CHB TV Episode 13: One-on-One with “King” Richard Brodeur and Living at Wave

 Blog, CHB TV, Podcast  1 Response »
Apr 172012
 

This past weekend, Clay visited the actors living at the Wave demonstration suite at Surrey’s Central City Shopping Centre (who you can follow on twitter @LiveatWave or Facebook) to check out the space and talk some Canucks hockey.

Then, Clay got to meet Canucks’ legend “King” Richard Brodeur.  Brodeur talked about his favourite hockey memory, his favourite goalie (you probably won’t be surprised once you hear) and what the Canucks need to do to get back into their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings.

Kassian’s Still A Kid

 Blog  8 Responses »
Apr 162012
 

A lot of people were caught off-guard when the Zack Kassian trade came to fruition. For all the speculation around why it happened, at the end of the day Cody Hodgson went to Buffalo and Kassian joined the Canucks.

Kassian came from a team where he was getting limited ice-time – and seriously less quality ice time than Hodgson – and, fairly or not, was expected to step straight into Cody’s shoes.

But that’s unrealistic. Completely unrealistic. And the last thing Kassian needs is this city and the media to run him out of town so I write this post pre-emptively after two comments really nailed home how I feel about the kid.

The first was from Steve “Dangle” Glynn:

RT @steve_dangle: Thing about Kassian is he really is the type of animal the Canucks needs, but not yet. He will be, but he’s a rookie

Kassian is exactly what this team needs. He’s a year younger than Hodgson, and he’s going to need a little more time to fall into the team’s system. Cody took a couple of year to develop. Even some of the team’s veterans took time to find their step within Vigneault’s system. Kassian had a matter of weeks to gear up for the playoffs and was dispatched on every forward line trying to find a fit. Finding a fit on this team isn’t easy for the best of players, but Kassian will soon, and those dividends will start to pay off after a full off season with the team. Don’t believe me? You’ll see it in David Booth as well.

The other was from Brian Wawryshyn of Canucks Corner:

RT @canuckscorner: Don’t spew venom at Kassian. He didn’t trade Hodgson. He’s a young kid with potential who is rarely getting on the ice. #canucks

Kassian has a whack load of potential. He’s been compared to guys like Lucic (which I don’t necessarily agree with) but he also looks to me like he can evolve into a young Todd Bertuzzi. This kid’s going to be wreaking havoc on the ice for the Canucks and his experience in the playoffs this season, whether it goes for just one more game or longer, is going to be big for his development.

The Canucks need someone to step up and lead this team. And while it would be great for Kassian to contribute more, it may be a bit much to expect such from a raw rookie. Instead, look at the veterans before him – guys like Hank, Kes, Booth, Higgins and May Ray have combined for 0 goals in the first 3 games in this series. I know fans are looking for a scapegoat, but this kid is hardly it.

Fourth Line Follies

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Apr 122012
 

One of the luxuries the Canucks were supposed to enjoy this season was having a fourth line who could actually play. A fourth line coach Alain Vigneault could trust and deploy in almost any situation. In fact, when comparing this version of the team to last year’s, most point to the depth of their lineup and improved quality of their bottom-six.

When you consider that the Canucks’ fourth line consisted of the likes of Tanner Glass, Victor Oreskovich and Alex Bolduc last year, it’s not much of a stretch to think that Manny Malhotra, Byron Bitz and Zack Kassian represents an improvement. It’s a big line, one that likes to hit and play with a bit of skill.

After one game however, you can say it also lacks some discipline.

Yes, the fourth line stood out in last night’s 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Unfortunately, they stood out for all the wrong reasons.

During a forgettable second period, Zack Kassian took an ill-advised charging penalty and Byron Bitz received a boarding major and game misconduct for this:

Both were a part of the Canucks’ penalty parade in the first 40 minutes of the game, in which the team was shorthanded for more than 30% of the time (12:36) and gave the Kings 8 powerplay opportunities. As a result, the Kings scored 2 powerplay goals, including 1 during Bitz’s major penalty.

Further, Bitz could face supplemental discipline for his hit on Kyle Clifford. True, it was a fast play and Clifford turned his back to him. Nor do I think there was any malicious intent on Bitz’s part. That said, it was also a dangerous hit on a vulnerable player. Almost the same hit we chastised Clifford for when he hit Chris Tanev from behind last year.

By the end of the game, Kassian had logged 5:36 minutes of ice-time in 10 shifts and Bitz’s night was done after 4 shifts and 2:51 minutes of ice-time – these are lower ice-times than Glass, Oreskovich and Bolduc averaged last year.

Maybe both were excited, maybe both were nervous. After all, for Kassian, it was his first career NHL playoff game, and for Bitz, it was his first since he last suited in the playoffs for Boston in 2009.

No one expects the fourth line to be difference makers. At the same time however, they need to be dependable in the limited minutes they play. They can’t put the team shorthanded as much as they did last night. Simply put, they need to be better and they need to play smarter.

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)

Kassian Has The Intimidation Factor

 Blog  1 Response »
Mar 302012
 

When Zack Kassian arrived in Vancouver, one of the first words out of his mouth was the following:

They’ve got a great team here, and I’m just going to try to be a small piece in a big puzzle.

Oh Zack, we all know that’s not going to be possible in this hockey fishbowl.

Since he arrived on the scene, fans have been watching closely, scrutinizing and analyzing every little detail of his game. There have been bright moments, like his first three games as a Canuck, where he combined for 16 hits, a goal, and an assist. His fight with Brad Staubitz against Montreal and his skirmish with Duncan Keith in Chicago also stand out.

There are the naysayers, too. On some nights, Kassian has been stapled to the bench during crucial moments. Part of that has to do with Alain Vigneault’s unwillingness to play young players when the game’s on the line, and part of it has to do with Kassian’s play has been somewhat inconsistent.

On occasion, he has that gusto where he looks like he’ll take a player’s head off. On others, he’s losing puck battles in corners and slower than Steve Bernier.

But perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of Zack Kassian’s game is the intimidation factor he has when he’s on the ice. He has a presence, one which the team cannot say they boasted before.

When Kassian is on the ice, opponents are aware of it. Put together on a line with Mason Raymond and Henrik Sedin, neither player gets bogged down in a post-whistle scrum when Kassian is out there. If either Raymond or Sedin gets shoved around, Kassian enters the scrum and all of a sudden it gets dead quiet. Everyone shuts up and moves along.

That can be a very powerful weapon in the playoffs.

Against Chicago, Kassian challenged every single Blackhawk on the ice, and no one wanted to drop the gloves. That’s the kind of power and intimidation very few teams can buy. Kassian is feared, and in the playoffs, he can provide the kind of spark the Canucks will need when the going gets tough.

So don’t just take notice of what Kassian is doing in the game. Notice his game within the game, because that can be equally important.

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.

Canucks Review and Preview: March 5 to March 11, 2012

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Mar 062012
 

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

Despite taking 3 of a possible 6 points last week, it was a somewhat mediocre week for the Canucks as they won just 1 of their 3 games (1-1-1).

After losing in a shootout against the hot Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday, the Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, in a battle of the top two teams in the Western Conference, at Rogers Arena. The game had all the feel of a great, defensive, playoff battle, including a lot of physical play and timely goals by Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins.

And then on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, they dug themselves a big, early hole – to be exact, a 3-0 hole in the first 5 minutes – before trying to battle back late and ultimately falling by a 5-3 score. The game was a mixture of poor defence, bad decisions, a few goals that Luongo would want back, and Zack Kassian’s coming out party.

Oh yeah… and that Cody Hodgson guy got traded at the start of the week.

Canucks Record

66 GP, 41-17-8, 90 points (1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference)

Who’s Hot

In just 3 games, Zach Kassian has shown Vancouver fans why Canucks management thought that he would be a perfect fit on this team. Certainly, he’s shown his versatility by being able to play on every line. On Saturday, against his old team, he scored a goal and an assist – his first 2 points as a Canuck.

He’s not afraid to throw the body and he has an impressive ability to control the puck along the boards and in the dirty areas. He’s mentioned that his idol growing up was Todd Bertuzzi and we don’t have to look far to see the similarities.

Kassian’s NHL career is only 30 games old, but he’s showing signs of fulfilling his potential to be good power forward in this league. And if he keeps showing what he’s shown us so far here in Vancouver, he could very well play an important role for the Canucks down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Who’s Not

Despite many fans’ expectations, Mason Raymond survived trade deadline day and remains a Canuck, at least for the time being. Unfortunately, he continues to struggle and will begin tonight’s game against the Stars on the fourth line.

We know he had what could have been a career-ending back injury, but it’s also hard to ignore that he has 3 points (2G-1A) in his last 15 games despite playing regular minutes in the top-six and the second PP unit.

Who’s Next

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 vs. Dallas Stars (7:00 PM start, home)

The Dallas Stars head into Vancouver just over a week after these two clubs’ first meeting of the season. In that game, Loui Eriksson handed the Canucks a loss in overtime. We also got the pleasure of seeing Vernon Fiddler poking fun at Kevin Bieksa’s “angry face”, which caused AV to have a giggling attack. To be honest, that was probably the best part of the game.

The Stars are battling for their playoff lives in a very competitive Western Conference. They currently occupy the 7th playoff spot in the West, but the 8th place San Jose Sharks are only 2 points back with 2 games in hand and the 9th place Los Angeles Kings are 3 points back with 1 game in hand. The Stars are going for a sweep of the Northwest Canadian teams, having already beaten the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames in this road trip.

Victoria’s Jamie Benn was not in the lineup against the Canucks last week, but he will bring his size and finesse to this week’s matchup. Benn has 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 3 games, and although he’s missed 11 games this season, he is on pace for a career year in points. He is currently second in team scoring with 51 points (18G-33A) while boasting a plus-14 rating.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 vs. Winnipeg Jets (7:00 PM start, home)

It’s been a while since the Winnipeg Jets have come to play in Vancouver; the two clubs meet for the first and only time this season. The addition of the Jets was a great thing for hockey for Canada and they haven’t disappointed their great fans. They’re battling hard for a playoff spot and currently sit in 8th place in a very tight Eastern Conference.

Last year, the old Jets, the Atlanta Thrashers, went 2-4-0 against the Northwest Division; this season, the Jets have had more success. They have a 4-1-0 record against the Northwest so far and have outscored them by a combined 18-11 score so don’t be surprised if this is a high-scoring event.

Blake Wheeler is having a great season leading the Jets in assists (39), points (53) and plus/minus (+10 rating). He’s one of the hottest players in the NHL right now with at least a point in 9 of his last 11 games – he has 18 points (5G-13A) in that span.

Saturday, March 10, 2012 vs. Montreal Canadiens (7:00 PM start, home)

Currently in last place in the Eastern Conference, this has been a season to forget for les Montreal Canadiens. With 16 games left, they’re 10 points out of playoff spot and a woeful 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.

In their first meeting of the season in Montreal, the Canucks beat the Habs 4-3 in a shootout. Ex-Canuck Cody Hodgson led the way with a goal and the shootout winner, and Bobby Luo stopped 20 of 23 shots in regulation and OT, plus all 3 Habs shooters in the shootout. Erik Cole led the Habs with a goal and an assist.

Outside of Montreal, David Desharnais is still a relative unknown, but he has been a huge contributor for the Habs this season. All he’s done is lead the team in assists (37) and points (51). He also has their plus/minus rating (+10 rating). He is currently riding a 4-game point streak (3G-4A-7P).

Shooting From the Hip with @BrowntoBure: On Zack, Cody and Playoff Predictions

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Mar 062012
 

[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.]

In their own words:

@BrowntoBure is Dave Wells (@davewells13) and Ricky Sangha (@van_city_nucks).  Dave was born in Vancouver and now lives in North Delta with his girlfriend and cat that likes to knock everything in the apartment on the floor while he’s at work.  Dave went to North Delta Senior Secondary School (sometimes) and currently works at a coffee roasting plant, although he hates the taste of coffee.  He is a huge sports fan and always has been, even going back to his childhood where he would stage elaborate baseball games by himself in the backyard or hockey games in the garage for hours on end.  Dave has been a fan of the Canucks for as long as he can remember and is extremely passionate about his team, almost to a fault.

Ricky Sangha was born in Vancouver but has lived the majority of his life in suburban Vancouver in North Delta and Surrey.  He went to school at Seaquam Secondary in North Delta, and studied Communications at Kwantlen College after high school. Afterwards, he attended Columbia Academy in Vancouver and studied Radio Broadcasting/Journalism.  Nowadays, he works on the sales team at the local Home Depot, helping customers and completing orders.  Ricky has been a Canucks fan since the Spring of 1993, when Pavel Bure mania was at its climax.  His girlfriend of 5 years, Rita, is also an avid Vancouver Canucks fan, and other than his team, he spends any free moment he has with her, and he has a Chocolate Lab named Gurly.

This picture was taken on June 15th 2011.  Hence the awesome playoff beards.  As you may have noticed we’re both smiling still and Dave isn’t in tears being kicked out of the bar yet, which means this took place before the game started.  Dave’s best quality is probably his sense of humour and his ability to find something funny in almost any situation.  It’s definitely something he tries to bring to the blog and twitter.  Check out the BrowntoBure website here.

1.  I have a pretty good idea of where the Twitter handle of @BrowntoBure comes from, but please describe where you were when you saw the iconic pass and why you decided it would be a good Twitter handle?

@BrowntoBure obviously refers to “the pass” Probably the most significant play in Canucks history.  Double overtime, game 7, Round 1 against Calgary.  Defenseman Jeff Brown hit Pavel Bure with a stretch pass right up the middle springing Bure on a breakaway… which he obviously potted. (There was never a doubt.)  I definitely would have been watching with my dad, as that was basically a ritual.  When I got older watching the game with my dad turned into watching the game with my dad and critiquing everything that took place.  So I guess that probably has a lot to do with how this blog got started.  I was only 7 years old at the time so for me this was probably my first significant memory that I have that relates to being a Canucks fan.  Being that anyone who likes to call themselves a Canucks fan knows this little piece of history, it seemed like the perfect choice.

2.  We witnessed the latest episode of The Sweet Life of Zack (Kassian) and Cody (Hodgson) just this past Saturday night.  What were your initial thoughts on this specific trade?  What were your impressions from the game Saturday night?  And what do you expect from both players going forward?

I honestly remember going into the deadline thinking that Cory Schneider had a better chance of getting traded than Hodgson and I didn’t think there was any chance of Schneider being moved…  So to say I was shocked would be an understatement.  It was actually a kind of surreal feeling because I remember pacing around the radio all day at work thinking, “If Pahlsson is the only pick up, we’re screwed.”  You get what you wish for, I guess.

I was a huge fan of Cody and was pretty choked when it all went down, but after seeing Kassian over the last week, I can see the potential this kid has and it gets me very excited for what’s to come in the future.  There is no doubt in my mind that Hodgson will go on to Captain the Sabres and have a very successful career, it’s a shame that we had to give him up but I think myself and a lot of fans are pretty aware of the fact that it simply was not meant to be in the long run.  There’s too much depth in this organization at centre and he was never going to get the amount of ice time necessary to perform to his full potential.

I love what I see from “the Kassassin” so far.  Sure it’s a short sample size but all the tools appear to be there and the thought of once again having a dominating power forward, in which we haven’t had since Bertuzzi left has me pumped.  As for the game against Buffalo, there’s not much you can say about that disaster.  It was once again a cased of the Canucks coming out in the first period and not being ready to play.  This time however, unlike the last 4 months of the season Luongo was unable to hold the fort until the team found their legs.  Predictably and very annoyingly all of the Lu haters came out of the wood work right on cue.  I’ve always been a huge supporter of his and consider us very lucky to have such a world class goalie, especially after all the years of inept goaltending we had to suffer through.  The treatment he gets in this market makes me absolutely sick.

3.  Related to that, do you think the Canucks did enough at the trade deadline?  Short of Jeff Brown and Pavel Bure coming out of retirement, what would you have liked to see happen?

I think Gillis did quite well giving the amount of cap room he had to work with.  I would’ve liked to see another top 5 defenseman but realistically there just weren’t that many out there.  As any who follows me knows I have a pretty big hate on for Mason Raymond, which goes back to his rookie season.  There are just so many aspects of his game that drive me absolutely crazy.  From the falling down, to the turnovers, the off target shots, the lack of toughness.  Honestly I could go on all day, so I was pretty disappointed when he somehow survived yet another deadline day.  I guess nobody wanted him or the organization sees something in him.  I’m still trying to figure out what that is and I hope he does too or he’s going stick out like a sore thumb yet again in the playoffs.

4.  Look into your crystal ball and predict a couple of things for us:  the first-round opponent of the Canucks in the playoffs, and the forward lines and d-pairings we’ll see to start the post-season.

Rather than do the typical Canucks fan thing and go through the list of teams I don’t want to meet, basically the whole conference I’m going to go to other way with this.  As much as it pains me to say this, because I hate this team with a passion and love seeing them fail season after season, I would absolutely love to see Calgary grab the 8th seed in the playoffs.  With a Western Conference that is going to be an absolute war just to get out of it, the lack of travel would go along way to help the Canucks on their run.  If it sounds like I’m overlooking Calgary here, it’s because I am.  Let’s face it, they’re terrible and there would be nothing better to see the joy of getting into the playoffs again greeted with a swift backhand from Canucks Nation as they are swept aside.

The lineup that I would love to see the Canucks go with to start the playoffs would looks something like:

-Daniel-Hank-Burrows
-Booth-Kesler-Higgins
-Hansen-Pahlsson-Kassian
-Malhotra-Lapierre-Bitz/Reinprecht

-Hamhuis-Bieksa
-Edler-Salo
-Tanev-Ballard

Yes, Raymond was left out on purpose.

I still feel like Ballard gets the short end of the stick from A.V a lot of the time and can be a very effective player when he’s in the line-up and not having to worry about every single mistake costing him his spot.  I also really liked what I saw from Tanev and Ballard as a pair last year so I’d love to see them recapture some of that magic.  Assuming Ballard is “healthy” by then.

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

Both of us seem to follow the Don Cherry school of thought of not caring what people think about what we have to say.  You’re going to get our opinion and we stick to it.  One thing that drives me crazy when trying to communicate with other people on Twitter is when you branch out and comment on something or ask them a question and they don’t respond.  So I go out of my way to make sure I respond to every single comment I get.  There aren’t many so it’s really not as difficult as one would think.  I tend to give my opinion on everything and am quite blunt about it, I also like to point out many of the humorous things that take place over the course of a game to make the experience a little more enjoyable. Which comes in handy for keeping you awake when the Canucks are playing the St.Louis Blues or Phoenix Coyotes.  We also both have personal accounts where we talk about things other than hockey, and are a little more crude… if you’re into that.

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