tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80891802012-02-16T13:26:57.422-08:00Canucks Commentary and Analysis Since 2004<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comBlogger3281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-85749333455070404422011-10-23T12:44:00.001-07:002011-10-23T12:48:50.208-07:00

While watching the Lions game yesterday I hear a TSN Tradecentre alert go off on my phone. I wonder "Hmmm which mediocre player was traded for a mid-round pick today." Needless to say it was a little shocking to see that the Canucks had traded away Mikael Samuelsson. Even more surprising was the player they received in return.The Canucks sent Samuelsson and Marco Sturm to Florida (yes Florida

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-24486974858895990292011-10-06T16:47:00.000-07:002011-10-06T16:48:01.236-07:00

The Canucks open the season tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:00 CBC). Here's your opening night lineup...ForwardsSedin Sedin Burrows Sturm Hogdson Samuelsson Higgins Malhotra Hansen Volpatti Lapierre Weise DefenseHamhuis Bieksa Edler Salo Ballard Tanev GoaltendersLuongo Schneider It was reported today that Mike Gillis expects Ryan Kesler to return in 5 to 6 games, or roughly two weeks.

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-46856375510715501802011-09-24T10:08:00.000-07:002011-09-24T10:08:30.349-07:00

Well it's been a long time since my last post. Quite frankly, after such a crushing disappointment I needed to take the summer off from all things Canuck. I was going to do a review of last season and "what went wrong", but really whats the point. We all know what went wrong. The Canucks power play floundered, Tim Thomas was amazing and Luongo wasn't good enough (again). Sure you can throw in the

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-62782936834315239012011-06-13T16:27:00.000-07:002011-06-13T16:27:57.085-07:00

This is it. For just the second time ever the Vancouver Canucks are playing to win the Stanley Cup. "Surreal" is the only word I can think of to describe what's going on in Canuck Nation. The Dream can be fulfilled tonight! Throw all the numbers out the window. This is one hockey game and the Stanley Cup is on the line! Pre Game Thoughts... The obvious key to the game is scoring first, but

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-57431362157554083022011-06-05T10:54:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:54:54.336-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have been great in third periods all season long and game two of the Stanley Cup finals was no different. After a weak 2nd period the Canucks took over in the third and tied the game on a Daniel Sedin goal. Vancouver fans barely had time to sit down for the overtime as Alex Burrows ended it 11 seconds in on a great individual effort. Just like that Vancouver is just two wins

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-15798423025340642002011-06-04T10:28:00.000-07:002011-06-04T10:28:47.624-07:00

It took until the final seconds of the third period, but the Vancouver Canucks finally beat Tim Thomas. Raffi Torres scored the winner on a great passing play by Ryan Kesler and Jannik Hansen. The Canucks are now just three wins away from the Stanley Cup! The Keys to the Stanley Cup Let's take a look at the four keys to the Stanley Cup... The X Factor: Officiating One of the biggest questions

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-40691620811157123562011-05-31T19:33:00.000-07:002011-05-31T19:33:18.881-07:00

It's been 17 years. Hard to believe really. Back in 1994 I would never have imagined that the Canucks would not return to the Stanley Cup finals until 2011. Since game seven in 1994 - counting the regular season and playoffs - the Vancouver Canucks have won 654 games. Now all we need is four wins. 4 Wins. This time around the Canucks are heavily favoured, most predicting the series to be over in

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-3069516147417092652011-04-28T07:39:00.001-07:002011-04-29T07:33:38.987-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks vs the Nashville Predators round 2 playoff schedule is as follows: Thursday, April 28 at Vancouver, 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 30 at Vancouver, 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 3 at Nashville, 6:00 p.m. Thursday, May 5 at Nashville, 5:30 p.m. *Saturday, May 7 at Vancouver, 5:00 p.m. *Monday, May 9 at Nashville, TBD *Wednesday, May 11 at Vancouver, TBD All Times Pacific. * If

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-13266673764624629062011-04-25T12:36:00.000-07:002011-04-25T12:36:05.664-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks played their best game of the series, but it wasn't enough to finish off the Chicago Blackhawks. Alain Vigneault shook things up by juggling his lines and starting Corey Schneider in goal. Despite outplaying the Blackhawks in the second half of the game, Vancouver couldn't get the one goal they needed. For Canuck fans it was just another heartbreaking loss. On to the game

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-57628039546583159512011-04-23T10:05:00.001-07:002011-04-23T10:11:10.156-07:00

Canucks fans have experienced many moments of pain and disappointed over the last 40 years. My first real experience was in 1989 Vs the Calgary Flames. Mike Vernon's overtime glove save on Stan Smyl and the series clinching goal off the skate of Joel Otto are still fresh wounds 22 years later. A couple first round series wins over the Winnipeg Jets in the early 90's gave me hope that all you had

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-14153629511644893402011-04-16T10:25:00.000-07:002011-04-16T10:25:01.153-07:00

It got interesting late, but the Vancouver Canucks managed to hang on to a 4-3 lead and win game #2 for the first time in the past three series against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks had another dominant opening period, once again scoring first while hitting the Hawks hard and often. The Canucks never lost the lead and responded every time Chicago scored or gained momentum. The Canucks'

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-90550712766314683182011-04-14T17:16:00.002-07:002011-04-14T17:23:16.743-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks opened their 2011 Stanley Cup drive with an impressive 2-0 victory over the Blackhawks. The Canucks took it to Chicago early, dominating in the hit department while adding a couple goals. The Hawks got it together in the 2nd period, but Roberto Luongo was outstanding, posting his second career playoff shutout. On to the game notes... The big story of game one was obviously

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-50796147975654416842011-04-01T08:48:00.002-07:002011-04-01T08:49:35.009-07:00

For the first time in their 40 year history the Vancouver Canucks have won the Presidents' Trophy! Sure it doesn't mean a whole lot, but it is a nice accomplishment. What's more impressive is the way they accomplished the feat. They've scored the most goals while allowing the fewest. They have the NHL's best power play and the best penalty kill. They could boast the league's top 2 scorers and

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-65598081158515453552011-03-13T12:01:00.000-07:002011-03-13T12:01:05.985-07:00

After their worst homestand of the season the Vancouver Canucks set off to California to begin a five game road trip. They would face five teams who were battling for their playoff lives in the tight Western Conference. The end result was the franchise's first 5 game road trip sweep since 1992. With 12 regular season games remaining the Canucks have an 8 point lead over Philadelphia (14 games

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-59435035220270669002011-02-28T13:19:00.001-08:002011-02-28T14:59:57.186-08:00

It ran right down to the wire, but the Canucks managed to pull off a couple trades to add to their forward depth. A couple of ex-Canadiens are on their way to Vancouver: To Vancouver: F Chris Higgins To Florida: D Evan Oberg, 3rd Round Pick (2011) To Vancouver: F Maxim Lapierre, F MacGregor Sharp To Anaheim F Joel Perrault, 3rd Round Pick (2013) Chris Higgins Chris Higgins is an interesting

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-77331031483641398202011-02-28T07:35:00.001-08:002011-02-28T07:37:21.765-08:00

The NHL trade deadline is at noon pacific today and the Vancouver Canucks are hoping to add the final piece(s) for their Stanley Cup drive. GM Mike Gillis is going to try and add a 4th line centre, but could very well walk away from today with nothing should the asking prices be too high. Check back later for analysis of any Canucks moves. You can also follow the Vancouver Canucks Hockey Blog on

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-19625018474417203682011-02-25T13:41:00.004-08:002011-02-25T13:47:03.891-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have one more game, Saturday vs the Bruins, to evaluate their roster before Monday's NHL trade deadline. Usually at this time of year there is a wide range of opinions on what the Canucks need and what they're going to do. This year things are a little different. The Canucks have the best record in the NHL with few holes in their lineup - this has led to a general consensus

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-7816273456365535742011-02-23T14:14:00.000-08:002011-02-23T14:14:31.706-08:00

With 21 games remaining in the regular season the Vancouver Canucks have finished the third quarter of their season, so it's time for the next round of letter grades. In case you missed them, here are the first quarter and second quarter report cards. Last quarter's grades are represented in brackets (second quarter,first quarter). Remember grades are based on player expectations, so Raffi Torres

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-38944986848030340152011-02-17T11:05:00.000-08:002011-02-17T11:05:01.918-08:00

This is just getting ridiculous. After taking a shot off the foot Kevin Bieksa is now the latest Canuck defenseman to hit the injured list. Bieksa is out with a foot fracture of some kind, no details have been released and he will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Vancouver. Evan Oberg has been recalled from Manitoba and will suit up tonight in Nashville. Yes the Canucks will be playing

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-8346796460139781262011-02-15T12:44:00.000-08:002011-02-15T12:44:58.630-08:00

Andrew Alberts is the latest victim of the annual springtime injury train. Alberts is out with a broken wrist, no word yet on how long he will be out - the general diagnosis for a broken wrist is at least 6-8 weeks. Alberts joins Hamhuis, Ballard, Edler and Sweatt on the injured list. That leaves the Canucks with Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Salo and Rome as the only veteran defensemen. Yann Sauve has

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-30916000092997762672011-02-04T14:45:00.000-08:002011-02-04T14:45:13.948-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks continue to roll along, they now lead the Western Conference by 7 points, and lately they've been rolling with several rookies in the lineup. In the past few weeks Sergei Shirokov, Lee Sweatt and Cody Hogdson have all scored their first career goals (earlier in the year Bolduc, Volpatti & Bliznak had theirs) and Chris Tanev has caught everyone's attention with his great play

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-74471707661047833962011-01-31T12:01:00.000-08:002011-01-31T12:01:00.699-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks got some bad news before the all-star break, Alex Edler's back injury will require surgery. He is listed as out indefinitely. The surgery is scheduled for today so we may receive a little more information, but right now the prognosis is that he will miss the rest of the regular season. His readiness for the playoffs is still in question. This is obviously a a huge blow to

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-51227097241441639742011-01-24T12:11:00.000-08:002011-01-24T12:11:57.399-08:00

You knew it was coming. After the best stretch of hockey in franchise history the Canucks find themselves in a slump. Vancouver has played a lot of hockey in January and it's starting to catch up with them. They surprised everyone by going 4-0-1 during a stretch of 5 games in 7 nights at the beginning of the month, but their game began to slide as they headed out east. Injuries have begun to take

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-56453000378577272322011-01-10T15:05:00.000-08:002011-01-10T15:05:41.156-08:00

The Canucks have reached the half way point in their 2010-2011 season, that means it's time for the second round of letter grades. In case you missed them, check out the first quarter report card. Last quarter's grades are represented in brackets. Remember grades are based on player expectations, so Andrew Alberts' high grade does not mean he's been as good as Alex Edler, it just means he has

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-18811119812142116942011-01-06T10:57:00.000-08:002011-01-06T10:57:42.928-08:00

16-1-2 What a run. The Vancouver Canucks sit atop the NHL standings with a 26-8-5 (57pts) record in 39 games. Heading into the season the 2010-11 version of the Canucks had the potential to be one of the best teams in franchise history. That potential has been realized, Vancouver has never seen a team quite like this one. From top to bottom, there has never been a Canuck team as strong as this.

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-37473969024953683532010-12-22T11:07:00.001-08:002010-12-22T11:09:09.384-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks are mowing down opponents in December, sporting a 7-1-1 record as they head into Detroit to take on the 2nd place Red Wings. They now have an opportunity to move into 2nd place in the conference with a win tonight. Despite the great December record, Colorado is putting up a strong fight for the Northwest Division title, both teams have 42 points. Vancouver has played the

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-1569749738260494992010-12-04T10:28:00.000-08:002010-12-04T10:28:23.940-08:00

Roberto Luongo's poetry skills were on display last night, but more importantly so were the goaltending skills which once had many believing he was the best goaltender in the world. Luongo's game stealing performance was all the more impressive/encouraging because it came against a Chicago team that was "in the head" of Luongo and the Canucks. Luongo stealing the game was impressive, but it was

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-76254523179705023712010-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:002010-12-02T10:58:38.427-08:00

After 4 days off the Canucks returned to action and dismantled a sad looking Flames squad 7-2. Despite a pretty sloppy effort overall - culminating in a brutal 5:00 min power play to end the second - Vancouver exploded in the third with 4 goals, much to the delight of the Canuck fans on hand at the Saddledome. The Canucks were simply too fast for Calgary and by the end of the third even Miika

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-24016586784417813082010-11-26T15:15:00.001-08:002010-11-26T18:26:41.192-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have now played 21 games and are a quarter of the way through their season. That means it's time for some letter grades... Note that player grades are relative to expectations for the player! Team Grades Overall Team Grade: C+ The Canucks are 11-7-3 for 25 pts which puts them on a pace for 97.6 pts. Last year in the west, the 7th and 8th positions required 100 and 95 points

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-12066769355508451272010-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:002010-11-25T13:36:05.288-08:00

Rick Rypien is once again taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Vancouver Canucks. Two years ago Rypien was limited to only 12 games because of a similar absence due to personal reasons. It looks like fans and media will be left speculating again. Rick Rypien certainly deserves his privacy, but you have to wonder if the speculation is more detrimental than the actual reasons behind his

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-57185029159697926162010-11-24T11:31:00.000-08:002010-11-24T11:31:01.737-08:00

Well I sure picked a good time to miss watching my first game of the year. Yes I was fortunate enough not to be watching the HNIC debacle on Saturday night. Instead, I watched it off the PVR (without knowing the score) on Sunday before the Phoenix game... well I watched part of it anyway. You can only stomach so much of that. Does it get any worse than being completely embarrassed by your arch

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-85519857723866461162010-11-18T12:25:00.001-08:002010-11-18T12:27:11.340-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks completed their five game road trip with a 3-1 loss to Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins - leaving them with only 5 points in 10 games. For most teams a .500 road trip would be considered fairly successful, but for a team that is supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender .500 is not good enough. So what went wrong? It took them until Buffalo to actually have a good

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-18271286447432154382010-11-15T12:59:00.000-08:002010-11-15T12:59:14.772-08:00

So if you've been on a hockey related website, blog, or forum today you've probably seen the story on Colin Campbell and his emails concerning NHL officiating. If you haven't, check out TSN or the original story at MC79hockey.com (site is down today due to the attention the story is getting). Is anyone really surprised by this? First even if you ignore the informality of the emails, the content

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-84585861143600696342010-11-09T11:31:00.000-08:002010-11-09T11:31:02.725-08:00

The Canucks will start their five game eastern road trip in Montreal with Keith Ballard in the press box. With Dan Hamhuis set to return from his foot injury and Aaron Rome playing the best hockey of his career, the struggling Ballard is the odd man out. Ballard struggled in training camp, but got off to a decent start when the regular season began. Unfortunately missing 5 games with a concussion

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-35317071570185288882010-11-03T11:51:00.000-07:002010-11-03T11:51:22.323-07:00

After a ridiculously long layoff the Vancouver Canucks have returned to action winning back to back games to start the month of November. With their first road win last night the Canucks have now won 4 in a row as they approach their first eastern road trip next week. Before the road trip the Canucks take on the Avalanche tomorrow and the Red Wings at home Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-56254955518790485452010-10-23T09:13:00.000-07:002010-10-23T09:13:01.273-07:00

After a brutal outing in Minnesota the Vancouver Canucks bounced back with a solid outing in a shootout loss to Chicago and a dominating home performance against the Wild. The Canucks were simply brutal in Minnesota. Short two of their top defensemen it was an embarrassing night, culminating with Rick Rypien's stupidity. In the end Rypien got six games, which was in the range of what most

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-42760935968129273282010-10-19T20:34:00.002-07:002010-10-19T20:46:37.897-07:00

In tonight's Canucks - Wild game, Rick Rypien went after a fan in the stands on his way to the dressing room. The attack seemed to be unprovoked (the fan wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary - ie no beer thrown). So the question is how many games should Rick Rypien be suspended? (Poll Question on the Right) Here's a better Youtube video:

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-37152871290994333662010-10-19T07:52:00.000-07:002010-10-19T07:52:10.112-07:00

It was a slump busting night on Sunday as several Canucks got on the board against the jet lagged Hurricanes. Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler and Mikael Samuelsson all got on the scoresheet for the first time this season. Finally some secondary scoring. Alain Vigneault's line juggling paid off. Ryan Kesler had his best game of the season leading all forwards with over 20 minutes of ice time. Raymond

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-7825796130745439152010-10-17T09:58:00.002-07:002010-10-17T10:36:20.259-07:00

The short road trip to California should have got the Canucks back to playing a hard working "get the puck at the net" style, instead the Canucks limped back to Vancouver taking their anemic offense with them. Anaheim 4 - Vancouver 3 On Wednesday night the Canucks failed to capitalize on their opportunities and let the Ducks hang around when they should have been dead and buried. Sure the

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-66633458352183444222010-10-13T16:57:00.001-07:002010-10-13T17:06:01.877-07:00

Trying something new for tonight's game in Anaheim. Follow the Vancouver Canucks Hockey Blog live on Twitter. Follow @TheCanuckFan and get comments on the game as they happen. Anaheim has been brutal so far this season, 3 losses and 2 goals for vs 13 against. This should be the night that the Canucks finally crack the 3 goal mark...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-86963620738520227502010-10-12T17:50:00.000-07:002010-10-12T17:50:43.342-07:00

The Canucks opened their season paying tribute to the 1970 Canucks and naming Henrik Sedin as their new captain. The night was going according to plan until a late penalty allowed the Kings to tie it up and eventually win in a shootout. On Monday, the game felt very similar with the Canucks holding onto a slim 1-0 lead. The Panthers would tie it up late in the 2nd, but Daniel Sedin scored his

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-25356082390896366262010-10-09T09:31:00.000-07:002010-10-09T09:31:57.091-07:00

Finally, it's time to drop the puck for real. After another long off-season and a pre-season of overanalysis the 40th season in franchise history begins... Is this the year? Opening Night Lineup After all the salary cap maneuvers here's what the roster looks like for tonight's game: Sedin Sedin Samuelsson Raymond Kesler Torres Schaefer Malhotra Hansen Glass* Bolduc Desbiens Jeff Tambellini may

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-59180649110699073752010-10-07T16:53:00.000-07:002010-10-07T16:53:33.338-07:00

Fear not Canuck fans, (at least those of you with Bell TV), Sportsnet One is now available on Bell TV (ch 1409 HD, 418 SD). Note that Sportsnet One won't actually be carrying the games, instead it will be on the "companion channel" Sportsnet Vancouver (channel 1436 HD). That's right, Sportsnet One won't show your team's games, instead they will be shown on one of the other 4 "companion channels"

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-24489063329886364192010-10-06T11:10:00.003-07:002010-10-06T11:18:00.632-07:00

True to his word, Mike Gillis has found an NHL home for Darcy Hordichuk sending him to Florida in exchange for heavyweight Andrew Peters. Peters isn't much of a player, but he fills the role of the organization's resident tough guy. He is on a cheap two way contract (500k/75k) which also means that he is not subject to recall waivers, so the Canucks can move him up from Manitoba freely. In

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-56814867303049157772010-10-05T18:10:00.000-07:002010-10-05T18:10:45.601-07:00

Alright it's been a busy day in Canuckland and it figures to be busy again tomorrow as the Canucks will submit their official roster to the NHL... an official roster which, for salary cap reasons, will be different than the one you see on Saturday night. Universities could offer a course on the NHL salary cap, but for now there are probably only a handful of people on the planet who really

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-40121226343925125122010-10-05T10:04:00.001-07:002010-10-05T17:00:23.625-07:00

Shane O'Brien has been traded to the Predators for D Ryan Parent and F Jonas Andersson. F Dan Gendur is also heading to NSH. Parent is currently on waivers and must clear before he is sent to Manitoba. Jeff Tambellini has also been places on waivers, indicating that Peter Schaefer may have a contract coming his way. More to come...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-8259985697752979932010-10-03T10:56:00.002-07:002010-10-03T12:38:24.370-07:00

Brendan Morrison's quest to become a Vancouver Canuck appears to be over as the Canucks have released him from his PTO, meaning he is free to negotiate with other teams. In the end Morrison didn't really fit in with the team's game plan of being bigger and grittier. AKA being hard to play against. Right now the Flames look like a pretty good destination for BMo... Canucks Cut 5 Players In

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-21493577478571247712010-10-02T10:00:00.002-07:002010-10-02T20:27:37.340-07:00

The Canucks closed out their pre-season with a win in Anaheim Friday night, now it's time to make decisions. Canucks management is meeting today to decide on what kind of a lineup they want. Brendan Morrison The first decision they need to make is whether they think Brendan Morrison has a role on the team and at what price. Once that decision is made, a lot of things fall into place. The biggest

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-40493469138266727962010-09-30T17:09:00.000-07:002010-09-30T17:09:08.273-07:00

After another pair of exhibition games the roster picture is getting a little clearer, but there are still some question marks. Up front the Canucks have to decide if there is a role for Morrison and whether they can work out a deal to satisfy both sides. After that things should fall into place on the forward lines. On the back end it looks like Shane O'Brien is the odd man out. Alberts has been

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-90299225133840328272010-09-27T18:17:00.000-07:002010-09-27T18:17:16.551-07:00

As expected the Vancouver Canucks have made some roster cuts after their weekend games. The following players are on their way to the Manitoba Moose: Nolan Baumgartner, Mario Bliznak, Kevin Connauton, Evan Oberg, Prab Rai, Jordan Schroeder, Chris Tanev, Aaron Volpatti, and Sean Zimmerman. The most notable name on the list is Schroeder who was likely destined for the Moose no matter what he did.

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-81313897737261171832010-09-26T08:35:00.000-07:002010-09-26T08:35:26.544-07:00

After four pre-season games Cody Hogdson is finally going to make his much anticipated debut tonight. Those who have seen him practice say he looks way better than a year ago. Hogdson doesn't have much time to show that he is ready to play in the NHL this year, but there is definitely a spot available should he have a strong showing. Some quick thoughts on last nights win over Anaheim... Brendan

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-65499512734102496582010-09-23T17:37:00.002-07:002010-09-23T18:31:58.356-07:00

After three pre-season games here are the updated depth chart rankings. Check out the initial rankings here. Forwards "Safe Group" Daniel Sedin; Henrik Sedin; Ryan Kesler; Mason Raymond; Mikael Samuelsson; Manny Malhotra; Raffi Torres; Jannik Hansen; "Should Make It" 9 Cody Hodgson (9) - Appears ready to play his first game, it's his spot to lose. 10 Brendan Morrison (10) - Had a strong

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-70974777699577683032010-09-20T21:11:00.001-07:002010-10-17T10:10:22.345-07:00

October 2010 DateVisitorHomeTimeTV Sat, 9KingsCanucks7:00 PMCBC Mon, 11PanthersCanucks7:00 PMSNP Wed, 13CanucksDucks7:00 PMTSN Fri, 15CanucksKings7:30 PMSNP Sun, 17HurricanesCanucks6:00 PMSNP Tue, 19CanucksWild6:00 PMSNV Wed, 20CanucksBlackhawks6:00 PMTSN Fri, 22WildCanucks7:00 PMSNP Tue, 26AvalancheCanucks7:00PMSNP November 2010 DateVisitorHomeTimeTV Mon, 1DevilsCanucks7:

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-33045295684866152062010-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:002010-09-20T16:27:23.628-07:00

The Canucks pre-season gets under way Tuesday, with two squads playing the Flames. Game 1 in Calgary (6:00pm SNP - Team 1410) Forwards Tambellini – Perrault – Hansen Glass – Bolduc – Schroeder Volpatti – Bliznak – Morin Hordichuk – Rosa – Anthony Defense Ballard – Baumgartner O’Brien – Ramsay Zimmerman – Alberts Polasek Goalies Weiman Lack Game 2 in Vancouver (

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-26328058476293490052010-09-19T23:26:00.001-07:002010-09-20T16:28:30.981-07:00

With the pre-season officially getting underway Monday, here's a look at where everyone stands in the battle for roster spots. Rankings will be updated as the pre-season progresses. Forwards The Canucks will likely carry 13 forwards, but that could change due to cap considerations. "Safe Group" 1 Daniel Sedin 2 Henrik Sedin 3 Ryan Kesler 4 Mason Raymond 5 Mikael Samuelsson 6 Manny

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-2238605881782551352010-09-19T11:53:00.002-07:002010-09-20T11:48:24.928-07:00

Tuesday, September 21st vs Calgary (7:00 PM) Tuesday, September 21st @ Calgary (6:00 PM - SNP) Wednesday, September 22nd vs Edmonton (7:00 PM) Saturday, September 25th vs Anaheim (7:00 PM - CBC) Sunday, September 26th @ Edmonton(5:00 PM - SNP) Tuesday, September 28th vs San Jose (7:00 PM) Wednesday, September 29th @ San Jose (7:30 PM - TSN) Friday, October 1st @ Anaheim (7:00 PM) All games are

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-63569486523013544702010-09-19T09:23:00.003-07:002010-09-19T10:24:11.112-07:00

It's that time of year again, training camp has officially opened! For the hardcore fans you can actually watch the camp scrimmages live on Canucks.com The Vancouver Canucks Hockey Blog will have new content soon and is currently being re-designed (so things may look a little strange at the moment)

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-24767216256498824072010-07-01T16:07:00.002-07:002010-07-01T17:24:35.499-07:00

On the opening day of free agency the Vancouver Canucks went out and got the two guys they wanted, defenseman Dan Hamhuis ($4.5m 6yrs) and centre Manny Malholtra ($2.5m 3 yrs). Prices and term are always higher than what players are "really worth", but Mike Gillis just addressed the two biggest needs of the Canucks and still has cap room to fill in the rest of the roster. Dan Hamhuis $4.5

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-79406290474805862632010-06-26T09:18:00.004-07:002010-06-26T10:00:51.652-07:00

The Canucks made their first big move of the off season yesterday by trading their 25th overall pick along with Michael Grabner and Steve Bernier to Florida in exchange for Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich. At first glance the price looks very steep from a Canucks perspective, but in the end this is a good trade for both teams. Remember trading isn't about "winning" the trade, it's about

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-67979669201643344202010-04-21T17:14:00.002-07:002010-04-21T17:46:47.917-07:00

Some quick notes before a pivotal game 4... The Canucks penalty kill has been beyond terrible in this series. The PK is at the point where they may as well just concede a goal and save themselves the 2:00 off the clock. Vancouver absolutely needs to be better on the PK or they are done, simple as that. And the guy who can help the PK get it done is Roberto Luongo. Just when I thought Luongo had

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-46795746852511676052010-04-18T09:27:00.002-07:002010-04-18T10:08:10.928-07:00

After game 1 the question was how would the Kings react after getting a game under their belt? On Saturday night the Kings were much better while the Canucks lacked the sense of purpose they played with in game one. The result was a 3-2 loss in overtime on an unlucky, if not questionable, too many men on the ice penalty. I don't like to blame officiating for a loss, but penalties in overtime are

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-82845910035836315552010-04-17T08:42:00.002-07:002010-04-17T09:29:16.926-07:00

Time to post again... The Canucks opened their quest for the 2010 Stanley Cup with a very strong, even dominate, performance against the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver was by far the better team 5-on-5 as the Kings rarely sustained any pressure. Special teams were a different story as the Kings scored twice on the power play and were dangerous when they didn't. On to the game notes... Alex Edler

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-76186096356662080952009-12-08T12:47:00.004-08:002009-12-08T12:52:23.610-08:00

A week late on this one due to computer problems, but here it is anyway... The Forwards Mason Raymond A (Oct B+) Raymond had a strong October and that continued into November, however this time his strong play was reflected on the scoresheet. With 5 goals and 8 assists, Raymond had a point in 8 of 12 games. November was by far the best month of his career. Henrik Sedin A- (Oct A-) Once again

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-84697115280108144542009-11-03T10:53:00.002-08:002009-11-03T11:01:37.853-08:00

Well, it was an interesting first month of the season. After a near perfect pre-season expectations were high heading into the regular season, but as people tend to forget, pre-season don't mean jack. After a brutal first week the Canucks managed to put things together during the middle of the month just as a bizarre number of injuries began to set in. Not many thought the Canucks would merely be

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-8304006059766993562009-09-30T16:52:00.003-07:002009-09-30T17:43:51.689-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have finalized their 2009-2010 roster and will start the season as follows: The Forwards Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alex Burrows Sergei Shirokov - Ryan Kesler- Mikael Samuelsson Mason Raymond - Kyle Wellwood - Steve Bernier Darcy Hordichuk - Ryan Johnson - Rick Rypien Tanner Glass No real surprises up front. With Demitra out, Sergei Shirikov was a no-brainer (and may

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-19699143058057856492009-09-14T16:15:00.002-07:002009-09-14T16:29:20.748-07:00

The Canucks will make their pre-season debut tonight in Terrace as they take on the Islanders. Not only will the game be televised, it will also be available in HD (at least according to the Bell TV guide). It looks like there will be a half hour tape delay as the game is set to get underway at 7:00 and the broadcast is at 7:30. Here is the Canucks roster according to Canucks.com (Terrace is

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-16895783354420331382009-09-02T16:01:00.003-07:002009-09-02T16:28:36.625-07:00

The deal that most assumed was already in the bag finally got done today and it's a big one. 12 years and $64 million dollars ($5.33m cap hit) will keep Roberto Luongo in Vancouver for the remainder of his prime. The cap hit is a great number for the Canucks, especially for the next 6 to 7 years. The extra million and a half in cap room (compared to other high paid goaltenders) will allow the

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-85658418333693700792009-08-28T13:00:00.004-07:002009-08-28T18:16:06.631-07:00

The Vancouver Canucks have signed free agent defenseman Mathieu Schneider and have traded Daniel Rahimi and Patrick White to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Brad Lukowich and Christian Ehrhoff. The backend just got a whole lot better. More to come later... ... Well, today was certainly a big day for Canuck fans. After a quiet summer all of a sudden the Canucks find themselves with 3 new

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.comtag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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 *

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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,

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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...

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-27427638758564904932009-02-25T08:34:00.002-08:002009-02-25T08:46:17.757-08:00

The NHL's trade deadline is next Wednesday and the Vancouver Canucks have managed to pull themselves firmly back into buyer's status. So what do the Canucks need and what can they give up? Let's take a look... Team Needs The first thing the Canucks need to figure out is if Ryan Kesler is going to be a permanent fixture on the second line with Sundin. Kesler may have been the guy who single

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-16605173339214083562009-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:002009-02-18T09:31:47.071-08:00

Some random thoughts after the Canucks shootout win in Calgary... The Canucks still have a ways to go in the Getting the Puck Out of the Zone Department. Darcy Hordichuk isn't getting it done. The guy just isn't a very smart hockey player. Whatever strengths he may have are outweighed by his lack of hockey sense. It's nice to have that tough guy in the lineup, but I think that's a luxury the

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-16444199042533996802009-02-04T13:14:00.003-08:002009-02-04T13:27:23.434-08:00

According to the Team 1040, Mike Brown has been traded to Anaheim for Nathan McIver. Finally, Gillis' biggest mistake is no longer wasting a roster spot and somehow Gillis managed to get a useful player in return. McIver of course was lost on waivers to Anaheim before the season. Ironically the loss of that asset prompted Gillis to keep Mike Brown on the roster because of fears he would be

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-7288090480716191732009-02-03T14:03:00.002-08:002009-02-03T14:13:21.200-08:00

I wasn't going to make another post until the Canucks broke this ridiculous streak, but I'm going to break from that to post this... Beginning with tonight's game against Carolina the next week will have a major impact on the next few seasons. If the Canucks continue to lose Mike Gillis will have no choice but to fire Alain Vigneault. It may even happen tonight if they lose outright. There are 3

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-18286730276987997842009-01-21T14:19:00.002-08:002009-01-21T14:56:40.629-08:00

Heading into the final two games before the all-star break the Canucks needed to rebuild their game from the ground up. While they were desperately in need of points it was more important to correct the issues in their play. To make the final two pre-break games successful they needed to find their game again and (considering one of the games was against the Sharks) they needed to find a way to

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-28084274094351690342009-01-16T12:32:00.002-08:002009-01-16T13:52:14.384-08:00

Yikes. The Canucks are playing absolutely horrendous hockey right now and many, many people are hitting the panic button. Honestly I don't really blame them. The Canucks are playing as bad as they possibly can, quite frankly their play with the puck is bizarre. The giveaways are unbelievably bad... often stunning. They've been so awful that I've found myself laughing rather than getting angry and

<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheCanuckFan">@TheCanuckFan</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02983581278683754407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089180.post-77792670190146280732009-01-14T14:52:00.004-08:002009-01-16T14:03:24.556-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have placed goaltender Curtis Sanford on waivers. With Luongo ready to return tomorrow, someone was going to have to go and the Canucks decided on Sanford. Really it wasn't much of a decision. Sanford had over a month to take the reigns and he failed to gain any confidence with the coaching staff, players or fans. While LaBarbera struggled in his final two games he still

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