain Vigneault said that Sundin looked better and better during practice today. His hands got "softer." Add Luongo to this already confident bunch with Mats in the lineup and good things should happen.

Here is a video clip of an interview with Luongo post practice today.

When Luongo was presented with his Allstar jersey today, he quickly hung it up and said he'd rather be wearing a Canucks jersey.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+return+closer groin+injury+update

Luongo to begin skating again / Sundin to arrive Monday / Pyatt breaks foot

Just saw it reported on Sportsnet that Roberto Luongo is scheduled to start practicing on the ice by mid-week. I hope this isn't a knee jerk reaction to recent Canucks losses. Hopefully Luongo is truly pain-free. As Jason Botchford put it today:

The temptation will be there to push Luongo again. In the 15 games since he went down, the Canucks have given up 46 goals, or 3.07 a game. Before Luongo's injury, the Canucks were giving up only 2.28 goals a game.

The Canucks are 6-8-1 in Luongo's absence.

---

Correction: Mats Sundin will arrive in Vancouver Monday, not Tuesday. He will address the media at noon on Tuesday, Sportsnet reported.

So as the HockeyCentral panel just joked: "it's a race between which player, Luongo or Sundin, plays a game with the Canucks."

That cures my hangover!

Nick Kypreos believes that Sundin may improve his points per game playing with Canucks players who are in their prime. He then mocked who Sundin's line mates had been in Toronto over the past several years. No kidding.

---

Taylor Pyatt broke his foot after being struck with a Mattias Ohlund slapshot last night against the Oilers. I think I would have almost preferred that it was Steve Bernier that took that shot. Bernier couldn't hit a stop sign with a snowball from 5 feet out.




T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+to+return groin+injury+update Mats+Sundin+arrival+Vancouver+schedule

Luongo and his groin at odds

Roberto answered the burning question as to what exactly happened at practice last Wednesday, where he left early.

''It wasn't feeling like it was supposed to be feeling, so I got off the ice,'' Luongo said on Sunday. ''I didn't want to make it worse and I'm going to stay off the ice until I'm 100 percent.''

Luongo then admitted he has conversations with his groin.

''Week-to-week? Tough to say,'' Luongo said to reporters today. ''This is the first time I've dealt with a groin injury. Just when I thought I was ready to get back into it, my groin was telling me something else.

''I'm a competitor; I want to be in goal every day.''

Well, you'll have to stick with the XBox 360 for now, pal.

More at TSN

T Tags: Canucks Roberto+Luongo+groin+injury update

Luongo not accompanying Canucks to Edmonton

That is what the Vancouver Sun reported today. Alain Vigneault mentioned that the goalie is feeling some soreness in his groin.
So, he probably did aggravate it a bit on Wednesday when he left practice early.
I think we can almost assume that Luongo is going to need the full 5 weeks to recover. It has been 3 weeks since the injury. It could be fair to say that he may not be back until after Christmas.
It's probably better to assume that because waiting daily for his return just isn't worth the mind strain. We are going to have to put our trust in Curtis Sanford that he gets us through the month of December.
Personally, I trust him. He has looked great lately.
Until then, we don't need Luongo further complicating matters for himself. I'll bet Luongo is ultra-frustrated right now. But he can't let that impatience ruin his long term plans. That groin has to heal 100% or we could lose him for the year.

T Tags: Luongo+groin+injury+update December+12+2008 still+sore Curtis+Sanford+is+god+now

Don't panic about Luongo's groin

There is all kinds of speculation that Roberto Luongo may have aggravated his groin injury during practice on Wednesday, as he left the ice early and was unavailable for comments. Alain Vigneault said:

"He's been following a steady plan and the plan is for him to practice on Friday," Vigneault told the Vancouver Sun. "Every day is steady improvement. Groins are tough areas for players, especially goaltenders so we'll see how things progress."

Is Luongo pushing himself too hard to return early? That question remains unanswered and is left up to speculation at this point. There are several reasons why he could have left early: sore groin, explosive diarrhea, chicken's getting cold, etc. OK, excuse my sad humor.
Groin injuries are a tricky situation for goalies to go through. Luongo is surrounded by professionals who I'm sure are experts on the matter and are not letting him over-exert himself. I think it's fair to say that we should trust them.
I also think Luongo may need another 2 weeks off just to be safe. That would be my guess. After all, he is considered week-to-week.

“Roberto has been on his own schedule since the injury,” said Vigneault, not looking particularly upbeat. “He warms up, he practises, he takes what he can take and when he feels he’s had enough, he comes off. It was no different today.
“The timeline remains week-to-week. I can’t invent an answer for you. We originally said week-to-week. Some groins are quicker than others. That’s all I can say.”
“Roberto is only going to come back when he’s 100 per cent,” stated Vigneault. “When he’s ready to play, he’ll let us know. He’s no different than any other player on our team. You guys have to give this up. I can’t tell you more than I’ve told you here.”

Vigneault and obviously Luongo are tired of talking about it.
Expect Louie to miss the next the next 2 games at LEAST. We should be fine with Sanford in net against the Oilers and Panthers. And the more wins we get with Sanford, the less of a rush there is for Luongo to come back. And when I say "rush" I mean the "rush" or "panic" from fans and media, because as the coach mentioned, Luongo is not coming back until he is 100%.
More on Luongo and the Canucks at the Vancouver Sun.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+groin+injury+update aggravated? Luongo+leaves+practice+early

Luongo cautiously targeting Saturday for his return

From the Province:

The Vancouver Canucks have set a best-case scenario timetable which would see Luongo start next Saturday in Edmonton. If it happens, it would be three weeks to the day that Luongo was injured in Pittsburgh.

"Things have to keep progressing, but it's possible. Hopefully, that will be a good day for me," Luongo said. "At the same time, I don't want to get ahead of myself and start thinking about that game too much because I know there's still a lot of improvement that has to be done. Right now, it's a matter of building it up"

There's plenty of obstacles to get by this week to make it happen. The next one is today when Luongo is expected to join his team for at least part of its practice in Nashville.

"It's so tough to say with an injury like this because you want to keep improving every day," Luongo said. "But at the same time, you don't want to push it too hard where you regress."

So far, Luongo hasn't had any setbacks and that has to continue if he's going to make it back for Saturday.

Good to see the cautious side there. I'd rather he missed 2 more weeks than re-injuring his groin if that was necessary.

T Tags: Luongo+may+return+saturday groin+injury+update

Luongo could return next week

A poster at CDC found this from Luongo's page at Yahoo Sports:

Dec 6: G Roberto Luongo did not skate Friday after spending the previous four straight days on the ice, including taking controlled shots from goalie coach Ian Clark Thursday, but is still ahead of schedule to return from a Nov. 22 groin injury. He plans to join teammates on the ice in Denver over the weekend and could return by the following Saturday in Edmonton, maybe even in Nashville this Tuesday.

I am a bit surprised by this. It seems a bit premature, and the last thing you'd want Louie to do is aggravate the injury in an early return. But the doctors should be trusted in their judgement.
In the meantime, it was great seeing Cory Schneider play that well against the Wild last night. Hopefully he can sustain that kind of consistent success.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+injury+update return+date Canucks

Sanford or Schneider?

TSN's Ice Chips is saying that Luongo skated with goalie coach Ian Clarke again today, but it was only "movement exercises". Squire Barnes said today that Luongo is still sore in "that area". It's going to be a while before he returns.
Sanford will skate tomorrow. He did his workout off ice today and had special treatment from the ladies at the Swedish Touch Massage Parlour. Just kidding about the last part.
There was a point where I would have said that the Canucks could play either Sanford or Schneider in Luongo's absence and it wouldn't matter. Now, I think it may be a fair question to ask: "Is Schneider ready for the big time?" I still think he looked shaky at times last game against Columbus. If Sanford's back does not heal by Thursday, Cory may be facing the Red Wings and the Wild in back-to-back games. Is he up to the challenge? I don't think we can question Schneider's heart or desire if he is given the opportunity. These games could be a huge opportunity to steal 1 or 2 games and solidify his position as a near-future NHL goaltender. No pressure, Cory.
This will get very interesting.
What do you think? Are you praying for Sanford to return, or do you still have faith in Schneider?
Personally, I'm not counting out Schneider yet. I am looking forward to see his resolve. I also want to see the team in front of him buckle down a bit more defensively and take less penalties as well. A little more finish from the forwards wouldn't hurt either.

T Tags: Luongo+groin+injury+update Sanford+back+injury+update Cory+Schneider+may+be+number+1+goalie Canucks

Vancouver Sun petition to get NHL to allow Luongo to wear the "C"

I didn't even realize this was happening or I would have rallied the cause earlier. The Vancouver Sun will present this petition to the NHL HQ in New York tomorrow. It reads as follows:

Mr. Bettman,

More than 2,200 Vancouver Sun readers have spoken and implore you to alter National Hockey League rules to allow Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo to wear the 'C' as the team's captain. The Canucks have named him their leader, on and off the ice, and we join fans of the team, and the league, in requesting you address this matter with the utmost urgency so he can finish the season recognized by the league as the team's captain.

Enclosed in this package is a collection of names we received online. A reply would be appreciated as soon as possible so we can let fans know your response to this burning issue.

Only 2200-plus have signed this petition so far. More need to step up. Follow this link to sign the petition. Do it! He's our captain.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+petition wear+the+c Vancouver+Sun

11 years ago yesterday...Iron Mike arrived and raised hell!

The headlines read: "KEENAN LANDS ON THE MARK SORRY VANCOUVER ADDS MIKE TO MESS".
Then-Canucks coach Tom "Mr. Positivity" Renney was fired and replaced by Iron Mike Keenan. The Canucks came limping out of the gate in the 1997-98 season with a 4-13-3 record when Keenan took over.
Most Canucks fans remember that as a black day, now. But at the time it wasn't such a bad idea was it? To me it wasn't. Something had to be done. I can remember Renney's positive aura speeches after every Canuck loss. Mark Messier wasn't helping matters either, as he underachieved here. The concept to reunite the successful combo of Mark and Mike was a good one at the time.
This may cheese you off, but I was in agreement of Linden being stripped of the captaincy in favor of Mark Messier. I was and still am a Messier fan more than I was/am a Linden fan. There had to be drastic changes made on that team. Canucks fans still hate Messier to this day for the 'travesty' of Linden being stripped of the "C". They hate Keenan for running Trevor out of town. Linden was happy to get away from the mess, actually calling the trade a "relief".
Fine. But if you look at Linden's career stats, you can see that Trevor was 2 years removed from a 33 goal season. In 1996-97 he was plagued by injuries and managed 49 games played, 9 goal 40 point season. In 1997-98 in 42 games played before he got traded, Trevor played 42 games, but only amassed 7 goals and 21 points under Keenan's evil eye. Linden was being labelled as worn down. Long gone, seemingly were his iron man days. Keenan had said that he was not seeing the Trevor Linden of 1994.

There is a point I'm trying to make...
Keenan traded Linden to Mike Milbury's Islanders for Bryan McCabe (who Keenan thought would be a cornerstone of the franchise), a haywire underachiever in Todd Bertuzzi, and a draft pick, which turned out to be Jarko Ruutu. Linden was actually largely sought after at that time regardless of his injuries and Keenan's opinion.
Yes, the Messier-Mike era floundered regardless of all the changes made. But why just blame them? That team stunk it up badly in the latter stages of the 90's and needed all or most of the shakeups it recieved.
Upper management wasn't helping matters in the drafting category.
Best players drafted from 1995-1998?
Brent Sopel- 1995
Josh Holden- 1996
Matt Cooke- 1997
Bryan Allen/Jarko Ruutu- 1998

You can see the ugly trend there.
But in 1999 things changed and Keenan had his paw prints all over it, even though he was long gone. The Canucks drafted the Sedins in 1999. They got both twins together because they had traded Bryan McCabe and a 1st round pick in 2000 (Pavel Vorobiev) to the Blackhawks in exchange for a 1st round pick in 1999 on that draft day. The Sedins were drafted 2nd and 3rd overall. Thanks Mike, and Brian Burke of course.
Todd Bertuzzi scored 25 goals and 50 points for the Canucks in 1999-2000 and his stats continually escalated until 2002-03, where he scored 46 goals and 97 points. Those seasons provided career years for Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund as well. Thanks again, Mike.
Alas, Bertuzzi made a mental error with Steve Moore and had to get the hell out of town. So who else but Mad Mike Keenan trades Roberto Luongo and Lukas Krajicek out of Florida to Vancouver for Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld and Bryan Allen. Thanks again, Mike.
Krajicek, along with some guy named Simek were traded to Tampa Bay for Shane O'Brien and Michel Ouellet this season. The jury is out on that one still, mostly.
Vancouver fans should almost be loving Keenan by now. Isn't it amazing how one trade of a local hero shaped this team? At some point, you have to look at the Keenan hiring 11 years ago as a blessing in disguise. You just have to wade through all of his ego and near-insanity to find some form of appreciation and gratitude for what he's done. Whether you like it or not, Iron Mike has fingerprints on this team's history. And not all of them are bad. I think the good outweighs the bad actually.
Out of Linden's removal from Vancouver years ago eventually came most importantly Luongo and the Sedins, cornerstones of the franchise. In my opinion, I would trade the idolized Linden all over again if I knew ahead of time that those players would be playing here. Especially at a time when the team was so bad with or without Linden.

That's all.
Devil's advocate, out.

Canucks fan photo originated from Stick in Rink.

T Tags: Canucks+fire+Tom+Renney hire+Mike+Keenan Luongo Bertuzzi McCabe history trades

Luongod leads shutout poll and earns player of the week

Yeah, it has been a hell of a 3-game ride for the Canucks, with Luongo recording shutouts in every game. The team plays better in front of him more consistently right around the same time and bingo bango bongo. Luongo will attribute a lot of his success to his teammates in front of him, but let's be honest here, Louie has made countless great saves during his streak.
Now, it appears everyone is hopping onto the Luongod wagon. The following poll is from NHL.com.


















To top it off, 3 goalies were named the top 3 stars of the week. Luongo was on top, with the Jackets' Steve Mason and Capitals' Brent Johnston trailing.
Ah, times are good indeed.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+shutout+king star+of+the+week

Busy day for Canucks

So I go golfing for a good chunk of the day and then I hear that the Canucks have signed Cody Hodgson to an entry level contract and Roberto Luongo has had a "C" painted on his mask.
Right now I am actually watching the Canucks-Ducks game which is streaming live on Canucks.com. No problems getting in this time. Great game. It's the Mason Raymond show in period 2. His first goal is one of the best ones I've seen all preseason. It was a lot like the goal he scored on Kiprusoff a few games ago....except better. It looks like we have some magic on line 2 with Demitra and Raymond.

**Game Update**
Can you believe it? The game goes to OT and the Canucks try to bag it early having a 4-on-3 power play. Who's in the penalty box for the Ducks? Nathan McIver. McIver steps out of the box right when Hank Sedin coughs up the puck to Sammy Pahlsson in the Ducks' zone. Pahlsson passes the puck to McIver who goes in all alone and bags the winner, spoiling the Canucks' perfect preseason record. Nathan McIver. The goon has hands. What a twist of fate that was.
Oh well. Preseason is over. Let the real games begin!

Canucks-Ducks Box Score.

T Tags: Canucks, Luongo+captain+C+on+mask, Canucks+sign+Cody+Hodgson

Canucks camaraderie

What a great shot of the newest captain of the Canucks and the alternates.
Was Luongo the right choice? For the most part, yes. It's added burden for him though, but I think he is ready for that. Who wears his heart on his sleeve? Who answers to the media? Who challenges his team outright in front of the press when the team stinks? Luongo.
Crazy how this hasn't been done for so many years (60-plus). But like the TSN panel stated: There are other examples of goalies being leaders of teams right now: Brodeur (which Mitchell alluded to), Osgood and Turco. And no doubt Patrick Roy was a big leader for the Avs in his day. The Canucks are the first ones to technically call their goalie their captain. So this isn't completely unusual.

Try read the faces of the players in the above picture:

Ohlund: "Ungrateful bastards. I'll show 'em. Ceremonial faceoffs? One more year and I'm outta here!"

Kesler: "Look at my buddy Louie. He's my hero."

Luongo: "Not only am I god. I am now a captain. Captain Luongod to you, fools."

Mitchell: "Damn. I wanted that "C". Oh well. 2 more years and then....Well at least I get to bitch at the refs."

I kid.

TSN asked it's readers if Luongo was the right choice and so far 66% agree.

T Tags: Captain+Luongo Mitchell Kesler Ohlund Canucks picture

Canucks name Roberto Luongo their captain....say what?

From TSN:

The Vancouver Canucks have a new captain and his name is.. Roberto Luongo.

Luongo, who is in the third year of a four-year deal with the Canucks, was named to the post on Tuesday along with alternates captains Willie Mitchell, Mattias Ohlund, Ryan Kesler.

By league rule, the Canucks goaltender cannot wear the 'C', but he can be named captain. Mitchell will be designated as the person who will deal with officials on a nightly basis.

And a nice little piece of history:

Only six goaltenders have served as team captains in NHL history. The Montreal Canadiens' Bill Durnan was the last goaltender to serve as captain in the 1947-'48 season.

Prior to 1948-'49, the NHL passed a rule prohibiting goalies to act as captain or assistants in what could be called the 'Durnan Rule.'

The Canadiens keeper left his crease so much to argue calls that opponents protested saying that Durnan's actions gave the Canadiens unscheduled timeouts during strategic points in games.

Right, because you know Luongo would love to skate out of his crease and yammer at the refs. He already dives to buy time. It's true.
But is naming Luongo captain really necessary? It just seems unnecessary. Willie Mitchell would have been just fine wearing the "C". So what the heck was management thinking?
Well, Canucks.com has a video up with interviews from Gillis and Vigneault.According to them, Luongo had every leadership characteristic that Gillis and Vigneault had studied about. Plus, Luongo did want it.
Strange concept, but Vancouver management knows best here. And after thinking about it for a while, I actually agree with the choice. Who is more passionate about winning than Luongo?

T Tags: Canucks+name+Roberto+Luongo+captain

Luongo speaks to Canucks.com from his home in Florida

“I was really sad to see guys like Markus and Brendan leave the team. They were there before I arrived and they were a really big part of the franchise and they were great guys to be friends with. It was really sad for me to see those guys go, but unfortunately that’s part of the business,” Luongo says. “At the same time we’ve got some new guys in and I’m anxious to get things going and see what kind of statement we can make this year.”

Canucks.com mentioned something I had forgotten: that Louie had played with Ryan Johnson and Darcy Hordichuk in Florida.

"Those are the types of guys you want to have on your team and in the locker room. They have big hearts and they play hard every night. Those are the kind of players you need on a team.”

Canucks.com also mentions a very big matter that can get Canucks fans even more excited: that Gina Luongo and their 4 and a half year month old daughter Gabriella will be joinin Luongo on his trip to Vancouver just before training camp.
What I would wish for is that she would stay in Vancouver, but I'm not sure the article is saying that. What it is saying is that Luongo is very happy with his family life. The final weeks of last season were the worst he has endured because the team that wa expected to make the playoffs didn't.
With no distractions, we can expect a stellar performance from Luongo this year.
Louie also has expectations for the team, and yes, he will take on a bigger leadership role this season.

“We have one of the top defensive corps in the league when everybody’s healthy. So there’s no reason why we can’t be competing with the top teams in the league. For me personally, that’s the way I look at it,” he says. “The main thing is trying to stay healthy all year.”

No kidding. I'm optimistic. How about you guys?
Check out more of the article here. Luongo also talks about a conversation he had with Mike Gillis, his health, and more.

PS: I was wondering if Luono knows Demitra at all. I think he does, but for all the wrong reasons!

Example 1.

Example 2

Example 3 Yeah, Demitra owned Louie in shootouts. Hell, he owned him on long blasts too.
Ah well, he's on OUR side now.

T Tags: Roberto+Luongo+and+family+returning+to+Vancouver