I’m really tired of Canucks fan who want to lionize Marcus Naslund. From the time he declared to a packed GM Place that ‘we choked’, his tenure as captain was marked by coming up short as just fine. How many nights last year did he say inanities like “we just came up short” or “I don’t know why we weren’t ready to play”, as if some invisible hand exerted was working to thwart his inspired leadership. By last season, when he skulked around the rink like some sort of character from an Ingmar Bergmann film, it was clear that he was but a shadow, not suited for the captaincy, yet not courageous enough to give it up, on the downside of his career but fated, by his excessive contract and Nonis’ woeful team-building skills, to keep carrying a too heavy load. Vancouver fans were as tired of him as he clearly was of Vancouver. If no one said goodbye last April, it was because he seemed to leave before the lockout. Before the lockout, it might have been goodbye. By last April, it was simply Good Riddance.

Posted by Thomas P from Bellingham, WA on 11/17/08 at 12:44 AM ET

Naslund - class act.

Vancouver fans, much like Sharks fans, not so much.

Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 11/17/08 at 02:38 AM ET

Yes, it was a real pity that Naslund didn’t get a proper goodbye, but that game was very much about Trevor, and rightly so.  It was just pretty unfortunate timing that it was the last game for both of them on the same day.

I’ll always follow what Markus is up to, though, and he’ll never really stop feeling like a Canuck to me (unless he scores on us on Wednesday )

(lol and now my capcha word is “british34”, I might not be 34 any more but at least the first bit works....maybe the 34 is for Kipper, I’ve always had a soft spot for Miikka, am I allowed to admit that on here??? :D)

Posted by Sarah from England on 11/17/08 at 05:01 AM ET

Thomas P, I couldn’t agree with you more. Well said. I am continually a Naslund basher. Sure, I could have gave him some props for the good years he had here, but the bad ones towards the end overshadowed the good one IMO. He sulked his way out of here complaining about the system that AV plays. A system that is winning right now by the way.
No love from me.

Posted by Zandberg from Smithers, BC on 11/17/08 at 02:12 PM ET

To the guy who posted before me
AV’s system didn’t work
hes an idiot
his defensive style of hockey had them missing the playoffs more often than they made it
it took him two years of missing the playoffs to realize you need to put the puck in the net to win
i dont know how anyone could think hes a better coach than Crawford

Posted by jogs from surrey on 11/21/08 at 01:06 AM ET