Moose gain star power as Dallas sends Brunnstrom down to Manitoba

Link

Geez, I gotta say, I fell for the hype on Brunnstrom but he just hasn't lived up to it yet. And to think there was a big sweepstakes for Fabian's services last year, and Vancouver was in on it.
He had 10 goals and 4 assists and was a -8 in 31 games for the Stars this season. The Stars are trying to claw their way back into a playoff spot and can't settle for mediocrity.

**UPDATE**
Brunnstrom will play 2 games with the Moose and then rejoin the Stars when they play Columbus on Saturday. He is recovering from a high ankle sprain. So this is more of a conditioning stint.

Tech Tags: Stars+send+Fabian+Brunnstrom+down+to+Manitoba+Moose

The Save of the Year

I still can't get over that goal line save by Labarbera on Ribeiro last night. Unfortunately, Barbie's new buddies cannot bail him out once again. The newest Canuck is doing everything he can to give us a chance to win. In frustration, Labarbera told Canucks.com last night, "If you have any ideas to help me out with the shootout let me know." Keep your head up, Jason. You are making us proud. The rest of you bums learn how to score more than 3 goals.
Was that not hilarious listening to Tom Larschied after that save? "Oh, this is Luongo stuff right here!" he exclaimed. And you could hear Shorty laughing and squealing everytime Labarbera made a good or great save after that. Even after Modano barely scored on his shootout attempt. Larschied (who laughed out of pity), and all of us could feel Labarbera's pain.
Barbs doesn't give up on shots. That is admirable.
I keep thinking over and over again how great it is to be getting Sundin into the lineup especially for help with Vancouver's powerplay woes.
It will also help to get Ryan Johnson back. That guy is character personified.

T Tags: Canucks Stars review Jason+Labarbera save+of+the+year

Fabian Brunnstrom arrives....with a trick

I just didn't get it. In all but 1 of the 7 Yahoo pools I was in, Fabian Brunnstrom was still available past the 12th round. So I took him. I was baffled that people seemed to forget about the Brunnstrom sweepstakes of last season and how he was labelled the best player outside of the NHL.
Then Brunnstrom sits in the press box for Dallas' first 2 games. I didn't get it. Dallas loses their first 2 games in the process. Enter the Fabian. A hat trick and a 6-4 Stars win.

"Of course I was a little disappointed when I could not play in the first two games. It is here to help the team and be involved in everything. That is why it was so good that we finally won last night, it was more important than my three goals."

So which part of that don't you like? Brunnstrom was never assigned to Dallas. He chose Dallas. And with an attitude like that the Stars must be ecstatic about this guy.
Apparently Brunnstrom was playing with Avery and Richards. The line seemed to gel right away acccording to Brunnstrom. They combined for 6 points.
From Yahoo:

“He was nervous when he got here,” Brad Richards said. “There’s a lot of expectations on him and it was unreasonable. We wish he could have a hat trick every night but he was in the right place at the right time.”

Stars coach Dave Tippett said that while the goals were nice, he also liked the rookie’s all-around game,

“He’s doing things beyond the goals that make you feel good,” Tippett said. “He’s a good player who will continue to improve.”

Yeah, you have to play a 2-way game in Dallas. Fair enough.
Brunnstrom is 23 years young. Let's see how quickly he adapts to what Dave Tippett expects of him.

HIGHLIGHTS: DALLAS 6 NASHVILLE 4

T Tags: Fabian+Brunnstrom+NHL+debut hat+trick

Dallas Stars players confident they can win the Cup this season

Says Stars owner Tom Hicks:

"In the last month we’ve been hearing from [co-general managers] Les [Jackson] and Brett [Hull], and Brett kind of clearly says the players think they’re going to win it all this year. They have a lot of confidence, and that’s a great starting point. You go back 10 years, I think we had that feeling we were going to win it all that year. We’re not as experienced a team as that one was, so you have a lot of unknowns that creep into it. But we have an opportunity to be special."

MORE

In my opinion, I think these kinds of things are better left unsaid, even though I also am picking the Stars to win the Cup. Why put any extra pressure on certain players or give any other teams any form of motivation? All I'm hearing people say is Detroit will repeat. Why not leave it at that? Better to be the team that stays out of the limelight and upsets the Wings in the playoffs.
Just my opinion.

T Tags: Dallas+Stars Stanley+Cup 2008-09 Players+confident

NHL 09 simulation has the Stars winning the Stanley Cup

Sure, this is a pathetic thing to post. But strangely enough, I think the Stars are going to win it this year as well. I'm not on that Wings repeat bandwagon.
Watch what Richards does after a full year in Dallas. Mike Modano is more possessed than he has been in years. Anyway, for the simulation:
-No trades
-No injuries
-No Sundin
-No Forsberg
-No Shanahan

Canucks finished in 8th spot but lost to the Sharks in Round 1.
The Stars defeated the Penguins in 5 games in the Finals. Satan, the Lord of all things evil actually put up a bunch of points during the season and the playoffs. But it was Brendan Morrow who won the playoff scoring race and the Conn Smythe Trophy.

-I'm not posting personal predictions until late September.

Oh, and NHL 09's "Be a Pro" mode is damned cool, but it has its issues. I was getting demoted in Manitoba and told by the coach that I was just "going through the motions". So I was delegated to 3rd line duty. Only thing is, I was leading the team and the AHL in scoring. Lame. However, with 2 weeks left in the season, the Canucks called me up to play on their 3rd line. I excelled there and was eventually promoted to top line center with Demitra and Dan Sedin. The Nucks went right to the Finals and Dank won the Conn Smythe. Good times.
Any of you own NHL 09 yet? It still blows my mind how good it is.

That's enough useless info for you. Then again, there isn't much going on in the NHL right now anyway. However:

- Glen Sather may be giving Mats Sundin a deadline to make up his mind. That could be this Tuesday, according to one NY reporter. Look for Shanahan to be re-signed this week. Sundin ain't doing or saying squat.

-Hayley Wickenheiser is complaining that she has to wear a visor playing in Sweden. The guys don't have to, so why does she? I guess there are some stinky rules in Sweden about females in hockey. Apparently she didn't have to wear one playing in Finland. Run that article through a translator. Just once I'd like to watch her play with the guys in Europe. I hope nobody is going easy on her. Not to be cruel, but she is playing in a men's league after all.

T Tags: NHL 09 +Simulation Stars+win+Stanley+Cup Rangers+give+Mats Sundin+deadline Hayley+Wickenheiser+Sweden+visor

Sean Avery says Markus Naslund will not live up to fans' expectations

In his introductory press conference Avery included Wade Redden in that statement yesterday, according to the Swedish paper Expressen.se. That is not in this footage of the event.
Avery is going to have to meet expectations as well, as he will earn $15.5 million over 4 years with the Stars.
-Avery also said that he has a better chance of winning with Dallas.
-He said he watched the Dallas-Detroit series a few months ago and says that if he was in that series that he would have made a difference.

Avery also guested on the SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket in Dallas recently. Here are some of his best quips:

-When asked if he thought he was the mosted hated man in hockey, Avery said "yes, 100%" When asked why, he said: "I do nasty things with my stick and try and hurt guys and say nasty things to other players about their personal lives."

-About Avery being an irritant: "I'm like athlete's foot or uh...crabs. Nice one.

-The topic of Avery's internship with Vogue came up. The one guy asks Avery how the 3 interviewers in the room were dressed. Avery responded: "This is the worst-dressed radio station I have aver seen in my life. You guys look disgusting and I don't even know if you shower...you definitely are not married."
About the internship: "It worked out well. You're in a world full of women and gay guys, so your odds are really good as far as that (scoring) goes."

When asked if he dated any of the Vogue models this summer: "I dated every single one."

Avery also talked about having Brett Hull as a landlord once, injuries he's played through (torn spleen), and the issue of hitting guys to hurt them. Worth a listen.

I think Avery was a great addition by Dallas. He will get a chance to play in the Top 6 (obviously). Dallas is going to be even more of a pain in the ass to play against. Avery, Ott, Morrow....lots of toughness to complement the talent.

T Tags: Sean+Avery+press+conference Dallas+Stars Avery+guest+on +Sportsradio 1030 The+Ticket Audio

The Issue of Goaltender Interference

"That's a reputation call, totally," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Kelly (Sutherland) is a good referee. He just blew the call. That's life."

The Wings almost justifiably have a good case in the disallowed goal due to Holstrom's "interference" with Marty Turco in last night's 3-1 Wings loss. Or do they? Turco would disagree.

"I couldn't move freely to make that save on the shot," Turco said. "I really don't think it's a bad call. I don't think it's black-and-white like it used to be. It's the referee's discretion."

"Move freely." Was that the case last night? Yes it was. But if you look at the picture and the video clip of it, you can see that Holmstrom was not in the crease. His ass wasn't even in the crease.
The goal was immediately called off more because of Holmstrom's past, both recent and long-term. Earlier in the game, Holmstrom had crashed into Turco but the Wings were barely able to score. In Game 3, Holmstrom clearly made some form of contact with Turco and was in the crease when the Wings scored.
So what can be done about this?
For one, goalies need to be able to make the save and not be hindered, as long as they are in their crease. Do we want to bring back the "no skate in the crease" 1999 fiasco? No. There just needs to be no contact with the goaltender when a shot is taken, unless the goalie's teammate pushes the opposing player in.
I can see the flipped side of this argument though. If the NHL cracks down on the Holmstrom's and Ryan Smyth's for goalie contact, then why wouldn't the goaltender just come out to the top of his crease to stop a shot and fake the interference? In other words, make contact with the net crasher and sell it as interference. It could-would happen.
The best solution in my mind is to go with what the TSN panel came up with, and that would be video reviews on these incidences. Let the guys in Toronto deal with it. It's a big issue and a big deal. Holmstrom shouldn't have his way in or near the crease the way he has in the past. He just needs a few restrictions on what he can do there.
We don't really want this type of decision affecting a Stanley Cup Final game by turning momentum in a series or becoming the Cup winning goal. Just ask Brett Hull. His Cup-winner will forever be tarnished by a blown non-call because his foot was in the crease when he scored the OT game winner for the Stars in 1999. A decision needs to be made now, much like the Avery-Brodeur situation.
Until then, Dallas was dooped by the refs' call in Game 3, and Detroit was screwed in Game 4.

---

On a separate note, isn't it amazing how much more control the Stars had when they actually managed to score the first goal of the game for the first time in the series? Detroit's stinginess drops when that happens and the Stars had better oportunities for once. Good to see the Stars get their shots off quicker as well. Hopefully they can have the same fortune in Game 5 to make a series out of this.

T Tags: Stars Red+Wings Holmstrom Turco Disallowed+goal goaltender+interference

Nonis talks with the Leafs will continue / Canucks hire Scott Mellanby as GM Consultant

From TSN:

Nonis spent much of Tuesday and part of Wednesday afternoon in discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs about their management restructuring with further talks over the next few days expected.
Sources tell TSN Nonis hasn't been offered the position of general manager and the belief is Toronto's interest in bringing him on board seems to be directed more towards helping interim GM Cliff Fletcher with the day-to-day business of managing the Maple Leafs, with growing speculation suggesting Fletcher will hold the post through next season.

I keep thinking of these stories as a slap to Nonis' face. Is he not good enough to be a GM on his own? The TSN article also reports that Dallas and St. Louis are interested, yet even those are as co-GM's or other positions.
Would you agree that Nonis is not fit to be a sole GM of a team? I think he is, even though he hasn't won a Cup yet. He's still fairly green, but I think he proved a lot in his tenure in Vancouver, given the Canucks' cap limitations at the time.

---

Just seen on the TSN scroll that the Canucks have hired former NHL grinder Scott Mellanby as a consultant to GM Mike Gillis.
From the National Post:

"We are pleased that Scott has agreed to join our hockey operations department," Mike Gillis said. "His experiences in our League over two decades as a player will be a great asset to me and our entire department.
Scott displayed strong leadership skills and character throughout his NHL career; these are the same qualities we are looking for as we build our team."

I guess if worst comes to worst, Mellanby could always put the skates on and play on a scoring line! Maybe teach the Sedins how to play with heart.....

T Tags: Dave+Nonis Leafs Negotiations Blues Stars
Canucks+hire+Scott+Mellanby General+Manager+consultant

Ribeiro's slash on Osgood not suspension-worthy / UPDATE: No suspensions, just fines all around

Damned Red Wings! They make it look so easy out there don't they? But that is what a team that is completely on the same page does, as Kris Draper had alluded to after the Wings' 2-1 victory Saturday.
The Stars look either out of gas, outclassed, or both. They just can't sustain any pressure or even get any pucks to the net. The Stars could use a shot of adrenaline, and maybe returning home for Game 3 might do that. For now, the curse of Dallas winning in Detroit still lives.
Besides all of that, what happened post game was a piss off for me, for several reasons.
1. Mike Ribeiro turned around and slashed Chris Osgood after the final horn sounded. Why did he do that? No, it was not because Osgood was chirping at him. It was because Ozzie sneakingly raised his stick hand as Ribeiro skated past him and caught him in the face with the butt end of his stick. It was intentional. Ribeiro, obviously angered by that dirty play and the loss, turned around and whacked Osgood over the chest with his stick.
2. Oh yeah, then the CBC panel gets all over Ribeiro because it looked so bad. Not one of them even noticed that Osgood butt-ended Ribeiro! Fools! Did any of the American commentators catch on to that? Because our guys didn't.
3. Osgood falls over like he's been shot to sell the slash. If any of you have ever worn goalie equipment, you will understand that getting slashed in the chest doesn't hurt. A guy could stand there and do that to you all day. But Osgood lay on the ice like the classless fucking idiot that he is!
And to top that off, the Detroit netminder is interviewed post game and says that the slash caught him in the ribs and that basically the League needs to look at it!

“Even if I did butt-end him, it was an accident,” Osgood said. “I was trying to protect our best player, Nick Lidstrom, so he didn’t get run.”

Fuck off! Be a man and own up to the stick job you put on Ribeiro! Gutless puke. (For the record, Lidstrom wasn't behind the net when the horn sounded, he was in front of Osgood.)
Even this ESPN footage doesn't capture the Osgood butt-end properly. Everyone only sees the slash. And the jackass media cries fowl and wonders if a suspension will come. I know that the NHL will see the whole incident, and probably let Ribeiro off easy. They should. If Ribeiro gets any punishment, Osgood should as well. (Here's a good clip of the whole incident from ESPN. Thanks Tapeleg for the link.)
4. The strange thing that angers me is that I'm defending Mike the Spineless Star Weasel Ribeiro. What has it come to? There are not enough teams in the top 4 that I like!
5. Hockey is turning into soccer. Bunch of diving assholes out there. Hail to those who don't dive and play like men with honor. The rest of them need to check if they have any balls attached to them.

Yeah, I'm pissed off. The sport that I love is turning into a god damned joke.
So no, Ribeiro should not be suspended. More like Osgood needs some lessons in class. I would have slashed the jackass too.
But at least there is more emotion in this series now.

UPDATE FROM TSN: Osgood, Ribeiro and Ott will all be fined but not suspended. Nice! I agree with the NHL on this call.



T Tags: Stars Red+Wings Ribeiro+slashes+Osgood fucking+bullshit

Brendan Morrow epitomizes what a captain should be

“Because they played two games last night,” Wings coach Mike Babcock joked today, “we got to watch them even closer.”

The Wings had better look long and hard at this Stars squad, and maybe put a little extra padding on as well when they face a tough team in the Western Final.
What a game last night. Those are treats to watch, even though they go late into the night (well, for you people in the east.) I couldn't feel any worse for Evgeni Nabokov. He did everything he could in net, including make the best save of the playoffs. But it wasn't enough.
Enough cannot be said about Stars' captain Brendan Morrow and his performance in these playoffs, but especially last night. Is there anything he can't do? First he kills Milan Michalek with a shoulder-separating hit, then he goes out and plays with a vengeance in just over 3 overtimes, eventually bagging the winner.
His eyes bulge out of his head when he scores. He is a man possessed. When he smoked Michalek at the end of the 3rd period, he almost payed no attention to his foe laying hurt on the ice. Nah, he just walked to the dressing room and prepared for battle in overtime.
Morrow epitomizes not only everything that I like about hockey, but also everything I think a team captain should resemble. Morrow has 7 goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games now. That would place him 11th in points and 5th in goal scoring. But he doesn't have to lead the NHL playoff scoring list. He could win a Conn Smyth with those stats plus with his play alone. Now imagine if Joe Thornton played with as much grit. As great as Big Joe is as a playmaker, he doesn't use his size very often when it matters most. Can you count how many times he dumped the puck in the opposing zone corner and let someone else from his team go fetch it and do the dirty work?? How many times could Thornton have drove to the net much like Bertuzzi used to do? But he doesn't. He's perimeter and he's not good enough to lead a team to the Cup. Face it.
We'll see if the Stars have what it takes to beat (I'm sure) the favored Red Wings. But one thing is for sure, those dangly little skilled Wings had better keep their heads up. I'm a vengeful bastard. I want to see Datsyuk, Franzen or Zetterberg get hit like that. God, I hate the Red Wings.
It's going to be a great series. I think the Wings have met finally their match in these playoffs.
I got this series going 6 games with Dallas taking it, against all odds. They are such a patient, yet determined bunch. And Marty Turco.....the critics have left the building.

T Tags: Dallas+Stars Red+Wings Series+preview Brendan+Morrow beast

Which team can come back in their series?

With one series being over and six others being on the brink of being over, let's go through the six and analyze which team has a chance at making a comeback.

Canadiens-Bruins (Habs lead series 3-2).
We finally saw the human side of Carey Price last night. He let in 2 very soft goals in the 3rd period last night in a 5-1 loss and appeared to have lost his focus. Is this the end of Price's run? How will the youngster handle the pressure after a poor performance like that? I don't know him well enough to answer that, but he did say that he doesn't have very many bad back-to-back games and vows for a better performance in game 6. But this series just got a hell of a lot more close than it should have last night. Game 6 is going to be great in all of its importance. Jeez, the Bruins are explosive sometimes, and Tim Thomas is ......well, a god actually. I can't predict the outcome of this one, but the Bruins have the momentum now. If they win game 6, they may have a lock on game 7.

Flyers-Capitals (Flyers lead series 3-1).
I think you can almost bank on this series being over. The Capitals were so red hot going into these playoffs, that I wondered if the young team would cool off if they finally lost a game. That is what has happened. Ovechkin has been silenced and is on the verge of losing it. Sergei Fedorov can't hit an open net. Yeah, this series is ending up the way it should have, I suppose. The Flyers are rolling along just fine.
I haven't seen so many giveaways in a series in quite a while though. Sloppy hockey, but very entertaining hockey.

Avalanche-Wild (Avalanche lead series 3-2).
The Avs have won 2 games in a row and have outscored the Wild 8-3 in that span. The comeback player of the year, Jose Theodore is playing so damned well right now. A guy named Gaborik, whom the Wild are relying on in order to have any chance, is pulling a whodini act and is pointless in the Wild's 5 games so far (19 shots though).
I would consider this series to be all but over in 6. Next game is in Denver.

Rangers-Devils (Rangers lead series 3-1).I think the Rangers remind me of the Hurricanes when Carolina won the Cup a couple years back. Their defence rarely offensively contributes in goals but is sharp in their own end. The depth in forwards is killer. Lundqvist is playing like Cam Ward did. Is anyone going to stop the Rangers? The Penguins might in round 2, but the Devils won't in round 1.

Stars-Ducks (Stars lead series 3-1).
The Stars have barely let up on these Ducks the whole series, and are about to finish off the defending champs. Dallas' hustle is pretty much second-to-none in these playoffs, and if anyone is still questioning Turco's ability in the playoffs, they need a bullet wound.
Hey it's never over until the fat lady quacks right? Somewhere in the world I can see Oprah Winfrey standing in front of a mirror, ready to start making Duck noises.
Oh, and thanks for comin' Bertuzzi! (not) Nothing makes me happier than seeing Bert and the Fowl teeing off early.

Sharks-Flames (Sharks lead series 3-2)
Never count out a team from Alberta. As well as the Sharks are playing right now, it's not great enough to convince me that the Flames can't come back in this series. No lead is ever safe in this series, and that is one big reason why it's so fun to watch.
Look out for Cheechoo though. He seems ready to heat up.
Joe Thornton to me, is a cross between the Sedins and Bertuzzi. He has the speed and skill for a big guy, but he doesn't always use it to his advantage. Errant passes get intercepted. He doesn't always shoot when he should. Brilliant at times. Ass at other times. Not a clutc guy as much as he could be.
The real dudes on this team are Patrick Marleau and Ryan Clowe. By the way, the Canucks NEED to acquire Marleau this summer. Wouldn't he be a great fit?
Out of all the nearly-finalized series' left, I'd say the Flames have the best chance to come back. Next game is in Calgary.

What are your thoughts? Do you disagree with me on any of these points? It's ok, you can tell me if I'm full of shit.

T Tags: NHL Playoffs Round+one Carey+Price+meltdown Thornton+sucks Gaborik+sucks

Return of the Living Naslund: Canucks beat Dallas 4-3

What a game against Dallas today: a mind-numbing 4-3 win by Vancouver. I will just make a couple points about this one.
- Vigneault separated the Twins and seemed to get 2 results: more inspired play by both and a lot less anxiety in their game. It didn't translate on the scoreboard unfortunately, but at least there was improvement.
- blowing a 3-goal lead is/was not characteristic of this 'Devils of the West' team. Bieksa got caught pinching on the Brad Richards shorthanded breakaway goal. That is why I call him Jovo the 2nd. Of course, it's pretty easy to pick on a guy who plays over 25 minutes per game. (see below) I thought the team settled down after the 4th goal though. They just lack consistency on D.
- Naslund-Pettinger-Morrison is gold! 9 points for them combined. Said Vigneault post game:

"We wanted to try something to see if it couldn't kick-start our offense," Vigneault said. "Matt gives the line good speed. Mo (Morrison) and Nasly (Naslund) are really finding themselves."

Naslund didn't show a lot of emotion when he scored after a coon's age of not scoring, but did you see the confidence in his game after that? It's like he took a shot of crack! He took more shots from different places and got into the open a lot more. His perimeter game suddenly died. Amen. That is good to see. Now, is this new found confidence going to continue in his game? Let's hope so.
- Brendan Morrison is getting better with every game. I think he may just be what Naslund needed. Thank the good lord he is back.
- What really concerns me is how different THIS Canucks team was compared to the Canucks team that lost 2-0 to Phoenix. Did the entire team get a lobotomy yesterday?? I want to see consistency! At the same time, Phoenix played us pretty good and....what the hell happened to Dallas' defence today???
- Thank you Tippett for starting Johan Holmqvist and not Marty Turkey Turco! Holmqvist looked shaky out there and the Canucks made him pay. When Turkey went in goal in the 2nd period, he was awesome right until the end of the game. It was like he was telling his coach: "Fuck you. You should have started me tonight!"

HIGHLIGHTS

GAME SUMMARY

FROM THE BLOG WORLD

Mike at the Yankee Canuck live-blogged the game in Mikey fashion.



T Tags: Canucks Stars Review Post Game Naslund+is+Alive

Canucks-Stars Preview: Richards not on Richards

The Canucks continue their not-so successful road trip in Dallas today to play the not-so successful Stars, who have won only 1 game in their last 5.
Brad Richards, who started off in Dallas with a bang when he was traded there at the deadline, has only 1 goal and 2 assists in those 5 games. Leave it to someone to get their game going against Vancouver, right? It seems that way sometimes.
The Canucks are 1-1-1 against Dallas. They lost the last game against the Stars in a shootout on February 5th. How much have times changed? Markus Naslund had both Canucks goals in that game.
Unless Vancouver's top guns get going and start scoring, this team is not going to have consistent success. Kesler and Burrows are not going to score every night. They aren't the guys on the power play, even though I wish they were sometimes.
Hank Sedin had this to say about the twins' slump:

“We’re trying to score, but if anything we’re trying too hard. We’re shooting from all over the place, but we have to get back to our game. When we’re playing well, our game is holding the puck until we make the right play, but it’s tough to be patient when you’re not scoring.”

I didn't realize they were shooting from all over the place. I thought they were holding on to the puck and then just getting knocked off it by a defender. The Twins are not clicking right now. Their passes rarely find eachother. And it's hard to watch. Gary Valk sparked a bit of controversy after the loss to Phoenix when he mentioned that the Sedins were 'angry' that Dave Nonis did not acquire more 1st or 2nd line help, because they have been targeted all year. That's a bold statement by Valk, and I don't know how accurate that is. But like I said before, the Sedins are not top liners. They thrive in the shadows. They make a better second line than first. Especially when they are slumping. But these guys are not going to get their 'wish' until the summer. So until then, they had better suck it up and battle through this slump. We are relying on them. The same applies to Naslund and Pyatt.
One thing Valk said that I agree 100% with, is that since the Canucks are not scoring much, then at least their team defence has to be better. The team D has been alright mostly, but when shakey it's costly. I'm not seeing that stingy boring "d" that made this team successful earlier in the year and last year.
Until these problems are rectified, I can't see the Nucks winning. I say Dallas wins 3-1 tonight.
Watch out for Nashville and Phoenix tonight. I see Nashville is beating Detroit right now (11:39 AM) and the Dogs play the Coilers later. This could get interesting....

GAME TIME: 4:00 PST
TV: CBC

T Tags: Canucks Stars Preview slump

Canucks-Stars Preview

Well, bad news right out of the gate: Willie Mitchell may miss about 5 weeks with a stress fracture in his vertebra. He has been placed on the IR. Sucky indeed. Willie is a capable and consistent player and leader for this team.

Tonight will mark a Canucks franchise record as GM Place will have sold out 200 consecutive times.

Tonight's game will be close, as Dallas and Vancouver are usually separated by 1 goal every time they play (except Game 7 in round 1, hahaha). The Canucks have played the Stars once this year, defeating them 3-2.
But tonight we will have to rely on Curtis Sanford between the pipes, as Luongo takes his extended absence and spends time with his pregnant wife in Florida. Is Sanford up to the task? How will both teams play after a long layoff?
I got the Canucks using home ice advantage to win this one by an unusual score of 5-4.

Norm McIver was called up yesterday. We could use his size against the bigger Dallas team. My big question is...why hasn't Luc Bourdon gotten a chance to play for so long?

Lukas Krajicek (shoulder) will be a game time decision.

Game Time: 7:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific HD

Let the conference race resume! Gad damn these next few weeks are going to be stressful.

T Tags: Canucks Stars Preview Mitchell+on+IR

Canucks 3 Stars 2: No Revenge for Dallas

What a great game. Instead of the usual 2-1 score that we are accustomed to between Dallas and Vancouver, we got to see a few more goals in a great matchup.
Vancouver weathered a 1st period Dallas storm, being outshot 11-6 and purely outclassed by the Stars, who wanted to finish us off early. Luongod kept us in it, keeping it scoreless after 1.
A beauty goal by Mason Raymond on a solo effort broke the ice, and the Canucks really didn't look back. Sure, Dallas came close many times, but Luongod and the squad shut them down.
So much for the revenge for the Stars. They must be frustrated, and I laugh at their frustration.

A couple of things:

- As well as Raymond and even Jaffray played, they only got 5:20 and 7:08 icetime respectively. I think I missed something there. These 2 provide a youthful energetic element to this squad, and I like it.

-The Swedish Touch line is going again, and that can only translate into wins. It seems they took Vigneault's challenge seriously and have got their game back.

-What a non-goal by Jaffray. I jumped off the couch in celebration, only to be disappointed because Pyatt clearly interfered with the Dallas defender to create room for Jaffray. Yes that was interference.

-Speaking of Pyatt: after taking 2 consecutive penalties in the 3rd, he could have been the goat had Dallas tied it.

-Bottom line: Luongod was terrific again at home. His focus right now is unparalleled.

-If we are going to pay to watch Canucks games on PPV, when are they going to be on high definition???

-Unfortunately, this bold performance by the Canucks tonight was overshadowed by Marion fucking Gaborik's 5 goal and 6 point night to keep the Wild on top of the Northwest and Sid Crosby's fight to go along with the Penguin's inability to hold a big lead against the Bruins.

-What's the deal with Marty Turco picking on Luongo's pads?

"It was part comical, part serious," Turco told The Goalie News writer Kevin Woodley on Thursday.
"We all have them. They're usually behind the 11 inches. We all need side protection, and Louie's knees are just a little bit bigger than others so fortunately it sticks out for him."
That was very serious research because I really don't like the idea of larger nets so we are looking at ways we can do thing without touching larger nets," continued Turco with a slight grin, a reference to Luongo saying earlier this year he'd quit if the nets ever got bigger.

Read nothing into those statements, only that Turco is joking around. Luongo was less comical about it post game accusing the media of, basically, blowing it out of proportion. Which Louie was correct in saying.

BOX SCORE

HIGHLIGHTS (TSN)






T Tags: Canucks Stars Review Turco Luongo goalie+pads Crosby+fight Gaborik+goals

Canucks-Stars Preview

Stars: 19-11-4 (2nd in the West)
Canucks: 18-12-4 (6th in the West)

Look at tonight's game as a revenge match....for Dallas. The Canucks edged the stinky Stars in 7 games in last year's playoffs and this is the first time they've seen eachother since. You know that Dallas is coming into Vancouver on a mission to make the Nucks pay for it.
Meanwhile, the Canucks came home after a crazy road trip and made Brodeur and company look foolish on Tuesday night.
It's going to be close, as the series was.

INJURIES

It is being reported that Brad Isbister is skating with the Canucks but is not ready to play yet.
The Stars are without Philip Boucher and Jere Lehtinen, both out with long term injuries.

Red hot for the Stars:
-Mike the Weasel Ribeiro is leading Dallas in scoring with 16 goals and 33 points in 31 games.
-Brendan Morrow has 12 goals and 32 points in 34 games.

As for the Sedins, Alain Vigneault had this to say about their recent struggles:

"I think they’ve got a little bit away from what was making them successful, they’re over-cycling and over-thinking and not shooting enough. If they can get back to that they’ll be fine."

Amen to that.

The Stars roll into Van having won 4 of their last 5, including 4 in a row. Marty Turco was in goal for all of those 4 wins. His record can be seen here. He's heating up no doubt.

The Canucks surprised the hell out of us by killing the Devils, after a mediocre road trip.

My Take:

I think Dallas gets their revenge tonight, winning 3-1 (empty net goal included). They are rolling right now and should be motivated to make us pay for sending them home early last spring.

PS: Is GM Place really as quiet as it comes across on TV? It sounds like a damned graveyard on TV. Where's the fricking noise?

Game Time: 7:00 PST
TV: Canucks PPV

T Tags: Canucks Stars Preview Turco Revenge

Fedoruk claimed by the Wild

From TSN:

The Minnesota Wild have claimed tough guy Todd Fedoruk off re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars.
The Stars and Wild will split Fedoruk's US$875,000 salary for the remainder of the season. He's an unrestricted free agent July 1.

So now it's the Wild who feel they need more size. Fedoruk now becomes a teammate with the guy who whooped him in a fight in 2006, Derek Boogaard. Word is, Fedoruk refused to play on any team that didn't have Boogaard on it. He was scared.
The Wild could use the added toughness though, right?

Josh Harding probably needs an extra bodyguard, as he suffered a concussion last night against the Canucks after a player crashed into him.

T Tags: Minnesota Wild+claim+Fedoruk waivers

Lindros to retire on Thursday

And in the "don't let the door hit your ass on the way out" category, TSN is reporting that Lindros' soft head has officially prevented him from continuing his career in the NHL. I have never liked Lindros. I found him to be a momma's boy, a daddy's boy, a hated Flyer, a hated Star, and generally a waste of contract space after 1999. Sure, call me cruel, but I like this guy about as much as I'd like colon cancer.
So without further to do...I give you my top 3 Eric Lindros moments...

Kasper nails Lindros, using Lindy's buddy Leclair as a screen. Beauty.


Let's face it, in his prime he was dominant. This is a clip from one of Don Cherry's Rock'Em Sock 'Em tapes.




Pretty much the hit the put Lindros' career in jeopardy in the first place. Scott Stevens makes him pay for cutting in the middle. You know there was no love between these 2 in the first place. The best part about this is that it was in the playoffs and Lindros had just returned to the Flyer's lineup after injury, hoping to spark the Flyers team. Uh-uh. Lindros gets dekked and the Flyers lose the series. Of course allegations against Bobby Clarke ensued that Lindros was not really ready to play yet.




T Tags: Eric Lindros+to+retire concussions video

Mike Modano / Willa Ford Wedding Picture

Mike Modano wed Willa Ford this past weekend and it looked to be a great party. Marty Turco was Modano's best man. But no one could get Turco to take his mask off. Apparently he's been wearing it nonstop since the Canucks beat the Stars' sorry asses in 7 games in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. Modano himself had not handled the first round loss very well either, turning to booze to ease his suffering. His massive alcohol consumption has taken its toll on his once-chiselled stomach, leading to rumors and betting that his new bride may leave him early. Oh well, the Stars are used to losing anyways.

***UPDATE-November 23****
I see people keep coming here expecting to see an actual wedding photo. So, here is probably the only wedding pic on the web right now from what I could find.




T Tags: Mike Modano
Willa Ford
wedding
pictures
party
Turbo Tagger

Lindros may retire

From TSN:

Eric Lindros is so concentrated on his work with the NHL Players' Association these days that his actual NHL playing career has been put on hold.

As in, will he play again next season?

"Right now my focus is the 'PA work," Lindros told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "I'm not really concerned about the rest of it. But the last couple of years have been pretty frustrating in terms of not getting through without being injury-free. . It's just frustrating."

"I've got an idea of what I'm going to do and I've had that idea ever since the last game of the playoffs," Lindros said. "But right now is about focusing on the 'PA."

I've never been a big fan of Lindros. So it won't hurt my feelings if he retires. When he's healthy though, he still has a lot to offer any team, and can produce at a point-per-game performance.

T Tags: Eric+Lindros retiring NHLPA