2008 'Nucks and Pucks Reader Comment Awards

At the end of 2008 I reflected back on 'Nucks and Pucks' rookie (half) year. It has been fun sharing my random hockey thoughts with my small, but hopefully growing, team of loyal readers. I have to give you guys credit, because without you this blog would be pointless.

I appreciate the comments that readers have made about my posts, which have ranged from insightful to hilarious to antagonistic (ahem, Leafs fans). As a big thank you to the folks who contributed in the comments section I present the first bi-annual 'Nucks and Pucks Reader Comment Awards, as chosen by a jury consisting of, well, me.

Please note that only comments posted in 2008 are considered for this series of awards.

Winners will receive a limited edition 'Nucks and Pucks beer, which is unfortunately not available at a BCL, LCBO or any other liquor/beer store anywhere near you. Winners are identified by the name under which they posted their comments and, if not contacted by me, should get in touch to claim their prize. Runners-up get bragging rights but no beer.

Art Ross Trophy (Most Prolific Commenter)
Winner: Daniel
Runners Up: Graham and pete (tie)

Daniel posted four comments, most of which were in response to various posts during "Leafs Bashing Week" - though words apparently failed him when the Canucks rocked the Maple Laughs in a 4-2 game whose score flatters the Torontonians. Graham and pete chipped in with three comments each.

Calder Trophy (In the future this will be given to the top new commenter, but for this inaugural year it is given to the first person to comment)
Winner: R. A. DePalma

It took until the end of September for the first reader comment, when R. A. DePalma responded to my Western Conference Predictions by taking issue with my choice of the Blackhawks and Coyotes to make the playoffs and the Wild to miss them (I will wait until the season ends to brag).

Hart Trophy (Best Comment)
Winner: Jeff
Runner-Up: wj_norman

In a tight race, Jeff takes the award for this gem in response to my comment about Bob Cole's broadcasting:

Some call Bob Cole's commentary nostalgic. I call it early signs of senility. I think he's still around because no one at CBC can bring themselves to fire him. It's like telling your grandpa he can't drive anymore because he's bad at it. No one wants to do it, but sometimes it's gotta be done."

wj_norman came a close second with this tribute to Trevor Linden's long-lasting impact on "an entire generation of Vancouver women":

I was talking to some female co-workers the other day about the fact that Trevor Linden was my first, last and only celebrity crush during my adolescence (okay, fine, during my womanhood as well). Forget River Phoenix and his teenage angst or Keanu Reeves and his floppy hair. Trevor’s good-guy-ness, serious and quiet demeanor, rancher's son meets hockey warrior work ethic, his ruggedness, and his tendency to show up on local TV being kind to sick children was soooo clearly a perfect match for me. However, to my surprise, each co-worker strongly asserted, that Trevor was, in fact, first in THEIR heart. I was stunned, hurt almost, that my affection for Trevor was equally matched by these other women. Women who don't know what an icing call is, women who don't bother watching hockey until the playoffs, women who couldn't stomach a day of branding cattle on the ranch, women who are married, women who are mothers! As the day unfolded, I started bringing up the name Trevor Linden around any woman I encountered - the grocery store clerk, the student I was advising, the friend of a friend I ran into at J.J. Bean. As it turns out, in addition to his achievements described above, Trevor Linden found his way into the romantic fantasies of an entire generation of Vancouver women. This is a feat he is not normally recognized for. However, speaking on behalf of all Vancouver women born between 1970 and 1983, I would like to raise a glass in honour of his role in our journey into womanhood.

That's all for now folks! I hope you keep reading and enjoying 'Nucks and Pucks. Keep the comments coming, and GO CANUCKS!!!

The Best of the All-Star Weekend

I have to admit, I was strangely interested in the All-Star Weekend this year. I say "strangely" because I can't remember the last time I really watched and had more than a passing interest in either the Skills Competition or the All-Star Game itself. It was probably the 1998 game, which was played in Vancouver and in which then-captain (ugh) Mark Messier scored the winning goal.

Why was this year's event so riveting? I think there are a few reasons. For one thing, it is the centre-piece of the Montreal Canadiens ongoing 100th Anniversary celebrations. No NHL team is as steeped in history as the Habs, no city is as rabid about hockey as Montreal and no organization pulls off large-scale hockey events with style and class as well as the Canadiens.

Secondly, there is an abundance of extremely talented and young players in the NHL right now, led by Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. This year's game also featured youngsters such as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Thomas Vanek, Jeff Carter, Carey Price and Shea Weber. All these guys are tearing it up right now, and look to be NHL stars for at least the next decade.

Finally, there is the fact that both the Skills Competition and the game were far more interesting than in years past. The NHL has made an effort to make the Skills Competition more fan-friendly, tweaking the breakaway skills challenge and changing the shoot-out to an individual, elimination style event.

The game was its usual high-scoring affair, but players actually seemed to be trying as the game wore on and headed in to overtime - witness the hooking penalty taken by Mike Komisarek to prevent a scoring chance in the extra frame. The shoot-out was exciting, with hometown hero Alex Kovalev and everyone's favourite player Alex Ovechkin scoring to seal the win for the East.

Here is a rundown of my favourite moments from the 2009 All-Star Weekend:

Alex Ovechkin winning the Breakaway Challenge. Just watch the clip, it speaks for itself:



Zdeno Chara in the Hardest Shot Competition. Forget the fact that his shot of 105.4 MPH set a new Skills Competition record, breaking Al Iafrate's record from 1993. Far cooler was the fact that he turned the event into a charity fundraiser. Chara is a huge supporter of Right to Play (as am I!), and last summer climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with the winner of a fundraising auction in support of the charity. At the skills contest he convinced the participants to each chip in $1000, which their clubs matched. The NHL and NHLPA each matched $6000, making a total pot of $24,000 to go towards the winner's charity of choice. On the last shot of the event Chara set his new record, and scored a huge victory for Right to Play:

Montreal Canadiens fans mercilessly booing rival Boston Bruins players throughout the weekend - but having the class to cheer for them when they did something special. I love intense, but respectful, rivalries. The Habs faithful heckled Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard throughout the Skills Competition and All-Star Game. They even gave Blake Wheeler heck during the Young Stars game. Yet the fans applauded, for example, when Chara won the Hardest Shot contest and when Tim Thomas made a great save in overtime of the game. Well done Montreal Canadiens fans.

And finally, Ovechkin again providing a moment of levity. As the Jumbotron showed a couple of girls dancing in the audience, Alex paused to took a look - only to have the camera cut away to show him watching the performance:

Jerk lives my dream before I do

I read the article on The Hockey News website, headlined "Well-travelled hockey fan finishes quest just in time," with a combination of anger, envy and self-loathing (okay that's a bit extreme - let's call it moderate jealousy).

Alex Jordan - a Canucks fan no less! - came up with a plan to see an NHL game in each of the 30 rinks in the league before turning 30, and completed his quest just a few days ago. From The Hockey News:

"It’s a dream every hockey fan has had, in one form or another, but one few have the gumption or wherewithal to achieve.

Alex Jordan wanted to do it before he turned 30 and, through diligent planning and Internet flight deals, his fantasy became reality Tuesday night when the Wild and Coyotes clashed at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota.

He’d visited the last of each of the NHL’s 30 arenas."

Well la-dee-frickin'-da Alex Jordan, way to pull the rug out from under the feet of another Canucks fan. His name is Mark Norman, and you took his dreams and lived them before he got the chance. Worse, you rubbed salt in the wounds by having your exploits published in The Hockey News. What a jerk!

Yes, it's true, for the past few years I have harboured a pipe dream of watching a game in every arena (ideally a Canucks game in each rink). So far I have seen games in nine NHL cities: Vancouver, San Jose, Calgary, Toronto, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York (Madison Square Garden) and Washington. I have seen the Canucks play in a total of four road games in three of those cities: San Jose (two losses), Buffalo (a shoot-out loss) and Washington (a win).

Now that Mr. Jordan has achieved "a dream every hockey fan has had" I am sure there will be a slew of imitators. In fact I'm reasonably certain that there are fans out there who have accomplished this feat far before Alex Jordan got his story written up in The Hockey News. They're the ones who should be angry, really. But it doesn't mean that I can't burn with jealousy at Alex's feat.

Anyway, I will hold on to my pipe-dream, and maybe I will accomplish my goal before I hit 30 as well (I've got five years to go). Or maybe I'll spite that do-gooder Alex Jordan and do it before the age of 29. Suck-ah!

Realistically, though, this won't happen. This little thing called "real life" (family, friends, school, work, money, etc.) will probably prevent me from traipsing around the continent and watching hockey games in various exciting locales (Columbus, St. Paul, Newark, Tampa - y'know, really exotic places).

Okay, enough of the bitter cynicism. I actually feel quite fortunate to have experienced as many NHL games as I have, and while I hope I go to more games and new cities in the future, I certainly can't complain about my experiences thus far.

So good on ya, Alex Jordan. You may have lived my dream, but you haven't crushed it.

Top 5: Canucks Stories of 2008

It was quite the year for the Vancouver Canucks, a year that ran the emotional gamut. Hopefulness, tragedy, bafflement, bemusement, resignation, excitement, nostalgia, disbelief - these, and more, were the feelings to which Canucks fans were subjected in 2008. With that, let's count down the Top 5 Canucks Stories of 2008:

5. Canucks Give Roberto Luongo the 'C' (But He's Not Allowed to Wear It)
Just over a week before the start of the 2008-09 season, Coach Vigneault announces that the Canucks' keeper will also be their captain. To call this move unorthodox is an understatement - no goalie had captained his team in over 60 years, and the NHL has a rule that forbids a goaltender from acting as the captain during a game. Luongo, therefore, does not wear the 'C' on his jersey (though his new helmet features the letter prominently) or speak to officials during the game. Luongo justified his selection by reeling of five shutouts and an 11-5-2 record in 19 games before suffering a groin injury in a late-November game.

4. Naslund, Morrison Depart as UFAs
It was the end of an era. At one time Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi were the most feared line in hockey. With the now-nomadic Bertuzzi already long gone, the final 2/3rds of the West Coast Express played their final season with the Canucks. Former captain Naslund left for the New York Rangers, while Morrison signed with Anaheim where he was (briefly) reunited with GM Brian Burke. Naslund left as one of the best all-time Canucks, holding the club record for goals and points.

3. RIP Luc Bourdon
Tragedy struck the Canucks community on May 29 when 21-year old prospect Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident in New Brunswick. Bourdon's career had been on the upswing, as he played 27 games with the Canucks during the 07-08 season. He was honoured in a moving pre-game ceremony before the Canucks home opener this season.

2. Mats Sundin (Finally!) Signs With the Canucks
The Swedish all-star managed to please not only Canucks fans, who are ecstatic, but also countless hockey fans who had grown sick of his 6-month saga as an unrestricted free agent. The Canucks originally offered Sundin a 2-year, $20 million contract in July. Sundin eventually signed with the team in December. In the meantime many deadlines were set and missed, teams dropped from the Sundin derby like flies, and the field was whittled down to the Rangers or Canucks. In the end Vancouver won what was essentially a war of attrition, leveraging its cap space and relatively strong start to the season over other teams which were forced to abandon the Sundin chase. Sundin's impact on the club remains to be seen - his signing, however, was certainly one of the huge storylines of 2008.

1. Canucks Miss Playoffs, Fire Nonis, Hire Gillis
Okay, so I'm cheating here by rolling three stories into one. Nonetheless, they are interlinked and as such I'm going with it anyway. The Canucks stumbled to the finish line in 07-08, sliding all the way to 11th in the Western Conference. This represented a huge step backward for the club, which had hoped to build on it promising 06-07 campaign in which they made the second round of the playoffs. Firing Dave Nonis, who, y'know, was only responsible for fleecing the Florida Panthers out of Roberto Luongo, was a surprising and seemingly knee-jerk reaction from the team's owners and drew some criticism from fans. Hiring a player agent with no GM experience had fans sweating bullets.

Gillis has had a wacky but effective start to his tenure. He made his monstrous pitch to Sundin, and then stuck to his guns in his dogged pursuit of the Big Swede. He made a goalie the captain. And he introduced a wide range of unusual measures to the club, including monitoring players' sleep patterns and hiring a dietician to assess their individual nutritional needs (I think they put Kyle Wellwood on the celery diet). Gillis stopped short of group meditation and burning incense in the locker room, and so far his moves are looking pretty shrewd. The Sundin and Luongo cases have already been discussed in this post. His other player-friendly moves, which also included upgrading the players' lounge at GM Place, have apparently been well received by players and helped build a sense of trust between players and the organization.

Finally, Gillis made some other sound hockey moves. He plucked Kyle Wellwood from waivers, and the reclamation project has 14 goals in 36 games (insert me blowing my own horn here). He signed Pavol Demitra, who has been solid thus far in 08-09. And, in what may turn out to be the Canucks' best draft pick in a decade, he drafted Cody Hodgson with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Based on his excellent NHL training camp, stellar OHL season and brilliant World Junior Championships, Canucks fans have every reason to be optimistic about the up-and-coming prospect. There is, then, silver-lining to the disastrous conclusion to the 07-08 season. Even Don Cherry agrees!



Honourable Mention: Trevor Linden Retires, Canucks Retire His #16
I know it seems shocking that this story did not make the Top 5, but like I said the Canucks had a momentous 2008 for both good and bad reasons. No story has occupied 'Nucks and Pucks more than the retirement of Captain Canuck. Linden was the subject of this blog's first ever post, and of a two-part Top 10 list of his greatest moments upon his the retirement of his #16 jersey in December. Nonetheless, it does not rank as one of the top five most important stories of the year - though symbolically for the history of the franchise it would likely rank as number one. The fact that I am attempting to justify its exclusion from this list speaks to the huge impact that Linden has had on the Canucks organization and its fans - but his retirement had a lesser role in defining the Canucks' fortunes in 2008 than did the five events on this list.

Daniel officially the better Sedin twin

After last night's game against the Dallas Stars, the Canucks' 41st of the season, Vancouver is at the midway point of its 08-09 NHL season.

This season happens to be the eighth of their career for Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who have been wowing Canucks fans with 2-minute cycles in the offensive zone, slap passes and poor playoff performances for the better part of a decade. As such, it is now time to determine the question that has been on every Vancouver fan's mind since Daniel and Henrik were taken second and third, respectively, in the first round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft: who is the better hockey player?

Clearly the twins are offensive players, so they will be judged solely on their offensive output. And, as of today, Daniel is clearly the superior Sedin with 421 points to Henrik's relatively paltry 415. Not only has Danny scored six more career points than Hank, he has done it in four fewer games!

Yes, Henrik has played in 605 regular season games while Daniel has suited up for a mere 601 matches. That means that Daniel's point-per-game average is 0.700, dwarfing his brother's 0.686 average. It doesn't take Einstein to tell you which player is better!

So, now that Daniel superiority has been clearly established I think it is time to ditch this whole "identical twins, identical contracts" nonsense that has been the basis of every Sedin contract thus far in their career. When it is time to re-up the twins at the end of this season, I suggest that Mike Gillis give Daniel the farm and lowball Henrik.

Hey, it's only fair based on their respective statistical histories. You never heard anyone complaining that Brent Gretzky got paid less money during his (13 game) NHL career than did his brother Wayne, right? So why should the Sedins be any different?