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Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Bluelines

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Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Bluelines

The other day, we looked at the Eastern Conference bluelines. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference defence rankings. A Grade Chicago Last Year (A+) A slip in the ratings heading into 2011-12, as neither Duncan Keith nor Brent Seabrook were quite as good last year as they were the season before. Meanwhile, Nick Hjalmarsson also disappointed. However, Nick Leddy looks like a future top-4 stalwart, and there’s some veteran depth now with the signings of Steve Montador, Sean O’Donnell and Sami Lepisto. Los Angeles Last Year (A-) This is assuming Drew Doughty signs. Otherwise they drop a grade. Doughty...

Season Preview: The Impact of Coaching Changes Part 2 and Ranking the Western Conference Coaches

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Season Preview: The Impact of Coaching Changes Part 2 and Ranking the Western Conference Coaches

As discussed in yesterday’s post, changing a coach at mid-season, rather than in the off-season, seems to have a greater positive impact on team performance. Examining all the coaching moves since the start of the 2005-06 season reveals some other interesting tidbits: Only four coaches hired at mid-season led their teams to a worse performance than the coach they replaced: 2009-10 Philadelphia: Peter Laviolette (.535) replaced John Stevens (.540). One could argue these are almost equal results. 2008-09 Tampa Bay: Rick Tocchet (.397 winning percentage) replaced Barry Melrose (.438). Funny how Melrose was ridiculed for his performance returning to the...

Canucks Review and Preview: February 14 to February 20, 2011

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Canucks Review and Preview: February 14 to February 20, 2011

[Every Sunday, Caylie King looks at the Canucks week that was and the Canucks week ahead. You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@cayking).] Canucks Record 56 GP, 36-11-9, 81 points (1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference) Who’s Hot It was about this time last year that Mikael Samuelsson went on a hot streak, a way of showing Team Sweden what they were missing out on. To say that Sammy is en fuego as of late would be an understatement. He has 6 goals and 14 points in his last 8 games while adding a different look to the...

Canucks Review and Preview: January 31 to February 6, 2011

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Canucks Review and Preview: January 31 to February 6, 2011

[Every Sunday, Caylie King looks at the Canucks week that was and the Canucks week ahead. You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@cayking).] Canucks Record 50 GP, 31-10-9, 71 points (1st in Northwest Division, 1st  in Western Conference) Who’s Hot Alex Burrows is beginning to show signs of life. After a slow start – understandable considering he missed the first 10 games with a shoulder injury – he has 2 goals, 2 assists and a plus-4 rating in his last 3 games. As much as people like to say the Sedins make him better, Burr adds a lot to the first line....

I Watched This Game: Canucks 7 – 1 Stars

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I Watched This Game: Canucks 7 – 1 Stars

[I Watched This Game is a recurring feature at Pass it to Bulis–the hockey blog that knows who needs the puck. It chronicles the insights and observations of two guys that watched a hockey game.] Friends, Romans, countrymen, I ask you, humbly, what is the cure for an offensive slump? Don’t answer; this is a rhetorical question. The solution, as everybody knows, is an opponent with porous goaltending and crap defense. It’s a fairly simple remedy, but the real trick is finding a major league team willing to provide it. Short of scheduling a shinny with the Washington Generals or the...

Out of Town Notebook: The KHL and Protectionism, Reality Checks, and Vets on the Move

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Out of Town Notebook: The KHL and Protectionism, Reality Checks, and Vets on the Move

[Every weekend, Canucks Hockey Blog goes out of town as Tom Wakefield (@tomwakefield88) posts his thoughts on what’s happening around the NHL.] The National Hockey League (NHL) is the world’s best hockey league. The question is, how much longer will it be the only destination for the world’s best players? The European invasion of the late 1970s, followed by the fall of Russian Communism in the late 1980s, opened the door for the world’s best to earn a substantial income playing NHL hockey. The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) certainly didn’t look like it would threaten this fact when it launched...

I Watched This Game: Canucks 4 – 1 Stars

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I Watched This Game: Canucks 4 – 1 Stars

[I Watched This Game is a recurring feature at Pass it to Bulis, the hockey blog that knows who needs the puck. It chronicles the insights and observations of two guys who watched a hockey game. To view all the other wonderful stuff PITB does, visit Pass It To Bulis.] The Canucks closed out 2010 the same way they opened it: with a win over the Dallas Stars, but don’t let the 4-1 score fool you into thinking this was just another rout of a good team. Vancouver outscored Dallas, but that’s about the only stat category they won. Thankfully,...

Out of Town Notebook: Surprising Habs, Surging Sabres, Slumping Sens, Waffles and More

Blog / Out of Town Notebook

Out of Town Notebook: Surprising Habs, Surging Sabres, Slumping Sens, Waffles and More

[Every weekend, Canucks Hockey Blog goes out of town as Tom Wakefield (@tomwakefield88) posts his thoughts on what’s happening around the NHL.] It’s hard to imagine Bob Gainey laughing. A Google image search confirms even smiles are hard-fought, often-lost battles in the corners of his mouth. Yet Bob Gainey has a lot to smile and laugh about. This Montreal Canadiens team – a team he essentially re-built in the summer of 2009, then handed off to current GM Pierre Gauthier – is a pretty good one. Making things all-the-more sweet is that Gainey essentially built this team in the face...

Out of Town Notebook: Blueline Blues, A Katy Perry Reference, and Are the Stars for Real?

Blog / Out of Town Notebook

Out of Town Notebook: Blueline Blues, A Katy Perry Reference, and Are the Stars for Real?

[Every weekend, Canucks Hockey Blog goes out of town as Tom Wakefield (@tomwakefield88) posts his thoughts on what’s happening around the NHL.] In honour of Katy Perry’s recent “cleavage-gate” on Sesame Street, let’s play a game of “One of These Things Just Doesn’t Belong Here.” The Chicago Blackhawks. The New York Islanders. The Dallas Stars. The Pittsburgh Penguins. Behold the top four teams in NHL standings. Which one doesn’t belong? If you guessed the New York Islanders, you’d be wrong. Sure they’re probably not a playoff team, but their youngsters have taken a step forward and coach Scott Gordon has...

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