Fanning the flames of the Vancouver/Calgary rivalry

Hi folks, it's been a while since I posted here at 'Nucks and Pucks. Been a busy time with school, so I have been neglecting my blogging duties. I did find time to write a post at Nucks Misconduct about why, as a Canucks fan, I feel obligated to hate our #1 rivals, the Calgary Flames. Please check it out if you haven't done so yet!

I will hopefully have more time to post here in the near future, so please check back soon!

We're Number 4?

Okay, I'm done all of my work for my Masters, so let's get back into some hockey after a long summer hiatus! What better way to kick it off then with some positive news, or at least a reason for optimism. Or skepticism.

Ross McKeon of Yahoo! Sports released his mid-summer Power Rankings, in which he ranks all 30 NHL teams. And guess who sits at Number 4? From McKeon's column:

4. Vancouver Canucks – You want an early Calder Trophy candidate? Remember the name Cody Hodgson, the 19-year-old center the Canucks drafted 10th overall in 2008. He’s got a great chance not only to make Vancouver’s opening-night roster, but to excel right off the bat. Oh, and don’t be surprised if Mats Sundin returns to Vancouver once he decides he’s not done yet.

Aside from his apparent inside knowledge and/or speculation about Mats Sundin, McKeon's main reason for ranking the Canucks this high seems to be Cody Hodgson. Now I'm as excited as anyone for his arrival, but I think that Canucks fans need to be cautious about expecting too much from a kid who is two years away from being able to buy a beer when the Canucks are on the road against 24 of the NHL's teams. The signs point toward Hodgson becoming a Linden-esque franchise cornerstone, but he clearly has a lot to accomplish before meeting such expectations. And expecting him to have an all-star rookie season may be bit much. If he gets 60 points I will be ecstatic about his potential.

So, not to be a downer, but I think McKeon may have overestimated the Canucks' fortunes. I think they have a decent chance to beat out Calgary for the Northwest Division crown. I do not anticipate them being better than every Western Conference team except the Chicago Blackhawks. Sorry, but the Canucks have a lot to prove before you can put them ahead of the Detroit Red Wings or even the San Jose Sharks. And I'm not certain that, as things stand, they're necessarily better than the Anaheim Ducks or the Flames.

I don't know the last time the 'Nucks would have placed this high in any kind of ranking. Certainly not since the West Coast Express era, assuming a sane person was compiling the rankings. Maybe I'm uneasy with too much preseason Canucks hype because I feel like it setting them up to fail. 20+ years as a Canucks fan has made me suspicious of claims about the greatness of a given squad. Based on the Canucks' two best results (1982 and 1994) it seems like our best moments come when no one expects them.

Some thoughts on free agency so far

Well the "Free Agent Frenzy" (as TSN markets it) has been on for over 24 hours, and there have been some notable happenings.

For Canucks fans the big news is that Daniel and Henrik Sedin are returning to the fold, at $6.1 million per year for five years. That is considerably lower than what they could have demanded on the open market, and represents a solid commitment to the twins, along with Roberto Luongo (expected to sign a long-term extension soon), as the team's core moving forward. I have already expressed my desire to keep the Sedins in Vancouver, and consequently I am very happy that this deal got done.

The other significant news is the departure of long-serving stalwart Mattias Ohlund to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he will serve as a mentor to the young Victor Hedman. Ohlund was a rock on the Canucks blueline for 11 seasons, and departs as the franchise's leading scorer amongst defensemen. It was clear for most of the season that the Canucks were not going to retain Ohlund's services, and while it is sad to see him go there is, happily, no ill will on either side. Expect Ohlund to get a rousing ovation from the GM Place faithful next time Tampa comes through town.

In other minor news the club bids farewell to Jason LaBarbera, who filled in solidly during Luongo's injury last season but who deserves a chance to try to win a starting job. Hopefully he gets that chance with the Phoenix Coyotes. The Canucks also signed three depth defensemen in Nolan Baumgartner (who played for their AHL team last year), Lawrence Nycholat (who was lost on the waiver last season) and Matt Pope. None of these six are likely to be in the starting lineup come the Fall, but do provide some useful insurance in case of injury.

Other notable names on the move have included Marian Hossa (Chicago Blackhawks), Marion Gaborik (New York Rangers), Jay Bouwmeester (Calgary Flames), Mike Cammalleri (Montreal Canadiens), Nikolai Khabibulin (Edmonton Oilers), Martin Havlat (Minnesota Wild) and Mike Komisarek (Toronto Maple Leafs).

I'm a little scared by the number of Western Conference teams that look to be much better next year, seeing that as of right now the Canucks have not gotten any better (though, thankfully, not gotten much worse thanks to keeping the Sedins). It remains to be seen if Mike Gillis can acquire defensive depth to replace Ohlund and scoring to complement the Sedins (a Mats Sundin return is not out of the question), or if the latter of these needs can be met internally by Cody Hodgson, Michael Grabner or, unlikely this coming season, Jordan Schroeder.

Meanwhile, in our division Calgary has added Bouwmeester to a defence corps that also includes Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr, although they did lose valuable scoring in Cammalleri. They may again be hamstrung by cap issues and lack of depth, as they have a lot of money invested in a small core of players. Edmonton arguably gets an upgrade in goal, adding Khabibulin to replace the outgoing Dwayne Roloson. Minnesota essentially swaps one incredibly-skilled-but-incredibly-fragile forward for another, losing Gaborik and adding Havlat. Colorado has upgraded somewhat by drafting Matt Duchesne and acquiring Craig Anderson to address their woeful goaltending.

But other teams in the West are looking like they will be much stronger next year. The Detroit Red Wings are consistently a strong team, and that is unlikely to change. The San Jose Sharks are looking to bounce back from a disappointing postseason, and should once again be a dominant team. The Anaheim Ducks will remain a dangerous opponent. The St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and L.A. Kings all have good, young cores and look to move up the standings this year. And Chicago just got that much more deadly with the addition of Hossa.

So, while the regular season is still three months away, it appears as if the West will be a tough conference once again. Here's hoping the Canucks find a few more pieces before then.

What makes a Canucks fan a Canucks fan?

Puck the Media has posted a quite hilarious NHL Fan Glossary (H/T Puck Daddy for the link). Here is what they have to say about Canucks fans:

"Canucks, Vancouver. Is kind of embarrassed that the team is basically a different way of saying Canadiens. Thinks Steve Moore had it coming. Owns every one of the teams 27 different jerseys."

Okay, "had it coming" might be a tad strong, though I was quite upset by Moore's previous hit on Naslund. And, personally, I'm not at all embarrassed that Canuck means Canadian! It means we don't have to resort to putting the Canada flag on our jerseys like a certain Alberta team I can think of (anyone else think the Flames come off as a bunch of college kids travelling around Europe who try to be "cool" by rocking the maple leaf on their backpacks?).

And yeah, the team has had a veritable colour prism of jerseys over the years. All of which make appearances in the stands at games. Bonus points if you own the salmon-red third jersey from the mid-90s. Extra bonus points if you actually wear it outside the house.

Unfortunately the entry on the Canucks appears to be the second smallest after the Maple Leafs ("Cherishes the team’s most recent Stanley Cup win in “The Love Guru”"). Surely there is more that makes up the identity of Canucks fans? Here are my suggestions for further entries (some serious, some humorous):

• Still has mixed feelings about the Orca.

• Still talks about the '94 Stanley Cup run like we actually won the Cup.

• Will always hate Mike Keenan for coaching the Rangers in '94, for the way he treated Trevor Linden, and for recently coaching the Calgary Flames. And for just being Mike Keenan.
  

• Conveniently forgets that Linden is actually from Alberta and grew up a Flames fan.

• When speaking with Leafs fans will counter the "Well the Canucks have never won a Stanley Cup" argument by noting that Toronto has not won one since before the Canucks existed as an NHL franchise.

• Has thought "we have a chance this year!" every season since 2001, only to be bitterly disappointed come April/May.

• Loves Stan Smyl even if he/she never saw him play.

• Regularly contemplates what could have been in the 2003-04 season if Todd Bertuzzi hadn't, well, you know...
  

• Knows that the 7th Man banner at GM Place was really, really lame and avoids talking about it all costs.

• Is happy that Matt Cooke won a Cup, even if it wasn't with the Canucks.
  

• When complaining about Roberto Luongo having an off game, forgets that his predecessors included Felix Potvin, Dan Cloutier, Bob Essensa, Peter Skudra, Garth Snow, Arturs Irbe and Alex Auld. Upon remembering this fact, kisses the ground and thanks his/her lucky stars.

Do you have suggestions for the list? Any defining Canucks' fan characteristics you care to share? use the comments section to add suggestions to the list.