Canucks & Beyond
Entries with the tag: vancouver+canucks
Petty Disputes & Goalie Aggravations
by Alanah McGinley on 11/24/07 at 03:55 PM ET
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A mild disagreement. As a Wings fan, Kukla is convinced this cover for the latest edition of The Hockey News looks great:
But I’ve proposed what I think is a reasonable, much more interesting alternative for a future editions. Perhaps THN will be able to bank it for later…
Filed in: obnoxious hockey blogging, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: detroit+red+wings, Henrik+Zetterberg, vancouver+canucks,
Swedes, Whiskey and the Blues
by Alanah McGinley on 11/23/07 at 01:34 PM ET
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Elliott Pap at the Vancouver Sun gets an interview with Mattias Ohlund. And, given the opportunity to explore the complex issues of Ohlund’s 4-game suspension, Pap goes for a truly hard-hitting approach right from the top:
Q.The Canucks are on the road this week but you’ve been at home serving your suspension for whacking Mikko Koivu. Are your kids wondering what Daddy has done?
A. I think Viktor and Hannah are just happy that Daddy is home.
Well, as long as they’re happy, that deals with the big question of the day. So now for some trivialities—like Markus Naslund’s recent performance.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault, booze, markus+naslund, mattias+ohlund, vancouver+canucks,
“Be Ready for Anything”
by Alanah McGinley on 11/21/07 at 12:42 PM ET
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So said the Hulk, beating his chest for the media yesterday.
But first, about the Oilers. The dark powers of boys named Alice (shootout specialist extraordinaire) and his partner the WhoreCough, plus a temporarily functioning powerplay, was all it took to give Edmonton their second s/o win over Vancouver in a week. But neither loss should devastate a Canucks fan—great games, right? (Although Tony Gallagher had a serious difference of opinion on that subject a few days ago—but I’ll worry about agreeing with Gallagher when the earth shifts on its rotational axis…)
Anyway, with all the fuss from Derek Boogaard, threatening retaliation on Markus Naslund or the Sedins tonight, there’s a lot of posturing going on. And I like posturing, my favorite part so far being this promotional poster for the game, found in the Pioneer Press today:
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, derek+boogaard, marian+gaborik, markus+naslund, mattias+ohlund, minnesota+wild, vancouver+canucks,
Pimp My Hockey Team
by Alanah McGinley on 11/17/07 at 01:56 AM ET
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Jason Botchford at The Vancouver Province was impressed with the 6-2 win:
The Canucks started Friday’s game like they had just left the set of Pimp My Hockey Team.
Suddenly, all the nagging flaws, the worrisome blemishes and the inadequacies that had them mired in a mediocre start to the season were scrubbed clean.
In their place was a souped-up, turbo-charged team that looked like a sleek sports car—complete with tinted windows and halogen headlights. It was enough to blow the doors off a tired, unmotivated Minnesota Wild team before the Wild even got out of the blocks.
It was a great performance, but now for the not-so-fun stuff: Should someone get suspended? After a night of “pimping” a couple of guys might deserve some jail time.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: derek+boogaard, marian+gaborik, mattias+ohlund, minnesota+wild, suspensions, vancouver+canucks,
Bieksa, Etc.
by Alanah McGinley on 11/13/07 at 10:01 PM ET
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Kevin Bieksa has been staying away from reporters, but finally broke his silence about his injury today. From Elliott Pap,
Too distraught initially to discuss his plight, Bieksa finally met reporters Tuesday at GM Place.
“I know I’m going to be out for a long time and miss a big chunk of the season so it’s been tough emotionally,” said Bieksa, the Canucks’ best blue-liner a year ago when he collected 42 points. “Physically, I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t had too much pain since maybe four or five days after the surgery.”
Bieksa received stitches both inside and outside the leg - they come out Thursday - and will wear a hard cast for four to six weeks at which time he will be re-assessed. He was told the surgery wasn’t considered major, even though the injury is.
There’s some discussion in the article about the possibility that the thinner socks being worn this season may have worsened the impact of Bieksa’s injury. It’s only speculation, but still a disturbing consideration.
In other Canucks-related news this week: Luc Bourdon’s looking good, Taylor Pyatt has a cold and Alex Burrows ate a sandwich.
Exciting stuff. Fortunately, they’re back in action tomorrow.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, kevin+bieksa, luc+bourdon, taylor+pyatt, vancouver+canucks,
Friday Night with the Avs
by Alanah McGinley on 11/09/07 at 05:28 PM ET
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For a fair-and-balanced view on The Team That Even God Must Hate, I decided to get the perspective of a couple of friends: DC, who educates the patriotic souls of America as to why they shouldn’t believe anything they see in the media; and Greg, whose day job it is to corrupt those same patriots by way of his own profession.
But each shares one embarrassing reality—they both seem comfortable believing that Avalanche fandom is not a mistake of nature, but actually some kind of positive aspect of their personalities.
So we did a fast Q & A before game time:
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: colorado+avalanche, columbus+blue+jackets, fans, vancouver+canucks,
Breaking News You Already Knew
by Alanah McGinley on 11/08/07 at 01:56 PM ET
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Darren Dreger at TSN:
Sources tell TSN that Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa’s injury is worse than originally feared.
“It could be months not weeks” is how Bieksa’s prognosis is now being described.
Bieksa was originally expected to miss eight weeks after sustaining a deep cut on his right calf from the skate of Predators’ forward Vernon Fiddler during the Canucks 3-0 loss to Nashville November 1st. That cut that was deeper than the Canucks initially thought.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: borat, kevin+bieksa, roberto+luongo, tsn, vancouver+canucks,
Bieksa and Frankenstein Will Live
by Alanah McGinley on 11/04/07 at 10:40 PM ET
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Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo both had a bad week. From Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun, “The Canucks Dodge a Bullet.” First:
The lower leg injury to defenceman Kevin Bieksa is more serious than originally believed, but Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis emphasized Sunday that the player’s Achilles tendon did not require repair on Friday.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: kevin+bieksa, sami+salo, vancouver+canucks,
Dumb and Dumber
by Alanah McGinley on 11/03/07 at 07:52 PM ET
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[Update: The Yankee is doing a liveblog of this game. And I might be contributing there a bit myself, since his sobriety is liable to be a bit questionable…]
It’s hard to really work up a good head of insults about my least favorite team in the NHL, when my Canucks are currently flailing around like a beached whale searching for dinner.
But while the Avs can show off their minty-clean home ice record and that Wonder Rookie of theirs tonight, I figure that at least they’re also forced to exhibit the dumber mascot.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: colorado+avalanche, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Stop the Bleeding
by Alanah McGinley on 11/02/07 at 04:39 AM ET
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Nashville vs Vancouver: 3-0. And it was already 2-0 for the Predators just 9 minutes into the game, Nashville’s first two shots ending up on the scoreboard.
But it improved, Roberto Luongo facing 3 more shots by the end of 40 minutes, rocketing his save percentage up to a delightful .600. (Ugh.)
Thursday night was Vancouver’s delayed Halloween performance: a bloody mess of a game, and in more ways than one.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, fans, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Words of Wisdom
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/07 at 11:52 PM ET
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Eric Weinrich, most recently having played with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks in the 2005-06 season, is in his second season as a Portland Pirate. And after having played some 1157 games in the NHL, it seems he’s still having fun with the game at the AHL level.
From Eric’s blog:
Lastly, I can’t express the joy I have everyday I go to the rink and lace up my skates. Some people ask me how I can still do it everyday. The thing is, I couldn’t imagine NOT doing it, the game I love. My friend Chris Chelios continues to defy age and play at such a high level, and remains an inspiration for me. I read a great quote that sums up how I feel. It read, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Think about it sometime.
Drafted 22 years ago and he still sounds like a kid excited to play his favorite game.
That’s just not something you hear everyday.
Filed in: nhl general | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: eric+weinrich, st.+louis+blues, vancouver+canucks,
The Joys of PPV (and Other Canucks Fan Injustices)
by Alanah McGinley on 10/29/07 at 08:33 PM ET
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An email from a friend today is rather illuminating about what it’s like to be a Canucks fan lately. Hard to know whether to laugh or cry. (well, not really—“crying” is pretty much where it’s at…)
Michael (who, incidentally, happens to be the author of this great hockey book) writes:
Last night, while channel surfing during a World Series commercial break, I stumbled across the Canucks’ pay per view game against the perfidious Red Wings, apparently being aired gratis on Shaw Cable, channel 4 here in Vancouver. I called a couple of friends to let them know about this apparent pay per view promotion—of which I had heard nary an inkling—and we all settled in to watch the rest of the game, as it was now late in the first period.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Secret of Detroit’s Success
by Alanah McGinley on 10/28/07 at 04:15 AM ET
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There is nothing but hard science behind this latest innovation in pre-game workouts, as developed by coach Mike Babcock. On this top-secret footage, you can see his Detroit Red Wings as they prepare for their match against Vancouver on Sunday. Impressive stuff.
Also very gratifying to see The Dominator’s hip is looking so much better.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: detroit+red+wings, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
“Canucks Destroy Red Wings”
by Alanah McGinley on 10/24/07 at 12:55 PM ET
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That’ll be the headline tomorrow… or so the voices in my head tell me.
But—taking a break from my dementia—there are a couple serious obstacles to such a happy ending: (1) the Canucks can’t score their way out of a paper bag; and (2) Henrik Zetterberg can’t stop scoring.
From TSN:
Henrik Zetterberg will attempt to extend his season-opening point streak tonight when his Detroit Red Wings host the Vancouver Canucks at Joe Louis Arena. Zetterberg has at least a point in each of Detroit’s first nine games, posting seven goals and 10 assists in that span.
Poll Question: Can Luongo stop Zetterberg?
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: detroit+red+wings, henrik+zetterberg, roberto+luongo, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
And the Oscar Goes to… the Canucks!
by Alanah McGinley on 10/21/07 at 10:25 PM ET
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A 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. And while others will likely object, I thought it was a brilliant performance.
First Act: The Canucks are competent and steady, earning a 2 goal lead.
Second Act: The Canucks are replaced by characters from the movie “Dazed & Confused.”
This is followed by coach Alain Vigneault hyperventilating foul language inside the Canucks’ dressing room—until spittle has sprayed down the front of his $1,200 Italian suit and he develops a twitch—which leads to…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, curtis+sanford, kevin+bieksa, markus+naslund, ryan+kesler, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks vs Furniture
by Alanah McGinley on 10/17/07 at 12:12 AM ET
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A friend (who is, incidentally, a bitter, bitter, dark, crusty, crazed, mean-spirited, horrible, evil, unpleasant - hell, I’m almost out of insults, but here’s the kicker—AVALANCHE fan) forwarded me the Canadian Press column below tonight with the words, “sometimes the jokes just write themselves.”
Ugh. It’s only October 16th, a 3-2 record, and the enemy is already finding justification to take abusive potshots.
But I’ll admit: while I’m semi-hopeful my Dives’ friend gets run over by a truck of Coors Lite, I have little sympathy for the Canucks’ coaching staff, either. They set up Tuesday’s practice, and they shouldn’t be surprised to see something like this in a national, headlining story.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: aaron+miller, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Transactions & Notes
by Alanah McGinley on 10/15/07 at 01:53 PM ET
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[updates added at bottom of post…]
First, the team has recalled Alexander Edler from the Manitoba Moose.
Speaking of the Moose, Cory Schneider didn’t have a great opening game to his professional career over the weekend, but still managed put a good light on it:
“It takes a lot to win at this level,” said Schneider. “The guys played great in the third period and kind of dug us out of the hole I helped put us in. If we play like that for three periods, we’ll be pretty good this year.”
See? He already sounds like a pro: “Not my best effort…blah blah blah… need to play 60 minutes… blah blah blah…”
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alexander+edler, cory+schneider, jessie+boulerice, manitoba+moose, matt+cooke, vancouver+canucks,
A Scientific Study of Some NHL Goalies
by Alanah McGinley on 10/13/07 at 08:00 PM ET
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Allow me to present this scientifically-based, docu-dramatic metaphor, which fully illustrates the personality attributes of a select sample of NHL goalies:
LSD Spider (starring Jose Theodore)
Caffeine Spider, (starring Dominik Hasek)
Marijuana Spider, (starring Ilya Bryzgalov)
Alcohol Spider, (starring Ed Belfour)
Crack Spider, (starring Roberto Luongo)
Filed in: dumb stuff, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: goalies, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks-Related Transactions
by Alanah McGinley on 10/12/07 at 03:26 PM ET
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[note: transactions updated 4:25pm PT at bottom of post]
For once, the NHL’s disciplinary committee hit fast and (I think) pretty hard:
Philadelphia forward Jesse Boulerice was suspended 25 games by the NHL on Friday for cross-checking Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler across the face, matching the largest suspension in league history.
For a comparison to other major suspensions, check here.
Personally, I have no problem with the length of this, but I fully expect there will be plenty of impassioned opinions—that it’s either: (a) not enough, or (b) too much.
Filed in: manitoba moose, nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault, jesse+boulerice, manitoba+moose, rick+rypien, ryan+kesler, ryan+shannon, the+crazy+canucks, vancouver+canucks,
Free Canucks Tickets… If You Dare
by Alanah McGinley on 10/12/07 at 02:12 PM ET
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From an advertisement that hit Craigslist in Vancouver today, an opportunity to see a free Canucks game—and flirt with committing a cardinal sin. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So, c’mon, ladies, help a guy out. There’s just a few “requirements” if you want this date to work out…
I know there are always lots of people looking for tickets, so I figured I would post on CL, and see if there was anyone else that would like a FREE ticket to go to the game with ME…..meet a complete stranger, and spend a harmless evening watching the Nucks. I am sure the conversation will be somewhat more interesting, entertaining, or at the very least, better to look at than one of my clients or beer drinking friends.
So here is the criteria and what I propose…….I am looking for an attractive, fit, married or single, classy, BUSTY female to join me as my guest for an upcoming Canucks game. No game in particular…whatever fits both of our schedules. Ideally you would wear something classy, but with a little edge to the outfit…
Filed in: dumb stuff | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: fans, vancouver+canucks,
Edmonton, Vancouver and a Bottle
by Alanah McGinley on 10/12/07 at 01:23 PM ET
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Game #4 - Vancouver vs Edmonton
After Wednesday’s wee little “blip” on the path to the Stanley Cup, erasing dark memories and moving forward is the order of the day. And frankly, the Canucks don’t even have to win this matchup in order to come out ahead; simply participating in the game would be a stark improvement.
So, who better to start with than Edmonton?
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Transactions
by Alanah McGinley on 10/11/07 at 03:56 PM ET
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It seems the Vancouver Canucks have far too much goal scoring going on for them to need the services of Ryan Shannon...
Apparently the Vancouver Canucks are looking for more than just goals from Ryan Shannon. The Canucks on Thursday assigned Shannon to Manitoba of the American Hockey League despite the fact that the center has scored in two of Vancouver’s three games.
Acquired from Anaheim during the summer, Shannon tallied a power-play goal in the Canucks’ 4-3 overtime win over Calgary on Saturday before added another man-advantage marker in an 8-2 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
There’s some brilliant ‘Plan B’ ahead, I’m sure… (ugh).
*more at Canucks.com
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: manitoba+moose, ryan+shannon, vancouver+canucks,
Reasons to Never Order Pay-Per-View
by Alanah McGinley on 10/11/07 at 03:33 AM ET
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The Canucks got spectacularly whooped on Wednesday night, maintaining their 18 year winless streak against the Flyers on Vancouver ice. (And all for the bargain price of $12.95, since the game could only be watched via PPV. Icing on the cake.)
But aside from Vancouver’s collapse, the game might end up being better remembered for Jesse Boulerice’s little moment in the spotlight. From the Vancouver Sun:
The Canucks lost centre Ryan Kesler at 11:39 of the third when when he was cross-checked in the face by Flyer winger Jesse Boulerice, who received a match penalty for intent to injure.
So, let’s start with that video:
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: jessie+boulerice, roberto+luongo, ryan+kesler, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Some Canucks Trivialities
by Alanah McGinley on 10/09/07 at 11:28 AM ET
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I spotted this graphic on Sportsnet the night of the game against San Jose.
“Upload your Canucks playlist to iTunes” and you might get a chance to sit in DJ Dave’s booth and help choose the playlist for GM Place that night.
While this strikes me as a reasonably decent contest idea (I think nearly everyone in Vancouver has bitched about the tunes at GM Place at some point or another) I’m not sure I’ll much care for the musical choices of most people who are likely to enter this thing.
Seems like there’s a very real chance some jackass puts K-Fed on the speakers at a million decibels…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: gm+place, ryan+shannon, vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
Canucks Freak Us Out with Mysterious “Scoring Talent”
by Alanah McGinley on 10/07/07 at 04:24 AM ET
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Game one against the Sharks wasn’t so hot.
Friday night marked the 150th consecutive sellout in Vancouver. Less than a minute into that first game of the season, Yo! Luongo made a big save, the crowd roared “Louuuuu!” and a new season began to great expectations. (So, that part was sort of fun.)
And then of course, much of the rest of that night sucked like a hoover.
Jeremy Roenick scoring two goals felt like some kind of curse, for one thing. So in order to banish the curse, I thought I’d republish the image below that I created as an homage to Roenick a few months ago:
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: calgary+flames, san+jose+sharks, the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Chapter 1 of 82: The Story of My Progressive Heart Failure
by Alanah McGinley on 10/05/07 at 12:31 PM ET
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2007-08, Game #1 - Canucks vs Sharks
Gentlemen:
Line up at the starting block.
Rev up those engines.
Start spinning those tires.
...and FINALLY declare with total heartfelt certainty that, “Yes! We do honestly believe that all the Canucks really needed to add this past summer was Brad Isbister, Byron Ritchie and some new, multi-logo jerseys to make it to the SCF this year!”
Oy… but just keep saying it till you really believe it. And in honor of opening day of Vancouver’s 2007/08 efforts, here are some cheery, mildly-uplifting predictions for the season:
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: the+story+of+my+progressive+heart+failure, vancouver+canucks,
Cautionary Tale for the Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 10/04/07 at 03:58 PM ET
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From News1130:
Canucks CEO Chris Zimmerman was asked how regular fans will be able to afford to take in a game at GM Place. Zimmerman says when you compare the Canucks to other NHL franchises, ticket prices are quite reasonable. “Some of the pricing is driven by supply and demand, and then we obviously assess the ticket prices against all the other Canadian teams. We tend to be in the bottom half of the prices, looking at the prices across Canada.”
Hmm. The increase in ticket prices for this season was pretty bloody substantial. But even assuming that Zimmerman is correct in simply following the theory of supply and demand (after all, the Vancouver fan base has clearly been willing to pay) there is a cautionary tale out there that the Canucks might want to keep in mind as well: the Detroit Red Wings.
Filed in: business of hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: chris+zimmerman, fans, vancouver+canucks,
Northwest Division Previews
by Alanah McGinley on 10/04/07 at 02:24 PM ET
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Putting in my time at The Crazy Canucks over the last couple weeks, I had a chance to chat with some popular bloggers/writers covering the other NW Division this season. Here are the episodes:
To check out the individual columns and blogs of everyone who participated in the above episodes: Battle of Alberta, Jerseys and Hockey Love, Hockey Rants, Post-Pessimist Association, and John Shipley at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
.
Filed in: hockey media, The Crazy Canucks, nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: calgary+flames, colorado+avalanche, edmonton+oilers, minnesota+wild, vancouver+canucks,
Luongo: Masked Man
by Alanah McGinley on 10/02/07 at 07:50 PM ET
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This Canucks photo gallery reveals Roberto Luongo’s newest mask.
Honestly, it’s kinda freakin’ me out. Perhaps it’ll freak out his opponents, too? I’ll live in hope…
____________
*thanks to puckhound61 who pointed out the link.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: goalies, vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
Canucks Pick Weaver off the Wire
by Alanah McGinley on 10/02/07 at 01:33 PM ET
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The Vancouver Canucks have picked up defenseman Mike Weaver off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to the stats at the NHLPA website, Weaver’s salary for this season is $600,000.
*Graphic from NHL.com - Mike Weaver’s player page **Weaver was only signed by the Penguins on August 8th. A 1-year, 2 way contract. ______________________ *with thanks to Puckhound61 for bringing it to my attention
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: mike+weaver, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Thinned Down
by Alanah McGinley on 10/01/07 at 05:40 PM ET
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From Sportsnet.ca
The Vancouver Canucks made their final roster moves on Monday, setting their opening night roster of 24 players.
Heading down to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose are D Luc Bourdon, RW Mike Brown, RW Patrick Coulombe, RW Jannik Hansen, RW Michael Grabner, LW Jason Jaffray, and C Rick Rypien. Also on Monday, the Canucks released D Dan McGillis.
McGillis was with the team since mid-September for a professional tryout. Some of the others we can certainly expect to see again over the season. (And probably fairly soon, if the Canucks continue their recent pace of landing in the hospital…)
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: jannik+hansen, jason+jaffray, luc+bourdon, michael+grabner, mike+brown, moose, patrick+coulombe, rick+rypien, vancouver+canucks,
Luongo, Past and Future
by Alanah McGinley on 10/01/07 at 02:18 PM ET
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From Evan Grossman at NHL.com,
There was a doctored, photo-shopped picture circulating the Internet this summer. Under the title 2006-07 Vancouver Canucks, there was Luongo, sitting on a bench all by himself. The rest of the players from the team photo had been erased.
And while it seemed that Luongo was all alone at times last season, there were definitely 19 other players dressed for every game he played in. Only his game was so sharp last season, he was so valuable to the Canucks, that it only seemed like Luongo was doing it all on his own. Luongo was so good that even on the nights he didn’t have much support, he was really all Vancouver needed.
Good article about Luongo’s first year in Vancouver, and what he expects of himself in the future.
Not to mention, a nice reminder of how grateful I am these days, knowing that when a hockey writer/fan refers to a Canucks-goalie-photoshopped image, he’s not referring to ones like this or this anymore…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
Morrison’s NHL Iron Man Streak at Risk?
by Alanah McGinley on 09/27/07 at 06:33 PM ET
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From Elliott Pap at the Vancouver Sun,
[Brendan] Morrison, the current NHL iron man with 512 consecutive games played, injured his wrist in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to San Jose. He did not practise today and coach Alain Vigneault said he was waiting word on the severity of the injury.
“Brendan is going to get it checked out this afternoon and we’ll have further details tomorrow,” Vigneault explained following practice at Burnaby 8-Rinks.
It would be very disappointing if Morrison’s long NHL streak were to end, but on the bright side Pap reports that other members of the Vancouver Ambulance Brigade (Rick Rypien, Byron Ritchie and Aaron Miller) are all ready to go. So that’s something good, anyway…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: aaron+miller, brendan+morrison, byron+ritchie, injuries, rick+rypien, vancouver+canucks,
Hockey Players Can’t Act
by Alanah McGinley on 09/27/07 at 12:02 PM ET
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As a hockey fan, I’ll admit that I have a tendency to act morally superior to fans of all other games—as if “my” sport and “my” players are better than all others.
I’m told I suffer from Arrogant Hockey Fan Syndrome to some extent (which might be defined as: “the rabid belief that no other sport is anywhere near as fun as a hockey game” or “hockey players can do no wrong” or “everyone seems to hate us, but we know we’re better than you” etc). But who can blames us? If nothing else, the NFL, NBA and MLB certainly make it easy for an NHL fan to feel morally superior lately.
But there is one arena in which being a hockey fan really doesn’t provide one with much to brag about: acting. And nearly all related efforts at self promotion have been downright scary. Which brings me to Exhibit #1…
Filed in: business of hockey, dumb stuff, hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: florida+panthers, media, vancouver+canucks,
Luongo Conference Call Transcript
by Alanah McGinley on 09/25/07 at 02:22 PM ET
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Today, Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo participated in an NHL teleconference to answer reporters’ questions about this coming season. An interesting transcript, one of the surprising highlights being a statement that he would retire in the prime of his career if the NHL decided to…
Oh, never mind. I’ll let you read it for yourself. 
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Q. Do you see the Canucks offense increasing this year? Do you see yourself getting a little bit more, as they say in baseball, run support?
ROBERTO LUONGO: I think so. I mean, we’re all a year older. We’ve played a year together as a team so I see us starting a step ahead of what we did last year.
As a team, I think we made a few key additions up front as far as depth goes. A couple guys that can put the puck in the net.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
First Televised Look at the Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 09/23/07 at 04:48 PM ET
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To start, my quick summary of the first televised Vancouver Canucks game of the pre-season.
The Canucks were outshot 37-10, garnered some 65 minutes in penalties (the Sharks, 70), and lost the game, 3-1. And that’s not even to mention matters like Alex Burrows grabbing himself a game misconduct, and the fact that there were large swaths of the night where the Canucks couldn’t seem to summon the energy to walk across a small room, much less play an NHL hockey game.
And regardless of all that, I still thought it was a blast. Here are some quick thoughts and a few random screen shots from last night’s game.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: san+jose+sharks+injuries, vancouver+canucks,
The Elephant in GM Place
by Alanah McGinley on 09/21/07 at 02:13 PM ET
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Last night I had a chance to interview Andy and Matt—two of the bloggers behind the very popular Battle of Alberta. (The recording of that conversation should be available early next week). But one thing they brought up has stuck in my mind, and it’s something I’ve avoided thinking about too much: that the Colorado Avalanche might not actually suck this year. Depressing.
And I suppose that’s a snotty understatement; the truth is, the Avalanche seriously improved themselves this summer, as did others, which is sort of the point of this post.
The already-tight NW division has gotten tougher since last season, and I wonder if Vancouver might be affected by this more than any other team.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: injuries, scoring, vancouver+canucks,
The Crazy Canucks #41 - Interviewing CBC’s Shanel Pratap
by Alanah McGinley on 09/20/07 at 03:53 PM ET
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Another episode of The Crazy Canucks is out. From the show notes:
In this special episode, J.J. and Alanah take control of the podcast to interview Shanel Pratap from CBC Vancouver. He does the sports for the noon news hour and weekend sports anchor on the CBC. Shanel also spent four days at Canucks training camp in Victoria, B.C. Our crew chats with him, gets inside his head a little, and look ahead at what we can expect by what he saw at training camp.
The truth is, J.J. took over the episode. I mostly hung around and looked pretty (hey, it’s radio—even I can pull that off). But it was great hearing from Shanel - a respected member of the local media and extremely well-informed on the team.
P.S. Expect two more short episodes of The Crazy Canucks —with more interviews—to come out in the next 5 days. Time we all get pumped up for the new season… even if the damn team is going down like flies every time we turn on the news.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: podcast, the+crazy+canucks, vancouver+canucks,
Report: Dan McGillis Signs with the Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 09/20/07 at 12:55 PM ET
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From TSN,
Veteran defenceman Dan McGillis has joined the Vancouver Canucks on a professional tryout.
McGillis, 35, has played 634 career games and recorded 238 points (56-182-238) with five NHL clubs. He spent 68 games last season playing for the Lowell Loch Monsters of the AHL.
From Yahoo! ticker,
The Vancouver Canucks on Thursday signed veteran defenseman Dan McGillis.
Terms were not disclosed. McGillis, 35, did not play in the NHL last season. The Hawkesbury, Ontario native appeared in 27 games for the New Jersey Devils during the 2005-06 campaign, recording six assists.
Just a tryout, or was he signed? Both reports came out within minutes of each other. More later.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: dan+mcgillis, defense, vancouver+canucks,
Alexandre Burrows Impresses
by Alanah McGinley on 09/19/07 at 12:57 PM ET
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From Graham Kerr at the Globe & Mail,
It’s refreshing to observe a veteran NHL player, on a one-way contract, actually competing earnestly for his job in the pre-season.
That’s what checking winger Alexandre Burrows is doing with the Vancouver Canucks as he’s pressured for playing time by up-and-comers.
Burrows came out hustling, hitting and fighting in Vancouver’s first exhibition test Monday against the Anaheim Ducks, goading rising star Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks into a fight that saw Burrows expelled while fans roared their approval.
Not a surprise and I’m a big fan of Burrows. But what I do find mildly odd is referring to the guy - with just 1 full NHL season under his belt - as a “veteran.” Nonetheless, he’s certainly fought a hard battle to get where he is.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, vancouver+canucks,
Episode #40 - The Crazy Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 09/19/07 at 10:49 AM ET
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Though there were a few summer episodes, a new season officially kicks off at The Crazy Canucks podcast this week, with a small collection of segments we recorded last week and on Monday night. It runs about 25 minutes and it can be downloaded or listened to on a player at the TCC blog:
Hockey is back! Well, we’re almost there, but the puck is dropping in pre-season action all around the NHL, and September 17, 2007 is when it started for the Canucks.
This episode ended up being a mix of content, mostly due to technical difficulties in the recording process. Everyone gathers online to discuss more of the jersey debate, but this is probably the last we’ll really hammer this topic. Then Dave and John hang out for a brief chit chat before the first game against Anaheim, and Rebecca ends this episode with a report on going to the game.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: podcast, the+crazy+canucks, vancouver+canucks,
Sami Salo Out Indefinitely
by Alanah McGinley on 09/17/07 at 03:33 PM ET
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The apparent wholesale slaughter of Canucks’ players yesterday doesn’t have a happy ending - at least not in the case of Sami Salo.
From the Globe & Mail,
Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo is out indefinitely after sustaining a hairline fracture in his wrist in an intra-squad game in Victoria on Sunday.
Salo, who missed 15 regular-season games last season due to a variety of injuries, was hurt after being hit by teammate Jeff Cowan.
On Monday, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said Salo was too ‘nonchalant’ going into the corner prior to the hit.
(Also several updates below regarding Luongo…)
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: injuries, sami+salo, vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
Canucks Weekend Odds & Ends
by Alanah McGinley on 09/16/07 at 05:37 PM ET
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Plenty of interesting trivia about things relating to the team this past week. From Trevor Linden to Anson Carter to events earlier today regarding Yo! Luongo… here are the odds & ends.
Update: Canucks defenseman Sami Salo has been injured Sunday as well. Story is added to bottom of this post.
Update 2: The Trevor Linden injury is also now added down below. (I can’t stomach making new posts for every freakish Canucks’ injury today…)
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Vancouver favorite Trevor Linden may not be at the stage in his career that he can set the league on fire, but he’s proven to be a valuable part of the franchise. Last season’s playoffs were one notable part of that, which led to him signing on for another season with the team. With a work ethic that’s impossible to beat, adoration from local fans that can’t be bought, and a salary that doesn’t edge the cap, Linden faced down his summer workout with creativity.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: injuries, rick+rypien, sami+salo, trevor+linden, vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
Roberto Luongo Injured Sunday
by Alanah McGinley on 09/16/07 at 03:40 PM ET
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From Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun,
Vancouver Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo left the National Hockey League team’s intrasquad game injured after being hit on the collarbone or throat by Brad Isbister’s high shot.
Luongo, a finalist for both the Hart and Vezina trophies last season, lay facedown the ice for several minutes at the Memorial Centre in Victoria after getting beaned by Isbister late in the first period Sunday morning.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brad+isbister, injuries, vancouver+canucks, yo!+luongo,
How to Make a Canucks Fan Puke
by Alanah McGinley on 09/14/07 at 03:10 AM ET
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(aside from throwing a Mark Messier Canucks Invitational Golf Tournament, that is…)
The Vancouver Canucks opened training camp in Victoria on Thursday, and while anticipating that—all things considered—I expect Canucks’ fans would prefer that this is NOT a thrilling day-to-day ride. Yet one of the opener’s events clearly violated such good common sense:
A few hearts stood still at Vancouver Canucks training camp today when Canucks winger Jeff Cowan piled into star netminder Roberto Luongo only a few minutes into the first set of drills.
Cowan lost his balance during a routine one-on-one and slid hard into the Hart Trophy finalist at high speed. The two became entangled in the net and it seemed like eternity, although it was only seconds…
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brabarian, injuries, jim+hughson, media, vancouver+canucks, Yo!+Luongo,
Canucks Car Jerseys
by Alanah McGinley on 09/13/07 at 02:31 PM ET
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For a bit of zip, a Vancouver Canucks fan can drive around the city this winter wearing the newest Canucks jersey… on their car.
The wrapped vehicles - autographed by Canucks players including Markus Naslund, Roberto Luongo and Willie Mitchell (pictured) - will be parked throughout downtown Vancouver for the next year. Anyone interested in driving them can do so by signing up for a Zipcar membership. For every hour the Canucks-wrapped Zipcars are on the road over the next year, the company will donate a portion of the fee to the children’s fund.
(I’m not the biggest fan of the new jerseys, but I do want that car quite badly all of a sudden…)
Filed in: business of hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: canucks+for+kids, merchandising, vancouver+canucks,
Pondering Canucks Prospects
by Alanah McGinley on 09/12/07 at 02:56 PM ET
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Unlike many other fans who seem preoccupied and fascinated with the prospects reporting to camp over the past week, I’m afraid I have a really hard time caring. It all reminds me of the opening day of tryouts for any kids’ sports team, when every bozo is looking for a spot.
And while these are all talented hockey players and not bozos by any means, I struggle to find it interesting in the initial stages.
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: luc+bourdon, prospects, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Season Speculation
by Alanah McGinley on 09/08/07 at 11:46 AM ET
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From NHL Digest, The Neil Show interviewed Elliot Pap for a Vancouver Canucks season preview:
TheNeilShow - In your opinion,what does Markus Naslund need to do to get his “game” back?
Elliot Pap - Naslund needs to get hungry and drive to the net more
TheNeilShow - Do you expect Jeff Cowan to produce at the same level as last season?
Elliot Pap -Yes, I expect Cowan to produce at the same level
Check out the entire interview here.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brabarian, vancouver+canucks,
Losing Your Shirt
by Alanah McGinley on 09/07/07 at 05:25 AM ET
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Hockey isn’t cheap. In fact, for a sport with a blue collar image, it demands a whole lot of cash to enjoy.
J.J. at Canucks Hockey Blog prepared a chart the other day (copied below) highlighting the price increases in Vancouver this season. His comment: “Canucks fans can’t be too happy with this increase, especially one that averages in double-digit percentages. Including service charges, the cheapest tickets - yes the cheapest - will now cost more than $100 for a pair.”
Holy hell…
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: expense, television, tickets, vancouver+canucks,
Nothing Good Ever Came From Michigan
by Alanah McGinley on 09/05/07 at 01:22 PM ET
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In the world of college sport, Michigan and its neighbors enjoy their trash talk. And even if it traumatizes a nice Canucks boy—as was the case last weekend—I’m always in support of Michigan getting trashed.
The papers are reporting Brendan Morrison’s distress as he witnessed his alma mater - the University of Michigan - get defeated in the NCAA football championships (whateverthehell, Brendan. college football? snooooore…). Regardless, it upset Mo, hence fun for others who sent him taunting text messages to amuse themselves after the defeat. Particularly Ryan Kesler:
“I called him the day it happened,” Kesler said. “I couldn’t stop laughing. It was pretty funny. Mo was pretty rattled about it.”
Morrison may have been rattled at the time but he has since recovered, at least based on his response Tuesday. “I received a lot of text messages but I couldn’t read Kesler’s because he can’t spell,” Morrison retorted. “He went to Ohio State, so…”
But GM Dave Nonis, who attended college in Maine, gets the final word: “I never have a hard time seeing Michigan lose no matter what sport it’s in.”
Amen.
I was looking at the Detroit Red Wings’ schedule today, and I say they go 3-5-1 in the pre-season. By the time Vancouver plays them home and home on October 24th and 28th, their confidence should be shattered and their souls hollow, making them easy pickings for Canucks’ scoring machines like Jeff Cowan and Brad Isbister.
And besides, that should be around that time that Crazy Hasek and his groin decide to take a month off. That boy’s equipment is living on borrowed time.
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*photo credit to zianet.com
Filed in: obnoxious hockey blogging | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, dave+nonis, detroit+red+wings, michigan, ncaa, ryan+kesler, vancouver+canucks,
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