Canucks & Beyond

Category: playoff-hockey

Canucks Fandom: Life as a Hockey Optimist

by Alanah McGinley on 05/12/09 at 03:08 PM ET
Comments (19)

As the Blackhawks/Canucks series got under way almost two weeks ago, I settled my nerves down with this one thought: “May the best team win.”

And so they did.

Vancouver wilted in the face of everything Chicago had to offer, from the hockey staples of offense and defense, to the intangibles of simple willpower and grit. Unlike St. Louis who simply ran out of gas against the Canucks after a valiant few months of scratching and clawing their way into contention, Vancouver was just plain outmatched by a better team.

So it goes. So it always goes. So it goes endlessly and nauseatingly since 1970. I seriously wonder if there’s really any chance I’m going to live long enough to see this team make it to the promised land.

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink

Playing For Their Lives

by Alanah McGinley on 05/07/09 at 03:00 PM ET
Comments (6)

Despite all optimism to the contrary, Sami Salo won’t be suiting up for tonight’s game 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Vancouver defenseman Sami Salo did not participate in the Canucks afternoon skate at United Center and was declared “out” by coach Alain Vigneault.

So, Ossi Vaananen returns. Incidentally, Salo’s explanation of his injury has been my favorite so far. Classic. (In related news, Vaananen is peeing just fine. Well, it doesn’t appear to be affecting his play, anyway.)

One more thing—assistant coach Ryan Walter provided this quote to Canadian Christianity.com today:

There is a “new intensity” in the playoffs, says Walter, “and it comes from an interesting place—a feeling that the end is near.” It would probably be very difficult to play at that level of intensity for a full 82-game season, he says. In that sense, hockey playoffs are like the last two minutes of a football game, when points are scored at four times the usual rate.

It’s a good comparison, though I wonder if I should worry when such a devoted Christian as Walter says things like “the end is near.”

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: ossi+vaananen, playoffs, ryan+walter, sami+salo,

Salo in Flight

by Alanah McGinley on 05/05/09 at 07:09 PM ET
Comments (3)

From Gordon McIntyre at The White Towel:

Sami Salo is on his way to Chicago, due to arrive tonight. He’s scheduled to skate tomorow and will be evaluated day-to-day.

The defenceman left Game 2 on Saturday after scoring the game’s opening goal. His injury has been described only as “lower body.”

Pavol Demitra is also day-to-day and won’t dress tonight, Canucks GM Mike Gillis told Tony Gallagher.

Taylor Pyatt, as expected, will be taking Demitra’s place, his first game in the month since his fiance died. I sincerely hope the distraction helps him, because I certainly think he can help the Canucks.

As for Salo… If he can play in game 4, well, that’s news good enough to make a girl find religion.

Update 5:02pm PT: According to Jason Botchford of The Province, via Twitter --

Demitra to be out at least a week, BUT Salo likely to play Gm 4. Gillis said Salo’s is not a groin or a shoulder problem. Guess away.

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: sami+salo, taylor+pyatt,

Why Chicago Will Win Game 3, And Other Nonsense

by Alanah McGinley on 05/05/09 at 12:02 PM ET
Comments (0)

Reasons Chicago Will Win

Dustin Byfuglien is an incredibly useful s.o.b.
The Blackhawks never heard of Roberto Luongo. Or if they have, they recently decided he has no particular mojo they need to be concerned with. (Luongo Schmongo. Someone just get out there and smash the guy with the stupid helmet.)
Playing in their home town, the ‘Hawks are undefeated this playoffs. Further, their crowd is likely to be intimidating and loud.
The Blackhawks know how to respond to adversity (games 1-2), but Vancouver has no idea. The Canucks were given a ‘free pass’ to get this far. They can’t handle the competition.
Canucks have lost important defense - like Sami Salo. Plus, no one else seems to be playing much defense, either.
Canucks have no answer to the breakout stretch pass.

etc etc.

Sounds depressing when summarized like that. But a quick check of the Canucks crystal ball provides an alternate way of looking at things…

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: chicago+blackhawks, playoffs, vancouver+canucks,

The Canucks-CBC HDTV Kerfuffle

by Alanah McGinley on 04/16/09 at 01:57 PM ET
Comments (25)

Numerous Canucks fans have written with their complaints that CBC won’t be broadcasting Canucks/Blues games #3 and #4 in high definition. I’ve also seen the same concerns expressed on Twitter this morning, where Brian Wawryshyn of Canucks Corner finally explained to us that:

“Jim Hughson was on the @TEAM1040 and stated it’s logisitics with the truck. They could rent one but they won’t. Budget cutbacks!”

Sadly this makes some sense, given the cutbacks at CBC are massive this year and the cost of those satellite HD trucks are exorbitant.

But while Canucks fans continue to mobilize an effort to press the CBC into finding some way to get an HD feed for those road games, it’s fair to say Calgary Flames fans are even more annoyed at some CBC-related issues today.

Filed in: hockey media, playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, hdtv, media,

“Dirty” isn’t a Dirty Word

by Alanah McGinley on 04/16/09 at 11:45 AM ET
Comments (10)

“Any team with human excrement like Burrows deserves a beating of the greatest magnitude. Go St. Louis!! I may not be a fan but any team is better than the Vancouver No Cups and their trashy lineup of scabs, overpaid Europeans, and greasy haired oft injured goalies.”

Source: Emotionally distressed commenter at HockeyFights.com

How can anyone not love the internet hockey world? Where else can you find such unbridled hatred and borderline psychosis on display? Quite entertaining. And while the remarks are largely nonsensical ("scabs"??), it’s easy to see what motivated the rant.

While watching the Canucks—Blues game last night, one of the least-charitable exclamations that I shared with the room in the third period was: “Wow. This is amazing. It’s the playoffs and we’re the ones with the dirty team!”

And that wasn’t a criticism; it was sort of a compliment.

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, kevin+bieksa, playoffs, ryan+kesler, st+louis+blues, vancouver+canucks,

Princess Diaries—Playoff Notes

by Alanah McGinley on 04/15/09 at 11:50 AM ET
Comments (9)

Canucks vs Blues—Game One

The Battle of the Cinderellas is ready to commence, so here’s the first installment of the Princess Diaries—random game day notes for this series (*or at least for as long as I can get away with calling Keith Tkachuk & Co. “princesses").

A group of Canucks fans have decided to add charity (and off-the-charts lunacy) to their playoff hopes: They “plan to donate a live goat to a needy African family for each game the Canucks win during their run for the Stanley Cup.” Seriously. Who else but Vancouverites would think of that?
Alternately, Nucks Misconduct will be putting the cash to the Canucks for Kids fund in honor of Luc Bourdon. Readers are encouraged to throw in. (Please do. It’s easier than shipping a freakin’ goat to Africa, for godsakes.)
A new Canucks Special Edition Playoff Card: Pavol Demitra has been added to the collection:

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: stanley+cup+playoffs,

2009 Playoff Preview on CBC: Hockey Bloggers

by Alanah McGinley on 04/15/09 at 12:21 AM ET
Comments (7)

Tonight, CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada playoff preview special featured a segment with three gentlemen many of you are very familiar with: Tom Benjamin of Canucks Corner; Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy; and our own Paul Kukla. I’ve taken the liberty of popping the video onto YouTube so more people might have a chance to see it.

Great job by all… although there is a disturbing lack of trash-talk for a bunch of bloggers during playoff time.

*The complete show is worth watching, but I couldn’t find the video on the CBC website. Perhaps it’ll be available later.

Filed in: hockey media, playoff hockey | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, hnic, hockey+bloggers, media, stanley+cup+playoffs,

Who Will Canadians Cheer For?

by Alanah McGinley on 04/13/09 at 02:43 PM ET
Comments (17)

“Hockey is the Canadian metaphor.”
Bruce Kidd and John MacFarlane, from The Death of Hockey.

That quote was cited in this posting by Scott Russell today on CBC, where he pointed to the importance of playoff hockey in Canada’s national story, as it unfolds in the coming weeks.

This season, it’s the Canadiens, Canucks and Flames who carry the burden of a nation’s expectations and for the next seven weeks or so, we’ll all be watching these three standard bearers night in and night out as they conduct a Canadian crusade to recover the most precious of national treasures. Even the national news on the public network will accommodate the unfolding plot. And so it should, because in Canada there is little that matters more to the country’s sense of itself than the pursuit of what we believe is ours.

Hockey takes on enormous consequence in both news and watercooler talk during the playoffs in Canada, and not simply for the fans of teams at play but for hockey fans of all clubs.

Given that, which team will most Canadians get behind in the first round? Who is the favorite Canadian team (sentimental or otherwise) across the country to open the 2009 playoffs?

Filed in: nhl general, playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink

Canucks Hockey Cards—2009 Playoffs

by Alanah McGinley on 04/13/09 at 01:01 PM ET
Comments (6)

Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues

The Canucks own website is making this matchup into a Battle of Cinderellas, which is a bit of a stretch when you consider their own team just won the NW Division. But it’s to be expected—every team wants to pretend to be an underdog. It’s a good psychology to attack a playoff series with.

But by that unfortunate analogy, it seems the Canucks are going to have to beat up a whole lot of princesses to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Starting with the Blues.

Meanwhile, in honor of round one of the 2009 NHL Playoffs, here’s the start of a new selection of Canucks hockey cards.

Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink

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About Canucks & Beyond

Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.

She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.

Email:

Alanah’s Twitter: Not really hockey-ish. [LINK]