Shooting From the Hip with @ajtuliao: Crushing on Cody and Dreaming of Disney

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Mar 302012
 

[Every week, Clayton Imoo sits down and talks hockey with a CHB follower and fellow fan. If you're interested in being featured in "Shooting from the Hip", send us a tweet at @canuckshockey or @CanuckClay.]

Your favourite “get-to-know-someone” blog is back and on its brand new day of Friday!  I was away in LA last week and earlier this week I severed a tendon in my middle finger of my left hand.  But don’t worry…I’m playing hurt just for you:  the loyal CHB readers.

This week I chat with Arielle Tuliao.  I met Arielle…get this…through the internet.  Our mutual love of music and the Canucks actually brought us together through a mutual friend and the rest, as they say, is history.  We’ve collabed (a fancy word for collaborated) on three songs that you can see on her YouTube channel.

In her own words:

Arielle Tuliao (@ajtuliao) is a local award-winning singer and actress whose humble beginnings include singing along to The Little Mermaid daily as a little girl. After performing and competing all through high school, including a trip to Toronto for Canadian Idol, she took a break to focus on acting. She is a graduate of Vancouver Film School’s Acting for Film and Television program, which also included a Singing course to satiate her musical needs.

Her love for the Canucks is just as strong as her love for performing; in fact, she hopes to one day sing the national anthems at a home game… preferably when Buffalo or Pittsburgh is in town. She is currently pursuing a career in Film and Television, while filming covers and vlogs for her “2012 YOUTUBE PROJECT” which can be found here.

1. I was blessed to be part of your recent YouTube Project where you sang a month of Disney songs.  Where did your love for Disney and in particular Disney princesses come from?

As a kid I was never interested in anything but cartoons, and I fortuitously grew up during the Disney Renaissance. When other kids and teens were watching Star Wars or E.T., I was (I hate to admit) repeatedly watching The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. If it wasn’t a cartoon, I wasn’t interested. It was impossible for me not to fall in love with Disney.

My love for Disney Princesses actually surfaced a few years ago when Disney introduced their Disney Princess line. Little girls grow up with a favourite princess; I never had to pick one because I shared my name with one. However, at Christmastime when the Disney store had their beautiful display set up, my cousins and I bought dolls for each other. It’s become a tradition ever since. That is really what sparked my love for Disney Princesses.

2. Talk about your inspiration for your “Dear Cody” hit on YouTube.  How long have you liked him?  What were your emotions when he was traded?  Do you still follow him now that he’s on the Sabres?

On February 17, the Vancouver Canucks tweeted “Tomorrow, Cody Hodgson is celebrating a birthday… if you were to give Cody a gift, what would you give him?” and just for fun, I tweeted, “I would write him a country song, and call it ‘Dear Cody’.” It was just a joke… until I realized I could actually do it. Next thing I knew I was playing chords and singing lyrics while thinking, “Don’t be a puckbunny. Don’t be a puckbunny.” Nothing about the final result is edited, really. What I sang in that moment of inspiration is what stuck; the song practically wrote itself.

Now, define ‘like,’ as I must insist that I am not an obsessive CoHo fan who makes gifs of him while professing eternal adoration to a guy I don’t even know. I’m not like that. Then again, I did write a song for the guy.

I’ve always known about him, in this town it was impossible not to, but I began to notice him last season during the playoffs. I was always impressed with his play; he was fast, skilled, and most importantly, smart. When he made the team, I remember saying to myself, “Good for him.” He never really stood out for me at that time, but when he was on the ice I never fretted. In my head, I already knew he was good, and that he was going to be great.

Then one day I was contemplating buying a jersey with my favourite player’s name on the back; that’s when I realized Cody had actually tied Kesler in my books. Then I really started watching him. Coincidentally enough, that was his fantastic January. I will never, ever forget his goal against Boston. Whaddabeauty.

As for ‘liking’ him, I suppose it was all the interviews. (My goodness I hope he never reads this) I don’t know if anyone else thinks so, but Cody has a fantastic smile. Behind that smile is a really cool, calm, down-to-earth young man who seems very responsible and very levelheaded. He isn’t trying to be anything he’s not, and I really admire that, especially since he’s still so young. I just think I would enjoy his company; not because he’s going to be a superstar, but because he seems like a genuinely good person.

When he was traded, I was distraught, shocked, and appalled, just like every other Canuck fan. I had just come back to work from a fantastic audition when my friend tweeted me “I’m sorry about Cody.” I actually replied with, “What do you mean?” because I had completely forgotten about the trade deadline, as nothing had happened until that moment. Listening to Team1040 helped a lot, plus the fact that I trust Gillis to make the right decisions for the team. He hasn’t to let me down, and so far I’ve yet to find reason to distrust him in regards to the trade.

Now that Cody’s in Buffalo, I pay a bit more attention to the Sabres news. Who am I kidding, I pay a LOT more attention. I’ve always been a big fan of Miller, and Ehrhoff is over there as well (though out indefinitely – get well soon Ehrhoff!), plus they’re playing fantastically and kicked Washington’s butt, so why not, right? To be honest, though, I don’t think I’d be paying as much attention as I am had it not been for the positive responses from Buffalo fans on my “Dear Cody” video. One of them even made me a t-shirt design based on something I said in a follow-up video, which I fully intend on having printed.

3. Are you ok with the way the Canucks have been winning recently (extremely low scoring games that aren’t the most exciting contests)?  Do you anticipate them to continue playing this way into the playoffs?

I can’t say I’m particularly happy with the way we’ve been winning, but a win is a win. I’d rather us go into the playoffs winning than losing. Yes, they’ve been low scoring; yes, they’ve been pretty dull; but sometimes I feel that we as an audience forget that it’s a game, not a reality TV show. If we’re winning, I won’t complain about how it gets done as long as we play the whole 60 minutes (or more, if need be). Thank God for Bobby Lou and Schneider, though.

Now let’s be honest. Last regular season was all business, and this regular season was “get to the playoffs”. This team has been waiting for the playoffs all season; you could feel it since Game 1. When it starts in two weeks, I think the boys will up their game. I have this strange feeling that their motto this year, whether or not they say it aloud, will not be, “One Game At A Time;” it’ll be, “Win.”

4. Just over a week away from the end of the regular season, who do you think the Canucks’ first round opponent will be?  Do you think this year’s team has the potential to win the Stanley Cup?

I honestly don’t know who it will be. The Pacific Division Battle is so tight, and the hate for the Canucks is so high, that I’m sure whoever it will be will come at us like a full-speed train.

First, will it be the Kings? I know we split the series 2-2, but had Lou not been fantastic on Monday night, the series could very well have been 3-1 Kings. Or perhaps the Sharks, you know, the team the stanchion beat during the Western Conference Finals? I can see their mouths watering for a rematch from miles away. Or will it be the Coyotes, the team we always seem to underestimate? With no shootout in the playoffs, we might get exhausted from all the overtimes and it might just work against us if we go for a long run. And let’s not forget Dallas. If we have to play Dallas 10 times in two months, I think I’ll go insane.

In regards to predicting a Stanley Cup win, I take a very Don Taylor-like approach. I won’t do it for fear of disappointment. Yes, we do have the potential to win the Stanley Cup, but so does Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New York. Nashville. Buffalo. Take your pick! It’ll be A LOT tougher than it was last year; the distribution of skill and talent is better throughout the NHL. If we’re going to win, the Canucks will have to step up to the plate, dominate the powerplay, and command that scoreboard. They have to play like they’re the best team in the league, because they are, and they have to remember that being the best doesn’t mean you can sit back – it means working even harder to stay there.

Also, just as an idea, maybe play both Lu and Schneids? Interchangeably? I know, it’s crazy, but can you imagine how that will play with our opponents heads? You go into a series picking weak spots on one goalie, not two. Moreover, Lou and Schneids are a team within a team – they make each other better. Just sayin’.

5. Why should people follow you on Twitter?  What can new followers expect?

You know, I don’t know why people follow me on Twitter, but if you’d like to, feel free to. However, new followers, I must insist that you tweet me, because I love having conversations with my followers.

I usually tweet about my acting career, my 2012 YouTube project, quotes on life, things I love about Vancouver, and the ridiculousness of my fabulous friends and family… but starting April, it’ll probably change to hockey, hockey, and more hockey. I also love tease-tweeting Derek Jory while he’s livetweeting the games, so you’ll see a lot of that banter too.

Thanks for reading everyone! See you during the playoffs!

Out of Town Notebook: Better or Worse Than Their Record

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Oct 282011
 

[Every weekend, Canucks Hockey Blog goes out of town as Tom Wakefield (@tomwakefield88) posts his thoughts on what's happening around the NHL.]

If the 2011-12 season was the Pacific Ocean, we’ve barely dipped our toe into the cold waters.

Nonetheless, there’s been almost a month of NHL hockey, and it’s not too early to start evaluating what’s happening around the league.

Here now are a handful of teams better than, or worse than, their record-to-date.

Significantly Worse Than Their Record (aka the Ron Washington is a Lousy Coach Division)

Toronto: The Leafs enter Friday with a 6-2-1 record and a .722 winning percentage, good for 5th overall in the league. Phil Kessel is leading the league in scoring, which a Toronto player hasn’t done since exposed ankles were considered risqué. It’s time to start planning the parade right? Wrong. For starters the Leafs are near the bottom of the league in goals against (24th) and shots for/shots against differential.  Other than Dion Phaneuf, Toronto’s defense has also been wildly inconsistent and surprisingly soft. Finally, as in previous seasons there’s still nothing special about the team’s special teams (powerplay is 21st, penaltykill is 25th). Despite some strong 5-on-5 play, the Leafs look primed for a losing stretch.

New Jersey: Despite a rash of injuries, the Devils enter Friday with a 4-3-1 record, and their .563 winning percentage has them seated 13th in the league. The biggest factor in their early season success has been the play of Johan Hedberg, whose taken over for the injured Martin Brodeur and posted terrific numbers (2.31 goals against average, .926 save percentage). If you look closely though, you notice that once again this is a New Jersey team that can’t score. They are 25th in goals per game, 26th on the powerplay and 25th in shots for/against differential. They’re still not getting any production from their defense (just two goals so far this season), At 38 and as a career backup, Hedberg can carry a team for only so long. These Devils look a lot like the team that stunk up the first half of last season.   

Dallas: With a record of 7 wins and 3 losses, the Stars enter Friday sitting atop the Western Conference standings. Like New Jersey, the Stars have been carried through October on the shoulders of incredible goaltending. Kari Lehtonen is sporting a miniscule 1.84 goals against average and a .945 save percentage, and remains the defacto team MVP. However, the rest of the team’s peripheral numbers aren’t very good. The Stars are 22nd in goals for and on the powerplay, and their shots for/against differential is nearly -6. In fact, the Stars currently give up the fourth-most shots in the entire NHL. Granted, this may be the result of coach Glen Gulutzan’s conservative gameplan, but these Stars look identical to the team they were last year – decent, but not good enough for the post-season.  

Significantly Better Than Their Record (aka the Tony LaRussa’s St. Louis Cardinals Are Surprising Baseball Again Division)

Montreal: Wait a minute, aren’t the Canadiens struggles being debated in Quebec’s National Assembly as we speak? Isn’t the Molson family about to not only fire coach Jacques Martin, but get his family and friends fired from their jobs too? Aren’t we about to see Patrick Roy’s triumphant return behind the bench of the Habs? Well, hang on a second. Yes, the Canadiens’ record of 3-5-2 places them 27th overall. However, they’re sixth in the league at 5-on-5 play, and their shots for/against differential is almost +8, placing them 3rd overall. This is a quintessential Jacques Martin team – one that will live and die by the success of its defense and goaltending. As Carey Price rounds into form (his save percentage right now is 28 points below his career norm), the Canadiens will rise back up to where they should be – fighting for a playoff spot. 

Boston: Not since the 1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs has a defending Stanley Cup Champion been this low in the standings so far into the season. The Bruins currently sit last in the Eastern Conference, 29th overall.  Boston’s biggest problem has been scoring – they’re 26th overall in goals per game, 25th at 5-on-5 play and 24th on the powerplay. Otherwise, they’re still playing the extremely strong defensive game coach Claude Julien demands. Tyler Seguin looks primed for an All-Star season, and David Krejci is too good to struggle for long (only one point, a goal, so far). If Boston can muster even league-average scoring, the Bruins will find themselves comfortably in the playoffs.

Philadelphia: Let’s acknowledge they’ve given up 14-goals in two games and that their star goalie has a crisis of confidence. They look lost defensively without Chris Pronger, and currently sit 17th overall in the league (.550 winning percentage). These Flyers, however, can flat out score. They’re 2nd  in goals for per game, 4th on the powerplay and their shots for/shots against differential is +6.3 (5th overall). They have three dangerous lines, and for every disappointment so far (James Van Riemsdyk, Scott Hartnell), there’s been a revelation (Wayne Simmonds has far more puck skill than expected; Sean Couturier is the team’s best defensive player). Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky aren’t this bad, and neither are the Flyers.

Thoughts on the Fly

-          Vancouver’s trade last weekend led me to this collection of Mike Gillis’ moves as general manager of the Canucks. A few things stand out on this list.

  • First, the trade for Christian Ehrhoff was a legitimate home run, and the trade for David Booth (acquiring the most talented player in the trade and a 3rd round draft pick) looks like it could be another.
  • Beyond these two moves it’s a very mixed record, with two notable trade mistakes: acquiring Keith Ballard for a first round pick AND Michael Grabner; and trading 3rd and 2nd round picks for Steve Bernier.
  • It’s too early to make any conclusions, but the Gillis drafts don’t look very dynamic. Last May, Hockey’s Future ranked the Canucks 27th in the NHL in terms of its farm system talent. This month the website released its 50 top-prospects, with only Cody Hodgson making the list (26th).
  • Finally, there are a number of moves on this list that made little-to-no impact on the team whatsoever. Maybe that’s a good thing though – better no impact than a negative one.

-          Damien Cox speculates Sidney Crosby might play on November 11th.

-          For all the angst coming out of Montreal, the expectations surrounding Erik Cole are the most unfair. Cole had success in Carolina because he played wing with an elite centreman (Eric Staal). He’s struggled in Edmonton, and now in Montreal, because he’s a strong complimentary player, not a go-to scoring presence. Without Staal, he’s a useful, industrious, 15-22 goal scorer. Hab fans expecting more will be disappointed.

-          Speaking of Montreal, this is what happens when you build a team entirely around defence and goaltending. If those areas falter even a little bit the team can’t score enough goals to compensate. The Habs will right the ship, but it’s a tight-rope low-scoring teams walk. Nashville’s struggling in the same fashion right now (last in the league in shots for/shots against at -11.4).

-          Final Habs note: Firing Perry Pearn 90 minutes before game time was the most ridiculous NHL firing in years, and is a black mark on the Montreal front office. He deserved better, and will land on his feet elsewhere.  

-          For all the accolades Duncan Keith has earned in Chicago, he could be ranked third behind Brent Seabrook and Nick Leddy in terms of performance this year. Seabrook is taking less physical risks, and as a result his positional play has improved. Meanwhile, Leddy has seamlessly filled Brian Campbell’s role.

-          The best part of any talk about a Philadelphia Flyers alumni team? Thinking of Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke on the same bench.

-          He probably can’t keep it up, but every one of Kings defenseman Jack Johnson’s goals this year has been a game-winner.

-          Sorry Oiler fans, Nik Khabibulin won’t have a 0.97 goals against average all year. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, and full marks for squeaking out a win against the Capitals. Having said that, the Capitals were dominant 5-on-5, and Ovechkin hit the crossbar with less than a minute to play.  

-          Only three forwards are in the top-50 in the NHL in terms of ice-time: Ilya Kovalchuk, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.

-          There’s 12 teams on pace to score fewer than 200 goals this year. Even with the Winnipeg-Flyers game, it certainly feels like scoring is down in the NHL.

-          TSN’s Darren Dreger takes a look at who could be next coaching behind an NHL bench.

-          Brad Richards is really struggling in New York. He isn’t skating very well or controlling the play at all.

-          In case you missed it – Jonas Hiller’s new mask.

-          Here’s a report on Defense Independent Goalie Rankings for last season. Oiler fans might be surprised to see Devyn Dubnyk in the top-10.

-          Katie Baker’s weekly recap on Grantland.

Shinny: CHB Fantasy Hockey Update

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Oct 272011
 

It’s that time again. Time to check in and see how each of your favourite CHB staff are doing in the office* hockey pool. 

Follow the link to the pool site, or read on below for each writer’s thoughts.

 * Note office in this case refers to Ed’s tree fort.

 1. 2 Sedins, 0 Cups (Tom) – 105.5 points

The season is only 10-games long right? Just this week I was thinking to myself “self, you’ve been too cranky about the pool prize. The winner of this pool should get $10,000 and a parade.” Then, lo-and-behold, I’m in first place. What a coincidence!

Since inevitably I’ll carry this lead the rest of the year, here’s a sneak preview of my victory speech:

  • Thanks to Teressa Bellissimo for inventing the chicken wing (allegedly). Also, for having a very fun name to say out loud.
  • Thanks to Kevin Bieksa for demonstrating once again how foolish it is to give big money to players who play their best season in the final year of their contract. It’s comforting to know you’re back to being the player I always thought you were.  
  • Thanks to Boardwalk Empire for giving Gretchen Mol a regular paycheck.
  • Thanks to the Occupy Vancouver crowd for assuring the municipal election is not simply a Gregor Robertson coronation.
  • Thanks to Canuck fans for driving the sensitive Roberto Luongo insane, giving my CHB colleagues enough content for 1349 extra columns and videos. Let me remind you all – he’s a Canuck for the next decade. You’re stuck with him. A mature approach would be to make the best of it. But no, keep blaming him for everything. It’s sure to end well.
  • Thanks to Jeff Carter for killing Matt’s pool team, the Blue Jackets, and Rick Nash’s willingness to stay in Columbus.
  • Thanks to Drive and Tron: Legacy for kick-ass soundtracks this year.
  • Thanks to Dan Russell for giving me something other than Team 1040 or 1410 to listen to on the drives home from hockey. Thanks to car manufacturers for giving me the option to turn the radio off when Blake Price is on.
  • Thanks to Grantland.com for giving me something to read at work.
  • Thanks to Chris for calling Parminder Nagra an A-list actor below. Pure hilarity.

 2. Mr. Haiku (Clay) – 97.5 points

It’s clear that’s it has already become a two-horse race in the CHB Hockey Pool, with “2 Sedins 0 Cups” and Mr. Haiku set to battle it out all season.  Where we might have thoroughbreds, the other poolsters might as well be riding a merry-go-round.

I’m still near the top of all of the offensive stat categories, but near the bottom in PIM and in absolute last in face-off wins.  I guess I could have picked some guys who actually take face-offs.

Offensively I’m being led by Daniel Sedin, Kopitar and Skinner with solid contributions from Hossa, Lecavalier and Franzen.  My goaltending has the good (Miller), the okay (Thomas) and the ugly (Roloson).  Technically, Thomas hasn’t been bad…but he’s been splitting games with Rask.  We’ll see how that goaltending situation plays out down the road.

Hmmm….sound familiar?

3. Church’s Chiggins (Ed) – 71 points

It’s been a bit of a see-saw time for my team lately.  I was right at the top of the pack to begin the week before dropping to the bottom on one awful day before climbing back up to a distant 3rd.

Evgeni Malkin’s injury has proven to be problematic.  I assumed that all the talk about him being healthy was trustworthy but apparently 100% doesn’t mean what I think it does in Russia.  Him being out isn’t a huge deal on its own but the fact that he’s my first round pick is.  Your first pick should be the cornerstone of your team, a player you never take out of the lineup and there are at least 8 stars in the NHL like that today.  Geno on the bench just tells me I could’ve picked better.

Luckily, Henrik Lundqvist picked a good time to wake up with solid stats in wins and losses, including a 4-0 shutout of the Canucks a week ago.  John Tavares as well, posting two monstrous 4-point games before going a little bit quiet in the last three.  Logan Couture, Matt Duchene (who was bumped down to 4th line duty this week), and JVR continue to disappoint with only 4 points each so far this season.

John Carlson was also not performing to his potential but just to show the luck I had last week, his replacement Chris Pronger got jabbed in the eye before his first game on my roster.

4. Kesler is my Homeboy (Caylie) – 69 points

A life-size cut out of Ryan Kesler’s ESPN photo was delivered to Caylie’s home last weekend. She hasn’t been heard from since.

5. The Hamhuis Ballards (JJ) – 66.5 points

When Charlie Sheen finally went off the deep end, Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre got Charlie’s character killed in this season’s opener and replaced him with Ashton Kutcher.

Based on this season’s ratings, this looks like a lateral move at best. While 28 million people watched Kelso’s first episode on the Emmy Award-winning show, only about 14 million people were tuning in by last week – which is about the same average viewership when Sheen was still cast in the lead role.

The only move I’ve made in the CHBWFHP to date is to drop Drew Stafford and replace him with Jason Pominville. Pominville’s off to a good start, but all told, both play the same position for the same team, and through an entire season, may put up similar numbers.  So why the lateral move? Playing on Buffalo’s top line, I’d like to think Pominville will keep his hot hand longer than Kutcher has. Or maybe I’ve just gone off the deep end.

6. Burrows Buddy (Liz) – 61.5 points

Liz couldn’t get her piece in this week. I hear she’s been spending all her time at Caylie’s house.

7. Goose is my Wingman (Chris) – 58 points

Just took a look at the hockey pool and noticed that I’m not last – that honour goes to Matt right now.  In the grand scheme of things, that’s okay with me as it means that if this were actually the Top Gun academy, I’d still be able to show I’ve got the “stuff” near the end of the season when we deal with those unidentified bogies.  Really wish Goose would still be my REO then – he’s only my wingman for obvious reasons.

More on Goose though.  While Top Gun has to be one of the greatest movies (if not the greatest movie) of all time, Anthony Edwards also starred in Revenge of the Nerds – another pretty stellar movie series in its own right.  And then there’s this little show called ER – yep Dr. Mark Greene was played by Gilbert Lowe, who was played by LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, who is actually Anthony Edwards.  In fact, ER is what I would consider the TV version of Top Gun.

Think about it.  Top Gun was a movie with a ton of A-list actors.  ER was a TV show with a ton of A-list actors.  We had George Clooney, William H. Macy, Shane West, Scott Grimes, John Stamos, Mekhi Phifer, Eriq La Salle, Ming-Na, Maurey Tierney, Parminder Nagrao – the list goes on and on and on.  A solid cast. Just like my picks in the CHB hockey pool.

8. Hossa’s Samosas (Matt) – 47 points

Well, things are getting hairy.

I’ve been hit by an injury bug early, with Jeff Carter going down and David Backes and Ryan Whitney on again, off again with ailments. Their absence isn’t the reason why I’m losing, though. Alex Ovechkin is just starting to heat up, but Zach Parise and Alex Goligoski have been unmitigated disasters.

More alarmingly, my goaltenders have become the bane of my existence. Carey Price and the Habs have been slow out of the gates and now there’s a worry that Ilya Bryzgalov may soon ride the pine. And even for a third goalie, I expected more out of Steve Mason.

The only solution is to ride it out and hope that things turn around soon. With a limited amount of moves, it’s too early to go to the waiver wire and even then it’s no sure thing that’ll help. I might need to look at making an early season deal for a way out.

Canucks at a Crease Crossroad

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Oct 262011
 

This just in: There are as many Vancouver Canucks fans who support Roberto Luongo as there are Vancouver Canucks fans who despise him.

Cory Schneider will get the start for the Canucks tonight when they take to the ice versus the St. Louis Blues, and head coach Alain Vigneault insists that was the plan from the start following his decision to pull Roberto Luongo midway through the second period in last night’s loss to Edmonton.

Now, there isn’t yet developed technology that allows us to see what’s going on in Vigneault’s head, but chances are he’s torn between sticking to Luongo or going to Schneider on a more frequent basis.

Has Roberto Luongo been bad, even by his usual October standards? Yes, there’s no sense even debating it. Even for October, this is the first time during his tenure with the Canucks that his save percentage has been below.900 (it’s .868) and his goals-against average has swollen to 3.46. Granted the competition Cory Schneider has beaten isn’t exactly top grade (Wins against Columbus and Minnesota), but has the backup given anyone reason to doubt his abilities?

Even during mop-up duty against the Oilers, Schneider’s goal-line save against Jordan Eberle in the third period during a 3-2 game gave the Canucks a fighting chance to even the score. In that regard, hasn’t Schneider done enough to earn tonight’s start, regardless of whether or not it was “the plan”?

Alain Vigneault has held his team to a standard that if you’re playing well, you’ll be rewarded. Conversely, if you’re playing poorly, you’re going to get bumped a couple notches down the pecking order. We’ve seen it this season when Jannik Hansen was bumped up to the second line when he scored an early goal against Minnesota, knocking Cody Hodgson down to the third line.

Why should goaltending be any different? Why should Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider be exceptions to Vigneault’s standards?

For the first time in his tenure with the Canucks, Roberto Luongo is being challenged by a backup who may just have the same skill set as him. He never had to look over his shoulder when Dany Sabourin, Curtis Sanford, or Andrew Raycroft were playing second fiddle to him, but Schneider is a different animal altogether.

Why not have Schneider start a few more? Why not force Luongo to work hard in practice and work his way out of this funk? At the end of the day, isn’t that what’s best for the team?

And it’s not like “franchise” netminders around the league haven’t undergone this before. Last year, Marc-Andre Fleury’s poor October saw Brent Johnson get an increase in ice time. Two years ago, Tim Thomas, coming off a Vezina win, was supplanted by young upstart Tuukka Rask. A year later, Thomas backstopped the Bruins to the Stanley Cup. And I don’t even need to bring up the well-documented Price vs. Halak war in Montreal.

The point is, whether fans choose to believe it or not, we might very well be at a crease crossroad. It’s still very early in the year, but this goalie debate has dragged on long enough that it’s not too early to give Cory Schneider a vote of confidence, either.

Sedins ‘History Will Be Made’ Commercial

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Apr 192010
 

It’s nice to see the NHL finally pick up on the Sedins. It’s not like they’ve been invisible, yet so far in may respects they’ve been downplayed or gone unnoticed. The most recent time being their uncharacteristically slow time to recognize Henrik in any way for the Art Ross. They were quick on the uptake to track Stamkos, Ovechkin and Crosby, but Henrik seemed to fall by the wayside. I can understand the NHL spending much of it’s focus on promoting non-Canadian teams because that’s where they need to increase market penetration, but it was nice to see the Canucks get some spotlight, especially the Sedins.

Saturday night at the Canucks game they aired the latest “History Will Be Made” spot they NHL’s put together and it couldn’t have been done around a better play than the goal Daniel Sedin scored against Calgary for his hat trick in the last game of the season. If you haven’t seen it yet, enjoy.

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