Anyone expecting Game 1 of the series between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators to hold the same emotional charge that Game 7 between the Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks had was bound to be in for a rude awakening. We will likely not see a series--in the first round--that had so many intertwining storylines, twists, turns, tragedies and triumphs as that series had.
But Game 1 of the second round last night offered a clean slate for a number of players. I am going to specifically highlight two of them: the men who played between the pipes.
Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo, expected to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively in voting for the Vezina Trophy, had rough first rounds. Luongo had been pulled in two games and didn't start another; and Pekka Rinne came into this series sporting a bloated Goals Against Average in excess of 3.00, and a subpar save percentage below .888.
Both of these goaltenders needed to put the 1st round behind them and they did it in a hurry.
Pekka Rinne was easily the best Nashville Predator on the ice as his team came out somewhat timidly. The Predators had trouble completing passes, they had trouble getting in on the forecheck, and they had trouble mounting any kind of offensive attack against the Canucks finishing with only 20 shots on goal.
Rinne stood tall for the Predators, turning aside 29 of 30 shots faced. His glove hand was on full display as anything headed to the left side of the net was swallowed up with the ease of which a black hole might swallow a tennis ball. Rinne was excellent, and he needed to be. If it were not for him, the game would have been far more lopsided as the Canucks did not suffer what many were predicting would be a "letdown game".
At the other end, Roberto Luongo perhaps needed a good start just as badly as Rinne did. He didn't face many tough challenges; the biggest saves he made were a shorthanded breakaway stop on Mike Fisher early in the game, and just barely grazing a puck headed for an open net with his glove off of a Shea Weber one-timer later in the game. (similar to his glove save off Demitra in the Olympics, you need to slow this one down to realize Luongo did--in fact--get a piece of it).
In the end, Luongo stopped everything that came at him for a shutout, his second of the playoffs and first since Game 1 against Chicago. He didn't need to be a world beater on this night, but he competently turned aside all the shots he faced including the difficult ones. In a game where both the goaltenders needed to put some bad memories behind them, they were both troopers in goal and set the stage for what could be a very interesting goaltending battle in this series.
The rest of the game was somewhat lopsided; the Canucks came out hard, fast and physical. The Predators seemed somewhat taken aback, and coach Barry Trotz was not happy whatsoever with his team's effort. Neither was Captain Shea Weber, who called out his team to put forth a better performance in Game 2.
It would be prudent to expect that the Predators will do just that when the puck drops on Saturday. But for now, both teams should be pleased with the way their goaltenders have started the series and move on from there.
Friday 29 April 2011
Thursday 28 April 2011
Living after Midnight
No rest for the weary.
A scant 48 hours after the Vancouver Canucks vanquished their playoff nemesis, the Chicago Blackhawks, the puck will drop tonight for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi Final against an opponent the Canucks have never before played in the post-season: the Nashville Predators.
The similarities between the two teams can be quite striking. Both of them just got over a major playoff hump. For the Vancouver Canucks, that hump was personified by the Chicago Blackhawks. In the case of the Nashville Predators, they have finally escaped the first round for the first time in their franchise's history.
Both the teams are littered with some of the top players and minds in the NHL today. While the Canucks boast back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin, along with three-time Selke trophy finalist Ryan Kesler (the third nomination coming just yesterday), a three-time Vezina trophy finalist in Roberto Luongo (again, the third nomination coming just last week) and a Jack Adams award winner in Alain Vigneault behind the bench, the Nashville Predators are no slouches in that department. They also have a goaltender up for the Vezina Trophy this year in the towering Pekka Rinne. They also boast a defensemen up for the Norris Trophy in B.C.'s own Shea Weber. And it would be considered by many to be a crime if Nashville coach Barry Trotz was not at least nominated for the Jack Adams award this year.
But for all of those similarities, the Nashville Predators will present a very different challenge to this Vancouver Canucks team. Where the Blackhawks' game plan consisted of scoring first, scoring again, scoring some more, and just when you think they're done, they'll score a few more times, the Predators rely on an incredibly effective tight-checking, suffocating defensive style.
Shea Weber's defensive partner is American Olympian Ryan Suter. Those two represent the top defensive pairing in this series for either team. Once you punch through them, the daunting task becomes getting a puck past Pekka Rinne. And this is to say nothing of the Nashville Predators' forward group, who presented one of the most balanced offensive attacks of any team in the 1st round--12 players for Nashville scored at least 1 goal in their six game series against the Anaheim Ducks. A series in which they limited the NHL's regular season goal scoring champion, Corey Perry, to only two goals.
This series will have the odd storyline or two as well. Ex-Canuck Shane O'Brien plays on the third pairing for the Predators and he is remembered well by Canuck players, fans and media alike. A likeable player amongst his teammates, he is perhaps best noted for his frequent trips to the Vancouver nightclub scene and an inability to report to practice on-time while having trouble staying in shape. He blasted Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault after being dealt to Nashville, claiming he was never given a fair shot in Vancouver. Throughout the season, that didn't change. When the Canucks and the Predators met four times in the regular season (splitting the series 2-2), Shane O'Brien came out and stated that he would love to play Vancouver in the playoffs as he felt that Nashville would do quite well against them. He is now about to get his wish.
On the Vancouver side, prized free agent acquisition Dan Hamhuis spent his entire career in Nashville before joining Vancouver this summer. Hamhuis has not played a game in Nashville (injured on both visits) since signing with Vancouver, so Game 3 of this series will represent his first return. Alain Vigneault reportedly picked Hamhuis' brain yesterday on the ins and outs of Nashville's system and what the Canucks can expect from their new opponent.
While some fans may feel a tendency to overlook Nashville, I would strongly caution against that. The last time a high-flying, offensive Vancouver Canuck team matched up against a suffocating defensive team guided by a terrific coach in the 2nd round, it was in 2003 against the Minnesota Wild. For those that don't remember, the Canucks went up 3 games to 1 before Minnesota came back to win the last three games, including Game 7 on Vancouver ice.
Nashville is going to be a formidable opponent and this series is going to be extremely difficult. The Vancouver Canucks must now show that they have learned from their past failures and now recent success against the Chicago Blackhawks, and they need to show the same effort and drive to win that won them that series.
Puck drops tonight at 6.
A scant 48 hours after the Vancouver Canucks vanquished their playoff nemesis, the Chicago Blackhawks, the puck will drop tonight for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi Final against an opponent the Canucks have never before played in the post-season: the Nashville Predators.
The similarities between the two teams can be quite striking. Both of them just got over a major playoff hump. For the Vancouver Canucks, that hump was personified by the Chicago Blackhawks. In the case of the Nashville Predators, they have finally escaped the first round for the first time in their franchise's history.
Both the teams are littered with some of the top players and minds in the NHL today. While the Canucks boast back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin, along with three-time Selke trophy finalist Ryan Kesler (the third nomination coming just yesterday), a three-time Vezina trophy finalist in Roberto Luongo (again, the third nomination coming just last week) and a Jack Adams award winner in Alain Vigneault behind the bench, the Nashville Predators are no slouches in that department. They also have a goaltender up for the Vezina Trophy this year in the towering Pekka Rinne. They also boast a defensemen up for the Norris Trophy in B.C.'s own Shea Weber. And it would be considered by many to be a crime if Nashville coach Barry Trotz was not at least nominated for the Jack Adams award this year.
But for all of those similarities, the Nashville Predators will present a very different challenge to this Vancouver Canucks team. Where the Blackhawks' game plan consisted of scoring first, scoring again, scoring some more, and just when you think they're done, they'll score a few more times, the Predators rely on an incredibly effective tight-checking, suffocating defensive style.
Shea Weber's defensive partner is American Olympian Ryan Suter. Those two represent the top defensive pairing in this series for either team. Once you punch through them, the daunting task becomes getting a puck past Pekka Rinne. And this is to say nothing of the Nashville Predators' forward group, who presented one of the most balanced offensive attacks of any team in the 1st round--12 players for Nashville scored at least 1 goal in their six game series against the Anaheim Ducks. A series in which they limited the NHL's regular season goal scoring champion, Corey Perry, to only two goals.
This series will have the odd storyline or two as well. Ex-Canuck Shane O'Brien plays on the third pairing for the Predators and he is remembered well by Canuck players, fans and media alike. A likeable player amongst his teammates, he is perhaps best noted for his frequent trips to the Vancouver nightclub scene and an inability to report to practice on-time while having trouble staying in shape. He blasted Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault after being dealt to Nashville, claiming he was never given a fair shot in Vancouver. Throughout the season, that didn't change. When the Canucks and the Predators met four times in the regular season (splitting the series 2-2), Shane O'Brien came out and stated that he would love to play Vancouver in the playoffs as he felt that Nashville would do quite well against them. He is now about to get his wish.
On the Vancouver side, prized free agent acquisition Dan Hamhuis spent his entire career in Nashville before joining Vancouver this summer. Hamhuis has not played a game in Nashville (injured on both visits) since signing with Vancouver, so Game 3 of this series will represent his first return. Alain Vigneault reportedly picked Hamhuis' brain yesterday on the ins and outs of Nashville's system and what the Canucks can expect from their new opponent.
While some fans may feel a tendency to overlook Nashville, I would strongly caution against that. The last time a high-flying, offensive Vancouver Canuck team matched up against a suffocating defensive team guided by a terrific coach in the 2nd round, it was in 2003 against the Minnesota Wild. For those that don't remember, the Canucks went up 3 games to 1 before Minnesota came back to win the last three games, including Game 7 on Vancouver ice.
Nashville is going to be a formidable opponent and this series is going to be extremely difficult. The Vancouver Canucks must now show that they have learned from their past failures and now recent success against the Chicago Blackhawks, and they need to show the same effort and drive to win that won them that series.
Puck drops tonight at 6.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Happy Trails
A more analytical mind might look at some of the positives as well as the negatives from last night's epice Game 7 showdown between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks. But after all the negativity that had covered British Columbia for the last few days like a fog, I hope you will forgive me for flat out ignoring the negatives.
Last night's game bordered on legendary. On a night where great performances were needed, the Vancouver Canucks got them. Specifically, I am talking about a few players: Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows, Dan Hamhuis and Roberto Luongo.
Ryan Kesler brought forth the greatest game I had ever seen him play. Previously, his greatest game had not been in a Canuck uniform, but in the Red, White and Blue of Team USA during the 2010 Olympics where he was one of the best forwards for the Americans, scoring 2 goals against Canada in two games and generally being a major thorn in the side of the home team.
Last night, he brought all that effort and then some. He skated miles, he hit everything in sight (they're still peeling Nick Hjalmarsson off the endboards at Rogers Arena where Kesler nailed him), he set up the opening goal of the game and he killed some absolutely huge penalties. Burrows scored the goals, but Kesler was arguably the Canucks' top player for me.
But speaking of Burrows, let me stop and tip my hat. In advance of Game 6, I remarked to some friends how I was disappointed with Burrows in the series. He hadn't really factored into the scoring at all, and I remarked that I wanted Burrows circa 2009 vs. the St. Louis Blues back. The guy that scored the OT winner and fired an arrow from his quiver into the sky in honor of the late Luc Bourdon. The guy that always seemed to come through in the clutch for the Canucks.
Well, maybe he heard me. First in Game 6 and then in Game 7, Burrows was a force. Isolating just Game 7, he drove the net hard to open the scoring and could easily have had a few more goals--noteably on the penalty shot he was awarded early in the third period. When he took a penalty in overtime, I'm sure there was a massive intake of breath from around British Columbia, but then the boys in blue, green and white killed it off--and Burrows repaid them in the best possible way, by scoring the game winning goal in dramatic fashion.
Perhaps unsung in this game will be defensemen Dan Hamhuis' contributions, but he was quite possibly the most important defensemen for the Canucks last night. He stepped up, he made hits, he had smart sticks, he made smart passes, he just had a smart game. When a guy like Hamhuis is on, you don't always notice his contributions. His game is to make safe and smart plays. He did that with aplomb last night.
Saving the biggest for last, let's talk about Roberto Luongo. Last night was the biggest game of his life, make no bones about it. After the game several players who have played for and won Olympic medals remarked how this was bigger, more important. The media yesterday was talking about how kids playing street hockey don't pretend they're scoring an Olympic gold medal winning goal, but a Stanley Cup winning goal. And not to diminish the Olympics at all, but they are right to a certain extent--the goal of every person who straps on a set of skates in Canada is a Stanley Cup.
Luongo had been stuck in his own personal nightmare against the Blackhawks for nearly three years. He had been chased from the net in both Games 4 and 5, and he didn't even start Game 6. But he came in for Game 7 with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders.
He wasn't the best goaltender on the ice--that distinction belonged to Corey Crawford, who single-handedly kept the Blackhawks in a game that they really had no business being in. But Luongo was good. Very good, especially in overtime where he slid across the crease to rob Patrick Sharp on a back-door play while the Canucks were shorthanded. If that goes in, that's all she wrote. If you were to believe what some of Luongo's detractors were saying, Sharp could have shot a beach ball and still beaten Luongo on that play.
But he didn't. Not even with a puck. Luongo made the save and set the stage for Alex Burrows to bring the house down with what may well be the biggest goal this franchise has seen since the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.
It will be a brief rest for Vancouver before they play an entirely different opponent, the Nashville Predators. But we'll get to that later.
As for Chicago? Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.
Last night's game bordered on legendary. On a night where great performances were needed, the Vancouver Canucks got them. Specifically, I am talking about a few players: Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows, Dan Hamhuis and Roberto Luongo.
Ryan Kesler brought forth the greatest game I had ever seen him play. Previously, his greatest game had not been in a Canuck uniform, but in the Red, White and Blue of Team USA during the 2010 Olympics where he was one of the best forwards for the Americans, scoring 2 goals against Canada in two games and generally being a major thorn in the side of the home team.
Last night, he brought all that effort and then some. He skated miles, he hit everything in sight (they're still peeling Nick Hjalmarsson off the endboards at Rogers Arena where Kesler nailed him), he set up the opening goal of the game and he killed some absolutely huge penalties. Burrows scored the goals, but Kesler was arguably the Canucks' top player for me.
But speaking of Burrows, let me stop and tip my hat. In advance of Game 6, I remarked to some friends how I was disappointed with Burrows in the series. He hadn't really factored into the scoring at all, and I remarked that I wanted Burrows circa 2009 vs. the St. Louis Blues back. The guy that scored the OT winner and fired an arrow from his quiver into the sky in honor of the late Luc Bourdon. The guy that always seemed to come through in the clutch for the Canucks.
Well, maybe he heard me. First in Game 6 and then in Game 7, Burrows was a force. Isolating just Game 7, he drove the net hard to open the scoring and could easily have had a few more goals--noteably on the penalty shot he was awarded early in the third period. When he took a penalty in overtime, I'm sure there was a massive intake of breath from around British Columbia, but then the boys in blue, green and white killed it off--and Burrows repaid them in the best possible way, by scoring the game winning goal in dramatic fashion.
Perhaps unsung in this game will be defensemen Dan Hamhuis' contributions, but he was quite possibly the most important defensemen for the Canucks last night. He stepped up, he made hits, he had smart sticks, he made smart passes, he just had a smart game. When a guy like Hamhuis is on, you don't always notice his contributions. His game is to make safe and smart plays. He did that with aplomb last night.
Saving the biggest for last, let's talk about Roberto Luongo. Last night was the biggest game of his life, make no bones about it. After the game several players who have played for and won Olympic medals remarked how this was bigger, more important. The media yesterday was talking about how kids playing street hockey don't pretend they're scoring an Olympic gold medal winning goal, but a Stanley Cup winning goal. And not to diminish the Olympics at all, but they are right to a certain extent--the goal of every person who straps on a set of skates in Canada is a Stanley Cup.
Luongo had been stuck in his own personal nightmare against the Blackhawks for nearly three years. He had been chased from the net in both Games 4 and 5, and he didn't even start Game 6. But he came in for Game 7 with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders.
He wasn't the best goaltender on the ice--that distinction belonged to Corey Crawford, who single-handedly kept the Blackhawks in a game that they really had no business being in. But Luongo was good. Very good, especially in overtime where he slid across the crease to rob Patrick Sharp on a back-door play while the Canucks were shorthanded. If that goes in, that's all she wrote. If you were to believe what some of Luongo's detractors were saying, Sharp could have shot a beach ball and still beaten Luongo on that play.
But he didn't. Not even with a puck. Luongo made the save and set the stage for Alex Burrows to bring the house down with what may well be the biggest goal this franchise has seen since the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.
It will be a brief rest for Vancouver before they play an entirely different opponent, the Nashville Predators. But we'll get to that later.
As for Chicago? Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.
Monday 25 April 2011
Carry on my Wayward Son
A disclaimer - I am doing my best to ensure that I do not have a tinfoil hat atop my head whilst I write this.
There seems to be a growing movement in the hockey world. Perhaps you've noticed it. Maybe you've heard whispers amongst fans, maybe you have friends talking about it on Facebook. Or maybe you've just watched the panels of experts talking on CBC, TSN or Sportsnet and have just paused for a moment to reflect on what they are really saying.
What I am talking about is the widespread hatred--not disdain or dislike, hatred--of all things Vancouver Canuck.
It would seem from all appearances that 29 other teams and their respective fanbases are all chomping at the bit for the Vancouver Canucks to fall flat tomorrow and bow out to the Chicago Blackhawks for the third consecutive year. It would seem that this feat would supplant the joy of their team winning a Stanley Cup. I have seen many comments from fans of other teams stating something along the lines of how they would be happy to never win another Cup, so long as Vancouver never won.
Next you look at the media. Since the Chicago Blackhawks have started their comeback in this series, and even before, members of the media from all stripes have been lining up to crucify the Canucks for stepping so much as one toe out of line. Let us first observe CBC's Ron McLean, he of the noted character assassination of Alexandre Burrows the year before last. At every single opportunity he has been lambasting the Canuck players, noteably Raffi Torres, for their play. Accusing them of cheap shots, highlighting instances where a Canuck player has slashed a Blackhawk player and looking down on that Canuck with disdain. How dare a Canuck player slash a Blackhawk! Nevermind that a Blackhawk player did the exact same thing to a Canuck player several times over the course of the game. It is never mentioned. It is not a "fair and balanced" opinion. It is simply highlighting the negatives of all things Canuck. Russell Peters once said that the media has a very deceptive way of planting an image in our head. "They'll show an Asian person, and a car crash. 'Whaddya think?'"
So Ron McLean shows a Canuck player, and a Canuck player committing an infraction. "Whaddya think?"
McLean is certainly not alone, he is just one example of many. Fluff pieces are being run almost daily on the incredible feat the Blackhawks are on the precipice of achieving, and apparently, how noble their cause is. Duncan Keith hung the jersey of Blackhawks teammate Brent Seabrook in his stall when Seabrook was out of the lineup. Gosh, how noble. Keith was even praised for going running at Raffi Torres the next game--a play where he charged Torres(penalty), then threw an elbow at him(penalty), before slew footing Jannik Hansen in front of the net(penalty). The media's response to this instance where a player absolutely lost his cool and started attacking anyone within reach?
Praise. Inspiring. Clutch performance.
Mike Gillis went before the press today to talk about what he perceived to be an unbalanced playing field in the series. The numbers he went through certainly give you pause to think. The Blackhawks have had a stunning advantage in terms of the number of power play opportunities versus the Canucks. The Blackhawks hold a whopping 27-16 edge in terms of power plays awarded. More telling than that, when the series is close (i.e. - when the game is seperated by 1 or 2 goals) the Blackhawks have received all of the power plays. 100% of them. Not one to the Canucks in a close game.
Also consider that after Game 2, perhaps the last relatively balanced game in terms of officiating, the Blackhawks sent well respected scholar of the game Scotty Bowman to "discuss" the calling of the series to that point. The result? A dramatic slide in favour of the Blackhawks as far as opportunities with the man advantage went.
So Mike Gillis points this all out. What is the media's response? That this is a typical GM tactic to take pressure off of his players. That this is Mike Gillis trying to cover his rear in the event that the Canucks complete one of the biggest chokes in the history of the NHL. Nary a one has stopped to say "hang on, maybe he's onto something".
Now how does all of this impact the Canucks?
I am simply a fan of the game. I never played a lick of professional hockey in my life. I was a house player when I played minor league hockey, and I am a beer league player now. Any one on the Canucks, in the NHL, or the AHL, or the ECHL, or the Junior A leagues, the Junior B leagues, the Senior AAA or AA leagues, heck most of my beer league teammates...any of these people could probably take me to school on how to get yourself motivated for an important game.
But if I can stand on a soap box for a moment, I have absolutely no idea how anyone wearing blue and white tomorrow could hit the ice at Rogers Arena and play anything short of the greatest game of their lives.
Everyone in the world seems to be against them. The media, the fanbases, the league itself. The Blackhawks have already made them a laughing stock two years in a row, and are on the verge of making it a trifecta. Not only have the Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks twice in a row, but they have done it in the most humiliating and degrading fashion possible. Blowouts, every time. On their ice and ours. They have reduced our all-world, Olympic Gold Medal winning goaltender to a punchline. "7uongo" is a beloved catch phrase on the internet.
This is their moment. This is the moment that every single player, coach and individual involved with the Canucks needs to stand up and show that they are champions. Not in the literal sense, but they need to show to themselves that they have the pride, the skill and above all, the will to win. They need to go out there and play like their very lives depend on it. They need to walk the walk.
I would be at an absolute loss for words if in front of the greatest adversity any of these players has ever faced, they came out and played with anything less than the greatest effort they have ever shown.
They need this. As Canuck fans, we desperately need this. This team has existed for 40 years and has never won a thing. Not the draft lottery that let us watch the great Gilbert Perreault skate off to our expansion cousin Buffalo, not in the two times the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, not a thing. Until this year. This was the first year that something wasn't just hoped for, it was almost expected. We have all-world players at every position. This is a team that can win. This is a team that has players who have won. Daniel and Henrik Sedin have an Olympic Gold Medal each to go along with their matching Art Ross Trophies; so does Roberto Luongo. Mikael Samuelsson has an Olympic Gold and a Stanley Cup. Ryan Kesler won a World Junior Gold and has twice been a Selke Trophy finalist.
The Canucks have players who can win. The Canucks have players who can play big.
So for the love of all things holy, Vancouver. Go out there tomorrow night on your ice, in front of your fans, in front of a TV audience filled with people that desire nothing more than to watch you fail against an opponent who has publicly called you a fraud and now defeated you three times to the joy of your detractors everywhere.
Go out there and play your bloody hearts out.
There seems to be a growing movement in the hockey world. Perhaps you've noticed it. Maybe you've heard whispers amongst fans, maybe you have friends talking about it on Facebook. Or maybe you've just watched the panels of experts talking on CBC, TSN or Sportsnet and have just paused for a moment to reflect on what they are really saying.
What I am talking about is the widespread hatred--not disdain or dislike, hatred--of all things Vancouver Canuck.
It would seem from all appearances that 29 other teams and their respective fanbases are all chomping at the bit for the Vancouver Canucks to fall flat tomorrow and bow out to the Chicago Blackhawks for the third consecutive year. It would seem that this feat would supplant the joy of their team winning a Stanley Cup. I have seen many comments from fans of other teams stating something along the lines of how they would be happy to never win another Cup, so long as Vancouver never won.
Next you look at the media. Since the Chicago Blackhawks have started their comeback in this series, and even before, members of the media from all stripes have been lining up to crucify the Canucks for stepping so much as one toe out of line. Let us first observe CBC's Ron McLean, he of the noted character assassination of Alexandre Burrows the year before last. At every single opportunity he has been lambasting the Canuck players, noteably Raffi Torres, for their play. Accusing them of cheap shots, highlighting instances where a Canuck player has slashed a Blackhawk player and looking down on that Canuck with disdain. How dare a Canuck player slash a Blackhawk! Nevermind that a Blackhawk player did the exact same thing to a Canuck player several times over the course of the game. It is never mentioned. It is not a "fair and balanced" opinion. It is simply highlighting the negatives of all things Canuck. Russell Peters once said that the media has a very deceptive way of planting an image in our head. "They'll show an Asian person, and a car crash. 'Whaddya think?'"
So Ron McLean shows a Canuck player, and a Canuck player committing an infraction. "Whaddya think?"
McLean is certainly not alone, he is just one example of many. Fluff pieces are being run almost daily on the incredible feat the Blackhawks are on the precipice of achieving, and apparently, how noble their cause is. Duncan Keith hung the jersey of Blackhawks teammate Brent Seabrook in his stall when Seabrook was out of the lineup. Gosh, how noble. Keith was even praised for going running at Raffi Torres the next game--a play where he charged Torres(penalty), then threw an elbow at him(penalty), before slew footing Jannik Hansen in front of the net(penalty). The media's response to this instance where a player absolutely lost his cool and started attacking anyone within reach?
Praise. Inspiring. Clutch performance.
Mike Gillis went before the press today to talk about what he perceived to be an unbalanced playing field in the series. The numbers he went through certainly give you pause to think. The Blackhawks have had a stunning advantage in terms of the number of power play opportunities versus the Canucks. The Blackhawks hold a whopping 27-16 edge in terms of power plays awarded. More telling than that, when the series is close (i.e. - when the game is seperated by 1 or 2 goals) the Blackhawks have received all of the power plays. 100% of them. Not one to the Canucks in a close game.
Also consider that after Game 2, perhaps the last relatively balanced game in terms of officiating, the Blackhawks sent well respected scholar of the game Scotty Bowman to "discuss" the calling of the series to that point. The result? A dramatic slide in favour of the Blackhawks as far as opportunities with the man advantage went.
So Mike Gillis points this all out. What is the media's response? That this is a typical GM tactic to take pressure off of his players. That this is Mike Gillis trying to cover his rear in the event that the Canucks complete one of the biggest chokes in the history of the NHL. Nary a one has stopped to say "hang on, maybe he's onto something".
Now how does all of this impact the Canucks?
I am simply a fan of the game. I never played a lick of professional hockey in my life. I was a house player when I played minor league hockey, and I am a beer league player now. Any one on the Canucks, in the NHL, or the AHL, or the ECHL, or the Junior A leagues, the Junior B leagues, the Senior AAA or AA leagues, heck most of my beer league teammates...any of these people could probably take me to school on how to get yourself motivated for an important game.
But if I can stand on a soap box for a moment, I have absolutely no idea how anyone wearing blue and white tomorrow could hit the ice at Rogers Arena and play anything short of the greatest game of their lives.
Everyone in the world seems to be against them. The media, the fanbases, the league itself. The Blackhawks have already made them a laughing stock two years in a row, and are on the verge of making it a trifecta. Not only have the Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks twice in a row, but they have done it in the most humiliating and degrading fashion possible. Blowouts, every time. On their ice and ours. They have reduced our all-world, Olympic Gold Medal winning goaltender to a punchline. "7uongo" is a beloved catch phrase on the internet.
This is their moment. This is the moment that every single player, coach and individual involved with the Canucks needs to stand up and show that they are champions. Not in the literal sense, but they need to show to themselves that they have the pride, the skill and above all, the will to win. They need to go out there and play like their very lives depend on it. They need to walk the walk.
I would be at an absolute loss for words if in front of the greatest adversity any of these players has ever faced, they came out and played with anything less than the greatest effort they have ever shown.
They need this. As Canuck fans, we desperately need this. This team has existed for 40 years and has never won a thing. Not the draft lottery that let us watch the great Gilbert Perreault skate off to our expansion cousin Buffalo, not in the two times the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, not a thing. Until this year. This was the first year that something wasn't just hoped for, it was almost expected. We have all-world players at every position. This is a team that can win. This is a team that has players who have won. Daniel and Henrik Sedin have an Olympic Gold Medal each to go along with their matching Art Ross Trophies; so does Roberto Luongo. Mikael Samuelsson has an Olympic Gold and a Stanley Cup. Ryan Kesler won a World Junior Gold and has twice been a Selke Trophy finalist.
The Canucks have players who can win. The Canucks have players who can play big.
So for the love of all things holy, Vancouver. Go out there tomorrow night on your ice, in front of your fans, in front of a TV audience filled with people that desire nothing more than to watch you fail against an opponent who has publicly called you a fraud and now defeated you three times to the joy of your detractors everywhere.
Go out there and play your bloody hearts out.
Judgement Day
And then there was one.
Tuesday, April 26th will mark Game 7 of a Western Conference Quarter Final that has had so many twists and turns that it's enough to make you wonder whether you are watching a hockey game or reading a thrilling mystery.
Gamesmanship and poker faces were on full display on Sunday evening as the Canucks pulled a bait and switch. All weekend long the mantra had been that "Luongo is our guy", only to say at the last second that rookie Cory Schneider was going in. Shocking.
For all intents and purposes, Schneider played splendidly in his first start. True that two of the Blackhawks' goals were a direct result of him misplaying the puck--first delivering a behind the net suicide pass to Dan Hamhuis, who was directly in the trolly tracks of a hard charging Dave Bolland. He then misplayed it again by giving the puck directly to Patrick Kane who passed to the open man in the slot, resulting in a goal.
When playing the puck, if we're honest, Schneider showed nerves.
But apart from that, he was quite solid. Particularly when he was stopping Patrick Kane cold on a breakaway out of the penalty box. He was forcing the Blackhawks to change their game plan. Right up until Michael Frolik's penalty shot when he went down with a lower body injury.
This is where you think we're reading a thriller--in came Roberto Luongo.
The game went to overtime and the Canucks were pressing and pressing hard. They came in waves at the Blackhawks and had numerous quality chances. I don't think it's absurd to say the Canucks were the better team in the 3rd period and in overtime.
But a funny thing about hockey is that the game can change on a whim, and change it did when Ben Smith was able to corral a Roberto Luongo rebound and put it upstairs to force this series to a seventh and deciding game.
And now this is what it will all come down to: Judgement Day in Vancouver. If the Blackhawks lose, it was a valiant effort that fell just short, and they have the not insignificant fact that they happened to win Lord Stanley's mug just last season as a consolation prize. If the Canucks lose, it will be an entirely different story, one that has had more than a few footnotes added to it by the surprising decision to insert Cory Schneider in Game 6. (Alain Vigneault, for his part, has said Schneider's injury is not serious and he could play Tuesday if necessary. We'll see.)
Make no mistake, the Canucks have an awful lot riding on Game 7 on Tuesday night. There will be a great many questions and not a lot of answers if the Canucks do lose, and there would almost certainly be some changes both on the ice and off it should that occur.
But I'm an optimist. And the optimist in me says "there's still hockey to be played".
And as the NHL might say, there's still history to be made.
Tuesday, April 26th will mark Game 7 of a Western Conference Quarter Final that has had so many twists and turns that it's enough to make you wonder whether you are watching a hockey game or reading a thrilling mystery.
Gamesmanship and poker faces were on full display on Sunday evening as the Canucks pulled a bait and switch. All weekend long the mantra had been that "Luongo is our guy", only to say at the last second that rookie Cory Schneider was going in. Shocking.
For all intents and purposes, Schneider played splendidly in his first start. True that two of the Blackhawks' goals were a direct result of him misplaying the puck--first delivering a behind the net suicide pass to Dan Hamhuis, who was directly in the trolly tracks of a hard charging Dave Bolland. He then misplayed it again by giving the puck directly to Patrick Kane who passed to the open man in the slot, resulting in a goal.
When playing the puck, if we're honest, Schneider showed nerves.
But apart from that, he was quite solid. Particularly when he was stopping Patrick Kane cold on a breakaway out of the penalty box. He was forcing the Blackhawks to change their game plan. Right up until Michael Frolik's penalty shot when he went down with a lower body injury.
This is where you think we're reading a thriller--in came Roberto Luongo.
The game went to overtime and the Canucks were pressing and pressing hard. They came in waves at the Blackhawks and had numerous quality chances. I don't think it's absurd to say the Canucks were the better team in the 3rd period and in overtime.
But a funny thing about hockey is that the game can change on a whim, and change it did when Ben Smith was able to corral a Roberto Luongo rebound and put it upstairs to force this series to a seventh and deciding game.
And now this is what it will all come down to: Judgement Day in Vancouver. If the Blackhawks lose, it was a valiant effort that fell just short, and they have the not insignificant fact that they happened to win Lord Stanley's mug just last season as a consolation prize. If the Canucks lose, it will be an entirely different story, one that has had more than a few footnotes added to it by the surprising decision to insert Cory Schneider in Game 6. (Alain Vigneault, for his part, has said Schneider's injury is not serious and he could play Tuesday if necessary. We'll see.)
Make no mistake, the Canucks have an awful lot riding on Game 7 on Tuesday night. There will be a great many questions and not a lot of answers if the Canucks do lose, and there would almost certainly be some changes both on the ice and off it should that occur.
But I'm an optimist. And the optimist in me says "there's still hockey to be played".
And as the NHL might say, there's still history to be made.
Friday 22 April 2011
Don't Stop Believing
In the wake of the travesty that was Game 5 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday evening, there are bound to be some questions. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the persistent thud-thud-thudding of people falling off the blue and white bandwagon. To steal a line from the TV series "Breaking In" (great show, by the way), the rallying cry appears to be: "Panic! Panic as hard as you can!"
I went through some of the comments in my old high school yearbook recently. One of my friends wrote to "keep up that irrepressible good mood". I have widely been known to be an optimist, a glass-half-full type of guy. So in the wake of all this overwhelming (however justified) negativity, I'm going to put my happy face on and look on the bright side.
Roberto Luongo(he of the 9 goals against in his last two playoff games) was just named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy today. The Vezina is awarded to the top goaltender as voted by the General Managers of the 30 NHL Teams. This is quite a feat. Luongo tied for the league lead in wins(38), while posting a 2.14 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .928. Those put him in top 5 in the league territory. He also posted 4 shutouts. It's also important to remember that prior to the meltdowns of Games 4 and 5, Luongo's playoff numbers were a sparking 3-0, 1.67 G.A.A and a .944 SVP. It's amazing how things can change on a day-to-day basis.
Yesterday, Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis was named a finalist for the NHL's Executive of the Year award. Gillis came into his position straight from being a player agent, and has consistently iced a high performing team. The real challenge for him--and everyone in the Canuck organization--is to continue that high performance in the playoffs (I'll get to that in a moment).
Couple these recent recognitions with the fact that Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. Luongo will share the William M. Jennings Trophy with back-up Cory Schneider for having allowed the fewest goals against in the league. And it is also expected that Daniel Sedin will be in the running for the Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league's Most Valuable Player), and Ryan Kesler will be in the running for the Frank J. Selke Trophy (awarded to the forward who also excels in the defensive aspects of the game).
Now, a pessimist can say "that's all in the regular season"! And they would have an excellent point.
But here's my counter point. The Vancouver Canucks have not left anything to the last minute. If anything, Chicago has been guilty of that. Vancouver put the screws to the Blackhawks for the first three games and built themselves a comfortable lead, while also buying themselves a very important commodity: time. They have the time to sort through these hiccups and persevere through the controversy.
"How will they face such a controversy?" the pessimist might ask. Another excellent point.
"The same way they have all season" would be my answer. One such example is that the Canucks were 6th in the NHL for man-games lost to injury. Their blueline in particular was completely decimated with injury. None of Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis or Keith Ballard eclipsed 70 games. Andrew Alberts didn't hit 50. Sami Salo didn't hit 20. The Canucks played through injuries not just to bit part players, but to key members of their team. And all they did was finish first overall in the NHL.
The bottom line is that the Canucks haven't forgotten any of this. Roberto Luongo has not forgotten overnight how to play goal. Daniel Sedin has not forgotten how to score and play like his team's MVP. And Ryan Kesler has not forgotten how to be one of the best shutdown forwards in the game. And the Vancouver Canucks as a whole have not forgotten how to play the game of hockey.
They are on their heels, to be sure. But they have already done themselves the biggest favour they could have by building up a 3-0 series lead. The Blackhawks have won two consecutive games in convincing fashion, but the Vancouver Canucks could still send them packing on Sunday evening. What would we remember about this series then?
As a collective group, we need to take a deep breath. Don't stop believing in this group.
I went through some of the comments in my old high school yearbook recently. One of my friends wrote to "keep up that irrepressible good mood". I have widely been known to be an optimist, a glass-half-full type of guy. So in the wake of all this overwhelming (however justified) negativity, I'm going to put my happy face on and look on the bright side.
Roberto Luongo(he of the 9 goals against in his last two playoff games) was just named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy today. The Vezina is awarded to the top goaltender as voted by the General Managers of the 30 NHL Teams. This is quite a feat. Luongo tied for the league lead in wins(38), while posting a 2.14 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .928. Those put him in top 5 in the league territory. He also posted 4 shutouts. It's also important to remember that prior to the meltdowns of Games 4 and 5, Luongo's playoff numbers were a sparking 3-0, 1.67 G.A.A and a .944 SVP. It's amazing how things can change on a day-to-day basis.
Yesterday, Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis was named a finalist for the NHL's Executive of the Year award. Gillis came into his position straight from being a player agent, and has consistently iced a high performing team. The real challenge for him--and everyone in the Canuck organization--is to continue that high performance in the playoffs (I'll get to that in a moment).
Couple these recent recognitions with the fact that Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. Luongo will share the William M. Jennings Trophy with back-up Cory Schneider for having allowed the fewest goals against in the league. And it is also expected that Daniel Sedin will be in the running for the Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league's Most Valuable Player), and Ryan Kesler will be in the running for the Frank J. Selke Trophy (awarded to the forward who also excels in the defensive aspects of the game).
Now, a pessimist can say "that's all in the regular season"! And they would have an excellent point.
But here's my counter point. The Vancouver Canucks have not left anything to the last minute. If anything, Chicago has been guilty of that. Vancouver put the screws to the Blackhawks for the first three games and built themselves a comfortable lead, while also buying themselves a very important commodity: time. They have the time to sort through these hiccups and persevere through the controversy.
"How will they face such a controversy?" the pessimist might ask. Another excellent point.
"The same way they have all season" would be my answer. One such example is that the Canucks were 6th in the NHL for man-games lost to injury. Their blueline in particular was completely decimated with injury. None of Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis or Keith Ballard eclipsed 70 games. Andrew Alberts didn't hit 50. Sami Salo didn't hit 20. The Canucks played through injuries not just to bit part players, but to key members of their team. And all they did was finish first overall in the NHL.
The bottom line is that the Canucks haven't forgotten any of this. Roberto Luongo has not forgotten overnight how to play goal. Daniel Sedin has not forgotten how to score and play like his team's MVP. And Ryan Kesler has not forgotten how to be one of the best shutdown forwards in the game. And the Vancouver Canucks as a whole have not forgotten how to play the game of hockey.
They are on their heels, to be sure. But they have already done themselves the biggest favour they could have by building up a 3-0 series lead. The Blackhawks have won two consecutive games in convincing fashion, but the Vancouver Canucks could still send them packing on Sunday evening. What would we remember about this series then?
As a collective group, we need to take a deep breath. Don't stop believing in this group.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Tonight, Tonight
Re-making a movie can be hit or miss, and the Vancouver Canucks are certainly hoping they can make a blockbuster tonight.
After a Game 4 in which the Vancouver Canucks acted and played like the immature, over emotional team they were last season rather than 2011's top NHL team, the Canucks need a boost. No one perhaps more than Kevin Bieksa, who got sucked into a war of words with noted minute-munching defensemen John Scott.
The difference between this year's Canucks teams and previous incarnations is supposed to be simple: this team plays from whistle to whistle. They do not shout at officials, they do not agitate the opposition(with their mouths, anyway) and they shut out off ice distractions such as the one provided by Scott heading into Game 4.
But Kevin Bieksa fell into that trap and, with the benefit of hindsight, wound up with egg on his face.
But that is the last of that, or so the Canucks would have you believe. To a man they have reverted back to the strong, silent persona that they have put forth all year. There has been no muttering about missed calls by the officials, there has been no promises of retribution on the scoresheet or otherwise, and there has been not one peep about the Blackhawks whooping it up as a group after goals 6 and 7 were scored in Game 4.
None of that matters. The Canucks are focussed on the task at hand, and that is ending this series tonight in Game 5 on home ice. The Canucks are 2-0 at Rogers Arena in this playoff, and they carried the run of the play in both Games 1 and 2 with clinical precision. They know what awaits them. They have given the Blackhawks a glimmer of hope in this series, and the Blackhawks feel they have an ace in the hole with the rejuvenated Dave Bolland in their lineup.
Now it's up to the Canucks to douse that flickering flame with a heavy splash of Pacific ocean water. The matchups are plentiful: The Sedin Twins vs. Dave Bolland, Jonathan Toews vs. Ryan Kesler, and Alexander Edler vs. Patrick Kane. Make no mistake that both of these teams are banged up. The Canucks would love nothing more than to ice the Blackhawks and get a well earned break heading into the Western Conference Semi Finals, whereas the Blackhawks would love nothing more than becoming one of the few teams in the history of the NHL to come back from a 3-0 series defecit.
One of these teams is about to put their money where their mouth is.
After a Game 4 in which the Vancouver Canucks acted and played like the immature, over emotional team they were last season rather than 2011's top NHL team, the Canucks need a boost. No one perhaps more than Kevin Bieksa, who got sucked into a war of words with noted minute-munching defensemen John Scott.
The difference between this year's Canucks teams and previous incarnations is supposed to be simple: this team plays from whistle to whistle. They do not shout at officials, they do not agitate the opposition(with their mouths, anyway) and they shut out off ice distractions such as the one provided by Scott heading into Game 4.
But Kevin Bieksa fell into that trap and, with the benefit of hindsight, wound up with egg on his face.
But that is the last of that, or so the Canucks would have you believe. To a man they have reverted back to the strong, silent persona that they have put forth all year. There has been no muttering about missed calls by the officials, there has been no promises of retribution on the scoresheet or otherwise, and there has been not one peep about the Blackhawks whooping it up as a group after goals 6 and 7 were scored in Game 4.
None of that matters. The Canucks are focussed on the task at hand, and that is ending this series tonight in Game 5 on home ice. The Canucks are 2-0 at Rogers Arena in this playoff, and they carried the run of the play in both Games 1 and 2 with clinical precision. They know what awaits them. They have given the Blackhawks a glimmer of hope in this series, and the Blackhawks feel they have an ace in the hole with the rejuvenated Dave Bolland in their lineup.
Now it's up to the Canucks to douse that flickering flame with a heavy splash of Pacific ocean water. The matchups are plentiful: The Sedin Twins vs. Dave Bolland, Jonathan Toews vs. Ryan Kesler, and Alexander Edler vs. Patrick Kane. Make no mistake that both of these teams are banged up. The Canucks would love nothing more than to ice the Blackhawks and get a well earned break heading into the Western Conference Semi Finals, whereas the Blackhawks would love nothing more than becoming one of the few teams in the history of the NHL to come back from a 3-0 series defecit.
One of these teams is about to put their money where their mouth is.
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Where have all the good times gone?
Poor Roberto Luongo.
Heading into a critical Game 4 matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks in which the Canucks could have exorcised their demons of years' past in more ways than one, Roberto Luongo was one of the relatively few Canucks who remembered that the puck was dropping.
My Dad summed up last night's game with a good quote. I do not know if he thought this up himself, or if it's been said before, so pardon my plagiarism: "The Canucks came in playing not to lose, the Hawks came in playing to win." And boy was he right.
From the drop of the puck, the Blackhawks came at the Canucks in waves, only pausing briefly for two dumb penalties by Dave Bolland and Duncan Keith, the latter of the two being lucky to only get away with a 2-minute minor for his part in a little fracas around the Chicago net. That power play resulted in the Canucks' only goal for quite some time--a Sami Salo drive that ping-ponged its way into the net.
But after that brief marker, it was all Blackhawks. Roberto Luongo did his best, and made several big stops to keep the Canucks in it. But with his vaunted deep defense turning into a firedrill in front of him, and the top offense in the league(boasting the last two Art Ross Trophy winners) mounting absolutely nothing in terms of offensive attack, it didn't take long before the Blackhawks began burying pucks with alarming frequency.
Luongo didn't even get a mercy hook until after the score was 6-1. It was clear much earlier that the boys in blue were not up to snuff on this night.
The game ended 7-2. The Madhouse lived up to its name, and the Blackhawks staved off elimination on this night. Dave Bolland turned in perhaps the best single-game effort of this post-season thus far with 1 goal and 3 assists on a night where he looked like he could have beaten the Canucks all by himself.
The task at hand now for Vancouver's team is to put this debacle behind them so they can end this series at Rogers Arena on Thursday night. It will be a tough test for the Canucks, a team that has shown impressive discipline and an ability to move forward through controversy this year. But these are the playoffs and everything is different now. The Blackhawks--while short a few weapons from seasons' past--still have a few claws, and showed in Game 4 just what they are capable of when pushed into a corner.
Now the Canucks need to come back with an answer of their own. In front of 18,000+ screaming Vancouverites on Thursday night, they get their second chance to exorcise their playoff demon.
Let's just hope Roberto Luongo isn't the only one to remember what time the puck drops.
Heading into a critical Game 4 matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks in which the Canucks could have exorcised their demons of years' past in more ways than one, Roberto Luongo was one of the relatively few Canucks who remembered that the puck was dropping.
My Dad summed up last night's game with a good quote. I do not know if he thought this up himself, or if it's been said before, so pardon my plagiarism: "The Canucks came in playing not to lose, the Hawks came in playing to win." And boy was he right.
From the drop of the puck, the Blackhawks came at the Canucks in waves, only pausing briefly for two dumb penalties by Dave Bolland and Duncan Keith, the latter of the two being lucky to only get away with a 2-minute minor for his part in a little fracas around the Chicago net. That power play resulted in the Canucks' only goal for quite some time--a Sami Salo drive that ping-ponged its way into the net.
But after that brief marker, it was all Blackhawks. Roberto Luongo did his best, and made several big stops to keep the Canucks in it. But with his vaunted deep defense turning into a firedrill in front of him, and the top offense in the league(boasting the last two Art Ross Trophy winners) mounting absolutely nothing in terms of offensive attack, it didn't take long before the Blackhawks began burying pucks with alarming frequency.
Luongo didn't even get a mercy hook until after the score was 6-1. It was clear much earlier that the boys in blue were not up to snuff on this night.
The game ended 7-2. The Madhouse lived up to its name, and the Blackhawks staved off elimination on this night. Dave Bolland turned in perhaps the best single-game effort of this post-season thus far with 1 goal and 3 assists on a night where he looked like he could have beaten the Canucks all by himself.
The task at hand now for Vancouver's team is to put this debacle behind them so they can end this series at Rogers Arena on Thursday night. It will be a tough test for the Canucks, a team that has shown impressive discipline and an ability to move forward through controversy this year. But these are the playoffs and everything is different now. The Blackhawks--while short a few weapons from seasons' past--still have a few claws, and showed in Game 4 just what they are capable of when pushed into a corner.
Now the Canucks need to come back with an answer of their own. In front of 18,000+ screaming Vancouverites on Thursday night, they get their second chance to exorcise their playoff demon.
Let's just hope Roberto Luongo isn't the only one to remember what time the puck drops.
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