That not so special moment.

As is the rite of Spring in Vancouver, that moment arrived, it passed and life goes on. I'm getting better at spotting the moment. That moment is the fleeting instant when the reality of the current season are replaced by hopes for a future success. In the spring of 2011, the moment for me was marked at about 7:45 PM PDT on June 15. Bergeron had just scored Boston's third goal of game seven and Boston's third shorthanded goal of the series. And for the 40th time the thought crept across my mind; "maybe next year."

The cup was not lost in that moment. It had been lost, in my opinion, back in game 2. I'll share those thoughts with you another time.

Congratulations to the Bruins. For the Canucks, I can't say "well done" just as I can't say "disaster." Mike Gillis has a task ahead of him. Gillis has met the enemy and he is us. Gillis needs to find an combination of players that foster an environment where the Twins can flourish when the compete level raises. Likely this means a fourth line with enough skill to play in a cup final. Players with enough grit or Power Play skill to deter the aggression of a play off opponent. Gillis needs to bolster the mind a fragile net minder. When the battle grew close the Bruins stepped up and the Canucks stepped aside. The spring of 2012 will tell us if the Canucks learnt from this painful experience. Or is this a team not able to win on the largest stage?

For Vancouver, we have met the enemy and he is us. The inappropriate mob response to Game 7 is unacceptable. It was unacceptable in 1994 and it is even more so today. As a community of fans we need to behave in a manner befitting Canada, Vancouver and the Canucks. The entire country has been tarnished by the actions of a few. In the science of mob situations there is often the, almost apologetic, explanation that "it only takes a few to turn the mood of a crowd." This may be conventional thinking on what happened in downtown Vancouver on the evening of June 15, 2011. We may also state that "the few" would have done this regardless if the Canucks won or loss. Isn't the exact opposite true? Isn't it the actions of the many that should turn the mood of the few? Indeed we met the enemy and he was us. We stood by and let the few allow the situation get out of hand. Shame on us. The spring of 2012 will most likely give Canuck's fans another chance. Vancouver: take that opportunity to justify our civic and team pride. Expo 86 and the 2010 Olympics set the example. There is no place for our sensless response to Game 7's in '94 and '11.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

2011 Canucks Playoff Summary

Round 1
Canucks 4 - 3

Round 2
Canucks 4 - 2

Round 3 - Conference Finals
Canucks 4 - 1

Round 4 - Stanley Cup Finals
Boston Bruins 2010-2011 Stanley Cup Champions

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Playoff Schedule

The Stanley Cup finals games are all at 5:00PM Pacific time.

Game 1 is on June 1 in Vancouver (Canucks won 1-0)

Game 2 is on June 4 in Vancouver

Game 3 is on June 6 in Boston

Game 4 is on June 8 in Boston (potentially the first opportunity for the Canucks)

If needed Game 5 is on June 10 in Vancouver (potentially the first opportunity for the Bruins)

If needed Game 6 is on June 13 in Boston (one team will have the opportunity)

If needed Game 7 is on June 15 in Vancouver (the game ends with one team is taking the cup)

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Celebrating Stanley

Recently it has been too much for me to write. The Chicago series was intense. Nashville was a gasp for a small breath. Then the Sharks when away easier than I expected. Now the Bruins. The boys have one win in the bank. Three to go.

Alanah McGinley is a virtual acquaintance. I've never personally met the lady. She currently writes for Paul Kukla at KuklasKorner. She stopped writing some time back with the lame excuse of taking time off to have a kid. I was disappointed in her for that. I am pleased to see with our 'Nucks in the finals she couldn't resist. As one of a very few Bloggers with real press credentials (and not a press person who moved to the bloggoshere) Alanah is a inspiration to many bloggers. Me included. Her recent post on why she would celebrate a Stanley Cup is here. She makes some very good points.

My thoughts on who deserves mention in a celebration of Stanley:

The other players: The cup means so much to us because of the names. It is the only professional sports trophy that has the names of all the previous winners engraved into the cup (well the bands around the base). If you are Alex Burrows or Kevin Bieksa and you do go on to win this series, your name gets added to the cup along side Jean Beliveau, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and every other icon of the game that has had the past good fortune to have contested for and won the cup. What an honour. Every fall we start out wanting to give that honour to the current year's version of the Canucks. Every spring we have that moment when we sigh and say "maybe next year." So far for in 2010-11; not yet. Looks are OK so far. Over the forty year history of the team, we seem to have our best chance. In 1994 one more win was needed. In 2011 two more wins are needed to reach the same point - but I still like our chances. The celebration of the third and fourth lines the fifth and sixth defence men. That is what I want to see.

Fred: While the fact that the Canucks have never won the cup is true, Vancouver HAS won the Stanley Cup before. Lead by Fred 'Cyclone' Taylor the 1915 version of the Vancouver Millionaires beat the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup. Cyclone's grave is a few hundred meters SW of the corner of Imperial and Willingdon in Burnaby. I'm sure Fred is looking down and smiling at the prospect that the cup might be coming home after 96 years.

Trevor: For 16 of 20 NHL seasons the lanky kid who was the son of a Medicine Hat trucker defined class and grace. He took us on the 1994 run. He came within one goal of putting a Game 7 into overtime. He went on to lead the NHLPA trough some very serious times. When his tenure was complete he quietly stepped aside to let a new generation of leaders take over. The PA has never since had the creditability it had when Trevor was at the helm. His dedication to the city and people of Vancouver continues today. Ask yourself: who would you rather have for a best friend? Trevor Linden or Mark Messier? New York may have won the cup in '94 but we were the winners because we still have Trevor Linden.

Pat and Pasha: The Big Irishman brought us Kirk McLean, Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure. Bure was the most exciting thing I have ever seen on skates. I was there on November 12, 1991 when he scored his first NHL goal. I had no idea who Bure was. All I knew was we stood and gave him a standing ovation for what seemed like 10 minutes. Gretzky (the LA version) was the opponent. Bure then scored a second goal and was by far the best player on the ice. We won 8-2. I remember March 9 1993, Bure scored his 50th goal of the season. It was a, on CKNW only, neutral ice game against Buffalo played in Hamilton. After the game Tommy Larcheid, with his trademark impish glee, asked Bure "do you know who was the last Canuck to score 50 goals?" Bure dead panned, in his charming Russian accent, "me?" Quinn brought us those times. He lifted the team to a new level. Harry Neale may have brought the team along from an expansion door mat but Quinn laid the foundation to build the team into a legitimate NHL contender. Pat Quinn still lives in West Vancouver. If you'd like to meet him, hang out for brunch on a Sunday at Fraiche restaurant up at the top of the British Properties. He is often there around 11:30AM.

Stanley: The park and the cup are named after Lord Stanley. His name was also Fred - the karma is aligning! Isn't appropriate that the Lord's mug be once again returned to our park that shares its name?

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Why Win in Calgary?

Daniel - 102 Points. Closest rival Corey Perry at 97. Chances are Perry will not get 6 more points than Daniel in one game. The Art Ross Trophy will go to Daniel. But if Daniel were to put up a big game this would also help to cement his votes for the Hart. Perry is the contenderfront runner. Henrick is the incumbent. If the twins put on a show at the Sadledome they give themselves a better chance to pick up both the Art Ross and the Hart.

Luongo - 38 wins. There are three with 37 including (surprise) Kiprusoff. Canucks win and Luongo is a contender for the Vezina. Tim Thomas will win but... with a win tonight Luongo will have the most wins in the league.

Plus / Minus - Kevin Bieksa. Tied with Toni Lydman at plus 32. Never heard this before and you heard it here first - Bieksa future Norris Trophy winner. Not this year and he needs to stay healthy for a full season. Most rank for the Norris based on points. But scoring is not the measure of the top defensive player in the league. Bieksa is slowly moving towards top D-Man distinction. Pretty good for a guy who was expendable, wasn't even going to be on the team when the season started, when Salo returned, etc... be on the ice tonight for a few goals to win the Plus / Minus race and Kevin Bieksa will take another step towards elite D-Man status.

Jack Adams Award - Alain Vigneault. Does the coach make the team look good? Or does the team make the coach look good? Having coached, I say the coach makes the team look good. Given Pittsburgh Penguins' success without Crosby, Dan Bylsma may be a lock for the 'best' coach award. AV's guided the 'Nucks to their best season ever. He has lead the team to more wins in a single season than Roger Neilson/Harry Neale, Pat Quinn or Mike Keenan. AV won the Jack Adams in 2006. Did he top that job? Sure he did.

Moe - go into the post season on a big win. Having momentum is a good thing when you look to be facing the defending Champions in the first round. Having mailed one in (they did that with the Oil (twice!)) is not the work ethic that a team needs to carry in to the playoffs.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With One Game To Go

09-Apr-11 @ 8:00

Tonight: Canucks play Calgary on HNIC. As with last year the Flames are officailly done. last year the Nucks put up a 7-3 Win at home which featured a stunning goal by Daniel. This yers game is in Calgary. Having put up a 5-0 win over Minny to close the home schedule, I suspect the game in Calgary to be less. Much less.

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow we would face the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. With everyone from 9th place Dallas to 4th place Nashville as potential for the first round match up. The math is complex but the most likely candidates are Dallas, Chicago or LA. The lowest points in the West will be 97 - Dallas, Chicago or Anaheim. The lowest non Shoot Out west wins will either 36 or 37 by Los Angeles. we get the lowest points with the lowest number of non shoot out wins breaking a tie in points.

Before the end of the season (I guess I mean tomorrow) I will make a graphic with the match ups.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 7 Games to Go (and one less sleep)

26-Mar-11 @ 8:00

Last Night: Canucks were idle in Columbus last night. Getting ready for Rick Nash and the BJ's. We have 107 points. The Ducks beat the Hawks last night to swap 7th and 8th spot. More about that in a moment. The Flames and the Oil had a wild Battle of Alberta with Iggy and crew eventually winning in a Shoot Out. Still Calgary remains 3 points back of 8th spot and has Dallas ahead of them in 9th.

Teams are starting to be eliminated. The following teams can book team times for 10-Apr-11; Colorado, Edmonton, Islanders, Panthers and Ottawa.

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow we would face the oh oh Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. We look to be a far better team this year. They look to be no quite as good a team this year. May as well dispatch them early. We do have to beat San Jose, Detroit and Chicago or a hot team that just beat one of the west's top teams. The sooner the defending champs are out of this the better.

The other west matchups are: Detroit vs. Anaheim; San Jase vs. Nashville; and Phoenix vs. LA Kings.

The east matchups are: Philly vs. Buffalo; Washington vs. Rangers; Boston vs. Montreal (owwwah); and Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 7 Games to Go

26-Mar-11 @ 8:00

Last Night: Canucks 3 Atlanta 1 for their 24th road win of the year. We have 107 points. The remaing games three are at home and four are on the road. We need to visit Columbus and Nashville to complete the current road trip. LA Kings will be at Rogers Arena on the last day of March. Then it is a few tussels with the other North West Divsion rivals, Edmndon twice, Minny once and close out the season in Calgary on 9-Apr-11.

On the individual front.

Points - Daniel 1st with 95. Henrick 2nd with 88.
Goals - Daniel 3rd and 3 behind Steven Stamkos. Ryan Kesler 4th with 40.
Plus / Minus - Dan Hamhuis 5th at Plus 29. Toni Lydman of the Ducks leads at Plus 32.
Wins - Luongo 1st with 35.
Save Percent - Luongo 3rd just behind Pekka Rinne and well behind Tim Thomas of Boston.
Goals Against Average - Luongo 3rd again just behind Pekka Rinne and well behind Thomas.

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow we would face the Disneyland Ducklings in the first round. We could get Calgary, Dallas, Anaheim or Chicago. At this point Detroit get's Chicago in the first round and based on recent history I like that idea best. The sooner the defending champs are out of this the better.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 8 Games to Go

25-Mar-11 @ 16:00

Tonight: Canucks Get Atlanta. We have 105 points and are up on everyone else. The Division is secure. The Conference is likely and magic would have to happen for the Canucks to not win the President's Trophy.

If the playoffs were to start this morning we would face the LA Ducklings in the first round.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 21 Games to Go

23-Feb-11 @ 07:00

Last night: Canucks lost to the Habs. Or the Habs had more goals when 60 minutes were up. You felt like the Canuck's were going to win given enough time. And the time given wasn't enough. Phily did get an extra 5 minutes of time down to find a win down in Phoenix but wasted that with an OTL to the Coyotes. The twin losses place the Canuck's 1 points up on the Phily Flyers in the crawl to the President's Trophy. The Flyers have one games in hand and one win in hand.

Detroit also lost to the Sharks. The gap for top spot in the West is now 5 points. All three play again on the 24th. Next up for Detroit is the Stars. Next up for the 'Nucks, at Rogers Arena, are the Blues. Phily plays the Islanders.

If the playoffs were to start today we would face the LA Kings Queens in the first round.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Daniel, Henrik or Kesler?

I heard one of the HNIC guys proclaim Daniel is on track for a 50 goal season. General HNIC Rules: Unless it is said by Jim Hughson, don't believe it. Exception to the rule: If it is said by Ron MacLean and it is not about Alex Burrows, believe it. I have some time for Don Cherry and Kelly Hrudey as the embassadors of the game. Elliot Friedman (a jounalist) and PJ Stock (an ex goon player), when his tongue is not all tied up, are creditiable. Mike Milbury, Glen Healy, Garry Galley, Kevin Weeks? Who let these guys on the air? And mystery of all mysteries: Greg Millen! Millen was an alsoran goalie and has dropped in ability as a broadcaster. Rant over back to the post.

Daniel is on track for 44 goals and 105 points. Daniel is currently tops the league in Points (Art Ross Trophy). Ryan Kesler is on track for a team high 45 goals and 77 points. Kesler's career high 33 goals are 7 behind Steven Stamkos' 40 goals (Maurice Richard Trophy). Current Art Ross and Hart Trophy holder Henrik Sedin is on track for 19 goals and 98 points. So does little brother Daniel take over this year as the Art Ross and Hart Throphy holder? Maybe. And as Henrik recently put it "I too would be leading the league in points if I had me passing to me."

As for a 50 goal season. Both Daniel and Kesler need to pick up the pace a little to reach that achievement. An Achievement that has only been reached four times in Cancuks history, thrice by Pasha "Russian Rocket" Bure and once by Alex Mogilny. Bure had 60 in both '92-93 and '93-94 and 51 in '97-98. Mogilny reached the plateau in '95-96 with 55 red lights lit.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Does Number 1 Seed Win the Stanley Cup?

When the regular season is over the league seeds teams based on those results to determine opponents for each of four rounds in the Stanley Cup tournament. Highest ranked teams get lowest ranked opponents in each round.

Here is what the recent history shows us:

Year	Team	Beat
2010	W2 CHI	E7 PHI
2009	E4 PIT	W2 DET
2008	W1 DET	E2 PIT
2007	W2 ANA	E4 OTT
2006	E2 CAR	W8 EDM

With the exception of the '07-08 Detroit Red Wings no number one seed has reached the finals never mind won the cup. But look again. Every year the Number 2 seed made it to the cup final. With the exception of the Cinderella, post lock out, Oilers every year since the #1 or #2 seed from the West has played in the finals. Small sample size but 60% of the #2 seeds have won the last 5 cups. Interesting indeed!

Dear Canucks - no President's Trophy please! Get your D-men healthy. Better yet buy one (or two) more just in case. There is so much more at stake here than the moniker of "best of class - Regular Season." Love - your Fans

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

What does it Take to Win the President's Trophy

For the Western Conference we just accept that 95 points will be required to make it to NHL hockey's second season. But how many points does it take to win the Presidents Trophy as warded to the leagues top point getter in the regular season?

History hints at an answer:

Year	Team	Points	Won By
2010	Washington	121	8
2009	San Jose	117	1
2008	Detroit	115	7
2007	Detroit	113	0
2006	Detroit	124	11
	Average	118	5.4

When the race is close, if a team scores 114 points or more chances are they win the President's Trophy. Your Canucks are on pace for 116.2 points a using seasonal projection and 115.8 using last 10 games projection. Rounded to 116 points, this total should be good enough to secure the West #1 seed and maybe the President's Trophy. Tomorrow we can examine the history on whether a Number 1 seeding has been advantageous. Do we even want that damn President's Trophy?

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 22 Games to Go

20-Feb-11 @ 07:00

Last night: Canucks got a nice 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars. The win allowed the Canuck's to move 4 points up on the idle Phily Flyers in the crawl to the President's Trophy. The Flyers have two games in hand. We are currently tied with 38 wins each.

Detroit had last night off. The gap for top spot in the West is now 7 points. Next up for Detroit is the Wild later today. Next up for the 'Nucks, at Rogers Arena, are the Hab's on 22-Feb-11.

If the playoffs were to start today we would still face the Anaheim Ducklings in the first round.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

A Pretty Good Summary

This piece was written by a journaist named Tim Booth who works for the Washington DC Examiner.

The column concludes:

Of course, the only opportunity to prove that (that is a Canadian Team can win the Cup) will come when the postseason begins in April.

"A lot of guys have been here a long time and realize we haven't done anything until we've won the Stanley Cup," Daniel Sedin said. "That's what it's going to come down to."

Check out Tim Booth's full Canucks story at the Washingtom Examiner: Click Here

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Trade Deadline T-10 Days

19-Feb-11 - Trade Deadline: 10 days

Yesterday - A busy day.

Of note: Kaberle to Boston. Boston continues to load up for a cup run. Avalanche and Senators swap goalies. Elliot for Anderson. Huh?!?

All deals:

Chicago - Recalled D Boris Valabik from Chicago (AHL) and traded him and C Rich Peverley to Boston for F Blake Wheeler and D Mark Stuart. Sent D Paul Postma to Chicago (AHL).

Boston - Acquired D Tomas Kaberle from Toronto exchange a 2011 first-round draft pick, F Joe Colborne and a conditional 2012 second-round draft pick.

Carolina - Acquired D Derek Joslin from San Jose for future considerations.

Avalanche - Acquired G Brian Elliott from the Ottawa Senators for G Craig Anderson.

St. Louis - Traded D Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay for the rights to D Brock Beukeboom and a 2011 third-round draft pick.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

Still 23 Games to Go

19-Feb-11 @ 07:00

Last night: Canucks got lucky as the Carolina 'canes beat Phily Flyers allowing the Canuck's to remain 2 points up in the crawl to the President's Trophy. As the Canucks were idle, this event also burnt off one of Phily's games in hand. The Flyers only hold one game in hand and have one more win than the Canucks.

Detroit won last night to close the gap for top spot in the West to 5 points. The 'nucks and Wings face off against each other in a 4 pointer on 23-Mar-11 in Detroit. Should be a good one.

If the playoffs were to start today we would face the Anaheim Ducklings in the first round.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 23 Games to Go.

18-Feb-11 @ 07:00

Today: we are 7 points up on Detroit for the conference lead. We are 2 points up on Phily, who have two games in hand, for the President's Trophy. The Flyers play tonight so the likelihood of being in sole possession of first place in 24 hours is very low. If the playoff were to start today, we would get Marc Crawford and the Dallas Stars in first round and home ice advantage for as long as we stay alive in the playoffs.

The Canucks still have a mathematical potential to secure 129 points for the season. Mathematically the Canucks can still tie the Detroit Red Wings record of 60 wins in a season. Given the season average pace the Canucks are on track for a 115 point season. With defense corp injuries and a 1 win in 3 tries mini road trip, using the results of the last 10 games to project the season, surpizingly also tracks to 115 points.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 25 Games to Go.

15-Feb-11 @ 07:00

Today: we are 7 points up on Detroit for the conference lead. We are 4 points up on Phily, who have two games in hand, for the President's Trophy. If the playoff were to start today, we get the charming Cow Town Flames in first round and home ice advantage for as long as we stay alive in the playoffs.

The Canucks still have a mathematical potential to secure 131 points for the season. No longer can the '10-11 Canucks catch the Canadien's record of 132 points in a season. Mathematically the canucks can still reach the Detroit Red Wings record of 60 wins in a season.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;

With 26 Games to Go

13-Feb-11 @ 17:00

Today: we are 7 points up on Detroit for the conference lead. We are 2 points up on Philly, who have a game in hand, for the President's Trophy. If the playoff were to start today, we get Minnesota in first round and home ice advantage for as long as we stay alive in the playoffs.

The Canucks still have a mathematical potential to secure 133 points for the season which would still be a record for points in a single season.

We are 16 wins away from the Holly Grail and none of those 16 games will be played before 13-Apr-2011.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; Vancouver+Canucks;