Ed Lau

Keys to the Canucks 2011/2012 Season: Manny Malhotra

Aug 092011

In the 20+ years I’ve been watching NHL hockey, I’ve hardly remembered a time when the balance of power has shifted as often and as sharply as it has in recent years. While there are constants like the Detroit Red Wings who seem to be in contention every year with their roster of ageless superstars and the San Jose Sharks who seem to be in the running every year in the regular season but run into a road block in the playoffs, teams usually don’t stay where they are very long. Look at the predicted powerhouses of next season such as the Los Angeles Kings or the surprisingly improved Buffalo Sabres. Los Angeles improved on a roster of budding young stars with the acquisition of Mike Richards, giving them one of the best 1-2 center combos in the NHL and the Sabres went out and spent a fortune on former Canuck Christian Ehrhoff as well as a bunch of reliable players with star potential in Ville Leino and Brad Boyes. Teams that were in the playoff hunt could fall out the next year. Look no further than the New Jersey Devils or Calgary Flames, who people forget were only 2 points back of the Canucks for the Northwest Division as recent as ’08-’09.

One of the keys to the Canucks season last year was that they finally got themselves a third line center in Manny Malhotra. No offense to our two previous third line centers in Kyle Wellwood or Ryan Johnson but Manny is a serious upgrade. Malhotra is what I like to think of as an “elite” bottom six forward. While he may not score as many points as the Sedins or other Art Ross competitors, Manny is about as good at what he does as anyone in the league. In the role of winning face-offs, playing a hard, physical defensive game and chipping in on offense as necessary, few do it better than Manny in the league today. If the Selke was actually for the NHL’s best defensive forward instead of it’s current implied definition of being awarded to the league’s best two-way player, Manny might be in consideration, not only because he gets more defensive responsibility than 2011 winner Ryan Kesler but because his presence allows Kesler to introduce goalies at the other end of the ice to his wrist shot more often. While Kes is certainly still near the top of the class in terms of defense in the league today, if we’re only considering keeping the puck out of your own net, I’d have to give the edge to the guy the Canucks trust every time to take the draw to start a penalty kill in their own end. Just like the Sedins’ offensive wizardry, Kesler’s never-say-die, all-out effort and Luongo’s cat-like reflexes, Manny’s solid, stalwart play on that third line makes the Canucks the team they are.

The competition will be heating up next year and while the Canucks have arguably gotten slightly weaker with the loss of Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres, if we’re going to make it back to another shot at Lord Stanley, the Canucks need Manny to maintain his high level of play. Yes, that is a lot to ask of a guy that’s coming off a horrific incident with his eye and while we’re all happy Manny has kept his sight, if he’s recovering and ready to play, we need him at his best. That means 60+% in the face-off circle and much of the same as last year. No other Canucks third line center has been able to maintain their performance level since the lockout. Ryan Johnson was a shotblocking beast in his first year with the Canucks and won more face-offs than he lost but injuries decimated him and he was barely noticeable in his second go. Wellwood had a rather decent debut despite the jokes about his weight and questionable work ethic. I still remember his unsuccessful last minute end-to-end rush that had me out of my seat and yelling “WHERE THE $#@* was THAT the whole game?!”. He showed flashes of brilliance and 27 points isn’t bad but his second year left much to be desired.

The fact that he’s got ties to our city along with his amazing play and the tragedy that could’ve cut his career short may have something to do with it but Vancouver has seriously embraced Malhotra as one of them and I don’t know if I’ve seen Canucks fans fall in love in a year since the first year Louie came to town and almost single-handedly took the Canucks to the playoffs. I could certainly understand if people take it easy on him since he’s exceeded expectations, coming back in the Stanley Cup Finals where we came up short by only a single game but we saw what the Canucks were without him. To be fair, by the end we were without a lot of people but a healthy Malhotra at the beginning could’ve made the difference. The same will go for the pre-playoffs as I’ll call the regular season from now on, since those 82 games don’t mean anything anymore. Especially with our entire second line likely to start the season on the sidelines, even more responsibility is going to fall to Malhotra.

No, he will probably not move to the second line and I’d expect Hodgson to be given a shot at some big time minutes but without Ryan Kesler, Manny will be leaned on even more for defense. It goes without saying that the Canucks won’t be very successful without the Sedins up front and Luongo guarding the rear but at this point, I would have to expect guys like that to bring their best to the ice every day but a team can’t just be about superstars and especially in the playoffs, it’s the supporting cast that push a great team into being a championship team.

The Reality of RFA’s and Offer Sheets

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Jun 292011

Have you ever wondered why “armchair GM” is spoken with sneers one might reserve for a villain in a cartoon?

It isn’t because thinking up potential deals your favorite team might make is a bad thing. Actually, it’s a fun way for us fans to keep ourselves entertained during the off-season when there’s no sports on TV…just games like baseball, golf and the occasional monster truck rally on Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY. It’s only natural to want your team to improve in the way that you want it to. But the reason armchair GM is sort of derogatory is because the vast majority of people think up absolutely ludicrous trades and deals, ones that other GMs would laugh at Mike Gillis straight in his face for. Oh, let’s trade Tanner Glass’ rights for Ovechkin! Maybe not that crazy but some of you are coming close.

This isn’t isolated to the Canucks fans but after coming oh-so-close to the Stanley Cup, I’m going to chalk all the ridiculous suggestions up to hockey withdrawal and temporary insanity.

Yes, who wouldn’t want Sidney Crosby on the Canucks but there isn’t an ice cream cone’s chance in hell that we could get him. At least not a deal that would work for the Canucks. This is important when playing armchair GM. Keep in mind if you want a deal to go through, there has to be a good reason for the other team to make that trade. Ray Shero isn’t going to give Crosby away because he thinks he can improve the Canucks. We’d have to probably offer both Sedins, Kesler and five consecutive 1st round picks to pry that guy away from the Penguins. Why on earth would the Pens trade him otherwise?

You might be thinking this is a stretch but what some of you are suggesting is just as silly, especially with the current crop of top quality restricted free agents out there.

“We lost Ehrhoff’s salary…now let’s send an offer sheet to Shea Weber/Drew Doughty/Steven Stamkos/etc! They’d be a great fit on the Canucks and they’ll want to play on a Cup contender!”

There are reasons only a few NHL restricted free agents have been successfully signed away via offer sheet. One, because the compensation that goes back the other way is so absurd and two, because the amount of money you’d have to offer is twice as absurd.

Take Shea Weber, for example, since so many of you have been talking about Weber recently. For simplicity’s sake, I’m just going to list the reasons why this will never happen and if it did, why we should all be gathering around Mike Gillis’ place with torches and pitchforks.

The Nashville Predators have filed for salary arbitration so it is impossible for the Canucks to tender an offer sheet.
…but even if he wasn’t…the amount of money the Canucks would have to offer would be insanity. Lots of you are thinking “Weber should make something similar to Chara or Lidstrom money since he’s a Norris candidate.” and you’d be right. Weber will probably get something like $6 million a year for many years and yes, that would be a fantastic deal for the Canucks. But you’re not thinking here. A $6m deal would be a great one for the Predators so they would match it right away, thanking us for making them such a great deal for Weber. No, if the Canucks were to tender an offer sheet, it would be closer to $8.5-9m for there to be a chance the Predators don’t match. Are you willing to stack $9m for Weber? Especially with the salary cap and Edler, Burrows, Manny’s deals up in two years?
An offer sheet exceeding $6,539,062 a year will cost the team making the offer FOUR first round picks. Granted that the Canucks have one of the weakest draft records in the NHL…that might not seem like a terrible deal but consider that Weber himself was a 2nd round pick. The Canucks are likely to draft at the late end of the first round but still, there are four potential stars you’re giving away for an established one. It’s a gamble and not a very good one.

The same goes for any of the high-profile RFAs “available” in 2011. The money we’d have to offer would be insane and absolutely destroy the culture of “take less money to play for a team that will stop at nothing to win” the Canucks have created in the past few years. Weber is a great player…one of the best in the league…but the ramifications of signing him with an offer sheet are just too ridiculous. Look at Kevin Lowe. He still gets ribbed I’m sure for his insane offers for Dustin Penner and Thomas Vanek.

The RFA offer sheet is a move of desperation and 100% of the time, the team making the offer is not the one dealing from a position of power as no matter what they do, they will lose something big. It’s putting a lot of eggs into a basket and then shipping them off for a single player you now have to pay almost twice as much as anyone else on the team…and no matter how you look at it, it isn’t a smart move either in the short or long term.

So just stop and think about the trades and deals you’re proposing. Ones like this just make us look silly.

…and no, we can’t trade Schneider for Weber either.

For Our City, For Our Canucks, End This Stupidity Now

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Jun 162011

Please read.

As a writer, I hate seeing that phrase to begin as it reminds me of those e-mail chain letters but I can’t help but just beg you to read this just one time. I promise you I am not trying to waste your time. If you are a Canucks fan or a Vancouver resident, I urge you to read this as it matters like few other things do to every one of us. Whether you love Vancouver or you love the Canucks, I dearly love both even if our relationship is strained at times and so I don’t care which camp you’re in as long as you’re in one or both. This is important. I don’t know how many people will read this but if I can get a few more, it would be worth it.

Even if this point has been made already, I feel compelled to try to convince you for myself because of the gravity of this situation. Some of you might not need much convincing but others might. I apologize if you find me long winded and for not having a “too long, didn’t read” version available at this time as it is 6am and I’m writing on no sleep, editing photos from last night’s Vancouver riot after the Canucks lost 4-0 in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s just how I write…I don’t know how to otherwise. Years and years of writing essays in school. Sorry but again, important. Long but I might need it to convince you to take action.

Whether you are a fan or not, I don’t care. I know that while many people in Vancouver are fanatics like myself, others don’t really care about the Canucks but this one time, we all need to agree on something and that is we need to put an end to this garbage before it happens a third time. Am I jumping the gun? Perhaps but if you saw the gravity of what happened last night in downtown Vancouver at ground zero like I did, you would rather be safe than sorry. My throat is still a little sore from coughing due to all the gas and smoke. The blatant idiocy that happened last night has and will cost us dearly whether it be from our wallets or our reputation worldwide, which has been at an all-time high since our awesome Vancouver 2010 Olympics and a historic Vancouver Canucks run through the playoffs. Whether you care or not, this is now what makes the news. Instead of a loss for us to hang our heads about for a couple weeks and take some trash talk from Bruins fans, we are now the laughing stock of the world for trashing our own home. How stupid is this? If you went mad inside your house and tore that thing down, you would be absolutely insane. How on earth is this different? We’re blinder than referees here.

I have to admit I am one of those people that will joke about a riot anytime the Canucks even come close to losing…even in the regular season. But that mostly happens when I’m in bars. It’s 17 years ago and like that ’94 game 7 loss, that riot has lost it’s sting. It is part of our Canucks lore, spoken of in damming tones like that damned goal post that Nathan Lafayette hit that could’ve sent the game against the Rangers into overtime. Yes, those riots were awful too but we can be lighthearted after some time. But jokes are jokes. I’m hearing conflicted reports that people are in the hospital and even that a fan died yesterday. I saw a man get kicked and pepper sprayed last night. This is insanity, people. What are we doing to ourselves? I never expected what happened last night.

I wrote last week that regardless of what the Canucks do in game 7, history had already been made. That was a long read as well but in short, we speak of ’94 affectionately and our greatest heroes were some of the men on that roster. I would have no words for a Stanley Cup win. I’ve dreamed of it often in the 20 years I’ve been a Canucks fan but I’ve had fun every year and I have great memories that I speak of often because I love this team. Well, maybe not of the Messier/Keenan era but you are a LIAR if you tell me you were a Messier fan then. A loss is a loss. We win together, we lose together.

Real fans don’t riot. Real fans take the loss, drink a beer or two and get prepared for discussing the off-season. We are all Canucks. Are you going to stop being a Canuck now? We don’t do this. We are sportsmen like our team. We are one of the best run organizations in the league. President’s Trophy winners. Western Conference Champions. Our boys have given millions to charity. For all the abuse the Sedins have taken, they took it upon themselves to give $1.5 million of their own money to help sick kids. I’ve met some of the players and they are the nicest guys in the world, even when I don’t expect them to be after a tough loss or they’re just going about their business. Burrows, in particular, seems to always have all the time in the world for fans. Does this look like the dirty team the media has portrayed them to be? No. And it sure doesn’t look like a team that deserves the negative press we’re all going to get for this fiasco.

Our city is in ruins today because of a few who decided this would be a decent excuse to cause some trouble. I know this because I was there and overheard a lot, mostly that the troublemakers couldn’t care less about how the game went. They were going to break windows, burn cars and steal from us whether the Canucks won or lost. The world’s headlines say CANUCKS FANS RIOT or something similar this morning. Mayhem! I saw was the headline in this morning’s Province. All because of a few. There were well over 100,000 people in the crowds downtown. There weren’t 100,000 rioters. There were probably a number of spectators and bystanders. The rioters aren’t fans. They wear our colors but they’re not Canucks.

A brave few were able to stand up to the masses, proclaiming that this was our city, what on earth were we doing to our own city? If you head to YouTube, I’m sure you’ll find more than a few courageous soups defending our honor. Thank them, if you will because they did what few could bring themselves to voice, even though I’m sure most of us felt the same way. I’m afraid I wasn’t one of these brave people. Actually, I’m one of the spectators that some of you yelled at for giving these people an audience. I agree with you but let me justify my actions. No, I wasn’t thinking all of this at the time but it’s gotten stronger in my mind as the hours have passed.

My grades may not have been straight A’s but I do hold a major in sociology and can tell a thing or two about mob mentality. Once that crowd was down there, if someone was going to incite a riot, it was going to avalanche because the wave of insanity would reach people faster than they could leave with all that congestion. People are curious creatures so naturally, many are going to want to see what’s going on and as the night goes on, more will join them. I decided that it wasn’t a good bet to hedge my safety or that of my friends in what was a lost cause, at least nothing that one man is going to stop. Many of the brave who urged the crowds not to damage buildings got things thrown at them or worse. I said weeks ago that win or lose, I would go downtown to celebrate with fellow Canucks fans that want to when it was all said and done on the ice.

That and I was carrying all kinds of camera equipment on me. I noticed that a lot of people were doing the same. The great thing about the internet and camera phones…you’re going to see every event from multiple angles and vantage points.

Basically, Vancouver, we have every single rioter who broke a window, turned over a car, tore trees from our ground (yes, that happened), and set our streets on fire is already on our memory cards. Some may have face masks but even then, some have identifiable tattoos and other features. We can get all these morons, Vancouver. You’re right, maybe I should’ve said a thing or two to prevent more damage to our city when I was down there last night…but most of it already happened. We can make sure right now it doesn’t happen again.

Why? Two reasons. Firstly, this is our home. As I mentioned before, we all look like this right now. How many of you did I hear in person or on the internet say how ashamed they are of what has happened? We all know what’s going on. It’s the people that wrecked downtown Vancouver that haven’t thought this all the way through. Remember our reputation as a no fun city? Imagine how it’s going to be now after the city realizes that even though they put on a huge party downtown for us, WE DID THIS. We’re like the kids that were given a sweet ninja weapons as a birthday gift on the condition that we wouldn’t attack anyone with it and then going and bonking someone in the head with nun-chucks. We screwed up with our fun toy, Vancouver and now our parents might take it away. What happens next playoffs? Sorry, fans…no awesome outdoor viewing screens no one else on the planet would do for a hockey team.

Secondly, the Canucks. Can you imagine how it must be to feel like the city rioted because they lost? Or worse…can you imagine how they’re going to feel NEXT playoffs when we might be here again. They’re going to want to lose just so we don’t burn this place to the ground! The riot didn’t happen because the Canucks lost but they might think that way. Despite what Ryan Whitney will tell you, the Canucks are one of the most desirable teams in the NHL to play for. Do you think players want to play here if they know our fans are psychopaths that will tear this place apart?

So I urge you, please…upload any photos you have of rioters that may assist the police in bringing these criminals to justice. If you aren’t convinced, tell me how I can convince you to do the right thing, right now and if I can convince you to tell everyone you know to do the same. They have stolen from us not only by stealing but by costing the city millions…which is money out of our pockets. Even if they are your family or friends, this was a stupid thing they did. If you aren’t going to identify them to police, I understand. At least talk to them and make sure they know how stupid it is to basically be taking money out of our own pockets and setting it alight. I understand the importance of blood but at least give them grief if you see a picture of a family member standing on top of a flaming, upside-down police car. Either way, we need to see these people punished. Don’t think we can’t do it? Even if that facial recognition is mumbo jumbo…with the internet, someone is bound to know who these jerks are. We have to do this.

If we don’t, how can the Canucks carry on? How can we carry on as a city if every time something cool happens, we burn it all up?

If all of us smart people are all together, we outnumber the idiots. I have to believe that, Vancouver. Let’s do this right the first time. If we don’t all do something, these people have nothing to fear. I hope you love our city and our hockey team as much as I do.

Contact the Vancouver Police Department with photo or video evidence or witness accounts by e-mail at robbery@vpd.ca or by phone at 604-717-2541. I’m sure you can contact them any other way too…this is important. I’m sure they’ve got time.

History Has Already Been Made

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Jun 132011

The commercials may say otherwise but in reality, history has already been made. I’m not sure how many of us have stopped to think about it but we are witnessing an important point in time. Regardless of whether we win or lose, this magical playoff run of the 2010/2011 Vancouver Canucks will be spoken of for generations. I can see myself now, an old man chatting with my equally old friends, telling our grandchildren of this illustrious time of our youth.

“Where were you when Burr gloved that puck down and scored to beat the Hawks?”

“You remember when Juice was the only one in Rogers Arena that knew where that bouncing puck off the glass was and sent us to the Stanley Cup Finals?”

“Game 1 was a thriller where Raffi Torres scored with 18 seconds left and Lu shut the Bruins out!”

“11 seconds! That was all it took for Burr to win us game 2!”

“Man, how awesome was Luongo when he bounced back after two awful games with a shutout in game 5?”

This will be especially true for those of us who weren’t born in ’82 and were a little too young to fully-comprehend how important ’94 was. I was 11 in ’94, and while I followed the whole run and idolize guys like Linden, Bure, and McLean, I’d be lying if I said my memories weren’t hazy and greatly supplemented by highlights in the 17 years since. I remember the way I felt, I remember that our boys gave it their all and came a goal post away from sending that epic series into overtime, but specifics about the times or where my life was? That’s all a little much for my 11 year old brain to remember.

But this time is different. I can tell you exactly where I was for almost every goal. I can tell you things I said at specific times.

I can tell you that I called Chris Higgins (I call him “Chiggins”…) to score the double-OT goal in game 5 against the Sharks and swore at the very moment that he got on that breakaway that if he scored, I would run outside and buy a jersey with his name across my back.

I can tell you I actually jumped for joy when I watched Burr pot that wraparound goal only 11 seconds into overtime of game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, spilling my beer and immediately high-fiving any and all around me, including several other bloggers here at Canucks Hockey Blog, most of which I met in person for the first time.

I can tell you I did not see the twins before a friend said “Wait a minute…” and pressed rewind. No, I am not talking about the Sedins.

Just like I can tell you where I was when we won gold in 2002 and when Crosby scored The Golden Goal in 2010. I’m sure I’m not the only one that will remember where I was not only in terms of location but where I was in life at this particular moment in time. If that isn’t making history, then someone needs to bring me a dictionary. I know it’s recent but there are things you don’t forget. For me, that’s things like this… and the lyrics to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Will we win? Let me be the first to tell you that winning when we’ve come so far together… it isn’t irrelevant but it isn’t everything. This is a very results-orientated business and a highly-critical city but here on the cusp of something so great, we really should remember what we love about our team.

While bandwagoners and naysayers will only look at results, what most true Canucks fans want is to see is a real effort. Real fans are different in that way. I won’t say it’s a uniquely Canadian quality or unique to hockey. It’s something about sport and true fans of it. We want to see our team give it their all, to leave every last bit of themselves on the ice, to show us what they’re really made of. If they give us that, then a positive result is a bonus. A huge bonus but a bonus. We remember and revere ’94 and ’82 because that’s what we got from our team, an effort.

We love Roger Neilson because he would never surrender. We love Kirk McLean because we could count on him to make that save. We love Pavel Bure because we could count on him to score. We love Trevor Linden because even if he was on crutches… we knew he would play.

Look at our franchise’s greatest heroes. Not a Stanley Cup ring among them… at least not while they were on our team. If the Canucks win it all this year, will we forget about Stan Smyl? Gino Odjick? Geoff Courtnall? Cliff Ronning? No, because they’re not heroes because they won. Their bodies were bruised and perhaps a few bones were broken but their hearts would never give up. They are our heroes because they littered the ice with their sweat, tears and Canuck-colored blood.

A loss would hurt. No one would think otherwise. I mean, have you heard this city? It erupts when we score. You can hear all of Vancouver telling the refs they suck. We are invested. A loss would in all likelihood end with me in the back of a police car or so drunk out of my mind, I will actually appear in The Hangover 3 despite not being cast in the movie. (Ed. note: Hyperbole people. Relax.) But afterwards, we can’t help but look back fondly on the days we supported our team for over two months after the last regular season game. Oh, how long and awful those scraggly playoff beards were on our otherwise handsome face-parts, we will say. Even bad memories will eventually get a laugh or two. Have you heard anyone speak of Nathan Lafayette in anger? Probably not. It isn’t as if he didn’t try. He just missed. Even Gretzky can miss. People are probably more pissed at the post – that bastard.

If this, then, is how Vancouver speaks of those who haven’t brought home the big prize, then what sort of praise do our boys deserve if they do? To be honest, I have no idea. Congratulations sound empty. Clapping or cheering seems unworthy. I wouldn’t even know what to say if the Canucks get their name engraved on that trophy and in turn, engrave themselves into the memories of millions of us Canucks around the planet. It would be part of our city as I’m sure a day, park, statue, bridge or whatever else we can find will be named in their honor. Minstrels will write songs in their praise…well, more of them anyways. It wouldn’t be enough. As those would have won before will tell you, there are no words.

I would tell the players to make Vancouver proud but the reality is, we are already proud. Proud that we’ve made it this far. Proud that the Canucks wear our city’s name on your chests like Supermans (…Supermen?) and that we can proudly wear their names on our backs.

Thank you, Canucks. Thank you for this historic season. Thank you for being our team. Our Canucks.

It seems like the cool thing to do these days is to claim that what you’ve written is unbiased and objective. I, instead, will claim the exact opposite. Alright, boys… we got a Cup to win.

Go Canucks Go!

Health Comes First

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Jun 022011

Photo credit: CBC.ca

Canucks fans have been on a rollercoaster lately when it comes to third line center Manny Malhotra. After a devastating freak accident where a puck deflected up into Malhotra’s eye ended his season, Canucks fans breathed a sigh of relief when we heard he would be okay, the surgeries were successful and there was a good chance he would return next season. Manny’s return to practice raised a few eyebrows but none of us realistically expected a man who nearly lost his vision to be back in time for the playoffs. Then we saw him in full gear, skating around like nothing was different apart from his droopy left eyelid and the full face shield attached to his helmet so you will have to forgive us fans for our outburst of happiness. This was not only because we would get our best faceoff man and penalty killer back when we need him the most but also because we could now be sure that Manny was going to be just fine. Actually, probably more so the latter. Yes, while Manny’s return would give the Canucks another weapon against the Boston Bruins in the final, just knowing that one of our own is doing well is a huge boost to the franchise and its fans.

In an era where professional athletes are irresponsible millionaires carrying guns in their sweatpants or climbing in windows, snatching your people up, Manny seems like a genuinely awesome guy. You can’t open a webpage or read the paper these days without someone telling a great story about Malhotra. Whether it’s the team talking about how he was a leader from day one or Torres talking last night about how much Malhotra has meant to his game, it’s quite clear that Manny is one of the good guys. How many other injured players in the NHL did a team insist on having close by for leadership and insight? I can only think of one other guy this post-season. You may have heard of him… he plays in Pittsburgh.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the comments section. I don’t mean our comments since probably everyone here is pulling for Malhotra to make a safe and full recovery. I mean from the message boards of opposing teams or even the comments on Yahoo! Sports, which I’ve long thought to be a cesspool entirely void of human intelligence. Yes, even in the middle of comments about how much the Canucks suck and where Bruins fans have met our mothers, anytime there’s mention of Manny Malhotra, the comments are across the board “Get well soon, Manny.” or “We miss you in New York/Columbus/San Jose.”. Yes, even Sharks fans who have every reason to hate us right now are going out of their way to wish Manny well. The trash talk was abundant in that series but I enjoy the fact that once in awhile, real hockey fans can put all the rivalry and hatred aside when there’s something a bit more important than who can stuff the most black rubber into some twine.

It’s rare that a player is loved even after he leaves a city, especially when he doesn’t spend all that much time there. I have no doubt that someone like Mattias Ohlund would get some love from Vancouver even though he plays in Tampa Bay now but this case is more like Willie Mitchell, who I and I’m sure many Canucks fans still have enormous respect for. It’s not just because these guys are heart and soul players that skate, sweat and bleed for their teams but because they’re just good as people. Guys who you would be proud to have as part of your city.

So with Malhotra not on the ice in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals and doctors recommending he take the day off, Canucks fans everywhere worry that Malhotra has suffered some kind of setback. Personally, I hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard, thinking that he has to get back on the ice as soon as possible. In a town as hockey mad as this one, I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels getting in the Finals, especially when the fourth line is not performing very well, is his duty.

I sincerely hope this isn’t the case as the wave of support for Malhotra is for his health, not his speedy return. If there’s any danger or any doctor telling Manny not to play, he should take their advice. The fact that Manny will require additional surgeries when the playoffs end just scares me. I hope he plays since few things would inspire both the players and fans as hearing Rogers Arena chant “MANNY! MANNY! MANNY!” for five minutes when he hits the ice but at the end of the day, hockey is a game. We all love the entertainment but that’s just what it is. It isn’t worth a man’s long term health, especially something as important as his vision. Winning requires sacrifice but a bruise or a broken bone will heal. An eye, on the other hand, is a whole other matter. If we are all indeed Canucks, we wouldn’t put one of our own in danger for any trophy. If the positions were reversed? Well, I’m sure Manny would put your health first as well.

Good Game, Sharks

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May 252011

One of the biggest misconceptions in movies today is that Rocky Balboa won that fight at the end of one of the greatest movies of all time. I honestly hope that isn’t a spoiler but I figure if a movie’s been out 35 years, most people should just know. Something similar happens with Miracle, which I don’t know if you’ve all seen but if you love hockey, you really should. I know it’s about an American team but that’s just the name on the front of their uniforms. It’s a movie about hockey at it’s finest.

People think that the movie is about Team USA winning the gold medal against the Russians at the Lake Placid Olympics but actually, it’s about the Americans earning themselves a spot in the gold medal game by beating the Russians. They would eventually go on to defeat Finland in the final game but the Miracle on Ice commonly refers to the rag-tag American team that mounted a comeback and vanquished the heavily-favored Soviet juggernaut.

While neither team in last night’s Canucks 3-2 double overtime thriller against the San Jose Sharks could really be considered a viable underdog considering they were the first and second seeds in the West this year, last night’s game was the stuff that movies are made of. I’m not saying that the Stanley Cup Final between the Canucks and either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning won’t also be a thriller but last night’s game is certainly worthy if anyone from Hollywood is making a film on the 2011 NHL Playoffs.

It was a game with everything.

It had special effects. Right from the start we were treated to some advanced Sedinery as the twins activated their powers yet again to put on a Harlem Globetrotter-like, one-touch display of passing brilliance that resulted in an easy tap-in for Alex Burrows. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi and defenseman Dan Boyle were shaken so hard, they had to get new jock straps from the equipment manager since theirs were nowhere to be found after the play. If you listen closely, you can hear the crowd’s exclamations get louder… and louder… and louder with each development in the play. Even the sound effects come with this big budget production.

It had heroics. I don’t have to remind Canucks fans of Ryan Kesler hobbling off with an apparent leg/groin injury that was bad enough that he needed a couple trainers to help him down the tunnel to the dressing room and then returning less than 5 minutes later. He would tip in the tying goal with 13.2 seconds left in the game that if they lost, would mean a long trip back to San Jose. All of Vancouver gasped and worried when we saw Kes limping down the corridor but deep down, I don’t think any of us had any doubt that he would play. The Sedins have dazzled with their skill, Kesler has done it with grit and determination. It’s been 17 years since the last time we absolutely knew that a certain player would play.

But perhaps even more impressive than Kesler’s return was the fact that Joe Thornton was playing at all. If you’ve ever separated your shoulder before, you know how much that hurts and how little you can do with your arm which might as well be a very large and oddly shaped paperweight. What really disturbs me is that some San Jose fans are already on his back for not doing enough in this game and that he can’t shake the choke artist label. If anyone from California thinks this way, I don’t think they were watching the same game I was. Jumbo Joe showed some jumbo heart but there’s no getting around an injury like that. Sharks fans can be proud that their captain showed up this year and any blame can’t be on him.

Patrick Marleau had a heck of a series and showed JR he’s got some guts in him. I have a huge respect for guys like Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe, Logan Couture, and Douglas Murray. Even Dany Heatley had his best game of the series. He didn’t score but he had six shots and made key defensive plays at important times. Did you see the tip he made to keep Raffi Torres from what was pretty much an open net?

And what can you say about Roberto Luongo? This city is not kind to goaltenders. Yes, Luongo made some mistakes, including a poor decision to come out to play the puck (something that still happens way too much), but without Louie’s 54 saves, Kesler’s goal would be a footnote in a blowout loss rather than sending us to overtime. Whether the criticism is justified or not, Luongo gave us that opportunity to win when we needed him the most and this city has him to thank as much as that funny piece of glass that gifted Kevin Bieksa with a bouncing puck.

It’s really a shame the series had to end with a weird, lucky bounce that only Juice was aware of. I admit I was fooled along with everyone else and had no idea how we had won until I saw the replay after much yelling and jumping. The Sharks played a heck of a series and it was a lot closer than the score would indicate. I mean, the Canucks were badly outshot in the final two games and the Sharks dominated for stretches. I don’t know what people in San Jose are talking about. Their team had their backs against the wall the entire series. They could’ve given up but they came back harder and tougher after every game despite being tired and beat up. They just ran against a team that took it a step further than that. It’s something they can build on and be proud of. If the Canucks had played the way they had and lost, I wouldn’t be happy about it but I’d be proud of their effort. All you can really ever ask of your team is that they leave it all out there on the ice. When your team gives it everything they got and come up short? Well, no one said winning the Stanley Cup was easy.

I have a feeling this could be a big rivalry for years to come. Action was end-to-end with very few calls after a tightly officiated series. Big chances, big saves, and bigger goals made this the defining game of the series, a game that shows why the Stanley Cup playoffs are unmatched when it comes to entertainment.

By the way… you can’t choke if you are the lower seed…

We are not all of Canada’s team but we don’t care.

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May 182011

Prior to the beginning of the West finals between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, there were suggestions by certain members of the media that, in fact, the Sharks were the ones that Canada should cheer for. That’s right, a team located in Southern California is the one that represents the true north strong and free as they are captained by Joe Thornton and have Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau while the Canucks lone Team Canada representative is goaltender Roberto Luongo. Normally I wouldn’t care what anyone says but this one was just too absurd.

The Canucks were deemed too Swedish, too American and strangely, too German despite The Hoff being the only player from good ol’ Deutschland. I can see why since our captain and his near duplicate are Swedish twins. Our best player so far during this playoff run is an American who has expressed his hatred for Team Canada in the past. There are more international players on our vaunted defensive corp than Canadian ones. It certainly seems that the Canucks aren’t very Canadian at all. But really…what makes us Canadian, after all? As I’m of Chinese descent, it certainly isn’t race. I speak other languages other than English so it can’t possibly be that either.

If you ask anyone around the world, you’d probably hear that they think Canadians are “nice”. Well, that makes our boys Canadian after all regardless of where they’re from. Ever met any of the Canucks? They’re as nice a guys as you’ll ever find. I’ve never been turned down for an autograph or photo opportunity (mostly because I don’t ask if they’re busy or occupied). They’re friendly guys that take a lot of pride in their work not only on the ice but off of it. I don’t think I have to mention all the great charity and philanthropy contributions the Canucks have made over the years. The organization is built not only to win games but to improve our city. No matter what people think Luongo’s wife thinks, I’m sure they would not be as involved as they are if they didn’t love Vancouver. Work ethic? Another Canadian value our boys exude. Maybe not on every night but none of us can say we don’t have an off-night sometimes. Who are the hardest working members of our team? If you answered anyone but Kesler, you’re probably wrong.

You know what the least Canadian part about all this? Suggesting that the Canucks aren’t Canadian enough simply because they’re from somewhere else. Telling someone that they can’t be part of us because of their race, ethnicity or background. The Canucks are as Canadian as any of us… maybe not by citizenship but certainly by attitude.

Kesler even says “Eh.”. Try to argue with that one!

So then, other parts of Canada, if you want to hop aboard and cheer for the Canucks, we’d be happy to have you. I can understand why. We have the big chocolate cake and there’s a big chocolate cake shortage everywhere else in Canada right now so all the chocoholics have to go somewhere for their fix. Even if it’s only til July and you’ll go back to cheering for the Leafs or whatever afterwards, welcome aboard! I’ll even give you a cheat sheet so you can learn all the players’ names if you’re from out East.

If not, and I can’t stress this enough: We. Don’t. Care. Personally, I would prefer if we weren’t Canada’s team because, to be honest, other parts of Canada, you don’t deserve us.

That’s right, I said it.

As Canucks fans, we have suffered. We have suffered through 40 years of losing. Not losing in the regular season, but since we’ve never won it all, I’ll just call it losing. We’ve come close… but we’ve never won. We’ve suffered through parts of history where our team just wasn’t very good. We’ve suffered the curse of Mark Messier. We’ve even suffered through single game ticket prices that might get us season tickets behind the bench in Atlanta, Phoenix or Florida. Us. Not you. We’re happy to share with you, Canada but don’t presume that we need or even want you. You’ve never cared about us and we didn’t really mind.

I get where these opinions are coming from, but what they don’t take into account is that Canucks fans know what matters… that our team’s still playing hockey rather than golfing so what the rest of the country thinks of us is moo.

Like a cow’s opinion.

Let’s Get Physical… Physical!

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Apr 152011

Where the heck did that come from on Wednesday?

In the previous week, we’ve heard all kinds of experts confirm the Canucks as the favorite to win it all this June but an equal number of them expressed that they wouldn’t be surprised if the most dominant team in the NHL this regular season with all their trophies and top-5 presence in nearly every important statistical category were bounced by the reigning champs in the first round. Why? Most questioned whether the Canucks were tough enough both mentally and physically to make it through what is probably the most difficult post season in sports. We were too soft, too fancy, too Swedish to play with the big boys. Our style was too regular season. Our grit and grime was enough for November but not April.

One game isn’t enough of a sample size to make a realistic call on whether the Canucks are tough enough. But 47-21 is a big advantage in hits, and while they’re banged up, the Blackhawks aren’t small. However, they have lost a lot of the physical presence that made them so hard to play against last year. Gone is Dustin Byfuglien’s 265-pound presence in front of Luongo. Actually, the ‘Hawks have another giant on their roster by the name of John Scott but that guy hasn’t played since March and his 4 career points aren’t likely to phase Luongo. His hands are probably made of stone and/or ham since he’s more used to using them as facial softness testers on opposing teams rather than putting pucks in the net.

The ‘Hawks are also without Dave Bolland who’s still out with a concussion but that doesn’t quite explain how the Canucks exploded into the playoffs with a new physical game. If you look at their stats all season, they’re closer to the bottom of the league in terms of hits, blocked shots and for the first time in recent memory, not one player was over 100 PIMs (there were 5 last year and 4 before that). Jannik Hansen who leads the team in hits is less than halfway to NHL hits (and name awesomeness) leader Cal Clutterbuck. Personally, I had a few fears as well of the Canucks being able to play playoff hockey, where the refs make fewer calls.

But now I’m thinking the Canucks were just saving it all year, hoping to manage injuries knowing full well in October that they were going to make the playoffs. I know that sounds ridiculous. I thought so too but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

How else can you explain that Sami Salo, the most injury prone player on the roster since he arrived in Vancouver, threw three hits on Wednesday, taking away time and space from players that were learning their ABCs when he started in the NHL. Consider that three hits is 50% of his hits total for the entire regular season. He’s had 49 hits in his 692 career games and I’m almost sure the majority of those were by accident. Heck, when’s the last time you thought of Sami Salo and physical game at the same time without Salo being injured at the end of it? I would’ve sooner believed he could be injured just thinking about throwing a hit but his crunch on ‘Hawks Tomas Kopecky and Viktor Stalberg last night proved otherwise.

You also have to consider Alex Edler, just a couple games back from missing over 30 after back surgery laying out monster checks everywhere, especially on ‘Hawks captain Jonathan Toews, finishing with seven total, one behind Maxim Lapierre for the team lead. Michael Frolik had six to lead the Blackhawks but he must’ve been doing that off camera because I don’t remember that guy playing 18 minutes. In short, the Canucks dominated the physical game. Maybe they were tired of being pushed around by the ‘Hawks the last two seasons and decided they weren’t going to take that crap anymore.

Whether the Canucks can build on this one-to-nil series lead is up in the air as there’s still lots of hockey to be played and we can never underestimate the Blackhawks after falling to them each of the last two years in the post season. However, if the Canucks maintain everything they’ve done all year and add the physical game we saw last night, there should be little reason to worry. Why?

Depth is reversed. The Canucks are a much deeper team than the Blackhawks this year. We have nine or ten NHL playoff capable defensemen available and nearly all healthy. Our most important forwards are all healthy and while our bottom six isn’t as strong as I would like, they’re contributing at the right time and playing tight. Dan Hamhuis led all Canucks in ice time last night while five Blackhawks played more than his 22 and change. If the Canucks continue to play hard, the Blackhawks will have to rely even more on their top players. They’re world class athletes but fatigue has to set in when your forwards are playing over 23 minutes a game.
Almost more important than the Canucks physical presence is the ‘Hawks lackthereof. Luongo has been sharp and without a big body in front of him, he’s even better. The Canucks are middle of the pack when it comes to shots allowed but near the bottom in blocked shots. I’m guessing this is by design with Rollie Melanson’s philosophy this year. Block what you can but otherwise, get the hell out of the way and let Louie see it. Luongo has been stronger positionally this year than he has probably his entire career. If he can see it, he’ll likely stop it and with the Canucks depth on defense, there probably won’t be much parked in front of Lu this series.
Special teams. While they weren’t much of a factor in scoring on Wednesday, the Canucks have the advantage in case things get ugly. The ‘Hawks have to be worried that countering with their own physical game could result in getting burned when the Canucks get the man advantage. Yes, the Blackhawks are probably just as good on the powerplay but our penalty kill is decidedly better. Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler almost connected on a short-handed chance despite being hounded by three Chicago players.

But again, it’s one game and it’s the Blackhawks. We were all optimistic last year after the first game and I don’t know about you but by the time game six came around, I was ready to jump out a window. There’s a lot to work on for the ‘Nucks. Their second period was sloppy at best and they just barely contained the four star, although overworked, Blackhawks forwards in Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and that mullet-wearing kid.

However, what they did show us was they can do even better than their magical regular season, that they can add another dimension to their already stellar game come playoff time and as a Canucks fan, I can’t help but be even more excited than before.

The Sergei Shirokov Situation

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Apr 092011

Photo credit: Bridget Samuels

If Keith Ballard manages to play hero for the Vancouver Canucks in the coming months of battle for hockey’s greatest prize, then we might have a real conclusion to whether or not one of Mike Gillis’ big moves this past off-season was worth it. However, with Michael Grabner putting up 33 goals, the most by a rookie since Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin in ’06-07, and Mason Raymond struggling after a career year last year, it’s easy to see how some Canucks fans think the move was a bit of a flop. This is probably compounded by the fact that Ballard consistently finds himself in the AV doghouse, sitting behind six other Canucks defensemen in terms of ice time, only ahead of Andrew Alberts if we’re talking about D-men who don’t normally play for the Manitoba Moose. That’s a bit of an oddity considering he’s the second-highest paid defenseman after Dan Hamhuis. However, Ballard does lead the Canucks in one category: blocked shots, and his play has significantly improved lately but with only 7 points in what is widely considered the best regular season the Vancouver Canucks have ever had, it’s hard to not think what may have been if Grabner still wore an orca on the front of his sweater.

But, of course, it isn’t that simple. The playoffs aren’t here quite yet, Grabner wouldn’t get the same sort of ice time in Vancouver as he does in Long Island, and to Ballard’s credit, someone has to play sixth defenseman minutes and it sure isn’t going to be Alex Edler or Christian Ehrhoff. He’s part of what is arguably the deepest defensive corp in the NHL, although I still can’t explain why on earth Aaron Rome gets more minutes. Still, whether or not the trade paid off is still up in the air.

In the meantime, the Canucks may have another similar “problem” to deal with in the near future in Sergei Shirokov. A bit of news recently surfaced involving CSKA Moscow, a Russian squad that was previously the home team for Shirokov as well as Columbus Blue Jacket Nikita Filatov. Neither has really made a dent in the NHL as of yet and the Russian team would like them back. Shirokov has had some success with CSKA, tallying 40 points in 56 games, before turning down guaranteed money to make the move to North America. He’s a restricted free agent in ’11-12.

Shirokov is somewhat similar to Grabner. Both are quick players with an offense-first skill set, although Grabner arguably has a stronger offensive game and a small size advantage. Unfortunately for Shirokov, he’s run into a Canucks team that’s heavy on offensive talent. The Sedins, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler will be on the team perhaps until they retire, and Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson are likely to stick around at least another year so it’s hard to see where Shirokov would fit in. Is he going to skip over Cody Hodgson and Jordan Schroeder, the Canucks’ previous two first round draft picks looking to break into the Canucks lineup next year? Actually, I have a hard time believing those two will make the team next year unless they make the move to wing, considering the center position on the first three lines is locked up.

So what does that mean for Shirokov? If the Canucks re-sign him, he’s unlikely to break into the top two lines unless the Canucks deal Raymond or Samuelsson this off-season. If he does make the Canucks lineup, it will probably be as part of the bottom-six with potential to move up much like Chris Higgins or Jeff Tambellini have this year. However, playing in the bottom-six usually means you have to have a physical element to your game, which is something Shirokov hasn’t shown us in his limited ice time with the big club this year, throwing only a single hit in his two games. The AHL doesn’t seem to keep stats on hits but I can only assume that he isn’t throwing bonecrushers for the Moose either. No, Shirokov would probably only be effective playing top-six with other talented players rather than the grinders. Just ask Tamby how he’s doing on the fourth line rather than the second.

Shirokov also has the salary cap working against him. If he’s re-signed at the same $1.3m, that’s simply a cost the Canucks can do without considering our current 3rd line wingers make $1m and $825k and we’ll need every penny to get Ehrhoff and possibly Kevin Bieksa under contract next season.

Will Shirokov go on to score 30+ in a full rookie campaign? He has the potential to but so far, he hasn’t shown us much beyond that. He’s a round peg finding nothing but square holes and it’s hard to see a scenario where he’ll not only fit into the Canucks system next year but thrive under those conditions. Personally, I think Canucks fans place a little too much value on players like Shirokov and Grabner, partly because they see the second coming of Pavel Bure whenever a quick European player with hands shows up in the system.

Whether the Grabner trade will be viewed as a success or not will probably come down to how Ballard plays in the playoffs this year, but really, the Canucks had no place for Grabs so they moved him for someone who fills one of the main concerns coming out of their second round ousting the previous year, defensive depth. Rather than having a potential 30-goal scorer sit in their system or languishing on fourth line minutes, they got something they needed in return.

The Shirokov situation is quite similar to Grabner’s so I think it’s quite likely they’ll look at a similar solution. He’ll most likely be qualified and moved for assets we can use elsewhere. However, unlike last year, the Canucks seem to have no real needs apart from a fourth line upgrade over Tanner Glass and a couple cardboard cutouts of players. They are a bit thin in terms of defensive prospects past pleasant surprise Chris Tanev but bluechippers on the blueline don’t come cheap and Shirokov won’t be enough. He’ll have to be part of the inevitable Cory Schneider deal or packaged with picks. No GM in the NHL is stupid enough to take an unproven player and give up any real assets.

Well, that and Florida doesn’t have anyone left we could fleece them for.

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