Tagged: playoffs 2010

There’s a different aura around the Canucks this season. I can’t place my finger on it, but if you listened to the guys after dispatching the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, you can hear a quiet confidence from them. Last year, the Canucks, fresh from a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues, faced a young and (supposedly) inexperienced Blackhawks team and lost their composure. They faced a Blackhawks team that they beat up – on the scoreboard and during a line brawl – in their last regular season meeting, and then lost the last three games of their second...

I’m not one to believe in conspiracy theories, though I have to admit Tony Gallagher’s piece in the Vancouver Province this morning made me think a bit about them. Because the Canucks often seem to get the short end of the NHL officials’ stick, I can’t help but feel that, maybe, there’s some validity to what Tony is saying. Then Saturday night the Canucks jump to a 2-0 lead and appear to be all over the Kings threatening to make short work of a market some important people in the league would love to come back to hockey after eight...

Photo credit: canucks.nhl.com When Vancouver narrowly lost to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 on Saturday night, it was clear that the seed of doubt has been planted in the hearts and minds of Canucks fans. After all, the Kings have plenty to be proud of. They entered a building where the Vancouver Canucks boasted a league-best 30 wins in the regular season and not only took the second game, but took both contests to overtime. In essence, Anze Kopitar’s crew could easily have been flying back to California with a 2-0 series lead in their back pockets. Thankfully,...