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cheering for canucks is like that one seinfeld episode...this is an awesome post... pretty much summarizes what I think is going on with the Canucks right now.
Friday November 17th 2006, 12:46 pm
There’s a Seinfeld episode (circa 1994) where Jerry regularly “broke even”. If you remember it, Jerry came out even while playing poker; he was offered a new gig minutes after one was cancelled; and he found $20 in his pockets after Elaine threw $20 out the cab window. In some ways, Jerry in that episode mirrors the Canucks season so far. At the start of this season, the Canucks not just outworked their opponents; they were rewarded with a little bit of puck luck. Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison tied games late in the third period; Sami Salo and Daniel Sedin won them in overtime. The Blackhawks threw 32 shots on Roberto Luongo three weeks ago and he stopped every single one of them. In many other games, he gave the Canucks an opportunity to win. Against Dallas last Monday, Kevin Bieksa scored from center ice and forever erased memories of Nicklas Lidstrom’s goal from the same spot; Taylor Pyatt scored with 45 seconds left to win the game. Things haven’t gone as well lately. In the last couple of weeks the Canucks suffered late-game meltdowns instead of producing late-game heroics. Andrew Brunette, Kristian Huselius and Johan Franzen all scored in third periods to steal wins for their respective teams. In Minnesota, Todd White scored a goal that should have only been allowed if he had scored it on a soccer pitch. And against Detroit, Alex Burrows’ tying goal was disallowed because Jan Bulis breathed on Dominik the Diver. Through 19 games, the one constant to the Canucks’ season has been their strong work ethic. Even in their losses, they were usually the harder-working team and often produced more scoring chances. Alain Vigneault’s challenge is to make sure his team stays the course - whether they score five goals a game or two, and whether they win or lose. The Canucks may have lost six of their last seven games, but playing the same system, they had also gained points in eight of their first 12 games. They’re playing the same way now as they did earlier this season, but the results are different. Has their luck just evened out? Or is it something else? source: http://blog.canucks.com/?p=187 We Are All Canucks.hello! hello! hello!
summer is over, school has started, it's getting darker, the days are shorter, it's getting colder... all of this can only mean ONE thing:
HOCKEY IS COMING!!! My year officially begins when the first hockey puck drops... the Canucks kick off their pre-season games at Calgary on Tuesday Sept 19 - that's ONLY 4 days away!! wooooooooooo hoooooooooooooo
The REAL hockey starts in 20 days...
The Canucks will be playing 9 of their first 11 games away from home... it's going to be tough, but it will also test out the strength and core of this fairly new team.
Speaking of NEW... holy cow, so many brand-spankin'-new faces... accompanied with zits and everything! ahahaa, just joking... actually, no I'm not. They're are a lot of young faces this year... and we all know how i feel about youngins... but that kinda mindset is going to have to change. In this "new NHL," the game is for the young, the prospects, the future. It involves speed, scoring, excellent goal-keeping (which we will HOPEFULLY have) and MORE speed. Fresh young legs provide these services... they stay on teams for a long time and pass these qualities on to other youth. It's a cycle and if the cycle continues, the franchise flourishes. If the cycle is broken, GM's and team owners have to start from scratch... kinda like what happened with the Canucks during this off-season.
Before we talk about the team, let's talk about some ex-players, shall we? Where to start?
JOVO- nothing to say really... seeeya!
ALLEN/AULD- i actually liked you guys... but we also needed a goalie
CARTER- oh man oh man oh man... i call him the "hockey whore" why? he goes from team to team... after they get bored of him, he moves on to another team to score 9 more goals before they trade him or he moves on to another. Oh, and would you look at that... you finally find a team that you're good in and what do you do? You don't know what to do because you're so use to being passed around... so you do what comes natural to ya, move on to the the next one! I know this has been said many times, but it's true: Carter is NOTHING without the Sedins. Sure, he helped their game too... but clearly, he was nothing before them and they at least had something going on before he came along. He'll just go back to being a 9 goal scoring player and once the 'Jacket' runs outta fashion, he'll move on to another team - that's IF, someone takes him.
BAUMGARTNER- thank GOD! holy cow.... my prayers have been answered!!
BERTUZZI- you never really left my friend, you'll always be in my heart. And you'll always be my #1. Jan 7 - I'm counting down. Watch out, here comes big 44.
Now before the season starts, I just want to clarify one thing. This team is new and has been through a lot in a very short period of time. This city expects a LOT from its players and the organization as a whole. And believe me, they are entitled to do so. However, don't expect this team to come out and start winning every single game right off the bat. I certainly don't. The NHL was not helpful... the Canucks' schedule is ridiculus... starting off with that many away games can really shut a team down once they start losing. BUT, there is an upside to all of this... having to share a bus and airplane creates bonding... since this team will be out of town for most of October, they will get the chance to get to know one another and create a sense of 'team', something that is harder to do when playing home games because everyone goes off and does their own thing.
So, when the season starts and the Canucks lose their first couple of games, don't fret. Of course you always want your home team to win games... but for me, I actually want them to lose these first couple of games. If I remember correctly, last year the Canucks were on fire in the beginning of the year. Their record was something like 14-1 at home... everyone expected this team to go far. But come December-January, everyone had changed their minds. This year is going to be different. I don't expect them to win any major titles, although it would be nice if they did. But what i do expect is heart. This team will WANT and will win games. They will go far, and will actually make the playoffs because their heart will be in the right place. I know its too early to be saying things like that, and I may be wrong... but I'm hopeful. And most of all, I BELIEVE. game OVER. The Vancouver Canucks managed a win at home on their last game of the season on Saturday April 15, 2006.
Goals were scored by Bertuzzi, Naslund, and Morrison... probably for the last time together. They won, but it was a classic case of the Canucks throughout the season. Too little, too late.
"your Canucks suck!"
"your team lost!" "Bertuzzi sucks!" "HA HA! Vancouver is not in the playoffs!" how many times have I heard those sayings over the past few days? yes, the Vancouver Canucks did not make it into the playoffs this year however, this team is far from "sucking"
Of course, I was a bit upset that they did not make it (first time since 2000). Every time that you would think they would pull through, they didn't. And when you thought they had a turning point, it turned out just to be a one-game kinda thing and next game, they would go back to their losing ways. What bothered me the most about the Canucks throughout their season was their inconsistency. It seriously pissed me off. There is no excuse for not giving 100% effort every game. No team can ever do well unless they are consistent with their play. If you look at the Detroits and the Ottawas of the NHL, what do you see? Consistency. Not only that, but also teamwork. The Canucks totally lacked teamwork this year. They acted like individual men out there, all going their separate ways to achieve the same goal. Does that make any sense? Of course not. The team started the season on fire... something like 13-1 at home. All around the league everyone was saying, "oh watch out for the Canucks... they are sure to upset some teams this season"... even the Calgary Flames' coach Darrel Sutter was quoted in the beginning of the year at a game at GM Place saying how it will be so tough to beat the Canucks for the #1 position in the Northwest division. People expected so much from this team but in the end, they they were unable to deliver. It went from being not so okay in December to souring up by February to horrendous in March-April. They went from hoping to make it into 6th place in the Western Conference, to where they are now - 9th... on the other side of the solid black line.
Sure, there were some holes in the lineup including Jovonovski, Cloutier, Salo, Matt Cooke (lots of bad luck for that guy this year), and even Ohlund for a short period of time. Park was also out for a while...but I don't think he was a major factor anyway. He has plenty.
Moving on to other positives... one word, actually two, no... more like an equation: SEDINS + CARTER = CANUCK DREAM wow. wow. wow. All three of those guys had break out seasons... all of them were on fire this year. They came through when the actual "big line" failed to do so. They became the true big line and did so game in and game out. It was so exciting to watch Henrik and Daniel crisscross and then BANG! carter comes in outta nowhere and gets a goal! He truly was their brother from another mother. It was like they could feel each other anywhere on the ice... like triplets. Soon, other teams the Canucks faced were scared to face this #2 line (something that use to be for the "West Coast Express i.e.Naslund, Bertuzzi, Morrison-more on them later). The Sedins and Carter made the Canucks' games more exciting and drew attention away from the disaster of the pre-existing "#1" line.
Speaking of the #1 line... so much to say but really, I don't have the time to talk about them... I can go on forever. Naslund- he did not click with the other 2 this year... whenever one guy was on fire, the other two were somewhere near the bottom. Naslund was nursing a groin injury for a few months, no excuse but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Morrison also had a hip injury that he ignored for most of the season, but that certainly cant explain his penalty minutes. This year he was in the box almost double as much as he was in previous seasons. Nazzy took the Olympics off to rest, so I'm thinking his groin injury probably settled off in time for the real playoff push.
As for Berty... he's the talk of the day, month, year... he'll probably still be talked about when he leaves us in the off season (yes, I did just say that - more on that later). But, to be honest... even after all that off-ice stuff with the Moore incident and the court proceedings, no one can say Bertuzzi didn't perform. For a crappy season, he did pretty well... consider this stat from this season: he's had 25 goals and 46 assists for an overall 71 points all together. Now imagine how he could have done if he was being the "old-Bertuzzi." But, it's true. He was not the old-Bertuzzi, and I don't think he'll ever be... unless he has a change of scenery. Despite all he has been through, that stuff should stay off the ice. When he's on the ice, he should play the game the way its intended - and how he's payed to. But then again, he's only human. He did start to come together in the last few games, but it looked too much like how the Canucks have been playing all season and quite frankly, it was too little too late.
All that is left to say is that change is needed. Change is no longer an option but a necessity.
The main concern for ownership and Nonis, in my eyes, is to secure Sedins+Carter. Secondly is to figure out the Jovo-issue. Jovocop may want to go to Florida or somewhere else as he probably wont stick around for the reconstruction of the Canucks. I want him to stay. For shizzle... when he came back on that Sat game against Calgary (April 8) he brought with him new life. It would be hurtful for the Canucks to lose that kind of life-support.
Those are the main keepers... but as to the additions and minuses: 1.Bertuzzi needs a change of scenery -being here, or on any other Western team will not help him. -he will never go back to "old-bert" unless he realizes what he had here. -he didn't realize this... therefore, having a change can spark a new motive. A new goal. -I say him going to Ottawa will do wonders for his career. He is a very, very talented player (arguably best power-forward to ever play in the NHL) and I'd hate to see his talent go to waste. Him staying here will be a waste. -money wise, we could use that $5.3 million elsewhere. Perhaps acquire 2 players or 5th round pick in trade for him... which is dandy! -I know losing Berty will be a loss to Canuck fans... but its not like he's leaving the NHL, so you can still cheer him on. (This is a HUGE pill for me to swallow... I never thought I would be saying something like this before... I love the guy to death - he's my hockey hero and I even put his number44 in my signature!!) -I only want this change for him. Who knows what wonders it will do for him...
2.Cloutier/Park/WEINRICH/Carney/Baumgartner must go. -I know I'm not doin cloutz any justice by putting him in the same category as these dudes, but I had to. I think with Auld proving himself this season and the new acquiring of Mika Noronen, Cloutz position has been filled. He needs to go elsewhere... -Park, in my eyes, was a one-season-wonder. He was amazing with Minnesota in 2003 when the Wild went crazy and upset many Stanley Cup contenders *coughs*-canucks-, however, he's kind of lost his touch. He's okay, but not for us. I heard that we picked Park over our previous D-man Chuborov which upset me... bring Chubby back, we need him - not Park. Also, I miss Malik - what the flip man?! Stop yankin' our d-men!! -WEINRICH was the stupidest mistake made this year. Maybe it was the yellow visor, I don't know... but this guy has got to go. -Carney was alright but not as great as was hoped... I don't get why we keep acquiring the old guys at deadlines (year before lockout was veterans Rucsinsky, Sanderson, and Keane) How many Stanley Cups you've had doesn't really matter - look at Keane, he had so much Stanley Cup experience but did absolutely nothing for us... bring on the youngins, dudes! Fresh legs and speed is what we need! -Okay, so everyone knows how much I hate Baumgartner... so I don't really think I need to explain this one. However, the last couple of games I've kind of changed my mind about the little rodent. He is pretty good on powerplays...but of course, he's no Salo so I want him out.
**As for other keepers - Ryan Kessler had an amazing season this year... he really matured out while playing with Bertuzzi and truly shined as he finally became a Canuck - not just a callback from the Moose. Alex Burrows is also a great addition in the young-speed-category. I see great things for those two in the upcoming season.
*Of course, Nazzy must stay. He is our captain and you certainly can't count out such great talent over one bad season. He is a silent leader and despite what the media says, he's pretty good at it. If you look at past leaders of the Canucks, all of them have been silent leaders. They lead by example and many players respect that. You don't always need a in-your-face kinda guy... quite frankly, that's just annoying. I think the whole leadership thing was questioned for 2 reasons: One, Naslund wasn't performing his best. His team wasn't seeing the real Nazzy... the one who scores goals and stacks up points like there's no tomorrow. Not seeing any performance from your main-man can be disheartening and can lead to more guys being less motivated to try their best. Leadership is also questioned when your team loses. And if your captain isn't performing his best, quite often the rest of the team doesn't either, which ultimately leads to losses. -This is not to say that Nazzy did not try. He puts his heart and soul into this game and quite often leaves his heart on his sleeve. Whenever interviewed you can see the disappointment in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Of course he would like to perform the way he use to... but when it doesn't happen it gets very frustrating. He gave his best, but this year he didn't receive any breaks. Hopefully this was just a one-season kinda thing for him because we all know he has tremendous amounts of talent and brings a lot to this organization. plenty.
*Marc Crawford to stay. My push is to have him stay with the Canucks, despite what others may say about his boring-same-message-every day kind of approach. People often tend to point fingers at some source when a team is losing and I certainly don't believe the Crow should solely take the blame. He's the one with 4 Stanley Cups under his belt, and although I mentioned that it means nothing... it does in terms of coaching. Crawford has talent and he knows what he is doing. His plays are carefully planned out to the slightest detail and his emotional attachment to the game is spectacular to watch. With some new faces on the bench and in the locker room, perhaps the same old message will become new again.
Update - April 25: they killed the crow Canucks' coach of 6 years, Marc Crawford, has been fired. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20060425_171409_4644 I don't know if I'm happy or upset... all I know is that next season will be pretty interesting.
Will Quinn be back? Who knows, but do remember that Quinn is 63-years-old and not gettin' any younger. Dave Nonis says the team needs a "kickstart"... I think if they hire Quinn they'll need life insurance. AHAHAAHAAA im so mean :D
*LINDEN* The face of the Vancouver Canucks. He played game #1001 in a Canucks uniform on Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche (last game of the season for the Canucks). Trev is just one goal short of reaching his career high of 300 goals... I really hope he stays for at least one more season. I know he's not getting any younger (36) and that his role is completely different now than it was 12 years ago, but he is a big fan favourite. When you say Vancouver Canucks, right away Trevor Linden comes to mind. He is the only "original" Canuck left and I'd hate to see him go this off season. I see big things for the Canucks in 2006-2007 and it would be awesome to have Trev be a part of it.
Overall, I'd say the Canucks benefit from missing out on the playoffs. I mostly only wanted them in because I knew that it would probably be Bertuzzi and others' last time together and I wanted it to go on for as long as possible... a couple of weeks more, even days... anything. Now management has no excuses. They can't say, "oh, well they did make it into the playoffs, maybe we should give them another go..." Change is near and it couldn't have come at a better time.
-VANCOUVER CANUCKS- *Stanley Cup Champions 2007* and then sharon got mad...just some NOT-so-random thoughts on the canucks right now:
and so, i'm done hating for now...
stay tuned for more, but lets hope this was my only canuck-related-hating-day.
but STILL, i can still BELIEVE, can't i?...
~GO CANUCKS GO~
 sharon33?
ahahahaaa jk jk. i dont hate my 44, i can NEVER! EVER! he just needs a slap or two from his mamaa (or me). lol
PS- IN NO WAY DOES THIS MEAN I DON'T LOVE DANIEL OR CARTER...i just like my Henny a tiny, teensie bit more. no problem rght? I'm sure Danny won't be too jealous  oopsie, my badso....it seems that i MISSED my hero's b-day!
 i know, i was thinking the same thing - WHAT THE .... how could she?!! OMG!
but, it's never too late to celebrate my hockey hero's birthday...even if it was a week ago
  HAPPY (belated) 31st BIRTHDAY BERT
you will forever be my hockey hero!
he's arguably the best power foward in NHL history
and no matter WHAT any joe-blow says, he IS amazing to watch.
 sure, he's made mistakes...but i'm sure you have to.
so learn to forgive, because people do change.
just watch him play once and you too, will get hooked - for life.
  so, keep up the great work my ITALIAN STALLION!just one thing: perhaps, right now, you'd like to pick up your pace a little?...just a little.
 MY TODD WORKS SO HARD FOR THIS TEAM.
and that's exactly how it should be
  I love my tuzzi so much that i even put his number in my signature!
sure, now you think i'm just sad, but actually, it looks nice in my name...so screw you!
 check this out: www.heavyeric.com/ todd_bertuzzi.htm
 once again, HAPPY 31st BERTY!
here's to 100 more wonderful hockey years! burn the flamers: done and done.so, what's the story of the day?
BESIDES the fact that FLAMES SUCK...
there are a few other important things to mention first:
1. VANCOUVER CANUCKS #1 in Northwest Division
2. its their first big win this season in the dreaded province of Alberta
3. Marc Crawford recorded is 400th career win as a coach. (There are only 16 other coaches in the NHL to achieve this milestone!)
...but you wanna know what the best part is?
THIS ALL HAPPENED THE SAME DAY THE FLAMERS CELEBRATED THEIR 25th ANNIVERSARY AS A TEAM IN THE NHL!
They had this long, sappy, boring video of their lame history in the NHL, even Calgary veterans came by to skate before the game.
It would have been a sweet deal and a nice finish to their evening if they had won.
but they didn't. what a GAME 1it was beautiful
hockey
THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS
game 1
CANUCKS VS. COYOTES
3 - 2 BABY!
WHAT A GAME
WHAT A THIRLL
we're goin all the way this year!!
bertuzzi, naslund, morrison, ohlund, jovanovski, cloutier
STANLEY CUP 2005
here we come
 IM SO GLAD TO HAVE MY BERTUZZI BACK ON THE ICE
MAKE ME PROUD TODD!
~YOU RAWK~ HALLELOOOYAAAAAAAA!!!COULD IT BE TRUE?
THE DAY I HAVE AWAITED FOR SO, SO MANY MONTHS?
IS IT TRUE?
AM I DREAMING?
HAS BETTMAN REALLY, FINALLY, COME TO HIS SENSES?!
IS BERTUZZI FINALLY FREE?!
!YES!
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
OUR 44 IS BACK
now you can really kiss somebody!
THANK WAHEGURU, RAM, BUDDHA, JESUS, ALLAH, MOSES, HOMER SIMPSON...
whoever!
bertuzzi is back
they have finally freed 44
no Bertuzzi...So, if you haven't heard already.....Team Canada will be WITHOUT Todd Bertuzzi this year for the World Cup Championship of hockey. here's the story....hopefully, Bertuzzi will be back next year...at least I hope so! http://www.tsn.ca/ctvnews/sportsstory.asp?_id=121715 Despite all that bad news...I just want to say one thing: CANADA IS GOING TO KICK SOME ASS THIS YEAR!!! |
BAUMGARTNER
HENNY (Henrik Sedin)
to be CAPTAIN again
BAUMGARTNER? |
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