SB Nation - Mark Parrish

Michael Russo Interview with Hockey Wilderness

nathaneide — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:10:13 -0000

If you follow the Wild, you live and die by the words of Star Tribune Wild beat writer Michael Russo. We are fortunate enough to have one of the best beat writers in the NHL covering our squad. And I was lucky enough to get 20 minutes of his time this morning as he was headed to the X. I'm hoping I didn't make too big a fool out of myself and get a chance to speak with Mr. Russo again once the season is underway.

Hockey Wilderness: What is different about covering this regime compared to Lemaire/Risebrough?

Michael Russo: I loved dealing with Jacques. He was outstanding for what we need. Joked around, had fun. I had a lot of respect for him. I respect Todd too, don't get me wrong, but there's a feeling out process here. Jacques was brutally honest. Ask him how a guy played and he was straight with everyone. Sometimes he would tick off the player. Todd will very rarely rip a player. Monday night, I had to ask about Kim Johnsson playing terribly. He wouldn't insult my intelligence by denying it, but spins it into a positive.

I liked Doug. Doug was great talking about players, but wouldn't talk about moves, rumors, etc. Chuck's much more transparent. I have a great working relationship with him, going back to 1995 in Florida, where I covered 7 of his 9 years there.

Who has been the best quote you've covered?

Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull were always fantastic, though I never got a chance to cover them extensively. Of the guys I have covered, Mark Parrish, Len Barrie, Ray Whitney, Mike Sillinger, Olli Jokinen were always great. Currently Eric Belanger is brutally honest and a great quote. Derek Boogaard and Brent Burns are hilarious. Brian Rolston was great to deal with and rarely spoke in cliches, which is always nice for a journalist.

From a journalists perspective, what's the major difference you've seen pre and post-lockout?

Before the lockout, you had to really work sources to get info on a contract. Now it's an email away. With the cap, teams want you to be accurate with what you write. No GM wants it out there that they have $8M of space when it's really $1.2.

As far as the on-ice product, it's just 10 times better. Gone is the clutch and grab of the Roger Neilson and Doug MacLean-era Panthers. It was ugly, but successful. Now, we've evolved past that.

What has been the most fun you've had covering a team?

It's gotta be that 95-96 Panthers team. Shocked the world, went to the Stanley Cup. That was the year of the rat. Florida was playing in the decrepit Miami Arena, and before a game there was a rat running across the locker room. Scott Mellanby winds up and takes a slapper at the rat into a wall, killing it. He then goes out, scores twice and John Vanbiesbrouck calls it the "Rat Trick". Well, you've all seen the YouTube videos of thousands of plastic rats raining down onto the ice. There are great shots of guys like Barrasso hiding in the net from the rats. That was a special season and the most fun I've had covering a team.

Winter Classic, Yay or Nay? If the Wild were to get one, would you want to have it held at TCF Bank Stadium or Target Field? Who would you choose to have the Wild play?

I'm for it. I haven't been inside Target Field, but TCF Bank Stadium is a great environment, and with that open end would be a great place for it. If it were me, I'd pick Vancouver because there's a hatred there.

What is still the biggest unanswered question for the upcoming season?

Boy, there are so, so many. But the main one is will they be able to turn the switch and be consistent in the new system? They did it in bits and pieces. There were 5 minutes stretches against Philly that were really fun to watch, but they gave up 39 shots and 35 quality chances. They can't do that and be successful.

Who is your impact guy?

[Brent] Burns is the guy who is going to be key. He looks like he's going to be extraordinary in the new system. He shouldn't be unheralded, but Greg Zanon is a fantastic signing. Now he isn't going to score 14 goals like Marc-Andre Bergeron, but he's going to block 300 shots and be the guy on the ice at the end of the game. He puts his body in harms way night in and night out, and risks injuries. If he stays healthy, he will be a rock solid defender.

We've heard that Josh Harding is going to get more time this season. Is that to showcase him for say ... Chicago? What kind of player/pick/prospect can we expect for Harding?

They could've traded him by now for picks and prospects. What they're hoping for is a team like Chicago or a true conteder to suffer an injury and need a goalie. There's no rush right now though. He's too precious an asset to give up for nothing. They would love to turn him into a scorer, and that's the way I see this going. That being said, he isn't an unrestricted free agent after this season, so they can still take their time and get the best deal possible.

Versus v. DirectTV. Whose fault is it?

I don't know whose fault it is, but its gotta get fixed. It makes the league look amateur. It needs to get resolved and Comcast and DirectTV need to get it taken care of. Both are NHL partners and the league may have to step in. You can't have your national partner on Satellite.

Is this a rebuilding team?

This is a better team than last year. They missed by 3 pts, added a perennial star in Martin Havlat, added a 25 goal guy in Petr Sykora. This is a transitional year. The problem is that everyone else got better too, and has better, younger talent than the Wild. If this were a Lemaire team, in that system, they'd make the playoffs. No knock against Richards, but it takes time to install a new system. I've covered a rebuilding team. This is definitely not a rebuilding team. I disagree with anyone who says this is a rebuilding year or that last years' team was better. This is a team that has to learn a new system, has a horrible road schedule and is in the hardest conference. Next season, they're in the playoffs. Houston will be a better team this year too. They have more NHL experience. They have guys like Andy Hilbert, Colton Gillies, Petr Kalus, Craig Weller, and those guys who are ready to come up will be able to produce, and remember this was a team that was a round away from the AHL title last season. Fans will have to be patient at the beginning, but this is a year in transition, not rebuilding.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Yankee Canuck — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:54:41 -0000

Yo coach, bathroom break! Pic via twitchy67.files.wordpress.com

View full size photo »

You've probably noticed the rest of the SBN Hockey crew have been running a month-long series of team previews. If we don't do it, James Mirtle bullwhips us something fierce.

What's nice about Vancouver being second to last alphabetically is it gives us time to prepare (by which we mean wait for the damn roster to be set). But the roster still isn't set, so whatever. We tried.

After the jump we take a look at what to expect from the 2009-10 Vancouver Canucks, including some team strengths and weaknesses, who will be under pressure to produce and why and what defines the official 2009-2010 drinking social where you pound a beverage and then sob quietly to yourself in the corner. It's Canucks hockey after all, you knew the rules before you got here.

Where We've Been (2008-09)
Last summer started off with an airing of grievances from management: firing GM Dave Nonis, replacing him with a player agent with no experience, letting Vigneault toss in the wind for weeks on end and telling Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison to go piss up a flagpole.

Thus there was a level of uncertainty when the season rolled around, but everything (shockingly) was fine until a certain goalie heard a certain "pop" during a 3-1 win in November against Pittsburgh. With Roberto Luongo down and out with a groin injury for nearly two months, Vancouver tried to stay above water by icing a rookie goalie (Cory Schneider) along with back-up Curtis Sanford and added Mats Sundin to the mix up front in late December.

Sadly there weren't enough biorhythm bracelets on the planet to keep Vancouver from dropping a franchise-worse eight straight games in January. With a little help from Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows, the two sparked some epic production on the first two lines and a healthy Luongo returned allowing the Canucks to run a 34-5-2 record after the January from hell and eke out the Northwest Division crown from Calgary.

The party didn't stop there. Drawing a first round match-up against a Cinderella St. Louis Blues team, Vancouver celebrated their first post season sweep in the modern era. However, that IS where the party stopped. Facing a deeper, faster team in Chicago during the second round, the Canucks couldn't keep pace and were ousted in six games.

Who's In
Mikael Samuelsson, Christian Ehrhoff, Mathieu Schneider, ~~Brad Lukowich~~, Andrew Raycroft (!), Aaron Rome, Tanner Glass, ~~Mark Parrish~~, ~~Dave Scatchard~~, ~~Ronald Petrovicky~~

Who's Out
Mattias Ohlund, Jason Labarbera, Curtis Sanford, Mats Sundin, Taylor Pyatt, Jason Jaffray, Ossi Vaananen, Jason Krog, Mark Cullen, Rob Davison

Opening Night Roster (subject to change if Vigneault gets moody)

Forwards

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alex Burrows

Sergei Shirokov - Ryan Kesler - Mikael Samuelsson

Steve Bernier - Kyle Wellwood - Mason Raymond

Rick Rypien - Ryan Johnson - Darcy Hordichuk

Extras: Pavol Demitra (LITR), Jannik Hansen, ~~Cody Hodgson~~ (sent to juniors)

Defense

Willie Mitchell - Alex Edler

Kevin Bieksa - Christian Ehrhoff

Sami Salo - Shane O'Brien

Extras: Aaron Rome, ~~Brad Lukowich~~ (waived 9/29/09), Mathieu Schneider (LITR)

Goalies

Roberto Luongo

Andrew Raycroft

Team Strengths
1. Goalie - duh. Even if Luongo has another groin "issue", Schneider should be able to get called up and help hold down the fort. Raycroft has to play just north of "absolute travesty" and buy management time to find a Labarbera-type solution if all goes to hell. But let's not be negative; Luongo will play 70+ games again and give them every chance to win, night in and night out.

2. Emerging Talents. The increased offensive tasks given to Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Kesler paid dividends, as both players had career years. I don't know if they can exceed what they did last season, but even if they equal that it would be very beneficial, especially in taking the heat of the Sedins to provide all the offense. Now is the time for Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler to strut their stuff with Mattias Ohlund leaving town. I believe Edler especially is going to have a great year. This also depends on how much power play time the new guys like Christian Ehrhoff and Mathieu Schneider get (and perhaps how well Sami Salo's body holds up). I would let Edler step up and not hold him back. He's ready.

Team Weaknesses
1. Bottom six - It's better than it has been in the past, but the bottom six forwards aren't the deepest bunch. Wellwood has shown up in far better shape and it's expected Bernier and Hodgson, Hansen, Shirokov or Raymond will fill out the third line. There's a lot of promise and intrigue in there, but not so much actual production on an NHL scoresheet. Bernier and Wellwood alone will need huge seasons. The fourth line - likely Rypien, Johnson and Hordichuk - provides plenty of muscle and short blocking goodness, but little else. Hordichuk remains a liability on most nights.

2. Size up front. This could be nitpicking on my part, but if you look at the Canucks' depth chart below, there leaves a lot to be desired as far as girth goes. Fortunately, these guys play with tenacity regardless of that.

Go big or Go Home
The pressure is firmly on the Sedins and Luongo now. Gillis did his part this summer by flying out to Sweden to convince the Sedins to stick around and then assembled a more talented defensive crew in front of Luongo before he signed his life away. If Vancouver has any chance of doing real damage in the playoffs, first these three need to lead them there and, once in, have to perform like the All-Stars they are. No more failures at crunch time.

The Missing Piece?
Gillis admitted to coveting Mikael Samuelsson for a long time. So while likely getting a shot to play with the Sedins (or at least bump Burrows out of that slot) he'll also be entrusted with oodles of power play time and, just as important, to impart Stanley Cup wisdom from his time in Detroit to a bunch of guys who have never touched that big silver cup. All of that from a guy that Detroit fans recall fondly as a streaky player with defensive liabilities. I love it when a plan comes together!

There's Less Of You To Love
Three lords of the buffet - Kyle Wellwood, Steve Bernier and Shane O'Brien - had their own individual problems last year, but their weight was one of the biggest (rimshot!). After Gills patiently resigned all three (very patiently with Pudge we must say) he must have left them a post-it note regarding their, um, magnitude of force that must be applied in order to support them in earth's gravitational field. All three seemed to have heeded the boss' decree: Pudge is down 20 pounds, Bernier dropped 15 and SOB is reportedly in the best shape of his life.

From Russia With An Ample Amount of Love
Sergei Shirokov has gone from literally a no name player just a few months ago to reminding people of Pavel Bure (no pressure at all). But for a guy who was locked in obscurity over in the KHL to have such a litigious summer only to land on the shores of Vancouver and blow everyone away with his play is the best feel-good story of the preseason. If he makes the cut, odds are he'll quickly become a fan favorite, forcing people out of their sushi-encrusted lower bowl seats to their feet in a single breakaway. But, if he does make the roster is that bad news for...

Oh Noes Coho
...Mr. Cody Hodgson? The odds-on favorite prospect who had such a sick year last season has stumbled badly out of the gate at the NHL level. First he got injured. Then when he started getting in games the results have been less than inspiring. With the emergence of Shirokov and the strong play of bubble players like Mason Raymond and Jannik Hansen, it's now possible to see Cody getting cut or playing nine NHL games before being returned to juniors (Brampton). 1:45 PM ET Update: That's exactly what happened; Hodgson has been returned to Brampton and is now ineligible to be called back up to the NHL for the rest of the season. Just goes to show ya: it ain't ever easy being a Vancouver Canuck first round draft pick. Just ask Michael Grabner and...

Bitch You're In My Seat
...Cory Schneider. Poor Schneids was picked in the first round back in 2004 and heralded as the goalie of the future. So far he's held his up his end of the bargain, helping the Canucks stay afloat when Luongo was hurt and winning the Aldedge "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the best goalie in the AHL last season. But with Luongo's lifetime contract, the question has flipped from "when" to "what" in regards to Schneider. Does he play back up this year so Gillis can show him off? Does Facepalm Raycroft outplay him and force another AHL season down his throat (update: yes, yes he does)? One thing's for certain: sooner or later Cory will be moved.

The Definition Of Wildcard
Rick Rypien has had some trouble staying healthy (and last year dealt with some off-ice issues as well). And now he has "the flu?" But when he's in the line-up, he provides the team with one of the best middle weights in the game on top a forward capable of some highlight reel offense (see defense exhibit A and defense exhibit B). As much of a fan favorite as Ripper has become, he's only played 41 games in four seasons, never eclipsing more than 22 games a season. Will this be the year his body remains intact and, if so, will he become a diamond in the rough type player like Burrows or will he be relied upon solely to make the Zack Stortini's of the world regret life?

Paging Dr. Feelgood
With Mats Sundin over in Europe enjoying married life (do Swedes put herring on the doorknob when they want privacy?) Vancouver elected to find someone even older to help them out: Mathieu Schneider. Father time has spent most of his summer rehabbing his shoulder following surgery at the end of last year and, to little surprise, will start the season on the IR. Joining him on the IR will be the often-injured Pavol Demitra who is recovering from some rotator cuff troubles. Get used to hearing those two names and IR together.

If Sami Salo joins them, that's your official Vancouver Canucks 2009-2010 drinking social. If (when?) all three are out with whatever vague upper or lower body ailments there are, you are hereby obliged to pound a beverage, walk yourself into the corner of the room and sob quietly least you wake the neighbors.

Prediction for 09-10 season
Mike the Yank says - First place in the Northwest, but they'll need to gel as a group quickly and survive the league's longest road trip in the process (puke). The forward ranks are easier on the eyes, I'm loving the injection of youth and the fact Bernier and Wellwood came to camp ready to prove their critics wrong. I also dig our defense will be firing cannons left, right and center and even if a more offensive-minded blueline leads to some defensive lapses, we got 12 more years of "no fucking way" saves courtesy of the captain. But the roster isn't that deep: a key injury here or there will cause some major problems. And a Sedin or Luongo-level injury would be a disaster. If the secondary support from Kesler, Samuelsson, Burrows, Bernier, Demitra et all drys up, they won't keep pace with the elite in the West.

Sean says - A tight battle with the Flames for first spot in the Northwest with Vancouver barely holding the edge. 3rd in the West, possibly 2nd. If Luongo's groin fails him again, all bets are off and I become an alcoholic. Personally, I'm expecting great things from Lou and this team this year. Drop the damned puck already!

See other Vancouver previews from Mirtle, Puck Daddy, TSN, ~~ESPN~~ (just kidding) The Hockey News, and Sportsnet.

Poll

Where will Vancouver finish in the Western Conference for the 2009-2010 season?

1

63 votes

2

135 votes

3

131 votes

4

27 votes

5

16 votes

6

10 votes

7

5 votes

8

4 votes

9

0 votes

10

1 votes

11

1 votes

12

0 votes

13

1 votes

14

0 votes

15

3 votes

397 votes | Poll has closed

Ducks & Canucks. Again!

Yankee Canuck — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:04:56 -0000

Here we go. Game will be on canucks.com again starting at 7:00 PM PT.

Proposed lines via the Province are as follows, including Pudge centering the big kids on the second line and the return of the All-Swede top line:

Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Mikael Samuelsson

Michael Grabner - Kyle Wellwood - Cody Hodgson

Rick Rypien - Mark Parrish - Mario Bliznak

Tanner Glass - Ryan Johnson - Matt Pope

Willie Mitchell - Sami Salo

Aaron Rome - Shane O'Brien

Christian Ehrhoff - Michael Funk

Andrew Raycroft

The team also tweeted before that AV has made some more cuts. More updates on that and anything gameday related will be posted as they pop up.

3:10 PM ET Update - Ahh, there's them cuts. The Scatchard experiment ends abruptly. Here are the victims:

Yann Sauve - Sent back to St. John, QMJHL

Taylor Ellington - Sent down to Manitoba

Pierre-Cedric Labrie - Sent down to Manitoba

Evan Oberg - Sent down to Manitoba

Eric Walsky - Sent down to Manitoba

Daren Machesney - Sent down to Manitoba

Travis Ramsey - Sent down to Manitoba

Ronald Petrovicky - Released

Dave Scatchard - Released

4:03 PM ET Update -Good news for the cap problems as both Demitra and Schneider (Mathieu that is) hit the LTIR. The question now is...how long before Salo joins them?

2009-2010 NHL Season Preview: Dallas Stars

Brandon Worley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:22:57 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

Brad Richards hopes to lead a revitalized Dallas Stars back to the NHL playoffs.

Browse more photos »

SB Nation is showcasing a special feature for the next week or so as every site manager in the network will be writing a season preview for their respective teams. James Mirtle will also review each team over at his site, From the Rink. It is Dallas' turn today, so be sure to head over there to see what James has to say and to vote where you think the Stars will end up in the Western Conference this season.

The Stars will also be featured on SB Nation's NHL page, which features updated, breaking hockey stories all day long. If you have not checked that out yet, it is worth a look see. (Shameless plug: I'm one of the editors for the new SBNation.com)

Most of the following information we have been discussing all summer, but it's time to put it all together for an official preview.

Season preview after the jump.

Overview:

Last season the Dallas Stars failed to make to make the playoffs for the just the third time since moving to Dallas, and the first time since 2002. A team that had entered the season with high expectations faltered out of the gates, leading to a deep hole in the standings the Stars fought to get out of all season. The Stars rallied around each other and behind some magical play by Marty Turco, made a big run in the Western Conference going from 15th to 4th in a matter of two months. Yet injuries and an exhausted and overworked Turco ultimately led to a late-season collapse, and the Stars found themselves watching the playoffs in April.

Owner Tom Hicks, acting on his own and determined to get things turned around, hired Joe Nieuwendyk to replace Les Jackson and Brett Hull as the General Manager of the Stars. It was a decision that caught everyone by surprise, but it was Nieuwendyk's first move that really shook the organization to its foundation. Believing that sweeping change was needed Dave Tippett was fired and replaced with Marc Crawford, a coach whose style was nearly the opposite of his predecessor.

Now the Stars face a season with more questions to be answered than they have in a long time. Can the Stars improve and succeed with a more uptempo offensive system? Will Brenden Morrow be healthy and ready to lead his team again? Is Brad Richards ever going to live up to the high standards set forth by his salary, and what the Stars gave up to get him? How will Marty Turco perform following the worst NHL season of his career?

In a few weeks, these questions will begin to be answered.

Who's in:

Alex Auld, Karlis Skrastins, Jeff Woywitka

Who's out:

Steve Begin, Joel Lundqvist, Brendan Morrison, Mark Parrish, Tobias Stephan, Darryl Sydor, Sergei Zubov

Team Strengths:

Goaltender: When he is confident and focused, Marty Turco is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. Two seasons in a row he proved that he is capable of carrying a team in the playoffs, and is still the best puck-moving goalie around. His ability to negate the opposition's forecheck, while firing a long and accurate pass up ice is a level of play every team wish they had.

Alex Auld provides the most proven backup Marty Turco has had in a very long time, and will provide the Stars with the ability to rest their starter and not overwork him like last season. He also has the ability to push Turco to play better, since the team will feel confident riding him for several games in a row if Turco falters.

Defense: The Stars will continue to have a young yet talented group of defensemen that played incredibly well two seasons ago. Despite a rocky season one year ago, this defense should improve and become more consistent under the tutelage of Charlie Huddy. Karlis Skrastins provides great veteran leadership on the blue line and is one of the more underrated defensemen in the leage. Many have compared him to Richard Matvichuk in his ability to block shots, a trait this Stars defense has lacked for several years.

Forwards: The biggest strength of this team, the Stars have a stable of solid and talented forwards. Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro form one the most dangerous tandems in the league, while Mike Modano is perhaps the best third line center in the Western Conference. Yet it's the proposed second line combination of James Neal, Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson that will really give the opposition the most trouble. This preseason the trio has terrorized opposing teams and is improving their chemistry daily. A revitalized and healthy Richards will provide great motivation and energy for those around him.

Special teams: This team has the ability to have several shutdown units on the penalty kill. Steve Ott, Toby Petersen, Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen provide excellent defensive play among the forwards, while Skrastins brings experience and leadership to the PK among the defensemen.

Coaching: Currently, its unknown what this coaching staff can do. So far in the preseason, we've seen some good signs. The Stars rebounded from a poor showing in Colorado to get a solid road victory over a very good St. Louis team. The Stars seem willing and ready to play hard for their new coach. Overall though, this grade is incomplete.

General Manager: Joe Nieuwendyk has shown that he will not hesitate to do what he thinks is right for this organization. He made a very tough decision to not re-sign Sergei Zubov, who was a former teammate and great personal friend. He fired Dave Tippett, which was not a popular move among the Stars faithful earlier this summer. Both tough, but what he felt were needed decisions to make.

Team Weaknesses:

Goaltender: Marty Turco is coming off his worst season in his NHL career, in which he was worn down and reportedly had several feuds with goaltending coach Andy Moog. It's unknown how he will respond, especially considering he is the final year of his contract. At 34, he is nearing the end of the prime years of his career.

Defense: Young, inconsistent and now learning a new system. The Stars failed to significantly upgrade their blue line this summer and the defense will be their biggest question mark all season long.

Forwards: Mike Modano is in what is most like the final season of his NHL career and while he's still healthy and able, he's not the prolific player he once was. Jere Lehtinen has also had trouble staying on the ice in recent years and with the Stars having a lack of right-handed wingers, his health is key to a well-rounded group of forwards.

Special Teams: Without a true power play "quarterback", the Stars have struggled mightily to score with the man advantage. Crawford will try to strategies and systems on the PP, but until the Stars prove they can sore consistently when given the chance this will remain the team's biggest weakness.

Depth Chart:

Forwards:

Morrow, Ribeiro, Brunnstrom
Neal, Richards, Eriksson
Ott, Modano, Lehtinen
Sutherby, Petersen, Barch
Benn, Wandell, Sawada

Defense:

Daley, Robidas
Skastins, Niskanen
Fistric, Grossman
Woywitka, Hutchinson
Vishnevskiy, Larsen

Goalies:

Turco
Auld
Climie
Krahn

Prediction:

There is no way to accurately predict this team will respond to a new coach, a new system and a brand new atmosphere being implemented by Joe Nieuwendyk. On one hand, this is a talented and driven group of hockey players that can win on any given night and be dominant, especially with Marty Turco in net. On the other, this is also a team that is not overwhelmingly deep on defense and has many questions to answer after such a disappointing season last year. With Anaheim and San Jose doing their best to improve, the Stars will have nearly the same team on October 3, 2009 as the did one year ago. Whether that's good or bad is the big question.

If this team stays healthy and Brenden Morrow continues to be the leader we all know him to be, this team has all the ability to make the playoffs. My prediction: 5th in the Western Conference.

What do you think?

Poll

Where in the Western Conference standings do you think the Dallas Stars will finish in the 2009-2010 season?

1

14 votes

2

12 votes

3

21 votes

4

50 votes

5

65 votes

6

56 votes

7

29 votes

8

7 votes

9

6 votes

10

7 votes

11

2 votes

12

0 votes

13

2 votes

14

0 votes

15

1 votes

272 votes | Poll has closed

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Dallas Stars

James Mirtle — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:00:17 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Browse more photos »

Who's in: Alex Auld, Karlis Skrastins, Jeff Woywitka
Who's out: Steve Begin, Joel Lundqvist, Brendan Morrison, Mark Parrish, Tobias Stephan, Darryl Sydor, Sergei Zubov

Outlook: Much like the Avalanche, the Stars are a relatively new franchise that's enjoyed a lot of recent success but which is in for a bit of a rough stretch.

Owner Tom Hicks, one of a few in financial distress these days, canned two-headed GM monster Les Jackson and Brett Hull in early June and handed the reins to former Stars star Joe Nieuwendyk, a rookie GM only two seasons removed from life as an NHL player. Nieuwendyk's first call in the hot seat was a controversial one, as he turfed long-time head coach Dave Tippett and brought in Marc "Crow" Crawford to attempt to turn things around.

In terms of on-ice personnel, the losses weren't overwhelming, although Sergei Zubov signed in the KHL and a handful of other depth players exited stage left as the team's budget was heavily slashed. The inbox wasn't exactly overflowing either as Karlis Skrastins constituted Nieuwendyk's big buy in free agency. He also pulled off a savvy deal to bring in Alex Auld as Marty Turco's backup, rectifying one of the real faux pas of the two-headed era by giving his No. 1 some support.

Dallas should improve tremendously in goal if nowhere else after finishing 29^th in team save percentage last time around, although the same cast of middling defenders returns in front of Turco, and Crawford is known as anything but a defensive wizard.

Having captain Brenden Morrow in the fold full-time should also do wonders for the team's goal scoring ability, however, and that alone will make the Stars at least a bubble candidate to return to the postseason.

X-factor: Marty Turco

For a more in-depth stars preview, visit Defending Big D
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Stars finish in the Western Conference this season?

1

6 votes

2

2 votes

3

3 votes

4

7 votes

5

18 votes

6

19 votes

7

23 votes

8

18 votes

9

28 votes

10

39 votes

11

25 votes

12

23 votes

13

8 votes

14

6 votes

15

12 votes

237 votes | Poll has closed

Will Hodgson Make His Debut Tonight Against The Sharks?

Sean Zandberg — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:08:35 -0000

UPDATE 1:28 PM: The Vancouver Sun reports that Sergei Shirokov will play with the Twins tonight. The Canucks are loving the fact that Shirok loves to shoot the puck a lot and are giving him a big chance here. Love it!

Other lines:

Rick Rypien-Jannik Hansen-Guillame Desbiens, Dave Scatchard-Mark Parrish-Alex Burrows, and Marco Bliznak-Pierre-Cedric Labrie- Eric Walsky.

The defence: Willie Mitchell-Yann Sauve, Christian Ehrhoff-Taylor Ellington and Shane O'Brien-Nolan Baumgartner.

This roster conflicts the Canucks.com roster preview.

Cody Hodgson is supposed to be ready to play by tomorrow night.

From Canucks.com:

Vancouver’s roster for Friday night will be drastically different than the one that upended Anaheim. Canucks regulars scheduled to play include Alex Burrows, Alex Edler, Willie Mitchell, Sami Salo and Daniel and Henrik Sedin, although the name that is generating the most excitement is Cody Hodgson.
Alongside Mario Bliznak, Guillaume Desbiens, Eric Walsky and Sergei Shirokov, Hodgson is a prospect who could be in the line-up Friday that is looking to make an impact in hopes of surviving the next round of cuts.

The preview mentions Christian Ehrhoff playing against his former team. Andrew Raycroft reportedly will play the whole game and Daren Machesny will back him up. Let's see what Rayzor is made of!

For the Sharks: No Thornton, Heatley, Malhotra, Boyle or Setoguchi. More on that here.

Game Time: 7:30 pm PST

TV: Nope. Streamed on Canucks.com

Tracking the NHL's training camp tryouts

James Mirtle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:03:22 -0000

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Hey James,

Just wanted to suggest a post on what NHL players have accepted training camp tryouts (and where!) and which players are still on the outs. It's a pretty new phenomenon that established NHLers are having now to claw their way back into the league... I know the Canucks want to run a competitive camp and have invited guys... Who else is picking up with what teams? Are they long shots or reasonable bets to get a contract?

Thanks,

Geoff

There are a lot of these guys this year, aren't there? The salary cap crunch is obviously worse than it has been the past few years and many players simply missed out in the game of musical chairs that went on in free agency.

Here's a look at all of the players with NHL experience I could find on tryouts this year, sorted by their likelihood of catching on:

Decent bets:

Petr Sykora, Wild
Blair Betts, Flyers
Brett McLean, Lightning

Healthy scratch or AHL bound:

Theoren Fleury, Flames
Ryan Bayda, Penguins
Mark Parrish, Canucks
Manny Legace, Thrashers
Darryl Sydor, Blues
Mathieu Dandenault, Sharks
Dan Fritsche, Thrashers
Shawn Bates, Avalanche
Martin Skoula, Panthers
Andy Hilbert, Wild
Alexei Semenov, Rangers
Mark Popovic, Thrashers

Long shots to sign:

Andrew Peters, Devils
Jason Allison, Maple Leafs
Kyle Calder, Ducks
Dan Cloutier, Red Wings
Christian Backman, Panthers
Dave Scatchard, Canucks
Mike York, Panthers
Jared Aulin, Blue Jackets
Mark Bell, Flyers
Jassen Cullimore, Ducks

No hope:

Dan Hinote, Sharks
Keith Carney, Canucks (ret.)
Ronald Petrovicky, Canucks

Players without a tryout:

Robert Lang, Manny Malhotra, Dominic Moore, Jassen Cullimore, Miroslav Satan, Michael Peca, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Francis Bouillon, Rob Niedermayer, Bret Hedican, Eric Perrin, Maxim Afinogenov, Mats Sundin, Chris Chelios

Canucks-Islanders Preseason Game 1 Open Thread

Sean Zandberg — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:27 -0000

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"Oh yeah! Hockey is back!"

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GAME TIME: 7:30 PST

TV: Sportsnet, NHL.com, MSG, and streamed live at Canucks.com

UPDATE: 2:41 PM: Pelletier has lots of photos of the Canucks arriving in Terrace, the autograph hounds, and team practice photos up on his site. Geez, Woody, crack a smile. He looks like someone insulted his mother.

UPDATE 1:52 PM: Rejoice! Rick Rypien is saying he's 100% mentally and physically.

UPDATE: 11:02 AM: The official Canucks roster for tonight is:

Goalies: Andrew Raycroft and Corey Schneider.

Defensemen:: Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell, Aaron Rome, Brad Lukowich, Nolan Baumgartner, Yann Sauve, Shane O'Brien and Evan Oberg.

Forwards: Dave Scatchard, Ronald Petrovicky, Jannik Hansen, Rick Rypien, Michael Grabner, Kyle Wellwood, Alexandre Bolduc, Eric Walsky, Guillaume Desbiens, Mario Bliznak, Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Sergei Shirokov.

Tip to Brian Compton who is blogging the event at NHL.com.

UPDATE: 10:45 AM: The Canucks' plane circled the Terrace airport for a while and couldn't land because of the heavy fog. They have officially landed though. No Luongo. We knew that already. Tip to Joe Pelletier, who's texting me these updates.

Also, a few Canucks were on stage at the Canadian Country Music Awards at GM Place last night. The Province has that picture as well as an article on the Sedins calling Samuelsson a dirty player. Samuelsson may get top line duty after all. Not 100% yet. Is he the next Anson Carter? I'm still stuck on giving Burrows a shot there, but he may be moving to line 2.

UPDATE: 8:20 AM: Great article on Mark Parrish at the Province today. He was "giddy" when the Canucks came calling, but is a roster spot possible for this guy?

UPDATE: 12:43 AM: Grandpa (I mean Mathieu Schneider's) first blog at CDC. Know how to use a keyboard, Matt? No way in hell Schneider or Hodgson play as both are recovering from shoulder injuries/surgeries. I'm anticipating seeing Sergei Shirokov play perhaps with Wellwood.

-Yes Mitchell, the fishing is prime up here in Northern BC. Now, don't suck! Wellwood: Get an atlas and get to know your BC geography!

-Tick tock. Tick tock goes the Sundin clock. No word from Mats as training camp has begun. Mike Gillis gave "Sudden" a TC deadline and that has passed. Is it all but over for Sundin, or would Gillis backtrack and let him return at a later date?

Come and hang out here all day (and night) for the Canucks' first preseason game in Terrace, BC.

So it begins. There is so much to be settled with the Canucks' roster from the goaltending out. That is what preseason is for. Hat tip to Missy for providing the veteran Canucks roster for tonight's game:

Offense: Sergei Shirokov, Mario Bliznak, Robert Petrovicky, Michael Grabner, Kyle Wellwood, Guillam Desbiens, Rick Rypien
Defense:Willie Mitchell, Kevin Bieksa, Brad Lukowich, Nolan Baumgartner, Michael Funk, Lawrence Nycholat, Evan Oberg, Shane O’Brien
Goaltending: Andrew Raycroft and Cory Schneider (No Luongo=no surprise. The Canucks need a long and hard look at who warms the bench during Lou's games played.)

Tip to Joe Pelletier for finding the basic Islanders' lineup:

Forwards: Jon Sim, Tim Jackman, Jeff Tambellini, Nate Thompson, Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey, Sean Bentivoglio, Matt Moulson, Greg Moore, Greg Mauldin, Trevor Smith, Jeremy Reich.

Defenseman: Andy Sutton, Jack Hillen, Mark Flood, Andrew MacDonald, Dustin Kohn, Freddy Meyer

Goalies- Scott Munroe, Nathan Lawson
Right, not the biggest names for game 1 in a Hockeyville town, but it's preseason.

We'll keep you updated all day with further roster updates and news as the day goes along.

Mark Parrish Invited To Canucks' Camp / Return of Theo / Mathieu Schneider Interview

Sean Zandberg — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:44:36 -0000

That according to TSN. Parrish, Petrovicky, Scatchard. Yawn. Parrish is having a hard time finding a home these days. Getting some deja-vu on the Parrish and Canucks story? Well last August the Canucks were interested in signing the streaky one if the Sundin plan failed, according to TSN. More on that old story (and Parrish's streakiness) here. Those that believe in Mark shall Parrish and have eternal strife. On a positive note, Parrish was part of the deal that sent Roberto Luongo to Florida back in 2000. Luongo and Olli Jokinen for Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. Beauty. So we should welcome him with open arms here in Vancouver. He was an indirect part of our history.

In more intriguing news, our hated enemiy, the Calgary Flames have invited recently re-instated Theo Fleury to their camp.
I know Theo has had problems in the past, but HE would have been fun to watch at a Canucks camp. Gutsy little guy. Let's see how he fares in Calgary.

-------------------------

Check outthis interview with Mathieu Schneider, as he talks about his potential role with the Canucks, his injury, his time with Atlanta and Montreal last season, etc. Seems like a great guy who is going to bring a lot to this team on and off the ice.

Pick The Rival: The Atlantic Division

Yankee Canuck — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:09:50 -0000

One rival down, five to go.

Now we turn our scopes on the Atlantic, home of the current Cup champs as well as the two teams that have beaten Vancouver in their best opportunities at said shiny Cup.

Do come with as we take a look at back at a time when Cloutier played better than Brodeur, recall why hating Mike Milbury is good for the soul, revel in the highs and lows of 1994 and fail to explain why there's so much animosity when there's a Pennsylvania team on the other end of the ice.

New Jersey Devils

Franchise Record: 99GP, 51W, 31L, 17T, 0OTL, 119pts

The Devils don't swing around to GM Place too often (only three times this decade: 2001, 2007 and 2009). With Team Canada's anointed goalies involved folks tend to focus mainly on the netminders: in 2007 the Canucks blew out Martin Brodeur and last season the Devils returned the favor by obliterating Jason LaBarbera and Curtis Sanford. Going back to 2005-06, Brodeur bested Alex Auld 3-0 and, in 2003-04, Dan Cloutier outlasted Brodeur 4-0 (sheesh).

The teams hooked up for a big trade back in 2000 when Alexander Mogilny (who still holds the franchise record for most assists by a right winger) got swapped for Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson. A decent trade for both sides as Mogilny would help the Devils win the Cup that season and Morrison would serve as the team's #1 center for several seasons, though it's debatable if B-Mo was built for such a role.

Fun fact: Last year Vancouver and New Jersey had similar issues: along with both premiere goalies going down with injuries, they each won the geriatric free agency sweepstakes (Sundin and Shanahan) and both pried away former Wild wingers (Demitra and Rolston). Amazingly Vancouver won out on both ends of this: Demitra not only had more points than Rolston (53 to 32 respectively) but appeared in five more games. Sundin had 28 points in 41 games while Shanahan had 13 points in 34 games.

And now, for no particular reason, here's Gino Odjick fighting Mike Peluso:

New York Islanders

Franchise Record: 97GP, 36W, 46L, 13T, 2OTLs, 87pts

It's impossible to think about the Canucks and Islanders without revisiting the first ever bi-coastal Stanley Cup finals in 1982. Ignoring their poor regular season, Stan Smyl, Tiger Williams and the rest of the boys bulldozed over the Flames, Kings and Hawks to get Vancouver's first-ever appearance in the SCF. Sadly, Mike Bossy's side of the ice wouldn't be denied their third Cup in a row and dispatched Vancouver in four straight (Bossy himself was plain sick, scoring seven goals in the sweep and winning the Conn Smythe).

But if 1982 still burns deep in your memory I have two words for you: Mike Milbury. No stranger to diabolically poor trades, Milbury OK'ed the 1998 deal that sent Trevor Linden away for Todd Bertuzzi, Brian McCabe and a third round pick (who became Jarkko Ruutu). As you undoubtedly know by now, Bertuzzi eventually became Luongo (who Milbury also traded in 2000 along with Oli Jokinen for noted stalwarts Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha) and McCabe became Henrik Sedin. Linden only played one full season on the Island and returned in a separate trade to Vancouver three years later.

Today Milbury has set his sights higher, ruining hockey for another generation of fans while standing next to Pierre McGuire on NBC broadcasts. But, hey, at least he has a fan page ('one of a kind' indeed).

Fun fact: If you're up to it, relive 1982 all over again:

New York Rangers

Franchise Record: 108GP, 29W, 71L, 8T, 0OTL, 66pts

~~I'm not sure~~ I know I can't I can be objective here. There's simply no shortage of bad luck, bloated contracts and failed promises that can inflict enough short and long term damage on the Rangers and their fans that would keep me content. Part of this is because I fell in love with this sport and this team during their 1994 run; another part is being subjected to Rangers media (looking at you Larry Brooks) and scores of their fan base - some of which need to be taught everything from your basic hockey 101 to the importance of deoderant - for far too long. A few years later the situation was worsened when Vancouver had to stomach the forgettable Messier years only to be followed afterward with fan favorites Pavel Bure and Markus Naslund last year slipping on the Rag blue.

It hasn't be all bad though. Watching a worn down Messier and a hobbled Eric Lindros simply whet the appetitie for the greater Sather errors in the shape of Holik, Trottier, Redden, Gomez and now Zherdev. Vancouver was also able to dispose of a dead weight R.J. Umberger (who didn't play for the Rags either) and deader weight Fedor Federov to the Rangers in two separate deals. And, if nothing else, you can smile that Vancouver has an 11-5 record over the Rangers since 1994, including last year's infinitely enjoyable 6-3 laugher at MSG. And to think they've tied much of their hopes to Gaborik now? Thank you Glen.

Fun fact: The recent advantage the Canucks have had aside, from a points percentage basis the Rangers have historically owned the Canucks. Only Montreal has taken more points from Vancouver than New York has in head to head match-ups.

And sure, let's digest some of 1994 SCF again, in order of the good, the bad and the downright ugly:

Philadelphia Flyers

Franchise Record: 108GP, 27W, 66L, 13T, 2OTLs, 69pts

The quick eye will note that the Flyers have owned the Canucks to a similar degree that the Rangers have. In fact if you ignore the Wild and Thrashers then it's Vancouver who the Flyers have had the best points percentage domination over in their history. The past decade alone Vancouver is 3-7 against Philly with two OTL's. You need only go back to 2007-08 season where a visiting Flyers team put a 8-2 pile of hurt on Vancouver, complete with Ben Eager running amok (I know, shocking) and Jesse Boulerice trying to decapitate Ryan Kesler. Clearly, Philly's new vertical elbows will be right at home.

Fun fact: Some folks were chatting recently about the best Canuck fighters and Donald Brashear was right up there. So it's typical that it was the Flyers who received the Brash back in 2002 in exchange for Jan Hlavac and a 3rd round draft pick. The Brash would go on to keep fighting (often to hilarious proportions) while Hlavac turned out to be pretty useless. Also rendered useless was my Canucks Brashear jersey. Sigh.

Speaking of fisticuffs, please enjoy this 1981 clip of Tiger Williams and Bobby Clarke (sooo much yellow in this clip too. Go Flying V!):

Pittsburgh Penguins

Franchise Record: 103GP, 35W, 56L, 11T, 1OTL, 82pts

If history is any indication, then Alex Burrows will eventually go the route of past pests Matt Cooke and Jarrko Ruutu and end up with a flightless bird on his chest in a few seasons. The Pens hold the historical edge, but the Canucks have done better recently, running up a 6-3-1-1record against Pittsburgh since 1998. We can also travel back to March 20, 1996 when Pittrsbugh GM Craig Patrick thought so highly of Alek Stojanov that he was worth some chump named Markus Naslund, a move Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated (I know, I know) called the worst trade in NHL history back in 2003 (far before the Luongo trade).

Similar to Philadelphia, there's an unusual amount of hate between these teams who rarely see one another. First, anyone remember the Canucks first game against Crosby in 2006? Bryan Allen and others spent 60 minutes pulverizing him (see Bob McKenzie's take at the time). Clearly not an original idea, but it laid the ground work for their 2007 meeting in which both teams combined for almost 40 PIMs (and Kris Letang scored the game winner in the SO) and their 2008 meeting where both teams combined for 108 PIMs and Matt Cooke along with Jannik Hansen were ejected 25 seconds into the first.

Fun fact: Crosby has 1G, 0A, -3 and 6 PIMs lifetime against Vancouver (only talking three games here). His one goal was against Alex Auld back in 2007, so outside of silly All Star events, he has yet to beat Robetro Luongo when it counts. His best chance was two seasons ago when Aaron Miller hauled him down during the OT:

Poll

Who is Vancouver's biggest Atlantic division rival?

New Jersey Devils

13 votes

New York Islanders

4 votes

New York Rangers

159 votes

Philadelphia Flyers

34 votes

Pittsburgh Penguins

18 votes

228 votes | Poll has closed