tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80891802009-07-06T17:03:11.653-07:00Vancouver Canucks and Hockey commentary. Vancouver Canucks analysis, game recaps and previews. Also including commentary on news from around the National Hockey League and other hockey related subjects.TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-37648681260571962542009-07-06T16:10:00.002-07:002009-07-06T16:54:53.663-07:00

The Canucks took care of some business today re-signing defenseman Shane O'Brien and replacing Jason Labarbera with Andrew Raycroft. Shane O'Brien and the Canucks agreed to a 1 year $1.6m contract, avoiding salary arbitration. O'Brien had an up and down season last year, the low point being the whole mess or "misunderstanding" over management wanting him to drop the gloves more. O'Brien is only

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-50480960863418594382009-07-03T16:29:00.003-07:002009-07-03T17:03:44.383-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have signed RW Mikael Samuelsson to a three year $7.5m contract. I'm not sure about this one yet. Considering how little cap room the Canucks will have over the next few years (assuming Luongo is re-signed) $2.5m seems like a big chunk of cap space for a 40 point player who will be 35 at the end of the deal. Of course there are also some positives, Samuelsson is a versatile

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-36797920992965164702009-07-01T12:08:00.002-07:002009-07-01T12:27:23.780-07:00

The Canucks have made a big splash, signing household name Aaron Rome to a 1 year, one way, $525k deal. All kidding a side, this is a minor signing to add depth on the blueline. Rome will likely be battling it out for the #7-8 slot on defense. Rome is a fairly big guy (6'1", 225lbs) who is willing to drop the gloves. He has shown some ability to put up points at the AHL level, scoring .58 pts per

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-48625514167974783062009-07-01T09:33:00.003-07:002009-07-01T09:41:43.679-07:00

Not surprisingly Mattias Ohlund is no longer a Vancouver Canuck. Ohlund has signed an eyebrow raising 7 year contract for $24.5m. Congrats to Mattias, he got a boatload of cash and way more than he ever would have found in Vancouver. He should also enjoy the anonymity of playing in Tampa (not to mention the weather). Interesting deal for Tampa. I would be pretty surprised if Ohlund plays out all

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-58305144008349737512009-07-01T08:57:00.002-07:002009-07-01T09:03:23.483-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed Daniel and Henrik Sedin to 5 year contracts worth a reported $6.1m per year. The deals also include no-movement clauses. Throughout the year it seemed logical that a deal would get done at somewhere between 5 and 6 million over 3 to 5 years, I just didn't expect talks to go down to the last minute. First thoughts on the deal are that it's is for slightly more

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-72920906845030970502009-06-30T06:40:00.002-07:002009-06-30T06:45:49.552-07:00

According to TSN, Mike Gillis has made his final pitch to the Sedin twins and is returning from Sweden as the Sedins contemplate the offer. The ball is in their court. With NHL free agency opening tomorrow, the direction of this franchise could be significantly different should the Sedins decline the Canucks offer. Will they sign? What's Gillis' plan B? A Roberto Luongo extension appears to be

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-17988924632485475872009-05-11T21:00:00.003-07:002009-05-11T21:08:47.911-07:00

Well, at the moment I don't have much to say about this one other than the obvious... Roberto shit the bed. Simple as that. The game was there to win numerous times and in the end the guy at the other end of the ice got it done, Luongo didn't. I'll have some proper game notes tomorrow, but for now, this one stings too much and I don't won't this to be a rant fest...

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-87741654674582577162009-05-11T17:00:00.002-07:002009-05-11T17:22:50.794-07:00

A little (well a lot) late on this one, but here's some quick thoughts on game 5 as we get set for the do or die game 6... Pass the goat horns around, in game five Willie Mitchell was the goat, in game six Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler got to share the honor. Bieksa took one of his patented over aggressive high sticking penalties which led to the winning goal and was also in the box for the tying

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-65039973241085722232009-05-09T09:53:00.003-07:002009-05-09T10:38:18.799-07:00

That one hurt. I haven't been that choked after a loss since game seven against Calgary in 2004. The Canucks decided to sit back on their one goal lead and in the end one mistake cost them a chance to be one game away from the Conference Finals. The instant Willie Mitchell coughed up the puck I knew it was going to wind up in the net. It was just one of those strange plays where you can see the

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-77253542673266436892009-05-06T06:57:00.005-07:002009-05-07T07:08:04.782-07:00

After suffering their first post-season loss the Vancouver Canucks came up with their best game of the playoffs in game three defeating the Hawks 3-1. Everything they didn't do in games one and two they did in game three. They got the puck in deep, they got traffic in front of Khabibulin, they played physical against Chicago's star players and they were air tight in their own end. Full game notes

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-7699057425639094352009-05-03T10:05:00.003-07:002009-05-03T11:14:53.944-07:00

Well that was ugly. Things were looking pretty good for the Canucks when they took a 1-0 early in the first on a Sami Salo rocket... that was until Salo left the bench and never returned. Playing with 5 defensemen for the remainder of the game, the Canucks simply couldn't handle the offensive skill of the Hawks. The disjointed blueline struggled with their down low coverage and Shane O'Brien was

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-55152169740577479432009-05-02T08:18:00.002-07:002009-05-02T09:49:49.993-07:00

From the better late than never file... Aided by powerplay time, the Canucks were the better team for most of the game on Thursday, that was until the third period where they blew a three goal lead. Everyone could see it coming. As soon as the Blackhawks got one you knew they were going to get right back in it and the game would go down to the wire. Sure enough, Darcy Hordichuk took a bad penalty

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-21225880363645088232009-04-29T20:36:00.002-07:002009-04-29T20:40:20.279-07:00

Here we go, round number 2! Thursday, April 30 at Vancouver, 6:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS Saturday, May 2 at Vancouver, 6:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS Tuesday, May 5 at Chicago, 5:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS Thursday, May 7 at Chicago, 5:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS *Saturday, May 9 at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m CBC, VERSUS *Monday, May 11 at Chicago, 6:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS *Thursday, May 14 at Vancouver, TBD CBC, VERSUS *

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-5253345489130921482009-04-22T07:10:00.002-07:002009-04-22T07:32:15.852-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have swept the St.Louis Blues, the first seven game series sweep in franchise history. It took a little luck and even a little controversy, but in the end the Canucks were just too deep and too experienced for the Blues. The Blues had their best game in game four, but it wasn't enough as Alex Burrows ended the series in the final seconds of the first overtime. On to the game

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-81171963920496485922009-04-20T07:04:00.002-07:002009-04-20T07:29:31.790-07:00

Another game, another playoff victory for the Canucks. This one wasn't pretty, but the Canucks got it done on special teams and came out on top. This series kinda reminds me of the 2001 playoffs where the Canucks were swept by the Avalanche. The Canucks were in each of the first 3 games, but in the end it was the experience and depth of Colorado that made the difference. On to the game notes...

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-54605028769243624512009-04-18T09:45:00.003-07:002009-04-18T11:31:41.328-07:00

Wow, what a difference it makes when the referees actually let the players play some playoff hockey. That was a very entertaining game, especially in the first period. On the Canucks side of things Roberto Luongo was simply outstanding. The Canucks gave up more opportunities than they would like, but whenever they did, the captain was there. On to the game notes... Roberto Luongo is very good

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-24469190535187034482009-04-16T06:37:00.004-07:002009-04-16T07:20:38.448-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks opened their 2009 playoff drive with a solid 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues in what was a penalty filled affair. The Canucks took the lead mid way through the first and after killing a 5 on 3 Blues advantage they were never really in danger of losing the game. On to the game notes... Willie Mitchell was arguably the best player on the ice. He was outstanding in the

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-88091251840863694962009-04-14T07:15:00.003-07:002009-04-14T07:20:42.625-07:00

Vancouver will face the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wednesday, April 15 at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m. (PST) CBC, VERSUS, RDS Friday, April 17 at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m. (PST) CBC, VERSUS, RDS Sunday, April 19 at St. Louis, 4:00 p.m. (PST) CBC, VERSUS Tuesday, April 21 at St. Louis, 5:00 p.m. (PST) CBC, VERSUS Friday, April 24 at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m. (PST) CBC,

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-14426424180230463352009-04-12T08:54:00.002-07:002009-04-12T10:54:14.016-07:00

Who would have thought back in January that the Vancouver Canucks would enter the playoffs as the number 3 seed in the Western Conference? Many of the local bandwagoners were ready to blow the team up, fire Alain Vigneault and jump right into the Tavares sweepstakes. Fortunately Canuck management has more intelligence than your average Canuck bandwagoner. Not only have the Canucks made the

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-80678240271121312002009-04-02T11:41:00.002-07:002009-04-02T11:48:59.594-07:00

With only 6 games remaining in the regular season the Canucks find themselves leading the North West Division after an amazing turn around. Surprisingly to some, the sky did not fall, the Canucks managed to get things back on track and now the bandwagon is once again full. No matter what happens over the final week and a half, there will be playoff hockey in Vancouver. Not only will there be

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-76531734913646965512009-03-04T12:40:00.003-08:002009-03-04T16:48:03.826-08:00

Despite appearing to be involved in serious talks for Jay Bouwmeester the Vancouver Canucks walk away from the 2009 trade deadline with no additions to their roster. While Bouwmeester was an exiting (and risky) possibility, Canuck fans have to be pretty disappointed that the Canucks will be heading down the stretch and into the playoffs with Kyle Wellwood as the third line centre and the

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-60303667033893100932009-03-03T19:05:00.003-08:002009-03-03T22:29:46.259-08:00

Alex Burrows has signed a 4 year $8m contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks. More on this after the game... ... and what a game it was for Alex Burrows. Two big goals on a night where he becomes a multi-millionaire This is a very good deal for the Vancouver Canucks and Alex Burrows. Burrows could have received more on the open market, but obviously he likes Vancouver and knows he's a good

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-5349229356158659242009-03-03T09:44:00.002-08:002009-03-03T09:50:43.266-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have lost defenseman Lawrence Nycholat on waivers to the Calgary Flames. Not a huge loss, but it is a hit to the Canucks depth on defense. Other Waiver News Some interesting players are hitting the waiver wire... Miroslav Satan Gary Roberts Brendan Morrison Aaron Voros a bunch of other minor guys It's going to be an interesting couple days...

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-76551810357561309202009-02-28T13:22:00.002-08:002009-02-28T13:28:12.966-08:00

An interesting bit of news emerged from the Canucks skate today... Rick Rypien is back skating There is yet to be any indication that he will return this season, but he would be a welcome addition to the Canucks bottom 6. It will be interesting to hear some of the details of Rypien's personal problems, there has been speculation that Rypien was unsure of continuing his hockey career due to his

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-70257773011443903822009-02-27T10:49:00.004-08:002009-02-27T11:31:20.156-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have claimed defenseman Ossi Vaananen off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. This is a very nice depth pickup for the Canucks. Vaananen was made available on waivers due to the salary cap problems of the Flyers, who needed to make room for Daniel Briere's return. I don't know much about Vaananen, but he does bring very good size (6'4" 215lbs) and will fit in ahead of

TheCanuckFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com