Around the Smylosphere: Lineup Changes, Game Adjustments and More Canucks Hate

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Apr 132012
 

As it turns out, the term “Smylosphere” was born out of a conversation between PITB’s Harrison Mooney and Thomas Drance. Giving credit where credit is due – good job, guys. It’s a great term to describe the Canucks’ online community.

Now, without further adieu, like Ryan Kesler, let’s dive into today’s Canucks-related links:

  • Keith Ballard and Andrew Ebbett draw into the lineup; Aaron Rome and Byron Bitz are out. And of course, no one knows what the heck’s going on with Daniel Sedin. (David Ebner, Globe and Mail)

  • As a fan, I found it hilarious that the LA Kings organization – and make no mistake, their official Twitter account is a representative of their organization – would see it fit to troll Canucks fans and our beautiful province. Whether or not this is a good move for them from a marketing or brand management perspective is a different question altogether. I do think that’s it speaks volumes that Kings management felt the need to apologize for the tweet afterwards. (David Shoalts, Globe and Mail)

  • Though some didn’t think an apology was even warranted. (Scott Stinson, National Post)

  • Maybe if these tweets were real. (Legion of Blog)

  • Canucks haters will never buy into this, but believe it or not, the Canucks may not be the most hated team in Canada. That honor belongs to the only NHL team to have not made the playoffs since the lockout. There goes that theory that teams are only hated because they’re good. (MacLean’s)

  • One more piece on the hate-on for the Canucks, complete with a calling out of professional Internet troll Toronto sports writer, Damien Cox. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)

  • Setting up Game 2. (Nucks Misconduct)

  • How to tie this series with four simple adjustments. (Canucks Army)

  • Did you catch Chris on News 1130 today pimping out his participation in the NHLPA Beardathon Challenge? (News 1130)

  • Finally, Sportsnet Magazine dared ask the question: Are the Canucks cursed? God, I hope not. Matt chips in with a couple of quotes. (Mike McCullough, Sportsnet Magazine)

Out of Town Notebook: Western Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Preview

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Apr 112012
 
Todd Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings and Shea Weber of Nashville Predators do battle

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)

Season Series: Vancouver (2-1-1)

It was an anti-climactic season for the Canucks, who despite injuries to Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin and an up-and-down season from the blueline still found a way to win the President’s Trophy as the league’s best team. A big reason for the success was in net, as Vancouver’s tandem of Roberto Luongo (2.41 goals against) and Cory Schneider (.937 save percentage) put the Canucks near the top of the NHL’s goaltending ranks. In fact, after the All-Star Game only Phoenix and St. Louis had a better save percentage than Vancouver’s .930. Ironically, this Canucks team enters this post-season with many of the same questions it had last post-season. Is there enough secondary scoring on the team? (Not if David Booth and Mason Raymond remain MIA.) Is the defense deep enough? (Probably if Dan Hamhuis can continue his terrific campaign.) Can Luongo “win the big one”? (Probably, but if not Vancouver has the best back-up in the league.) It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out this time around.

This is not how the Los Angeles Kings season was supposed to go. Armed with Mike Richards, the Kings looked like a team that would vie for home-ice advantage and not scrape into the playoffs. Low scoring teams are usually cannon fodder once the post-season begins, and the Kings look primed to fulfill that destiny. Offense has been the sore point all season – only Minnesota scored fewer in the regular season, and a coaching change (from Terry Murray to Darryl Sutter) didn’t really help much. Drew Doughty, Richards, Dustin “Pancake” Penner, Simon Gagne and Jarrett Stoll all struggled to score. Jeff Carter, added at the deadline, offered hope scoring at a 30-goal pace before hurting his foot. Now he’s a question mark as the post-season starts. Nonetheless, there were some bright spots for the Kings. Goalie Jonathan Quick’s 1.95 goals against average, .929 save percentage and 10 shutouts effectively saved L.A.’s season. Anze Kopitar took another step towards becoming the best player in the Western Conference, scoring 76 points and playing a strong two-way game. No team gave up fewer shots-per-game after the All-Star Game than the Kings (24.8).

Key Player, Vancouver: Daniel Sedin

Daniel Sedin is one of the best snipers in the game, and together with brother Henrik gives the Canucks an elite first line. The longer he sits in the first round waiting to recover from his concussion, the better it is for the Kings, who desperately need to win a few 1-0, 2-1 games to pull off a series upset.

Key Player, Los Angeles: Drew Doughty

Doughty’s performance this season has been arguably worse than his disappointing 2010-11 season. Talent-wise though he remains one of the few defencemen in the league capable of dominating play at both ends of the ice. With Daniel Sedin out, it’s one less offensive Canuck player the Kings have to keep in check. If Doughty can keep Henrik Sedin at bay and jump-start L.A.’s powerplay, he could turn a short series on paper into a long one.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Even. Both coaches have their critics but they tend to get maximum effort out of their roster.

Goaltending: Even. Jonathan Quick has had a Vezina-esque season playing behind a stifling defense, but the 1-2 punch of Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider has been elite as well.

Defense: Kings. Both of these teams are loaded with two-way talent and feature strong bluelines, but the Kings under Darryl Sutter have become a suffocating group to play against.

Offense: Kings. The biggest edge in any category as long as Daniel Sedin is healthy. Otherwise it’s much closer, especially if some of the underperforming Kings find life.

Special Teams: Canucks. Los Angeles’ 17th ranked powerplay hurts them against a Canucks team that’s likely to take penalties.

Prediction: Canucks in 5

*****

St. Louis Blues (2) vs San Jose Sharks (7)

Season Series: St. Louis (4-0)

How successful was the Blues regular season? With 109 points, St. Louis had their best record in 12 years (1999-2000). This maturing team was 43-15-11 under coach Ken Hitchcock, who implemented a physical defensive system upon his arrival that pressures puck-carriers and forces turnovers. Goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott split the workload like an old-school tandem, resulting in a league best 1.78 goals against average and .932 save percentage. The 2011-12 season was also a coming out party for a couple of young Blues. Alex Pieterangelo was the team’s best offensive and defensive defenseman, earning Norris Trophy buzz and leading the blueline with 51 points. T.J. Oshie had a career-high 54-points, while David Backes led the team with 24 goals and vaulted himself into Selke Trophy consideration. Quietly, Andy McDonald returned from injury and played at almost a point-a-game pace, giving the Blues three potential scoring lines. Potential scoring lines is the key word there, as defensive responsibility remains the priority on a Hitchcock hockey team. The Blues will go as far as their offense can take them.

It seems like the San Jose Sharks have been destined to win a Stanley Cup forever. Instead, this year’s 7th place finish likely serves notice that the championship window for this group of players is closing fast. San Jose earned 41 points in its last 41 games, worst among all playoff teams. Goaltending was a big factor in the team’s poor play, as the Sharks goals against rose more than a half-goal-per-game (0.52) after the All-Star Game. San Jose’s attack was 10th in the league, but it too has suffered from some inconsistency, with key scorers Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau scoring just 4 goals each since March. Ironically, it’s the much-maligned Joe Thornton (39 points in 35 games since the All-Star break) who’s been the team’s best offensive player down the stretch. On the blueline, Dan Boyle remains the team’s biggest offensive threat, while Brent Burns has been a bit of a disappointment as the team’s #2 defenseman. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is the team’s best shutdown d-man and the only one who can skate (apologies to Douglas Murray and Colin White). This is probably it for the Sharks – their last run at a Cup before the core is altered.

Key player, St. Louis: David Backes

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Backes matched up against San Jose’s top line. His success against Joe Thornton will dictate the length of this series.

Key player, San Jose: Antti Niemi

San Jose only wins this series if Niemi can equal or surpass the goaltending performance of the Blues. The Sharks need him to get hot, fast.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Blues. Big advantage here for the Blues. Not only does he have a Stanley Cup ring, but Ken Hitchcock has modified his approach to communicate better with today’s modern player.

Goaltending: Blues. Not only did the Blues lead the league in all goaltending statistics, their goals against actually dropped as the season went along. Let’s not forget the last time Jaroslav Halak was in the playoffs he looked like Patrick Roy.

Defense: Blues. Both teams have solid bluelines, but St. Louis top players are committed defensively in a way San Jose’s aren’t.

Offense: Sharks. The Sharks offense was dormant most of the year but they ramped it up after Martin Havlat returned (3.1 goals per game over their last 10 games). San Jose’s top-end talent has a higher ceiling than that of the Blues.

Special Teams: Even. San Jose’s powerplay was second overall for the year and they were the only team to score at a rate higher than 10% after the All-Star Game. However, their penalty kill is a major weakness (29th in the league; 30th after the break). The Blues have a strong penalty kill (7th overall); average powerplay (17th).

Prediction: Blues in 7

*****

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)

Season Series: Phoenix (3-1)

There’s some cruel irony in the Phoenix Coyotes winning their first division title as a franchise in what is likely their last season in the desert. Much of the credit belongs to two people: coach Dave Tippett and goalie Mike Smith. Tippett’s defensive system allows the Coyotes to give up shots (only Ottawa and Carolina gave up more per game) but keep scoring chances in the middle of the ice to a minimum. It’s an approach that helped make a name for Ilya Bryzgalov and, this season, helped Mike Smith become a Vezina Trophy candidate. Not only did Smith resurrect his career, but he was practically unbeatable after the All-Star Game (.941 save percentage). It should be noted though that Tippett’s system (and, in turn, Coyotes goaltending) has failed in recent post-seasons as gifted offensive teams (namely the Detroit Red Wings) have found ways to get the puck into key scoring areas. And while this is a Phoenix team that can skate, hit and defend, scoring doesn’t come naturally (18th overall). Terrific seasons by Ray Whitney (77 points) and Radim Vrbata (35 goals) were offset by an absence of offensive flair at the centre ice position. Phoenix enters the playoffs without a single pivot having scored more than Martin Hanzel’s 34 points.

The Chicago Blackhawks overcame much on their way to a 101-point season. For starters, team goaltending has been mired in the bottom-third of the league all year. Chicago’s .899 save percentage since the All-Star Game tied with Boston for worst among playoff-bound teams. That the Blackhawks were solid defensively (9th in shots against) all year only amplifies their challenge between the pipes. The absence of Jonathan Toews also threw the team’s attack into a flux. The captain had 57 points in 59 games prior to a concussion, but taking Toews out of the lineup contributed to a 0.57 goals-per-game decrease in Chicago’s offense after the break. Viktor Stalberg has emerged (22 goals) in a supporting role, but Brendan Morrison (0 points in 11 games), Michael Frolik (5 goals in 63 games) and Andrew Brunette (12 goals) have disappointed. As a result, Chicago features a talented but extremely top-heavy attack that doesn’t go beyond its first two lines.

Key Player, Phoenix: Mike Smith

Without a dominant Mike Smith performance it’s hard to see how the Coyotes can muster enough counter-attack against Chicago’s deep blueline to win the series. The “Desert Dogs” need Smith to steal a couple of games.

Key Player, Chicago: Jonathan Toews

The captain is questionable for Game 1, and without him, Chicago is missing their leader, best two-way player and best faceoff man. Patrick Kane is a creative player but out-of-position and a defensive liability at centre (winning just 42% of his draws). With Toews in the lineup, the Blackhawks also become a much harder team to defensively match-up against. If he’s healthy, this is probably a short series.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Even. Quenneville has won a Cup but there’s been whispers of a lethargic season behind the bench. Meanwhile, Dave Tippett might just be the best NHL coach to not have a Stanley Cup ring.

Goaltending: Coyotes. Mike Smith had a regular season for the ages, but Corey Crawford has had playoff success before. He could surprise here.

Defense: Blackhawks. Phoenix’s forwards play a better defensive system and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has emerged as a legitimate top-line defenseman. But Chicago gets the edge given its deep blueline. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nick Leddy, Johnny Oduya and Nik Hjalmarsson are among the best top-5s in the league.

Scoring: Blackhawks. This is a mismatch if Toews is healthy; if Toews isn’t healthy this is closer than you may expect. Phoenix’s goals per game in the second-half: 2.56. Chicago’s in the second-half without Toews? 2.59.

Special Teams: Coyotes. Chicago’s special teams are arguably the worst in the playoffs. While the Coyotes powerplay is anything but powerful, they’re a top-10 penalty-killing team.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

*****

Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

Season Series: Tied (3-3)

It’s an exciting time to be a “Smashville” hockey fan, as the Nashville Predators had their best regular season in five years. This year’s edition retained the qualities the franchise has been known for – stellar goaltending (Pekka Renne had 43 wins and 5 shutouts) and a strong blueline led by Shea Weber (19 goals) and Ryan Suter (46 points). Where this team differed from there history was on offense. This aggressive, bulldog Predators team was the highest scoring Western Conference squad after the All-Star Game, and finished 8th overall in league scoring. It was a balanced attack featuring seven players with 40-or-more points and the league’s best powerplay. The acquisition of Alex Radulov (7 points in 9 games) also gave Nashville its first legitimate top-line centre since Peter Forsberg donned the mustard orange in 2006-07. The team went 6-3 with the Russian sniper in the lineup, including an impressive 4-1 win over Detroit on March 30th. Tough, fast, and now capable at both ends of the ice, this could very well be the most talented Nashville Predators team of all-time. Their time is now.

While it may have been another 100+ point season in Detroit, the Red Wings actually had their worst regular season points-wise since 1998-99. And while the team was its usual strong self in a variety of categories (7th in goals for and goals against; 5th in shots for, 3rd in shots against), there were some cracks in the team’s foundation. Their road record was 25th in the league and is the worst among Western Conference playoff teams. Their special teams finished in the bottom-half of the league. Niklas Lidstrom had his worst point-totals since 1994-95, while Pavel Datsyuk failed to score 20-goals for the first time since his sophomore season. Dan Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom and Todd Bertuzzi failed to combine for 10 goals after the All-Star break. Still, there is a lot of talent on the roster, as demonstrated by the team’s 23-game home-winning streak. Niklas Kronwall and Ian White had strong seasons on the blueline, while Valtteri Filppula (66 points), Jiri Hudler (25 goals) and Johan Franzen (team-best 29 goals) kept the Red Wings attack potent. When healthy, Jimmy Howard proved he could carry the Red Wings if needed. 

Key Player, Nashville: Alex Radulov

The Predators would have beaten the Canucks last year if they had a single gamebreaker in their lineup. Now they have that gamebreaker and are going up against a Red Wings team that is similar to the Canucks in style of play. A successful series on the scoreboard from Radulov probably means the Predators win the series.

Key Player, Detroit: Jimmy Howard

This is a greying Red Wings team that may find themselves at times physically dominated by the younger, potentially hungrier, Predators. For a long time Detroit has iced teams that haven’t had to rely on goaltending to succeed. This could be the year, and the series, where that dependence is reversed.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Red Wings. A slight edge as both Mike Babcock and Barry Trotz are terrific coaches.

Goaltending: Predators. Pekka Renne is an elite netminder; Jimmy Howard is improving.

Defense: Predators. Both teams play well defensively, with Detroit arguably underrated in this area. It’s on the blueline where Nashville has a slight edge. Weber and Suter are the best one-two punch in the league.

Offense: Red Wings. Slight edge here as the Red Wings have greater depth among their forwards. But this is the best attack the Predators have had in quite some time.

Special Teams: Predators. The Predators have the best powerplay in the league and a top-10 penalty kill. The Red Wings have struggled in both areas.

Prediction: Predators in 5

Around the Smylosphere: Get to Know the Kings, Will Daniel Play, and Enjoy the Ride

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Apr 112012
 

While we can’t take credit for coining the term “Smylosphere” – my apologies but I can’t, for the life or me, remember who came up with it – here are some of our favorite Canucks-related links today:

  • If the above video, doesn’t get you excited for the playoffs, I don’t know what will. (Youtube via HFBoards)

  • Get to know your first round playoff opponents, the Los Angeles Kings. (Nucks Misconduct)

  • Why the Canucks will beat the Kings, using my kind of math. (Legion of Blog)

  • According to Jon Haggqvist, a writer for the Swedish newspaper, Allehanda, Daniel Sedin won’t be playing tonight. (Twitter @jonhaggqvist: 1, 2, 3, 4)

  • Zack Kassian, Keith Ballard and Jeff Carter are pretty close to returning. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)

  • Mason Raymond seeks redemption from a woeful regular season. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)

  • For Canucks fans, it’s Stanley Cup of bust. (Mark Spector, Sportsnet)

  • Not your typical no. 8 seed, can the Kings upset the Canucks? (Eric Duhatschek, The Globe and Mail)

  • It’s not a goaltending controversy, it’s a goaltending tandem. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)

  • An article on Vancouver businesses’ preparations for this year’s playoffs, including a quote from yours truly. (CP via CTV)

  • And finally, a great read from Thomas Drance. Relax, Canucks fans, and enjoy the ride. (Canucks Army)

Praying Passionately for Daniel Sedin: A First-Hand Account

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Mar 272012
 

Much has been made in the last couple of days about the Passion Vancouver event that took place at Rogers Arena last Friday evening and in particular the prayer for concussed-Canuck Daniel Sedin led by the founder of the Passion Movement, Louie Giglio.

A couple of blogs have done a decent job of presenting and analyzing what happened. What I’d like to do now is offer you a perspective that they can’t:  a first-hand account as I was present at the event. Not only was I in attendance at the Passion event, I also attended a pre-event dinner hosted by Louie.  But more on that later.

As part of my job as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, I sat on the Advisory Team for Passion Vancouver.  Per the official website, “Passion exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”

We had been meeting and praying for the success of the event for months prior to last Friday and as a gracious gesture of appreciation I was invited to the pre-event dinner held in the Rogers Arena Captain’s Room.  I met a lot of great people including Miss Canada 2011 Tara Teng.

One of us seems a tad happier than the other.  But I digress.

During the dinner, Louie Giglio went out of his way to thank all of us for our work and service in helping bring Passion to Vancouver.  He mentioned that Vancouver is the only city outside of the United States where Passion has held events three times – largely in part to the willingness of the Aquilini family to host the event in Rogers Arena.  Louie thanked Paolo Aquilini (who was in attendance at both the dinner and the concert) and then segued into talking about the Vancouver Canucks and their massive popularity here.  He then reflected on how his hometown of Atlanta was particularly good at grooming NHL teams to move to Canada (the Flames and more recently the Jets).  I chuckled as Louie said “So once we get another team we’ll get them ready and ship them back up to you.”

As dinner completed we hastily made our way to our seats in the Arena…but not before I snapped my picture with Tara.  Okay…I’ll stop mentioning that now.

After worship leader Chris Tomlin opened the event, Louie made his way onto the stage with a couple of items in his hands.  One, we quickly learned, was a Canucks jersey signed by the entire team  – a gift to Louie from Paolo and the Vancouver Canucks.

The other was the helmet of injured forward Daniel Sedin.  Louie didn’t announce how he obtained the helmet; needless to say it was likely with the permission of Paolo Aquilini after the Passion organizers held their pre-event prayer time in the Canucks’ dressing room.

After publicly thanking the Aquilini family in front of the 12,000 people in attendance, Louie shared a few words about the Canucks and Atlanta’s knack for losing their hockey teams to Canada (similar to what he shared with us at dinner).  Then, he suggested that we pray for Daniel’s recovery from his concussion.

After allowing for 35 seconds of spontaneous prayer, Louie led the attendees in a prayer of thanksgiving for the Aquilini family and for the arena, the city and team.  He ended off by praying for Daniel’s recovery.  At the time, I felt that it was a very powerful and genuine gesture.  It didn’t feel out of place for the main reason that this was a gathering of Christians praying for a Canuck player AND NOT a gathering of Canucks fans with some Christian prayer in it. There is a HUGE difference.  If people were not interested in praying for Daniel’s recovery then it was their prerogative not to join in…much like any other element of the night.

Also, Louie didn’t pray for the Canucks to win their next game, to win a playoff series or two, or to win the Stanley Cup.  He didn’t pray for Daniel the hockey player; he prayed for Daniel the human being.  For full healing and recovery.  For goodness and fullness of life.  For his heart, and everything going on his life.

You’ll hear from the video Louie saying, “And we pray God that You just him know…there are people praying for him tonight – not for what he can do, not for how he can score, not for how many assists he has, but we just love him tonight God because he is Yours.”

Immediately after the prayer concluded, I was happily surprised at what had just transpired.  It was quite moving to be among 12,000 people praying together.  I went to both Twitter and Facebook with a simple post:

12,000 people at Rogers Arena praying for the health of Daniel Sedin…powerful stuff.

Unbeknownst to me, my buddy Joseph posted the video up in the Canucks.com message boards and in 24 hours it had accumulated over 13,000 views and 300 replies.  Everyone seemed to have an opinion as to its appropriateness, its effectiveness, or its relevance.  It’s come to be expected when talking sports and faith.

Was the prayer genuine?  Absolutely.  Was it a way to show Vancouver that Passion was in tune with the city and culturally relevant?  Without a doubt.  Was it a strategic and smart way to engage the crowd?  Certainly.

And I loved every minute of it.

Keith’s Suspension a Hollow Victory

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Mar 242012
 

As you’ve all most likely heard by now, the Shanaban’s verdict is in – for his elbow to the head of Daniel Sedin, Duncan Keith was suspended for 5 games and will forfeit nearly $150,000 in salary.

For the Canucks, it’s a hollow victory. While Keith’s suspension is significant – and pretty much what most expected – it doesn’t bring Danny back. In fact, the Canucks confirmed yesterday that he did suffer a concussion and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. And if he’s still unable to play when the postseason begins, how do the Canucks replace their leading goal scorer?

Whether you’re a Canucks fan or a Blackhawks fan you agree or disagree with the severity of the punishment, you have to admit Brendan Shanahan has doled out his supplemental discipline with relative consistency. Moreso than in the past, similar hits seem to get similar punishments and we can understand them better thanks to the always popular Shanaban videos. Shane Doan’s hit to Jamie Benn’s head resulted in a 3-game suspension for Doan; Rene Bourque’s on Nicklas Backstrom resulted in a 5-game suspension; Andy Sutton’s on Calder candidate, Gabriel Landeskog, resulted in a 5-game suspension. As much as some Canucks fans wanted to see Keith miss playoff games as well – which would have meant a suspension of at least 8 games – this was an unrealistic expectation given Keith’s history and Shanahan’s M.O.

Immediately after Keith’s hit, I wondered whether or not the league was doing enough to deter these dirty hits. Coincidentally, Shanahan himself talked earlier this week about his use of suspensions to change players’ behaviors (via ESPN Insider, subscription required).

“The standard of what is illegal or legal doesn’t change,” Shanahan said. “For the most part, you’re looking at things in seven-game clumps. It’s a seven-game season each series.”

(snip)

“I can attest to this as a player, if you ask me if I’d rather have a four-game suspension in November than a one-game suspension in the playoffs, I’d take the four-game suspension in November,” Shanahan said. “If you think about it, that one game in the finals is the equivalent of a 12-game suspension. I don’t feel we’re in the punishment business, we’re in the changing player behavior business. You do that by getting a player’s attention.”

But if you want to get the players’ attention, wouldn’t you want to send a stronger message than a 5-game break two weeks before the playoffs begin? What is there to deter a similar incident from happening tonight when the player knows he’ll sit the last few, and in some cases, meaningless regular season games and be back playing when the most important games start?

In a way, it’s very similar to the NHL’s approach to managing officiating games. While no one from the league would ever admit it, we all know that a hooking penalty in the first period is not a hooking penalty in third period; an interference penalty is an interference penalty when committed against a team trailing by 3 goals halfway through the game but not when committed against a team leading by 3 goals in the last 5 minutes of the third period. If you’re a team trailing in the late stages of the game, why wouldn’t you clutch and grab and hook and hold when you know that chances are those penalties won’t be called?

If you want to change players’ behaviors, make it so that a 2-minute minor in the first shift of a game is a 2-minute minor in the last. If you want to get the players’ attention, make it so that an offense egregious enough to warrant a 5-game suspension in the regular season is a 5-game suspension in the postseason.

It wasn’t even a year ago that Aaron Rome was suspended for 4 Stanley Cup Finals games – or 48 regular season games using Shanahan’s formula – for a hit that even the NHL deemed to be a legal, hockey hit that just happened to be 0.4 seconds late. Yes, Shanahan has been consistent, but when you look at the number of the league’s top line players who have been knocked out this season because of dirty hits, maybe it’s time to raise the standard.

Or re-raise it. Again.

Only then will we know the NHL is truly serious about upholding player safety, about eliminating head shots, about protecting its stars, about protecting its players, and about protecting its product.

Danny’s Out, Hank’s Hot and Keith Says Sorry

 Blog  8 Responses »
Mar 212012
 

Duncan Keith can sound contrite all he wants, but the video evidence is damning.

First, the puck is nowhere near Daniel Sedin.

Second, Keith threw an elbow and targets Danny’s head.

Add Henrik’s allegations that Keith had threatened Danny before the hit and Brendan Shanahan should have a helluva time reviewing this one. (Brad Ziemer via Twitter: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Henrik on Keith threatening Daniel before hit: “You have to ask Keith. He’s a tough Canadian guy so I am sure he is going to be honest.”

More Henrik: “It’s one of those hits where things were said before from a certain guy and he did what he wanted to and that’s too bad…

More Henrik: “But again, they are the tough team over there and we’re the diving bunch so I guess there’s not much to say about that.”

Henrik on Daniel’s injury: “He didn’t continue playing and that’s usually when it’s bad because he likes to play hockey.”

Now, I don’t believe Keith is a dirty player. Far from it. However, this was still a dirty hit – a blatant head shot the kind of which the NHL has been trying to eliminate.

When you look around the league and see guys like Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Backstrom sitting out more than half a season because of head shots (and others like Jamie Benn who are victims of such but luckily escape serious injury), you have to question if the message is sinking in.

Or wonder if the NHL is really, seriously doing enough to deter them.

In tonight’s case, the price Keith paid for his transgression was a two-minute minor penalty. On the other hand, Danny, the Canucks’ leading scorer, is injured for an unknown amount of time. A two-minute minor penalty for that. That’s a hell of a deterrent, ain’t it? It’s up to Shanny now to determine if that’s sufficient.

Canucks Review and Preview: March 12 to March 18, 2012

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Mar 132012
 

[Every week, Caylie King previews the Canucks week that was and reviews the Canucks week ahead.  You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@CayKing).]

The Canucks have lost 3 of their last 4 games and 5 of their last 7 games. Last Tuesday, potential first-round opponent Dallas Stars came into Rogers Arena and easily took two points away from the Canucks in a 5-2 win. On Thursday, the Canucks played one of their better games in a few weeks won an exciting 3-2 affair against the Winnipeg Jets. And then on Saturday, the Canucks started off well enough against the Habs before collapsing completely in the third period and losing 4-1.

Canucks Record

69 GP, 42-19-8, 92 points (1st in Northwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference)

Who’s Hot

Chris Higgins seems to have gotten over his battles with staph infections and has easily been one of the Canucks’ best and most consistent players in the last few weeks. He has 7 points (2G-5A) in his last 7 games and has been noticeable in every game. His hard forecheck and never-give-up attitude gives opposing teams a lot to handle. His hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last week, coach Alain Vigneault reunited him with Ryan Kesler and David Booth, and he’s rejuvenated that line.

Who’s Not

The real question is, who hasn’t struggled recently?

Henrik Sedin has 0 points in his last 8 games and is a minus-3 in that stretch. Daniel Sedin has 1 assist in his last 8 games and is also a minus-3 in that stretch. The Sedins have been largely invisible, and while they seem to produce the odd good shift, they haven’t been nearly as consistent and are clearly struggling to find the back of the net.

Among the forwards, Alex Burrows has 1 goal in his last 11 games, Mason Raymond is goalless in 6 games, Jannik Hansen is goalless in 12 games, and Max Lapierre is pointless in 9 games.

In the back end, Alex Edler may have 2 goals in his last 3 games, but he’s really struggled on the defensive side of things. Against the Habs, he was running around and couldn’t settle down defensively. His play has considerably declined since the All-Star break and his mistakes on the ice have become evident and visible.

Who’s Next

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 vs. Phoenix Coyotes (7:00 PM start, home)

After posting a 10-0-1 record for the month of February, the Phoenix Coyotes have struggled in the month of March with just 1 win in 7 games (1-4-2). That said, they’re still holding on to the 7th place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, and if the playoffs started today, they would face the Canucks in the first round.

This will be the fourth and last meeting of the regular season between the two clubs with the Canucks having won 2 of the first 3 meetings. In the season series, Keith Yandle leads the Coyotes with 2 points (1G-1A) and Ryan Kesler leads the Canucks with 3 points (1G-2A).

The Canucks have a 7-3-4 record against Pacific division opponents.

Radim Vrbata is tied for second in team scoring with 56 points (30G-26A) and has a team-best, plus-24 rating. He’s already set a career-high in goals and has tied his career best in points. He also leads the NHL with 10 game-winning goals for the season. However, like the rest of the Coyotes, he’s been cold recently and only has 1 assist in his last 5 games.

Saturday, March 17, 2012 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 PM start, home)

Considering the Blue Jackets are in last place in the Western Conference, this could be a good game for the Canucks to get 2 points and regain some traction.

This is the two teams’ last meeting of the season with the Canucks holding a 2-0-1 record against the Blue Jackets in their first 3 games against each other. Cory Schneider was in net for both Canucks wins; Roberto Luongo recorded the shootout loss.

Rick Nash leads the Blue Jackets in goals (24) and points (47) for the season.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm: Live from Ottawa, To Jersey or Not to Jersey

 Blog, Things That Make You Go Hmmm  1 Response »
Mar 082012
 

[Inspired by Arsenio Hall's "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…", Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay's Canucks Commentary.]

I’m in Ottawa this week for work and it’s obvious that I’m still getting used to this time change after going to bed at 3:30 AM EST the first night and 10:30 PM EST last night.  Thus, I’m going to keep this pretty quick… but just as thought-provoking as usual.  So here are a few Things That Make You Go Hmmm:

1.  What’s wrong with the Canucks? Vancouver’s 5-2 loss to Dallas on Tuesday night was their first 3-goal defeat since they lost to the Kings in Los Angeles on December 31st.  And after a great run that saw them take over the Western Conference lead, the Canucks are now in the middle of a slump in which they’ve won just one of their last five games.  So what’s wrong?  There are few things including (but not limited to):  the Sedins not scoring (actually, make that almost everyone not scoring), an ineffective powerplay, ill-timed defensive breakdowns, and the trading of Cody Hodgson.  I’m kidding about that last point, but there is something to be said about the time it will take for Zack Kassian, Sammy Pahlsson and Marc-Andre Gragnani to build chemistry with their new teammates.

There is certainly no need to panic and five games isn’t the end of the world. However, the Canucks have a prime opportunity to accumulate some points with seven straight games at home.  And you obviously want to be playing your best hockey into the playoffs.  They have a month to figure it out.

2.  Are you sure you want to win the West? When looking ahead to playoff positioning, it might actually be advantageous for the Canucks to finish in second place as a second place finish would conceivably give Vancouver an easier post-season route.  Given the way the playoffs work (teams are seeded 1 thru 8 and maintain their ranking for the rest of the playoffs) AND assuming that all four “higher-seeded” teams advance, the second-place team in the Conference would end up facing the winner of the Pacific Division (either Dallas, Phoenix or San Jose) in the second round.  We all know that anything  can happen in the first round, but if the playoffs started today the Canucks (as the second-place team) would face Phoenix in the first round and then the winner of Dallas-Chicago in the second round.  Contrast that to the plight of St. Louis, who would meet San Jose in the first round and then the winner of Detroit-Nashville in the second round.  It’s easy to see which team (Vancouver or St. Louis) seems to have the easier road to the Western Conference Final.

Of course, if you don’t win the Conference, then you can’t win the President’s Trophy, and thus secure home-ice advantage for the entire playoffs.  And there’s still a month of hockey for potential movement in the standings.  But it’s interesting to imagine the potential scenarios.

3.  Saluting the Canucks fan Ontario-east. I was ecstatic once I found a bar showing the Canucks-Stars game on Tuesday night.  Sure, I had to sit through the third period of the Canadiens-Flames game first but what could I do?  I’m just thankful it didn’t go into overtime.  As the game got out of reach in the third period, I looked around the bar and counted the number of other patrons: I was one of a whopping nine people in there including the three staff members.  But I wasn’t surprised as the game ended at 12:30 AM EST… on a Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) no-less.

When you think of Canucks fans watching in the Maritimes, they are waiting up until 1:00 AM or 1:30 AM if they want to watch the game live (thank God for PVRs).  So I salute you the Eastern Canucks fan – I’m sure there’s been a many sick-day or absence from class especially during playoff time.  In fact, I did a Clay’s Canucks Commentary about it a couple of years ago…check it out.

4.  Do I wear my Canucks jersey tonight? I’ll be going to watch the Ottawa Senators host the New York Rangers tonight at Scotiabank Place.  I’m pretty excited to watch a battle between two of the playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference and I’m trying to figure out if I should wear my beloved David Booth Canucks jersey to the game.  Admittedly, I’ve gone back-and-forth over the past couple of days especially as I’ve solicited feedback on Twitter and Facebook and from my colleagues here.

I’m not worried about my safety (I can always pull out some Jackie Chan kung fu magic if I need to…and I’ve also heard that Ottawa fans are quite friendly), but I’m thinking more of form.  If I wear it, will I look like a passionate and loyal Canucks fan?  Or will I look ignorant, clueless or cocky (or some combination of all three)?

So I ask you, the loyal CHB reader, what would you do?  Would you wear a Canucks jersey to a game that they’re not playing in?  Let me know – you could very well help me make my wardrobe choice for tonight!  Post a comment below or send me a tweet at @canuckclay.

That’s it for today.  While you are all enjoying tonight’s game between the Canucks and Winnipeg Jets, I’ll be in southern Ontario watching two good teams that I don’t really care about.  With or without my Canucks jersey.

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