Canucks & Beyond
Entries with the tag: vancouver+canucks
Anyone Else Glad That It’s Just Finally Over?
by Alanah McGinley on 04/04/08 at 02:59 AM ET
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The thought came to me from a Canucks.com message board thread that explored that question with various degrees of angst, horror, relief and sadness. Although mixed up with a few mental health concerns, it actually made for some decent reading; not as heavy on the prepubescent hormones as that site usually is.
Anyway, I’m not at all glad it’s over, but I am relieved it’s over… somewhat like the poster ‘Too Optimistic’ (lovely irony, that) who commented:
“Surprisingly it feels like i have a weight off of my shoulders. Don’t have to worry about the Canucks loosing anymore.”
(I’ll even forgive him the “loosing” thing… after all, if TSN can do it, then drunken, traumatized Canucks fans surely have an excuse for spelling imperfections on elimination night.)
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: hockey+sucks, vancouver+canucks,
Getting Loose to Lose
by Alanah McGinley on 04/03/08 at 06:27 PM ET
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Thanks to a friend’s email last night—expressing his heartfelt concern that the Vancouver Canucks look confused enough on the ice these days already—I saw this fine bit of disoriented encouragement from TSN. You can click on the image to enlarge; just read the headline on the right-hand side:
Anyway, with Taylor Pyatt out of action (nursing possibly the first concussion in recorded history caused by getting The Finger), Moose Man Jannik Hansen is in.
Whether he helps Vancouver survive another day—or to just “lose loosely to ease the pressure”—I couldn’t even begin to guess anymore.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: vancouver+canucks,
Excuses For the Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 04/03/08 at 11:46 AM ET
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Over at The Hockey News, Brian Costello entertains himself by poking a stick at the half-trashed corpse* that is the Vancouver Canucks:
If Vancouver fails to qualify for the playoffs, here are 10 excuses they can use.
10. We haven’t been the same since losing all-star Rory Fitzpatrick.
9. 21st in the NHL in offense would be OK if the league had 90 teams.
8. Just not enough confidence in Curtis Sanford to start him in that key March 28 game in Minnesota.
And there’s more. Sigh. Very immature, yet still I laughed.
*no, maybe not a corpse. they’re just playing possum, waiting for the perfect moment—tonight—to make their killer move and ultimately take the 2008 playoffs by storm. yes, that’s gotta be it…!
(**burp**)
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: reasons+to+suck, vancouver+canucks,
Who Will Be the Last Men Standing?
by Alanah McGinley on 04/02/08 at 02:09 PM ET
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Down to the wire with two games left, Nashville and Vancouver are duking it out for the #8 spot in the only playoff-like contest one of these teams is going to experience this spring. Which makes every game into ‘must see’ hockey.
Perfect timing then, to lose my cable & internet connection for 4 freakin’ days. Thus: no hockey games, no hockey news, no hockey emails, no hockey video highlights…
No hockey at all. Nada.
It was the best 96 hours of my life.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: nashville+predators, playoffs, vancouver+canucks,
Mailing It In
by Alanah McGinley on 03/28/08 at 03:10 PM ET
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With the return of Roberto Luongo for tonight’s game in Minnesota—perhaps carrying an extra load of 7+ lbs on his mind—the suicide rate in Vancouver is probably slowing up. Though not for any good reason.
After all, the man has flown some 70,000,000 miles in 36 hours, and probably hasn’t slept in the same amount of time. Add that to the lingering stains of baby spew, and I can’t help but think Curtis Sanford must be one seriously annoyed backup goalie.
Anyway, I’m suddenly starving as well as having an off-day. Since readers wish to share their opinions, here’s a sample of this week’s mail:
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: ham+sandwiches, mailbag, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Lose Morrison For the Season
by Alanah McGinley on 03/27/08 at 01:14 PM ET
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From TSN:
The Vancouver Canucks’ postseason hopes have taken a hit.
Brendan Morrison is done for the season and the playoffs after suffering a torn ACL. The 32-year-old has battled injuries this season and missed significant time (38 games) after having wrist surgery in mid-December.
Update 10:30am PT:
And in other news: Roberto Luongo has now left the team for the greener pastures of a Florida maternity ward, and about 1000 (and counting) Canucks fans are expected to throw themselves off the Lions Gate bridge sometime later this afternoon.
In other words… just another day in Vancouver.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, injuries, vancouver+canucks,
The Hockey Gods Are Ruthless
by Alanah McGinley on 03/26/08 at 04:04 PM ET
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Vancouver vs Calgary: a.k.a. How to Lose—With Style
First: Build a 2-Goal Lead
Make it heady and fun (2 goals in 12 seconds!). Make the Flames fans go mute. Make the Sportsnet West announcers sound so depressed you want to send them a gift basket later. Good times!
Second: Flirt with Disaster
Get outshot 672 to 3 in the second period. Let in one goal. It’s now 2-1—you’re just keeping it interesting!
Filed in: obnoxious hockey blogging, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: colorado+avalanche, hockey+gods, vancouver+canucks,
Vancouver’s PPV Survival Guide
by Alanah McGinley on 03/25/08 at 05:19 PM ET
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Tonight’s Canucks/Flames tilt is being brought to you by The Joy That Is Pay Per View. But if you’d rather spend your $12.95 digital feed cash on some cocktails & eats instead (and who wouldn’t?) Darren Barefoot has created a handy reference guide: the mapped locations of PPV venues as provided at the Canucks website.
(Click here or on the map image below for location details).
Out of curiosity, do any American markets ever have to rely on PPV game broadcasts?
P.S. Anyone who wishes to make their own PPV google map mashup, Darren outlines how he did it here.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: mashups, pay+per+view, ppv, vancouver+canucks,
There’s No Such Thing as an “Unthinkable Collapse”
by Alanah McGinley on 03/21/08 at 04:43 PM ET
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From Matthew Sekeres at the Globe & Mail,
The Canucks face the Minnesota Wild at GM Place on Friday night in a showdown for the Northwest Division lead. But for the moment, more important than the head-to-head race with Minnesota, is the distance between Vancouver and the playoff bubble.
With a win tonight, the Canucks would move eight points clear of a post-season berth – a Good Friday, indeed. It would take an unthinkable collapse to blow such a lead with just seven games remaining.
Of course, the Canucks don’t yet see it that way.
Nor does any Canucks fan with an IQ over 35 and a memory that extends beyond the last game. Or even the last period. Vancouver isn’t safely in the playoffs till they’re doing warmups for Game #1.
Believing otherwise is just begging for trouble.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: playoffs, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Conundrums
by Alanah McGinley on 03/17/08 at 02:42 PM ET
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From Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun, a word on the Ugliest Goal in Texas:
Seventy-two games into the Canucks’ National Hockey League season, we still don’t know what to make of them. In any game, they are as liable to be discouraging as impressive, heartening as alarming. They are praised and they are derided, and are almost never beautiful. [...]
The Canucks winning goal here Saturday ramped up a stick, hit Dallas defenceman Stephane Robidas in the face and bounced into the Stars’ net off Canuck Brendan Morrison’s hip, arm, shoulder or foot. Unless, it went in off his buttocks. Or Robidas.
It was a thing of ugly.
And plenty more on the consistently-inconsistent, perplexing, and largely stressful experience of cheering for the Canucks.
Bieksa scarcely could have played worse, but finished plus-one. Luongo scarcely could have played better, yet allowed three goals. These are the Canucks. They should be called the Conundrums, but it might be hard designing a logo and marketing strategy.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: reasons+i+drink+beer, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks & Super Stars
by Alanah McGinley on 03/15/08 at 02:48 PM ET
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The Vancouver Canucks play the “gutless-pigs” tonight, and Alain Vigneault has a plan:
In: Trevor Linden, Jeff Cowan, Rick Rypien
Out: Brad Isbister, Byron Ritchie, Ryan Shannon
Yeah. That’ll solve everything.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: dallas+stars, vancouver+canucks,
Stompin’ Chris Pronger
by Alanah McGinley on 03/14/08 at 12:48 PM ET
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Update March 15th: Pronger gets 8 games. Details here.
From TSN:
With poor quality video as evidence, Anaheim Ducks captain Chris Pronger escaped punishment from the National Hockey League after apparently stomping on Vancouver centre Ryan Kesler in a game on Wednesday night.
But a clearer version of the video revealed late Thursday - with a better look at the incident - raises the question of whether or not the star defenceman should be implicated.
Cleaned up and much clearer than what was available online yesterday, here’s the video TSN is now highlighting:
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: anaheim+ducks, chris+pronger, ryan+kesler, vancouver+canucks,
A Sympathetic Cause or Two
by Alanah McGinley on 03/13/08 at 07:29 PM ET
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Quote of the Day:
“Poor Alanah. I’m worried about Alanah…”
- Pierre McGuire
This was Pierre’s response earlier today, when considering my status as a Canucks fan. He was reflecting on the hardships in Vancouver, both the scoring problems as well as today’s loss of Mattias Ohlund (which I blathered about earlier here, after I’d whined for long enough about Chris Pronger; although, is it really ever enough?).
You can check out the whole interview with McGuire here. A very smart hockey guy, obviously, and a gracious interview as well.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: facebook, hockey+peacemaking, nbc, pierre+mcguire, tsn, twitter, vancouver+canucks,
Making Franchise History
by Alanah McGinley on 03/12/08 at 11:23 AM ET
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via Yahoo! Sports:
The Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks both have the opportunity to make franchise history when the teams meet on Wednesday.
After winning each of the first three meetings this campaign, the Canucks are seeking their first season sweep of the Ducks in the 14-year history of the Anaheim franchise.
Meanwhile, the Ducks enter Wednesday’s contest on a seven-game home win streak and are looking to win eight in a row at the Honda Center for the first time in franchise history.
Win 8 in a row at home? Pffft. Big deal. But sweep the reigning Stanley Cup Champions who also happen to be the most recent team to obliterate the playoff hopes of Canucks’ fans? Now that’s something to shoot for. 
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: anaheim+ducks, vancouver+canucks,
Naslund is a Good Catch
by Alanah McGinley on 03/11/08 at 06:52 PM ET
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From Craig Simpson at CBC:
With 749 points as a Vancouver Canuck, Naslund is the franchise scoring leader. He is the longest serving captain in team history. His nine straight 20-plus goal seasons is also a franchise best. He has led the team in goal scoring, six out of the last eight years, and been the team’s top point getter seven out of eight. He’s durable, and has played through various injuries, missing only six games in the last six seasons. His work with numerous charities is admired in the community. In all, Markus Naslund has been a great player for the Canucks and an inspirational leader in the community.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, craig+simpson, markus+naslund, media, vancouver+canucks,
A Reprieve From the Edge
by Alanah McGinley on 03/08/08 at 04:14 PM ET
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Having been out of touch with the hockey news since late Thursday night, I hauled a copy of the Vancouver Sun into a breakfast diner off Granville this morning, ready to enjoy the whiplash effect of excessive optimism that the 6-2 win over Nashville last game was surely having on Vancouver fans and writers (lose a game? armageddon. win a game? salvation…).
But the hockey news isn’t always utterly predictable in Vancouver, and they turned the tables on me.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault, defense+injuries, kevin+bieksa, mattias+ohlund, ryan+kesler, st+louis+blues, vancouver+canucks,
Ohlund Gone For Season?
by Alanah McGinley on 03/06/08 at 02:51 PM ET
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From TSN, dire news with a wee bit of hope:
The Vancouver Canucks received some bad news Thursday as they learned defenceman Mattias Ohlund has bone chips in his left knee.
In an attempt to reduce the swelling in the joint, Ohlund has been administered anti-inflammatory drugs. He will then be given four to six days to see if the swelling has gone down enough to return to play.
If Ohlund has not recovered enough to play at that time he will undergo arthroscopic surgery, ending his season.
There’s no way to put a positive spin on this. And note that the injury happened in that losing game against Colorado.
How everyone doesn’t buy my theory that the Avs are the Evil Empire, I’ll just never understand…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: colorado+avalanche, injury, mattias+ohlund, vancouver+canucks,
Leafs Fans Need a Safe Haven
by Alanah McGinley on 03/04/08 at 09:28 PM ET
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Toronto fans: Are you looking for a team to make it through the long, cold nights ahead? William Houston at the Globe & Mail inspired me tonight when he questioned: Whatever will CBC do without Toronto on the schedule? And it’s coming.
Despite the cheery optimism of Mats Sundin & Co., the Toronto Maple Leafs are unlikely to make the playoffs.
Still, the conversation on the most recent Hockey Night focused almost entirely on the Leafs, 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The national hockey media’s preoccupation with the Leafs is hardly news, but it does encourage me to extend an olive branch to Leafs fans.
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, hnic, hockey+fans, media, toronto+maple+leafs, vancouver+canucks,
Pessimism & Rebirth
by Alanah McGinley on 03/04/08 at 01:19 PM ET
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In the last 24 hours, the hockey media has been fond of repeating the lie that Peter Forsberg was meant to be a “game time decision” tonight against the Canucks. Whatever. Perhaps it’s sort of like when Peter Forsberg was no longer realistically considering returning to the NHL… yet somehow managed to sign with the Avs just in time to vanish into Rocky Mountain hell.
Oh, he’ll play tonight, because after losing Ryan Smyth and Marek Svatos to injury, it’s the perfect setup for Forsberg to resurrect. And I’m not even being snarky. Vancouver has a plan to roll over to this guy like Cloutier used to roll over to Joe Sakic setting personal NHL records on our net.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: adrian+dater, colorado+avalanche, media, peter+forsberg, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Fan Survival Guide
by Alanah McGinley on 02/18/08 at 06:23 AM ET
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There was this memorably-dumbfounded look on Zach Stortini’s face at one point on Saturday night, long before his Oilers succumbed to the Vancouver Canucks. It was late in the first period, and he had just chopped a slash on some random Vancouverite in his path.
As the ref stopped play to indicate Stortini’s upcoming 2-minute detention, he looked around with the bewildered air of a 14 year old kid having just been busted for reading dad’s Playboy collection… while knowing that it was only minutes earlier that he’d been randomly setting houses on fire all over the neighborhood. It was as if to say, “Huh?? You’re seriously busting me for THIS?”
He had a point. Stortini went through that first period like a serial killer building a criminal resume. Finally nailing him for that slash was something like dropping Al Capone for tax evasion—and not nearly as rewarding as just pistol whipping him would’ve been.
Filed in: dumb stuff, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: canucks+fan+survival+guide, edmonton+oilers, impending+alcoholism, vancouver+canucks, zach+stortini,
To Sundin or Not to Sundin
by Alanah McGinley on 02/14/08 at 06:35 PM ET
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... that is the current obsession.
Bruce Arthur at Canwest News breaks it down.
Whether the Vancouver Canucks should trade for Mats Sundin is not the question.
OK, well, it is the question.
Cool. And the answer?
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin, toronto+maple+leafs, trade+rumors, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Ownership Saga Continues
by Alanah McGinley on 02/05/08 at 06:48 PM ET
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From the CP via Slam! Sports,
Two Vancouver businessmen are appealing a judge’s decision rejecting their claim that they were unlawfully and unfairly scooped out of a chance to buy the Vancouver Canucks.
Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie had argued they were in a partnership with Francesco Aquilini when Aquilini negotiated behind their backs to buy the lucrative franchise in 2004. They wanted a judge to order Aquilini to put the team in trust for them.
note: a bit more information on the original ruling, plus background and related links to this story, can be found here
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: Francesco+Aquilini, Ryan+Beedie, team+ownership, Tom+Gaglardi, vancouver+canucks,
The Defense Rests
by Alanah McGinley on 02/05/08 at 02:14 PM ET
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The Canucks have recalled Zack Fitzgerald, yet another defenseman from Manitoba who gets his first shot at discovering life in the NHL this season. As Brad Ziemer via Canwest News pointed out this morning, things are beyond desperate:
Can anyone out there skate backwards?
Good, because you may be able to help the Vancouver Canucks, who are giving new meaning to the phrase, “the defence rests.”
A couple of these d-men might be back, but here’s the current status of the Canucks top-6, as they were projected to be last October (to paraphrase Ziemer):
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: defense, offense, rumors, trade+deadline, vancouver+canucks,
“HEY! Roberto!!”
by Alanah McGinley on 02/02/08 at 10:03 PM ET
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Something you may have wanted to screech yourself lately, Canucks fans…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: goalies, Roberto+Luongo, vancouver+canucks,
The “C” Word
by Alanah McGinley on 02/02/08 at 01:19 PM ET
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It’s not been a good week (errr… month) to be a Vancouver Canucks fan. So, in response to a mildly-whining rant I emailed to an American friend the other day, I expected sympathy. Compassion. An appreciation for my suffering.
What I got instead was…
Do try to remember, even though I know you’ve had a severe trauma to the head, that I don’t care nor will I ever go on a hunger strike for anything that has to do with the “latest canuck drama”. I’m sorry your team sucks, but perhaps you should recognize that it is named after a semi-derogatory name for citizens of your country, and take the emotional cue as to how it will ultimately succeed from that.
Blah, blah, blah…. But it made me wonder, why is poor Johnny C so misunderstood?
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: burlesque, hero, johnny+canuck, strippers, vancouver+canucks,
A Genuine “Pain in the Glass”
by Alanah McGinley on 02/01/08 at 01:11 PM ET
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TSN observes that Alex Burrows stands out these days:
The super-pest. The player everyone wants to have on their team, and the player nobody wants to face.
Who is the NHL’s biggest “Pain in the Glass” these days? It just might be Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks.
TSN goes to break down the chaos Burrows created in the Tampa game last night: 2 assists and 9 penalty minutes in just 14 minutes of work.
The article also takes a look at all the other troublemakers on their poll question. With that list, I didn’t even come close to voting for Burrows.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, pests, vancouver+canucks,
200 and Counting
by Alanah McGinley on 01/29/08 at 02:14 PM ET
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“Orca Bay” is no more—the Vancouver Canucks’ operating company underwent a long-overdue name change today: Canucks Sports & Entertainment.
And it’s a big day for the new company, as tonight’s game represents the team’s 200th consecutive sellout. Which is all well and good, but team president Chris Zimmerman isn’t taking anything for granted, either:
...Zimmerman doesn’t want to hear comparisons to the sold-out-from-now-to-eternity Toronto Maple Leafs.
“That’s an incredibly dangerous thing that I would never say,” Zimmerman said. “We talk all the time about ‘don’t take any of this for granted.’ Loyalty can be a fragile thing.”
Especially in Vancouver, which has historically been a fickle market.
That’s for sure.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: chris+zimmerman, marketing, vancouver+canucks, we+are+all+canucks,
“Glorified Beer League” to NHL YoungStars
by Alanah McGinley on 01/26/08 at 01:19 PM ET
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It’s the Edler Hour or something this week, as Alexander Edler’s trip to the YoungStars Game has caught the attention of various reporters seeking to profile the latest Swedish Canuck. Sportnet.ca dropped some comments today, following broadcaster Jim Hughson’s remarks on the player’s unexpected rise on the NHL Network yesterday.
But it’s Iain MacIntyre who tells the full story of how Vancouver snatched Edler—a sleeper pick at #91—from under the nose of Detroit (via the National Post). Here are some of the details…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+edler, dave+nonis, detroit+red+wings, drafting, hakan+andersson, scouting, thomas+gradin, vancouver+canucks,
Curing the Blues, Praying for Goaltending
by Alanah McGinley on 01/23/08 at 06:30 PM ET
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The St. Louis Blues are currently suffering a bad streak, which prompted a friend to comment to me this morning:
...the Blues are winless in five… well, that’s why God in her wisdom created the Vancouver Canucks.
Ain’t that the truth. The Canucks are so very generous at making teams on a skid feel better about themselves. Just ask the LA Kings.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault, roberto+luongo, st+louis+blues, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks Trade Theories and Other Nonsense
by Alanah McGinley on 01/21/08 at 11:48 AM ET
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Ed Willes in today’s Province notes what he considers one of the more plausible trade-deadline possibilities for the Vancouver Canucks:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are thought to be making centre Erik Christensen available for a physical defenceman and Christensen fits the Canucks’ profile. He’s 24, has decent size and some skill. The injury to Sidney Crosby may effect his availability in the short term, but Christensen might be a fit in Vancouver.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: erik+christensen, mats+sundin, peter+forsberg, steve+moore, trade+deadline, vancouver+canucks,
Who Owns the Vancouver Canucks?
by Alanah McGinley on 01/10/08 at 11:51 AM ET
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Update 11:23am PT: Judge has ruled that Aquilini doesn’t have to share his hockey team. More details at bottom of post.
________________
Here’s a round-up of the issues behind a major lawsuit being decided in Vancouver today. Nearly eight months since testimony began in this trial, a judge will finally be addressing the question: Who owns the Canucks?
From Bob Mackin at 24 Hours Vancouver,
Will B.C. Supreme Court order Francesco Aquilini to relinquish ownership of the Vancouver Canucks and General Motors Place today?
Or will his family proceed with plans to build an office tower next to the Garage and cash more VANOC cheques?
We’ll find out this morning when Justice Catherine Wedge delivers the verdict from last year’s blockbuster court battle.
Here’s what the pundits of the press box have to say…
Filed in: business of hockey, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: francesco+aquilini, lawsuit, ownership, stan+mccammon, vancouver+canucks,
Amusing Ourselves at the Expense of the Islanders
by Alanah McGinley on 01/08/08 at 09:30 PM ET
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Canucks vs Islanders —7pm PT
Canucks.com indicates that back-spasmic Alex Edler might actually play tonight. Not much more to add but that (1) the Islanders (or their beat writers) are nervous, and (2) Canucks fans already appear to be intoxicated.
And on that note, Mike the Yankee Canuck will be joining me here to contribute his deep thoughts throughout the game, teaching me everything he knows about hockey, the nation of Canada, the city of Vancouver, and the soulful music of Bryan Adams (it’s his favorite, I’m almost positive).
Join us only if you wish to share complex and thought-provoking “analysis” of Rick DiPietro. (Really, you could tell me almost anything and I wouldn’t have a clue if you were just making it up…)
Filed in: drunken liveblogging, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: liveblog, new+york+yankees, rick+dipietro's+goalie+pads, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks End Mid-Season Vacation
by Alanah McGinley on 01/08/08 at 05:03 AM ET
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The Canucks end a 4 night vacation to return to action Tuesday, healthy, practiced and ready to stomp the Islanders…
Or not. After all, this is the Canucks we’re talking about:
The Vancouver Canucks’ blue-line corps, already reeling from the indefinite absence of Mattias Ohlund (concussion) and Kevin Bieksa (lacerated calf), has another potential problem on its hands.
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alexander+edler, clowns, injuries, mattias+ohlund, vancouver+canucks,
Canucks, Rangers, Blondes & Fights
by Alanah McGinley on 01/04/08 at 05:22 AM ET
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According to the AP, the Vancouver Canucks’ win against the New York Rangers, despite a less-than-brilliant showing by the team, didn’t require much more than the obvious: Roberto Luongo picking up his 6th shutout. And apparently the Rangers didn’t much disagree:
Gomez said the Rangers didn’t create enough traffic in front of Luongo.
“He’s too good. Anything he sees, he’s going to stop. Everyone in the world knows that. We just didn’t get enough guys in his face.”
But was it simply Luongo who saved the day? Or was it Ryan Kesler? Or how about Pamela Anderson and that blowhole??? Hmmm…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: aaron+miller, pamela+anderson+new+york+rangers, roberto+luongo, ryan+kesler, vancouver+canucks,
The Equipment Debate
by Alanah McGinley on 12/20/07 at 05:43 PM ET
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Is the Goalie of the Year a cheater or an innovator? Grant Kerr at the Globe & Mail:
The Dallas stars are in a flap over a small portion of the goaltending equipment used by Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks.
At issue are two small flaps that extend from the leg pads used by the 6-foot-3 Luongo. The flaps extend outside the allowable 11-inch width of each leg pad near the knee.
Dallas netminders Marty Turco and Mike Smith brought the issue into focus Thursday when they wore exaggerated cardboard flaps on their pads during the morning skate before the evening NHL game, with #1 written on each flap.
Luongo wears jersey No. 1 for the Canucks and has five shutouts this season, along with a goals against average of 2.04 and save percentage of .928.
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: dallas+stars, marty+turco, mike+smith, Roberto+Luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Goalie Appreciation Day
by Alanah McGinley on 12/20/07 at 12:49 PM ET
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“Roberto Luongo is Our 2007 Goalie of the Year!” reads the cover of Goalies’ World Magazine, and TSN reports glowing praise from the article within:
“Roberto Luongo has been the most consistent goalie throughout the calendar year,” states the magazine.
To win the award, a goalie has to excel in all three segments of 2007: the second part of the 2006-2007 regular season, the 2007 playoffs and the first part of the 2007-2008 season.
“During that stretch, Luongo played 75 games and maintained a .930 save percentage and 2.07 GAA. He had 57 hot games, 13 average and five bad ones. He also stole nine wins,” the magazine said.
Excellent. So that would be a must-have collector’s edition for Canucks fans, right? Well, that’s what I figured till I saw the cover…
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: goalie+of+the+year, Roberto+Luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Gladiator Blogging
by Alanah McGinley on 12/18/07 at 09:43 PM ET
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Vezina Winner vs Vezina Loser.
It’s about time Roberto won something.
This will (possibly) be a liveblog of the Vancouver—New Jersey game, depending on whether or not these two highly-capable defensive teams can avoid putting the world to sleep.
But with the Goalie vs Goalie angle, there is great promise of scintillating action. Or—at the very least—lots of over-excited television commentary obsessed with the phrase, “GREAT SAVE [insert name here]!!!!” all night long.
P.S. Steve the Devils Fan is joining me below…
Pre-Game Notes:
Filed in: drunken liveblogging, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: new+jersey+devils, vancouver+canucks,
Vancouver Lineup Shuffle & Some Trap Rap
by Alanah McGinley on 12/17/07 at 05:34 PM ET
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Elliott Pap at the Vancouver Sun:
Roberto Luongo declared himself “good to go” today and will be back in goal Tuesday night when the Vancouver Canucks entertain the New Jersey Devils.
Goalie callup Drew MacIntyre has been sent back down to the Manitoba Moose. And in other news, Brendan Morrison is probably gone till March.
P.S. The sequel to last year’s “Trappers Delight” was put online yesterday. The new video is “Trap it Like it’s Hot”.
Filed in: dumb stuff, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo, snoop+dogg, trap+it+like+it's+hot, vancouver+canucks,
What, Me Worry?
by Alanah McGinley on 12/13/07 at 04:19 PM ET
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So last night, the AHL’s own Vancouver Canucks managed to whoop the reigning Stanley Cup Champions (well, technically it was maybe 30 minutes of “whoop” and 30 minutes of “please don’t kill us” but it worked out, so, whatever…) and tonight they face the Sharks.
What, me worry? Never. For one thing, the Canucks have the formidable, daunting superstar-to-be Jason Jaffray on their side (26 year old former ECHLer, first NHL game of his career last night, first NHL goal, and first star of the game. What’s not to love?). And then there’s Curtis Sanford (a.k.a. “the second coming of Patrick Roy”, a pronouncement that both pleases and nauseates me). Looking good.
But of course the Sharks deserve respect. Even forgetting their hockey skills for a moment, I was perusing San Jose’s game day notes today and was well-entertained by some random trivia. Such as:
Filed in: nhl general, obnoxious hockey blogging, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: jason+jaffray, san+jose+sharks, vancouver+canucks,
Brendan Morrison Getting Surgery
by Alanah McGinley on 12/12/07 at 06:45 PM ET
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From TSN,
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that forward Brendan Morrison will undergo surgery on his wrist later this week.
Morrison has been experiencing chronic wrist pain and did not make the trip to Anaheim for Wednesday’s game with the Ducks.
“After further consultation with our team doctors it was decided that surgery was the best course of action,” said Canucks Senior Vice-President and General Manager Dave Nonis. “The best long term decision for Brendan and our hockey club is to have this addressed immediately.”
No word on how long Morrison will be out now.
Update 4:19pm PT: How long? Not surprisingly, the CP uses the word “indefinitely” which has an ugly ring to it. But I suppose, with any luck, Canucks fans won’t hear it again anytime soon in relation to Roberto Luongo...
*knock on wood*
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, injuries, vancouver+canucks,
Niedermayer a Classy Dude
by Alanah McGinley on 12/12/07 at 06:38 PM ET
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Jason Jaffray is getting his first NHL game tonight at the not-so-tender age of 26—and his ex-boss took notice. From Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun:
The centre who spent his first five seasons in professional hockey exclusively on minor-league contracts, without a hope of playing in the NHL, will skate for the Canucks on a line with fellow Manitoba Moose callup Mason Raymond and veteran Taylor Pyatt.
Trying to absorb every minute of a day he’s been waiting a lifetime for, Jaffray went to the bench to watch the Ducks skate when he was spotted by Niedermayer, the four-time Stanley Cup winner and future Hall of Famer.
Six years ago, Jaffray was the captain of the Kootenay Ice, the junior team that is partly owned by Scott and Rob Niedermayer, who also plays for the Ducks.
“He knows the situation, knows it’s my first game,” Jaffray said. “He stops what he’s doing, comes over and shakes my hand and says ‘congratulations on the callup.’ That means everything to a guy like me - a young guy playing his first game - to have a Stanley Cup winner over and over stop what he’s doing to come and say hi to me.”
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: jason+jaffray, manitoba+moose, scott+niedermayer, vancouver+canucks,
Everybody Loves Raymond
by Alanah McGinley on 12/12/07 at 04:15 AM ET
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Mason Raymond? Oh yes, indeed—he’s got a Hollywood future.
But more on that in a second…
First, a quick review of the conga line of trashed hockey players filing their way off the Vancouver Canucks and into various health care facilities this week. As Vancouver assistant GM Steve Tambellini commented yesterday, “It seems to be coming at us in bunches.”
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, manitoba+moose, mason+raymond, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
NHL’s Ironman Halted at 542 Games
by Alanah McGinley on 12/11/07 at 03:57 PM ET
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Sportsnet.ca is reporting:
Canucks forward Brendan Morrison will see his consecutive games streak of 542 end on Wednesday night when he sits out vs. the Anaheim Ducks.
Morrison injured his wrist in the pre-season and the injury continues to nag him, so he has been sent back to Vancouver for treatment.
His streak is currently the longest in the NHL. The all-time record is held by the Montreal Canadiens’ Doug Jarvis with 964.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brendan+morrison, injuries, vancouver+canucks,
Luongo Staying Out
by Alanah McGinley on 12/11/07 at 12:55 PM ET
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Earlier today, Jason Botchford at The Ice Hole reported that Roberto Luongo has been nursing a rib injury, forcing him to sit out Monday night in Los Angeles. Now the CP is reporting that the Canucks have also called up goaltender Drew MacIntrye from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Luongo told reporters later he has been nursing a bruised rib all week after being injured Dec. 2 at Minnesota.
“It just got worse over the last two days, and I’ve been in pain all day,” he said. “I was trying to see how I felt in warmups, but it wasn’t good enough for me to go. It’s not broken, but it hurts when I breathe and it hurts when I move. It’s tough to do your job under those circumstances. It’s day-to-day right now. Hopefully it’s just a few days. It’s almost got to heal on its own.”
Additionally, Mason Raymond and Jason Jaffray were also called up from the Moose.
Filed in: manitoba moose, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: goalies, injuries, manitoba+moose, Roberto+Luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Art on Ice
by Alanah McGinley on 12/05/07 at 04:04 PM ET
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updated: two more masks added below by request
This week, the NHL packaged a collection of goalie mask photos with blurbs behind a mask belonging to at least one goalie on every team.
Below are the two featured masks from Vancouver. Roberto Luongo’s is obviously familiar to most Canucks fans, but I’d never noticed the details of Curtis Sanford’s mask before. So I put those up, plus Peter Budaj’s of Colorado, as well, for the “inside joke”...
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: colorado+avalanche, curtis+sanford, masks, peter+budaj, roberto+luongo, Roberto+Luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Planning Ahead
by Alanah McGinley on 11/30/07 at 09:39 PM ET
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Allan Muir at Sports Illustrated offers a suggestion to boost Vancouver Canucks scoring needs:
GM Dave Nonis has to recognize that a window has opened up here that requires him to take a proactive approach. Sacrificing a piece of the future—defenseman Luc Bourdon appears expendable with the emergence of Alexander Edler—to add some bite to the forward unit is a must move. There’s no hurry, of course, but Nonis can’t be the one left looking for a chair when the music stops.
Bourdon might well be expendable to the Canucks, but—despite his likely future value—is any GM going to hand over a proven goal scorer for a rookie that’s yet to prove himself in any substantive way, and whose development has been constantly questioned? Bourdon’s trade value is difficult to predict, but Muir’s probably right assuming he’s up for grabs if the right deal came along.
Just no idea what that deal might be, and no good rumors either… where’s Spector when I need him?!
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+edler, luc+bourdon, vancouver+canucks,
Naslund In the Zone
by Alanah McGinley on 11/29/07 at 05:54 PM ET
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Brad Ziemer at CanWest News called Markus Naslund “Captain Fantastic” this morning. There are plenty of good reasons for the exuberance—as Ziemer points out:
...it’s not just that Naslund is scoring, it’s the way he’s scoring. We’re seeing more signature Markus Naslund goals, like that quick-release wrister from the left faceoff circle that beat Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Tuesday night. After that game, Naslund said his head is now in “the right place.”
It would appear so.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: curtis+sanford, markus+naslund, the+crazy+canucks, vancouver+canucks,
Hockey Player Trivia
by Alanah McGinley on 11/29/07 at 04:05 PM ET
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Today, Neil Stevens at the Canadian Press ran down a selection of trivia found in the NHL media guides. For instance:
Chicago defenceman Brent Seabrook loves yogurt covered peanuts, Carolina captain Rod Brind’Amour can’t get enough Red Vines licorice and Los Angeles defenceman Tom Preissing says his favourite food is bacon.
Philadelphia goalie Martin Biron has horses named Mel and Mad Dog, teammate Mike Knuble has a leopard gecko named Flames and San Jose centre Joe Thornton owns cats named Lenny and Indy.
Fascinating? Well… cherry-picking the CP article a bit, perhaps there are some other odds and ends you’re desperate to know. Starting with the Leafs:
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, media, nhl, vancouver+canucks,
The Game Nobody Wants
by Alanah McGinley on 11/27/07 at 04:31 PM ET
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With the Canucks playing the Ducks in Vancouver tonight, the only story in the air is Todd Bertuzzi’s return to GM Place for the first time since he was traded. I commented on that a bit yesterday, but here are a few more words from the media.
First, from Iain MacIntyre in the Vancouver Sun this morning:
But Bertuzzi has not looked forward to this game. Reporters have not looked forward to it. Public relations staff on both teams have not looked forward to it. Fans? We’ll see tonight…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: anaheim+ducks, todd+bertuzzi, vancouver+canucks,
Getting a Handle on Things
by Alanah McGinley on 11/26/07 at 03:55 PM ET
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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.”
Filed in: nhl general, playoff hockey | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alex+burrows, anaheim+ducks, minnesota+wild, todd+bertuzzi, vancouver+canucks,
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