Canucks & Beyond
Next entry: The Game Nobody Wants
Previous entry: An Interview with Gare Joyce
Getting a Handle on Things
by Alanah McGinley on 11/26/07 at 03:55 PM ET
Comments (8)
With Todd Bertuzzi playing in Vancouver for the first time since he left the team, the game tomorrow night is far less about Vancouver being tested by the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks, and far more about the return of the big guy.
Bertuzzi himself knows it’s a big deal as well. From the Vancouver Province:
“There’s no question it’s going to be weird for me, because I’ve never played against all the guys at once. Of course I did when I was (with the New York Islanders), but the team was so different and it’s so long ago it’s hard to remember and I don’t recall what it was like. So there’s no doubt it’s going to be different, hard to handle in some ways.”
I suspect that on the whole, Bertuzzi will be well-received by the crowd. There’s a lot of history for him in this city, but just as importantly, there’s a lot of history for Canucks fans with him, too.
A mixture of such highs and lows, Bertuzzi was memorably part of one of the most exciting lines to play for Vancouver in a decade; and then he was also responsible for the infamous Steve Moore injury.
In some ways, I think the aftermath of that situation was felt as personally by Canucks fans as it was by Bertuzzi. A complicated and unpleasant experience no one would ever want to go through again. Being a hockey fan is generally great fun (well, unless you’re a Toronto fan these days), but that was not a good time.
But whatever one’s feelings about Bertuzzi, there’s no doubt he was a game-changing player and exciting for his fans to watch. And given the history, both good and bad, I suppose his career will always be tied to the Canucks in one way or another.
Out in Minnesota, Michael Russo at the Star Tribune—probably one of the best writers in the NHL when it comes to keeping on top of everything going on with his team—wrote something the other day that I thought was a bit over-the-top:
In 13 seasons covering the NHL, I witnessed the Vancouver Canucks’ Matt Cooke execute one of the dirtiest hits I’ve ever seen Wednesday.
Russo’s entitled to his opinion, but that’s quite a dose of hyperbole if you ask me. One of the dirtiest hits he’s witnessed in 13 years...? Did he entirely miss the Bryan Marchment years? Geez, that guy alone must round out most people’s Top-10 list…
While I think that hit was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen Matt Cooke do, I don’t think it’s anywhere close to one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in NHL history.
Anyway, despite the melodramatics, Russo does make a good point in this part…
This was dirty, plain and simple. Luckily, Schultz saw Cooke coming and prepared for the despicable hit.
The NHL has an attempt-to-injure major penalty. Why does a player have to be injured for that penalty to be called if the “attempt” was there? In the NHL, Schultz apparently has to be taken off on a stretcher.
...but then idiocy returns when it’s time for Nick Schultz himself to comment:
“I was ready for Cooke to hit me clean, not to take me out low,” Schultz said. “You do that, your only intent is going after a guy’s knee. It’s frustrating. But that’s why [Cooke’s] the way he is. That’s what he does.
“Seems the league is more concerned about head shots. I mean [Mattias] Ohlund only gets four games for slashing Mikko [Koivu] in the leg, not the head? The injury could have been career-ending for Mikko just the same as if he got hit in the head.”
Ugh. First of all, Cooke is an agitator and hated by all for good reason. And I think he’s also guilty of going for a late hit frequently. But since when is he known for going after guys’ knees or attempting to injure on some regular basis? If that were so, it’s rather notable how little “success” he’s had causing such injuries.
Secondly, the remark about Ohlund’s suspension and head injuries is a selective recollection of history, considering that in the same game, the Wild’s own Marian Gaborik went for a very obvious and dangerous head hit on Ryan Kesler without even a penalty.
I haven’t been keeping up on my blog reading apparently, because I only just noticed that Lucas Aykroyd at HockeyAdventure.com posted an interview with Alex Burrows over a week ago. So I’m a bit behind, but as a fan of Burrows I figured I’d point to it for anyone else who might be interested.
HockeyAdventure.com: Looking at your stats, one thing that jumps out is that you only have six penalty minutes this season. How does it feel to be a potential Lady Byng candidate?
Burrows: [laughs] No, you know, early in the year, we took a lot of minor penalties, and we talked about it. We want to stay out of the box, and I didn’t really want to get undisciplined or dumb penalties after the whistle. So I think I still want to get under people’s skin, but without taking penalties. That’s the right thing to do.
Mmmm, yeah, he’s definitely not going to be picking up a Lady Byng anytime soon. In fact, like Matt Cooke, I imagine it would be best if Burrows never got traded. He’s definitely not making a lot of friends around the NHL; but then, that’s not his job.
Fortunately he is kicking Willie Mitchell’s butt in poker.
You can find the whole interview here.
Filed in: nhl general, playoff hockey | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, anaheim+ducks, minnesota+wild, todd+bertuzzi, vancouver+canucks,
Comments
I am glad Bert is gone, I found him very frustrating to watch. Seemed to just hang out on the ice. If he brought it every shift he would be one of the best players in the NHL.
Bert is kind of like Iginla, don’t piss him off cause you’ll pay. Just too bad Bert needs that incentive to play hard.
Posted by Ryan from BC on 11/26/07 at 06:25 PM ET
So Cooke and Burrows are so valuable and beloved...while Maltby and Chelios are pure evil.
Interesting…
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 11/26/07 at 07:47 PM ET
No, no Chelios is a freak of nature and everyone outside of Detroit hates Maltby but wouldn’t complain at all if he were on their team. I’ll take Burrows over Cooke although both are valuable to
the team. I prefer my agitators to fight rather
than turtle when confronted. And though both are well liked I would say neither are beloved.
Posted by VanSteve from N. Vancouver on 11/26/07 at 08:15 PM ET
Rich -- I hear what you’re saying, though I guess the whole point of Cooke’s tactics are creating that sh*tstorm. The turtling I can live without, but when he does his thing right, he definitely throws opponents off their game.
Ryan -- Bertuzzi could be frustrating, but geez, he sure had his moments back before everything fell apart. It was time for him to move on, but I thoroughly enjoyed that WCE line at its peak.
IwoCPO -- I fail to understand your confusion, Sailor Boy. Seems obvious to me.
VanSteve -- Well, we definitely agree on Chelios & Maltby! But about the agitators… I’m actually a fan of those two.
On the other hand, I’d probably hate them if they played for any team besides my own… 
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 11/26/07 at 11:41 PM ET
Alanahbananna;
When Bert was on his game; I always wished he had his own channel like those PPV Nascar channels where they are in car with the same drive the whole race with his heartbeat and conversation with the pit manager etc
Imagine that on Bert when he was on his game? Sweet action, crushing everything in site.
I’d take Luongo for Bert any day though, you gotta build from the back end out… Cloutier? Cloutier? where are you?
Posted by Ryan from BC on 11/27/07 at 12:18 AM ET
I can’t believe someone dared call me “Alanahbanana” on my own blog.
Bad grade-school flashbacks shall now commence…
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 11/27/07 at 05:44 PM ET
Oh come on you’re my idol.
See Bert on the Naslund goal? Just sorta hanging out with one hand on his stick??????
I recall too many of those......that and dumb penalties and constantly going offside...... so much potential....
Posted by Ryan from BC on 11/28/07 at 02:05 AM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Wellwood Returning to Vancouver
In Defense of Dany Heatley (sort of)
Sedin’s Agent Not Optimistic About a Vancouver Deal, but is Anyone?
Mike Keenan Joins the Canucks?
GM Place Keeps its Name; Disaster Averted
What’s Trevor Linden Been Up To?
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]
Other Canucks Blogs
I predict a luke-warm welcome for the big sad sack, He brought alot to the game, when he was not sulking.
As far as Cooke is concerned, I just wish he wouldn’t zip back to the bench and force more courageous teammates, to deal with the sh*tstorm he created.... Cowan has got his hands full as it is.
Posted by Rich from 233 KM south of GM Place on 11/26/07 at 04:47 PM ET