The Saga of Mats continues. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports:

Free-agent center Mats Sundin has declared his interest in playing for the Rangers this season, well-connected sources have told The Post.

J.P. Barry, who represents the elite, 37-year-old former Toronto pivot, has been in constant communication with Rangers front-office personnel this week, The Post has learned, though the conversations have not reached the stage of a contract negotiation.

This comes as no surprise to those of use who have been following the story all summer. Lighter travel schedule, bright lights of New York, and now the opportunity to play with Naslund are all reasons for him to go there. The article gets a little more interesting, though:

We're told Sundin, who recorded 78 points (32-46) last season, has no interest in returning to the Maple Leafs, who have offered him a one-year, $7M contract to re-up. Sundin apparently has negligible interest in joining Montreal, which has been chasing him since February, or Vancouver, which has offered a two-year, $20M deal.

Indeed, sources report that No. 13's second choice is Philadelphia, whose GM, Paul Holmgren, has been aggressive in his pursuit of the first-line center who could swing the balance of power in the East.

Emphasis mine. If that's really true, and I get the feeling it probably is, then Mike Gillis must feel about as low as a snake's ass in a tire track. He takes over a team whose fans seem apprehensive about his hiring. He quickly promises change and proceeds to make several mediocre-at-best additions. The Demitra signing (which I would not define as mediocre!) could turn out to be a beauty, but the one Big Fish that Gillis goes after balks at an offer that would pay him the highest salary in the NHL.

It seems clear now that Sundin must have negligible interest in playing with Vancouver. There can be no other reason why he would refuse such a financial windfall - unless he really does decide to hang 'em up. How long of a honeymoon does the guy need? Anyone can see through that excuse.

But now Gillis has really placed himself in a bind, by offering such a staggering contract to a 37 year old.

Can the Rangers afford Sundin though? Continuing from the NY Post:

But GM Glen Sather faces a daunting challenge in reconstructing the roster in order to fit Sundin under the cap, and would almost certainly have to dilute his defense in order to do so.

Assuming Sundin would be willing to play for between $5-7M, the Blueshirts would almost certainly have to move defenseman Michal Rozsival, who re-signed on July 1 for $5M per for four years.

The problem, however, is that the Rangers have only six NHL defensemen on their roster - including Rozsival.

Watch Sundin sign for $6 million in New York! Ha! That would definitely be a huge kick in the nuts to Canuck fans, and a big middle finger to Mike Gillis. The optimistic part of me simply doesn't see Sundin as a Ranger next season. But I wouldn't put it past Sather to find a way to nab him.

As I'm sure Sean will remind me endlessly when I see him next, the bet I made with him regarding Sundin's signing was "no later than August 15th". I was certain he'd be a Canuck by now. Alas, my predictive abilities are only slightly less accurate than a magic 8-ball.

But at least magic 8-balls are amusing.

I'm no longer amused by the Sundin Saga.

T Tags: Mats+Sundin+to+Rangers Mats+Sundin+to+Flyers Sundin+not+interested+in+Canucks+Canadiens NY Post Larry Brooks rumor

One of the more creative uses for the Stanley Cup, I suppose.

Tomas Holmstrom had his day with the Stanley Cup on Friday, and he let his cousin use it as a baptismal font for a christening.

Holmstrom suggested the idea to his cousin, Robert Sundstrom, who baptized his seven-week-old daughter Alva Felicia during a private ceremony outside Holmstrom's hometown of Pitea in northern Sweden.

"Tomas came up with the idea when we were sitting in his summer cabin kitchen a week ago," Sundstrom said. "Me and my wife thought it would be fun to christen our daughter in such a priceless object."

I'm shocked and offended by this action. As a spiritually-minded and tradition-keeping man, I feel as though this mocking of a religious sacrament should not go unpunished. Imagine what the heroes of our faith, and the icons of our history would say if they were to see such an event. Divine punishment may occur if this situation is not rectified.

The Stanley Cup deserves better. Lord Fredrick's gift should not be mocked.
Holmstrom must repent!

The NHL has announced the location of the 2009 Winter Classic.

A pair of Original Six teams will square off outdoors as the Chicago Blackhawks host the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day 2009, a game to be broadcast by Hockey Night in Canada.

If the old Chicago Stadium was loud in its heyday, imagine what 42,000 screaming Hawks fans (rejuvenated by their off-season acquisitions) could sound like? I love the fact that it is two original six teams. I love the fact it is at the hallowed Wrigley Field. I love the fact that NBC has agreed to broadcast the game as well!

The game follows the successful 2008 edition at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored the deciding shootout goal in a 2-1 win over the Sabres on a snowy day in front of nearly 72,000 fans.

The game was watched on the CBC by the second-largest audience ever for an afternoon NHL game. It was also the most watched regular season game in the United States in over a decade.

(emphasis mine)

Can you imagine if the Hawks are contending for the Norris Central Division lead with the Wings - which seems likely for the first time in forever - the hype for this game could be astronomical.

Ty Conklin of Detroit could have the unique experience of taking part in all three recent outdoor NHL contests. He was a member of Edmonton and then Pittsburgh for the previous two games.

Hilarious!

I'm really looking forward to this game. I wonder if both teams will wear classic uniforms? Seems likely I would say. I also think the novelty is going to wear off of these outdoor games eventually. But this one seems sure to impress.

Has anyone else seen the weekly poll on the Canucks.com website? I took a screen-cap and cropped it, in case they take it down. They really should take it down. If you are a Vancouver Canucks fan, this will probably make your heart sink even further.



I think this is the part where I sigh. Who the hell at Canucks.com comes up with this stuff? If it wasn't so sad, I'd be laughing my ass off. Like the fans of other teams in the NW division are laughing. At us.

Sorry to bump your post down, bud, but I couldn't just let this one go.

INSTANT UPDATE: So yeah, uhhh, 1400 of the Canucks faithful have actually voted in this poll. Who is in the lead, you ask?



It's all so wonderful. Really.

Hockey? What hockey? There are still games being played?

This past week I was working at the Kemess mine site. It's only 260 kilometres north of Smithers, but it takes thirteen friggin' hours to drive there, since you have to go 370 km east to Prince George, 150 km north to Mackenzie, then 380 kilometres northwest down a gravel road to get there. We sent a crew up there in a van last Thursday to begin work. On Tuesday, an employee and I flew in on a Northern Thunderbird aircraft to relieve them, and they flew out the same day. We then continued working for the rest of the week, and set out on the long drive on Saturday morning. 380 kilometres from the mine to the town of Mackenzie may not seem like a super long haul, but when you consider the fact they are radio-controlled gravel roads which are almost exclusively single-lane (with pull-outs), it is quite daunting for a rookie like me.



As you can see, on the drive home I had to go in a 1000 kilometre tilted letter "U" from the mine to Smithers, when it would have only been about a 4 hour drive if I could go in a straight line*!

At any rate, I though I'd post some pictures I took while I was there, and a couple from the long journey home through the wilderness. One of the jobs while I was there involved climbing onto the roof of the kitchen and dining hall to access the Range Hood stacks. The weather was fantastic and I couldn't help but snap a few pictures.















I also got some pictures of a Euclid dump truck. These things are monstrously huge.







These things are 26 feet high and something like 32 feet wide. They typically haul 250 tons of ore in that massive bucket! The man in the photo is Garry, and he is about 5"8'. You can see just how large those trucks really are.

On the way home, the scenery was quite something. I've been a "northern boy" almost my entire life, and yet some of the sites amazed even me. This first picture was taken maybe fifty kilometres from the mine.



There were many single-lane bridges we had to cross over creeks and streams. The craziest of which was this one over the Omineca River:





This was the view from the bridge.



Errr, don't look down...




I had never been to Mackenzie before, but there is a really cool-lookin' causeway built over Williston Lake.



Here is a more panoramic image taken by a guy named Mike Leznoff.

It was a really good week of work, and a great trip home. The next time I do any work at the Huckleberry mine, I'll bring my camera and snag some pictures as well.

*Apparently there are deactivated roads that can hook up with the main line to Kemess, but I'm not much of an explorer and I'm not interested in taking my work van down an unmaintained road! Also, there is a back road from Fort St James that would probably cut an hour or two off the drive, but for the same reason as above we didn't take it.

The Detroit Red Wings are headed to the second round, after defeating the offensively-challenged (and depleted) Nashville Predators. Dan Hamhuis logged an impressive 21:29 of ice time and had five hits, but finished the game a -2. The Bulkley Valley weeps as the hometown hero returns after another first round exit.

And what the hell is it with Nik Lidstrom and his shots from centre ice? Geeeeez, that brought back some terrible memories.



Poor Dan Ellis. That kid faced a crazy amount of shots this series, but has nothing to show for his efforts. The Preds shouldn't have to worry about goaltending for the next couple years.

Yeah, I'd say so.

That's some pretty fantastic photoshopping going on there. Hat tip to Jay Jardine, via facebook.

With all apologies to Zanstorm for pushing his post down the page (though who really wants to see that photoshopped diver...), there is breaking news out of Vancouver today.

Dave Nonis has been fired and is no longer GM of the Vancouver Canucks.

Wow. This is not what I saw coming at all. My gut reaction is "terrible move!" because the Canucks will be shedding a boatload of salary and will be in good shape to sign some free agents. I'd like to see what Nonis would have done. The guy pulled off arguably the best deal in Canucks history by nabbing Luongo from Florida. It's a shame he had to be given the boot.

However.

He's had three years at the helm and the one recurring theme has been a lack of scoring. That's three years to address this issue, with nothing to show for it but guys like Rucinsky, Bulis, Smolinski, and Carney who aren't even here anymore.

Soooooo... Pat Quinn? Brian Burke? Or does Aquilini do like the Capitals Islanders owner and hire a back-up goalie as GM? Paging Frank Caprice!

T Tags: Dave+Nonis+fired Canucks

A different sort of playoff pool over at GenX at 40.

Pick five scorers, one goon, one goalie, eight teams and a dark horse.

* A point for a goal by a scorer.
* A point for an assist by a scorer.
* A point for a penalty minute by a goon. If your goon is kicked out of the playoffs and thereby the pool, you double the penalty minutes he has achieved to that point. The logic here is that the goon is a nut-bar. The later that he freaks and gets tossed for the balance of the playoffs, the more nut-bar like he is, the more he is the essential goon.
* A point for each thousandth save percentage over .900 by your goalie
* 5 points for picking each of the teams in the second, third and fourth rounds.
* 25 bonus points for picking the dark horse - the team with the lowest regular season points to go the farthest in the playoffs. The dark horse must be seeded in the lower half of their conference.

How can you resist?

And to think, it's all my fault he even decided to have one this year.

Fire the whole damned team.

Can't wait until next year.

Pretty much summing up how I've been feeling all day.

Nasa's newest robot leads us to Tuesday morning links!

The Flames have some 'splaining to do!

Even Oiler fans are stunned by the heroic exploits of the Canuck Legend, Trevor Linden.

And speaking of the man himself, here's a nice article on Linden written two days before he picked his team up on his shoulders and carried them to victory on the weekend.

And to wrap up a trifecta of Linden love, guess who said this: "I thought Ovechkin was out there tonight for us" about the Canuck Wonderboy.

The Team1040 has a poll on their sidebar asking if you think Brian Burke is the right choice to light the Olympic flame in 2010. The poll results thusfar may surprise you (or, they may not).

The "joys" of being a sports fan in Los Angeles. Suddenly I have a hankering to cheer for the Dodgers.

Heh: Curtis Glencross signs three-year contract for $750k a season and exclusive access to "the Glengarry leads."

Must be nice to know you're in the playoffs. Detroit and Vancouver have equally rotten fortunes when it comes to geography and travel schedules. Yergh.

For the Capitals, it really does come down to this. Ovechkin vs Crosby in the first round of the playoffs would be tremendous.

If the Canucks manage to eek out a victory tonight, I'll be gloating endlessly over at Tapeleg's place. Oh please let it be so!

More April Fool's gags around "teh intarwebs". Be sure to check the comment section of that post for a few others.

For the past month or so Zanstorm and I have been arguing about who we think is going to go deep in the Stanley Cup playoffs. My desire would be a Canucks/Sens or Canucks/Habs final, and not because I'm some kind of anti-american zealot. In fact, I have cheered for the American squad in each of the past three finals.

The Senators have developed the reputation of "Great in the regular season, Lousy in the playoffs", with much thanks going to the Leafs for beating them in three straight playoff series (2001, 2002, 2003). This reputation was largely correct until last season, when they waltzed through three Eastern conference opponents before being beaten by the Ducks in the Finals. This season has been quite a different story for the Sens though. After coming out of the gate in fantastic form, the team has flopped and floundered. They are certainly not a favorite going into the playoffs, and I think this may just be a good thing. Although it's impossible to not feel the pressure during the playoffs, no one is going to be expecting much of anything from Ottawa. While it's hard to think of them as a dark horse or a cinderella team, they may just have some surprises in store come next week.

On the flip side of this equations is the Montreal Canadiens. Not a lot of people (myself included) gave this team much chance of making the playoffs, let alone winning their division and challenging for the number 1 seed in the East. But as they continued their torrid pace through March, you can be sure the fans in Montreal started to anticipate great things for April, May, and June. Am I the only one outside the province of Quebec who thinks this team is still being overlooked?

Two different teams with two vastly different regular seasons (though separated by only six points, thanks Gary!). I think it would be quite the surprise to many if either team were to come out of the east.

Looking at the standings in the East, it is tough to really call one team a "dark horse" at all. There is a lot of that "parity" stuff going around the league, especially along the Atlantic coast. Even if Washington were to somehow squeak into the Playoffs, I wouldn't rule out a run by them (Kolzig has done it before, and I'd never count out a team that has Ovechkin). New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Boston, Carolina... even struggling Philly could do some damage. I wouldn't entirely rule out any of those teams come April 8th.

It all leads to the one team that Zany insists is heading to the Finals. The New York Rangers. For a long time I disagreed, citing their young goaltender, the lackluster playoff efforts of some of their players, their no-name defensive core, and the fact that it is the New York Rangers (1994 was a screw job! The fix was in!). But over the past two weeks I have really come around on the idea. Even when Jagr has an off-night, they have secondary scoring to pick up the pace. Lundqvist has been dynamite in net, and when he hasn't been, Valiquette has more than picked up the slack. Gomez and Drury have both proven to be playoff performers, and you've got Brendan Shanahan who is playing like he was born in 1979 rather than 1969. Combine that with a very serviceable blueline led by solid D-men like Mara, Rozsival, and Backman (and young studs like Staal and Girardi), and you've got the makings of a Cup contender.

A cup contender that no one seems to be talking much about.

Tonight's the big night for Zanstorm, as he skytrains his candy-ass to GM Place to Canucks face the Calgary Flames. Clearly it is "Go-Time" for the Canucks. Depending on how the Preds fare against the Wings (in an essentially meaningless game for Detroit), a win tonight could be the difference between keeping pace in the race for eighth and entrenching ourselves in ninth begging for help from other teams.

Now would be a fantastic time for Bieksa to regain his form. It would also be a great time for Naslund to take this team by the balls and lead them to victory. And how about a Sedin goal that doesn't involve fluky bounces or goalie error?

More likely, it will be Luongo stealing the show while our grinder/energy guys get the job done in the trenches. When was the last time Luongo got pulled in three games within a week?

Start time is 7pm pdt, available on Sportnet HD and good ol' Team 1040 radio.

All the naysaying, doom, gloom, and frustration of the past week is forgotten. My prediction? A victory to the tune of 3-0 for the Canucks. Goals scored by Burrows, Salo, and Linden (who else?). Luongo make 35+ saves. Zany's wife drags her husbands drunken carcass onto the skytrain around 11:30pm (after hitting the Shark Club for a nightcap) and the celebration continues with a train full of rabid Canuck fans heading home jubilantly.

And we send a messager to the Predators and the Oilers:

All your 8th place are belong to us!


Update 3:00pm - Detroit beat Nashville in overtime. While this isn't the best thing for the Canucks, at least the Preds didn't get two points. The Preds now have 87 points. If the Canucks win tonight they will have 88, and their playoff fate will be in their own hands once again. A nice bonus would be a Minnesota win in regulation over the Avs. That game is starting momentarily.

Update 3:55pm - Ooooooh, I'm loving the Wild's 2-0 lead over the Avs. More like this, please.

Update 4:40pm - Oh Geeeez, Colorado comes back and ties it, then Rolston hits the effin' post! Grrrrr! Looks like the Wild and Avs are headed to the 3rd period all tied up.

No worries though, I just got off the phone with Zanstorm. He's got bigger concerns than the Canucks right now. His wife has spent the last seven hours at Metrotown, and now they have no gas money to drive home on Tuesday.

Donations can be sent via Paypal to: Waiting For Stanley (care of Temujin), Smithers BC, V0J 2N0

Update 5:10pm - Another puck off the goal post for the Wild. Yeeergh! It's the Spirit of Joe Sakic providing good fortune for Colorado once more.

Update 5:30pm - Marian Gaborik scores in OT... so much for the spirit of Joe Sakic, hehehe! Avs get a point, and have practically clinched their playoff spot (for all intents and purposes). They are five points ahead of the Canucks and four points up on the Preds as of this moment.


Update 6:15pm - Just heard an interesting piece of information. The Canucks have played 15 games in March (including this one), and they have traveled the night before in 14 of them. What lousy geographical luck. That's a heck of a lot of traveling, especially when you consider the teams they have played over the past month.

Also, Langkow will not be playing tonight due to personal reasons. And the Sedins will play with Naslund (according to the boys at Team 1040).

Update 6:30pm - Will probably keep updating throughout the game at the bottom of this post, for continuity. Wish I had updated it on top to begin with since it is easier for anyone reading the site, but oh well. Your mouse wheels will get a workout.

Update 7:00pm - Puck drop coming up. Gads I hate Dan Murphy, he always looks like he's had a couple of drinks with those rosey cheeks.
Of course, I just opened a beer so we'll see how this goes.

Jim. Hughson. Is. God.

And anyone who says different is a Schmoe.

Update 7:17pm Oh sweet lord, it starts. Thank goodness I've got beer in the fridge.

And a bottle of wine in case that isn't enough. I blame Gina Luongo.

Update 7:20pm. Why doesn't Steve Tambellini lace 'em up again?

7:22pm - How nice of us to end Moss's slump of no goals in 12 games. Swell.

Burrows should slap Phaneuf around like the Phucking Phairy that he is.

7:23pm - Kesler>>>>>>Iginla
Well, we know what kind of game this is gonna be... fight central. At least the Canucks are showing something.


7:25pm - 1 for 14 on the PP in the last three games for the Canucks. Time to get a PP goal RIGHT FREAKING NOW!

7:26pm - Nicely done Markus. My hero.

7:27 - Hey whaddya know, we took ourselves off the PP. Great work boys.

7:28pm - Ooooh Two Flames for the price of one Pettinger! And a Two Many men penalty for the Flames! Come on Canucks, let's do it!

7:30 pm - Commercial break. I hate the fact that we're losing, but I like the intensity. Geez, this beer is tasty.

7:32 pm - Iginla would look good in a Canuck uniform.
Phaneuf would look good in a clown costume.


7:34pm - Did I mention I hate Dion Phaneuf?

7:35pm - POWER PLAY GOAL!!!!! SAMI SALO!!!!

Oh, I love Salo. He is so much better than Phaneuf.


7:36pm - Well this is more like it. Canucks are flying now. Love that Burrows/Kesler/Isbister line. And another Flames penalty! Fantastic!

7:37pm - Boyd is a reckless punk. That should have been a major penalty and a game misconduct for that vile highstick.


I hate Lombardi. Waaaaaaay too fast.

7:40pm - Nice stop by Luongo on Iginla in close. The Canucks have faced the Flames three times in the post-season, and all three series' have gone to 7 games. What a fantastic rivarly. I know that nothing will ever compare to Edmonton vs Calgary, but as far as I'm concerned (from a Vancouver fans
perspective), this is one of the best rivalries in the Western Conference.

Dang, a brain cramp by Edler and now we're shorthanded. This kid has a lot of potential. More than Phaneuf, that's for sure.


7:45pm - Nice save by Luongo on the Phairy.

7:46 - The big knock on our players that Zanstorm and I constantly harp on is that we don't block enough shots. Nice to see Ritchie getting the job done (heh, a Flames castaway). And Luongo makes another save, and Owen Nolan doesn't know whether to cry or wind his watch. Hehehehe.

Poor whiney Erikkson. That should be a diving penalty...

Oh dang, Kesler is in rough shape... and a goal... SHITTY BUZZ. And stupid Lombardi too. Figures that a late penalty kills us.

Well, that knocks the wind out of the sails, but all is not lost. The good news is that the Canucks came out and did not get steamrolled.
YES!!!! NASLUND!!!!! OUR LEADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7:50pm - Fuck the wind out of our sails, Naslund takes the ropes and steers the ship on his own! 19:19 of the third period... by number 19!!!!!


Intermission thoughts:

Back and Forth, Up and Down, fights, penalties, checking, offense, some good goaltending, some lousy goaltending...

A typical Canucks/Flames game. Right now I'm so jealous that Zanstorm gets to see it all at the box seats in GM Place.

Note: Beer number two opened and half empty (or is it half full?). I cannot guarantee the timeliness of the updates, but I'll do my best. Would actually like to, ya know, watch some of the game instead of staring at the computer screen...

Oh, and Naslund has surpassed his goal total of last year. That was his 25th of the year. Makes Iginla's bid for 50 look positively... errr... decent?


8:15pm - TREVOR LINDEN!!!!!! OH BABY!!!!!!!!

Tom Larscheid: This is his time of year!

8:20pm Just talked to Zanstorm, he wanted me to point out that Phaneuf is a Dick.

And Salo gets a tripping penalty... too bad.

LOVE YOU ALEX EDLER!!!!!!!

Looking at the replay, you can see Edler knock the puck away with his glove. Ooooooh, very nice!

8:21pm - TREVOR LINDEN AGAIN!!!!!! Oh MAN!!! BEst. Canuck. Ever.

4-2 Vancouver leads.

Larscheid: "How does he do it? He always seems to elevate his game when it's needed most!"

AND KIPPER GETS PULLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, where did all the Flames commenters go? They've all disappeared!

And now Regher gets a penalty too!


8:30 - Third period has just started (nevermind, wtf was I thinking... it's still the second...?). My voice is going hoarse from cheers of joy. I've just cracked my third beer and HOLY SHIT now Pettinger gets into the act!!!
5-2 Canucks. What is Regehr now, a -4 tonight? Wow, where the heck has this Canucks team been the past week?

8:35 - Well my prediction was completely off. Uh oh... looks like Calgary has one...

Wow, a good save by Luongo... I thought that was in for sure.

8:36pm - Phaneuf blatantly trips Cowan, but no call. I hate Phaneuf.

Regehr, Huselius, and Yelle are all -3 tonight. Henrick and Edler are both +3, and Trevor Linden has two goals in about six and a half minutes of ice time.

OH BIG SAVE by Joseph. Wow, that would have iced it for sure.

8:45pm - The Canucks were all over them at the end of the second period. 5-2 Canucks and I am in heaven.

Zanstorm needs to go to Canuck games more often.

Aw jeez, team 1040 has an intermission guest named John Furlong promoting the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He and Tom Larscheid are saying it is fitting than an ex-Olympic athlete (Trevor Linden) is playing such a big part in the game tonight. Yergh. I hate the idea of public funds (read: taxes) going towards this sort of thing. And although I'll watch the hockey games during the Olympics, I sure don't support the way it is funded. But this is what happens when the Flames player who was supposed to show up for an interview craps out! I guess Keenan doesn't want any of his players missing the shouting match in the locker room, hehehe!

Okay, I promise there will be no more political blather... unless I open this bottle of wine...

Or how about Isbister? 6-2 Canucks!!!!

9:05pm So, does the end of the game turn into a complete mindless debacle, or do the Flames show some class and not resort to thuggery and idiocy?

Methinks it is going to be a shitshow from here on in.

9:06pm - And Regehr crashes into the glass because he's a mindless fool. An omen of his game for the entire evening...

And the tussles begin!

9:10pm - That is the feeblest holding penalty I've seen.

9:13pm - I'd like to state, for the record, that I never doubted this team for a second. I knew they had heart, and I knew deep down that they would pull out a big win tonight.

We are all Canucks. Or something.

9:15pm - Sarich is such a moron. Hellllllo Game misconduct? Yeah, no shit. That guy is a freakin tool. I love the chants of "Calgary Sucks". Led by Zanstorm, no doubt. Bwa ha ha ha.

If Linden scores a hattrick goal, I will donate $50 to Canuck Place. You know he'll get some PP time once the man advantage begins.

9:16 - well, so much for a that. Phantom hooking call on Linden. Whatever.

9:20 - The very best part of being a Canuck fan is not having to cheer for Dion Phaneuf. And where the hell is Iggy??? BENCHED BY KEENAN!!!! BWA ha ha ha ha!

9:21 - DAMN! Almost by Linden!

9:22 - I stand by my word though, if he bags the hattie, I'll donate some cash. If Cujo really cared about the children, he'd just leave the net.

9:32 - Ahhh HAHAHA! Iginla is a sackball. Two punches to Burrows! AND BURROWS GETS A PENALTY??? Oh for cryin' out loud.

Thankfully he won't get his 50th against the Canucks.

9:38 - Trevor Linden. First Star. Best. Ever.

End of the game, and I'm toasting the best Canuck player of all time.

Big thanks to everyone who checked out this monster of a post throughout the day. Thanks to the Flames fans for sticking around and commenting, especially Metrognome (I know yer cheesed off but shake it off, the Flames are in and ain't going anywhere).

Canucks are now in 8th place, one point ahead of Nashville, two points behind Calgary and three points behind Colorado. I've just heard the fans chanting Trevor's name through the radio, and I think that is a most fitting way to end this post.

First Star: Trevor Linden
Second Star: Markus Naslund
Third Star: Kevin Bieksa

Goodnight folks.

Another game, another ass-kicking administered by the Bruins. This is what a playoff-ready team looks like, and this is how a playoff-ready team performs.

Being a bandwagon fan is so much fun. You can switch loyalties at the drop of a hat, and not feel guilty about it at all!



We're not worthy... we're not worthy... we're not worthy!

Update 8:45pm Hahaha, love it! Fight the power (errr... turn on the power?)

Good News! David Suzuki says we can watch the hockey game tonight at 8pm. No need to turn off those televisions, enviro-loons*! But be sure to watch in the dark, to do your part to fight climate change**

Mercifully the Canucks do not play tonight. It's tough to blog about the team when the team looks like a steaming pile of camel dung. Internet problems notwithstanding, why even bother***? You're better off without, JJ. Less headaches.

For "Earth Hour", I'm inclined to turn off all the power in my place, light a candle, and conduct a spiritual meditation seeking answers for the Orca. The more profitable endeavor - both spiritually and realistically - is to crack a beer, invite some friends over, play some poker, and have a grand old time.

The Canucks will be the Canucks. I've read this novel before. I know how it ends.

Our best case scenario is a first round date with Detroit. That's not a bad scenario at all, and in my opinion is a lot better than facing Anaheim, San Jose, or Dallas. I cannot even stomach the notion of facing Colorado, Minnesota, or Calgary either.

Worst case scenario is a complete tanking of the season and finishing lower than Edmonton in the standings. If that happens, I will officially jump on the "new arena for downtown Edmonton" bandwagon. Just to spite their vile knuckle-dragging fans and see them stuck with a $300 million municipal tax bill.

Hooray for 8th place!


*Sorry to get all political on a sports blog. It seems appropriate, and a happier topic than analyzing the Canucks.

**Or is it Energy Consumption? Carbon Emissions? Just what is it we are supposed to be "making a statement" about?

***Though I agree with JJ's assessment that Naslund needs to see some more ice time. Let the Captain lead the team. Else don't make him the Captain.

Game day post? You want a stinking game day post?

I just got home from work, ordered a pizza from Panago, and turned on my television to see Minnesota leading the Canucks 2-0 after the first period.

What is wrong with these bloody Canuck players?

There.

There's your friggin' game day post. More thoughts to follow.

Instant Update 6:30pm: Apex Calgary my ass, ya jerk!

Yeah, it's four to zip for Minnesota! Woo Hoo! It's all about the Habs anyways. They're my second favourite team. Les Habitants!

Update 6:54pm: Shouldn't the state of Minnesota just accept Canadian rule? I mean, they are practically in Canada anyways.

Would someone just break Brian Rolston's face? Cowan? Burrows? Sanford? Anybody?

Morrison is gone for the rest of the season:

The Vancouver Canucks' postseason hopes took some hits on Thursday.

Forward Brendan Morrison is done for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs after suffering a torn ACL...

My question is "When did Morrison come back?".

It's obvious he wasn't playing at 100%, and even though this latest injury has nothing to do with the wrist problem that plagued him earlier in the year, you can't help but think he came back too soon. The guy was as soft as a feather duster out there.

Then there's "Baby-Lu", heading home to Florida to be with his wife as she gives birth to their first child. But I'm not bitter.

It had been expected that Luongo would be leaving the team, but the Canucks are unsure when he will return. Even if the baby is born on Thursday, the Canucks are not certain he will be able to make Friday's important game against the Minnesota Wild.

The club will call up either Cory Schneider or Drew MacIntyre just in case Luongo does not make it back to face the Wild.

Oh sweet lord gaia vishnu. It seems an 8th place finish is the best we can hope for now.

I heard Blake Price on the team1040 earlier today, and he said that even if every Canuck on the roster were to beat their career high in goals this season, we still wouldn't have scored enough goals to match the likes of Detroit. That doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me for the last week and a half of the season. Will Sanford stand on his head when given his chance in the spotlight? It's our only hope for a victory tomorrow night against Minnesota.

Now, back to laughing at the Leafs.

Would someone just say the Last Rites and get it over with?



At least there is something to cheer about on the west coast.

In recent news, the elusive Temujin of West Coast Chaos has been spotted raiding refrigerators for beer and leftovers. If you find this man in your house, do not approach him as he can be very dangerous, especially when cornered. It is currently unknown if he's had his rabies shots. This is the most recent picture, taken outside my house two days ago. He turned only to glare for a few seconds before scampering off into the darkness.

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY HIS "PITY ME, I JUST HAD HERNIA SURGERY" LOOK!! IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT HE'S BITTEN SEVERAL AREA RESIDENTS AND EVEN HARASSED FAMILY PETS.

The best thing we can do for this creature is to call pest control so they can tranquillize and release him back into his natural habitat. Though dangerous, he is a fragile character and has many fears. If you find yourself in his presence, arm yourself with a rubber band, raw vegetables, pocket Aces, Captain Morgans Spiced Rum, or a long tube that might resemble a catheter (any straw will do) until the proper authorities arrive.

Indications that you may have had him in your house include: fridge left slightly open, crumbs on the counter, beer cans under the coffee table, missing toilet seat covers, cheap beer left lying around, half drank hard liquor, oh, and pizza left without the toppings.

Thank you for your time, you have been warned!

And so begins their quest for the cup. Pittsburgh caught a break last night against the Rangers, barely edging out a game they had no business winning. Lucky for them they have a player by the likes of Jordan Stall, who seems to have a knack for scoring short-handed goals, and a player by the likes of Sidney Crosby, who seems to have a devastating affect on shootouts. Don't be fooled though, these two players alone will not win them even the first round in the playoffs, so the young team with an endless supply of talent didn't hurt themselves by being active at and around the trade deadline. Grabbing the services of veterans Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque was sick. Not only do they both look like they are going to fit right in, with Roberts on the line with Crosby, and the take no prisoners playing style Laraque brings to the table, Crosby shouldn't be losing anymore sleep at night worrying about who's going to plaster him to the boards next.

Every team has a weakness though, and for Pittsburgh, it might just be goal tending. Marc-Andre Fleury is letting in a mass amount of goals lately, and Jocelyn Thibault isn't looking much better. I don't think either of these guys are ready for the playoffs, but I've been surprised before. With 14 million to spare though, they could have bought pretty much any goalie they wanted. Just take a look at what Biron was sent away for. Anyway, instead, the Penguins went out and got Nolan Schaefer from the Sharks. Nolan Schaefer has played 7 games in the NHL. He was 5-1-0 with a 1.88 goals against average. Great numbers, but he was looking for the backup job over in San Jose, what he does in Pittsburgh remains to be seen. Would I want to be the team to play these guys in the 1st round? Not a chance, and whoever does has definitely got their work cut out for them.

This should be an open/shut game between these two teams. Not only has Vancouver owned St. Louis this year, but with Sopel and Smolinski in the lineup, and the Blues short staffed, it has the potential to be a complete blowout.

I hope they don't get too cocky and think it's going to be a breeze and decide not to show up at all, we've all seen the disasterous effects that can produce.

Also, with last game ending the way it did, they should be poised to give their goaltender they defense he deserves and not take the penalties they don't deserve. And who knows, maybe Bulis will miss the plane on the way out of town. I'm calling it 4-1 Canucks.

11:29 A.M.

Toronto Maple Leafs aquire Yanic Perreault and a 2008 5th round draft pick for Bell and a 2008 2nd round draft pick.
Buffalo aquires Zubrus and Timo Helbing from Washington for Novotny and a first round draft pick
New York trades Pascal Dupruis for a player to be named later

11:25 A.M.

Confirmed news: Owen Nolan is not going anywhere, no matter what Eklund says.
Ryan Smyth has not yet signed with Edmonton, this could still change.

11:18 A.M.

Todd Bertuzzi to Detroit for a conditional draft pick and a prospect
Conditional being how much Bertuzzi plays and team performance. If they get into the final four in the playoffs, it means it's a first rounder, if Bertuzzi plays the entire playoffs, it's the same.

11:10 A.M.

Brad May to the Ducks in exchange for Michael Wall!!

Did Alain Vigneault miss the memo about the Canucks playing Anaheim tonight, or did he miss the freaking boat completely? Marc Chouinard is going to replace Josh Green because he broke his toe in practice on Wednesday. I think I'd take my chances and call up a rookie.








Who in the hell decided him, Jan Bulis, and Rory Fitzpatrick were diamonds in the rough? Who decided Taylor Pyatt was probably a better bet than Anson Carter? You can argue with me over Carter all you want, but he was always in front of the net, no matter what...I can't even find Pyatt on the ice half the time. I could do a better job out there.

Why isn't anyone knocking Roberto Luongo around for not earning his money? Oh, so he plays one good game against the Columbus Blue Jackets...well at least we know they have the ability to squeak out a win against one of the crappiest teams in the NHL.

Daniel and Henrik who? Where did the Sedin twins go? Oh, so teams have them figured out now....TRY SOMETHING ELSE! We need them to do more than cycle around, dippsy doodle, and pass the puck to each other. Them scoring is essential for the Canucks to win.

Mattias Ohlund has scored more goals on his own net than shots at the other net! When he's not helping the other team, he's on his ass. Did he forget how to skate?

The jury is still out on Morrison, Mitchell, and Cooke.


Just a handful of players are worth the money they are getting paid, and they would be Burrows, Salo, Krajicek, Green, Linden, and Naslund. Kesler is starting to pick it up a little, but could still work harder.

Ok, out on a limb time. Eugene Melnyk says "there will be no dismantling of the team" = Big trade pending.

Dave Nonis says " I'm happy with the way the team is playing"= Bullshit statement while trying to offload Morrison and Cooke for scoring.

Welcome to Vancouver Crusty...

It's about time. I have been lying in wait, silently hoping the Calgary Flames would find a spark, silently hoping Darryl Sutter was going to be as patient as I was and not bench his #1 goaltender, and silently hoping it would be sooner than later. I chose Miikka Kipursoff first overall in one hockey pool, and in a box picks pool I also took him when not many other people did. I was beginning to second guess my decision, and my 'game' all together. I'm sure many people thought the win over St. Louis was a shot in the dark, I never really gave it a second thought, anybody who's anybody knows you should be able to beat the Blues...(hehe, no pun intended and nothing against Vancouver). You cannot deny Calgary the win against the Dallas Stars, and even more so, the shutout against The Anaheim Ducks.

No offense to Ducks fans, and no offense to you non-believers out there, but Anaheim losing to Calgary is like Gerber of the Ottawa Senators giving up a 3 goal lead only to lose the game. It was the same team that just beat Vancouver 6-0. It leaves me scratching my head wondering what in the hell just happened. Can somebody pinch me please? Yes, it is real, yes, it did happen, and guess what....The Flames are back.

Now it's onward to face the Canucks, who are presumably still licking their wounds and scratching their heads as well. Does anyone want to wager on that game? It should be a good one. Vancouver will be looking for redemption and now that Calgary is well warmed up, it will be a hard fought battle for the victory.

With his first shutout as a Canuck in hand, and what can be considered as his best performance of the season, its high time to drop the, all too formal "Roberto" moniker and treat the guy as one of our own. I don't know about anyone else but I can't say "Roberto" without saying "Roberto Luongo"
Given the name Roberto, which can be easily shortened, changed or altered to better suit our new franchise player, I'm suggesting "Bob".
According to the research of my best friend Beaner, Luongo actually had the name "Bob" painted on one of his previous goalie masks, which can only suggest, he hates his parents for giving him the stupid name in the first place and prefers the abbreviated version already.

Other options, briefly considered during last nights second intermission rum break:
Rob
Robby
Bobby
Bert (sorry...too many issues with this one)

I'm currently working on a photoshop "Bob" Luongo mask, which will include his new "handle", boldly painted on the chin, similar to "Kipper" and the other superstar "nicknamed" goalies.

40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, 6 All-Star records, four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and 9 MVP awards and 10 scoring titles. He is the only player ever to total over 200 points in a season (a feat that he accomplished four times in his career). In addition, he tallied over 100 points a season for 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively. A pretty nice way to polish off one career in hockey and start another, but even with a resume like that, nothing seems to be helping the God of hockey as he coaches the Phoenix Coyotes.

Wayne Gretzky made is debut last year with the Coyotes and they finished 38-39-5 in the toughest division in the NHL. With that record, he signed a 5 year contract extension as well as players like Ed Jovanovski, George Laraque, Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick, and Nick Boynton, all of who have yet to prove their worth.

Gretzky is feeling the pain, winning only 2 games out of 10 played, and having said that after losing a game as a player, he always had the routine of practice and preparation for the next to help erase the memory of a previous loss. As a coach however, he is quoted saying "It's much worse, you dwell on it for hours and hours before the next game starts. There's no way to really relieve that disbelief of losing a hockey game."

He needs to do something more to shake up his team than just putting goaltender Mike Morrisson on waivers. He signed a one year contract with Phoenix and has put up numbers like, 0-3 in 4 starts with a 6.13 GAA and .790 save percentage.