Revisiting my postseason predictions: Part I

"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future." - Niels Bohr

"The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and then disappears." - Bill Vaughn

These two quotations capture the spirit of this post. Firstly, that prediction is often more luck than science and thus frequently inaccurate. And secondly, unlike the groundhog, I am standing to face the music of my predictions for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yeah, I know the playoffs ended months ago, but it took me a while to get 'round to this. Sorry.

Part 1 will give a postmortem on the Rounds 1 and 2 predictions, and Part 2 will cover Round 3 and the Stanley Cup Final. As per my regular season prediction evaluations, I will use the following scale to evaluate my selections:

A - Nailed the pick exactly right
B - In the ballpark but not right on
C - A pretty misguided pick, but you can kind of understand why I made it
F - Epic fail

Round 1 - Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
Predicted: Bruins in 5
Actual: Bruins in 4
Grade: A-
I thought the Habs would steal one, but the Bs ended the Canadiens Centennial Season on a low note.

Washington Capitals (2) vs. New York Rangers (7)
Predicted: Capital in 6
Actual: Capitals in 7
Grade: B+
I was close, but I did not give the Rangers enough credit for pushing the Caps to the wall, before they stormed back to take the series.

New Jersey Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)
Predicted: Hurricanes in 6
Actual: Hurricanes in 7
Grade: A
I am giving myself an 'A' because the 'Canes were the underdog, although I thought they would finish off the Devils without going to Game 7.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)
Predicted: Penguins in 7
Actual: Penguins in 6
Grade: B+
A great series, but not as close as I had expected.

Round 1 - Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)
Predicted: Sharks in 6
Actual: Ducks in 6
Grade: F+
Not sure if that grade even exists. I did not think the Sharks would tank (wah-wah) in the First Round, however I did expect a lot from the Ducks. So it's a fail, but one with a + attached to it.

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)
Predicted: Blue Jackets in 7
Actual: Red Wings in 4
Grade: F-
As a counter to my F+, this is a resounding F-. I had a feeling one of the Sharks or Wings would get upset, but clearly made the wrong pick. How terrible a call was this? Well, let's see: I picked the Western Conference champions, who lost the Cup by one goal in Game 7, to lose in the First Round; and I picked the Blue Jackets to win the series, when in fact they failed to win a game. Brutal!

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. St. Louis Blues (6)
Predicted: Canucks in 4
Actual: Canucks in 4
Grade: A+
NAILED IT!!! For once in my life my optimism about the Canucks was not misplaced. Well, until the second round at least.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs. Calgary Flames (5)
Predicted: Blackhawks in 6
Actual: Blackhawks in 6
Grade: A
Another one dead on! Though less of an out-on-a-limb pick than a Canucks sweep. At the time, I was extremely happy with this result. Until the Canucks played the Blackhawks. Ugh.


Round 2 - Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)
Predicted: Bruins in 6
Actual: Hurricanes in 7
Grade: C-
I am still not sure if I overestimated the Bruins or underestimated the Hurricanes. Either way, the 'Canes upset the Bs by taking the series in 7 games.

Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
Predicted: Penguins in 6
Actual: Penguins in 7
Grade: B
This was a mind-blowingly entertaining series. I was right that the Pens would win, though I thought they would do so more handily than they did. I definitely underestimated the Capitals in this one.

Round 2 - Wetern Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)
Predicted: Red Wings in 7
Actual: Red Wings in 7
Grade: A
The at-the-time Cup champs showed resilience in overcoming the challenge from the Ducks. This was the third 7-game series of the Second Round.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4)
Predicted: Canucks in 5
Actual: Blackhawks in 6
Grade: F
Let's not talk about it, 'kay?

Coming soon: Part II of my playoff prediction postmortem.

A new NHL marketing idea: Worst uniform night

As sports and hockey become increasingly intertwined (see Sean Avery, pink jerseys, $50 NHL trucker hats, etc.) and the public appetite for sports lists (see SportsCentre Top 10, Best Damn Sports Show Top 50 ------ lists, etc.) explodes on the internet, a number of highly entertaining lists have documented some of the worst jerseys ever to grace the rink, court or field.

toptenz.net offers this list of, you guessed it, the Top 10 Ugliest Sports Uniforms of all-time. Hockey is represented by the Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers (both of which I personally love) as well as, of course, the 1980s Canucks 'V' jersey. Meanwhile ESPN Page 2 provides a great visual overview of some of the worst third jerseys in NHL history. Two of these jerseys (LA Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks) make it on to Page 2's list of "The ugliest ducklings in sport," along with the infamous Cooperalls sported by the Whalers and the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1980s. From Page 2:

3. Philadelphia Flyers, 1982-83 and Hartford Whalers, 1982-83.
Ah, yes -- the Cooperalls season, when the Flyers and Whalers tried to drag hockey out of the short-pants era and were nearly laughed out of the league. Hartford's trousers had stripes; Philly's were sometimes striped, sometimes just logo-emblazoned at the ankle. After one season, the league put the kibosh on these (although they later showed up elsewhere).

Given the entertainment value of these ugly, yet still awesome, uniforms, I propose a new NHL marketing gimmick: once night per season, a series of teams will square off sporting the ugliest uniforms from their respective team histories.

Think how this would look on TV: the Canucks powerplay, sporting its home yellow jerseys with black pants and a lovely Halloweeen 'V' on each, works the puck against the St. Louis Blues PK, which is sporting these beauties that apparently never saw the light of day thanks to Mike Keenan (one thing he did right, apparently). Henrik Sedin passes to Daniel at the side of the net for a tap-in, and as the horn blares four Canucks mob Daniel, looking like a swarm of bumblebees converging on a pot of honey.

Or imagine John Tavares, rocking the New York Islanders' Captain Highliner duds, trying to dangle in the Philadephia Flyers zone, only to get slammed into the boards by a Cooperall-clad Chris Pronger. This would, of course, launch an all-out brawl in which Ray Emery and Martin Biron square off at centre-ice in a glorious mish-mash of hideous jerseys and flying fists.

Or how about Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri, looking like candy-canes or barbershop poles, working a 2-1 against the Coyotes, who are sporting jerseys that give new meaning to the phrase Coyote Ugly? Or a battle of California between the Kings and Ducks, featuring the Angry-Duck-Smashing-Through-the-Ice against the Purple-Bearded, Asymmetrically-Placed King?

The possibilities, while not endless, are certainly tantalizing. How great would this look in HD? How much extra attention would be garnered by otherwise uninteresting match-ups? A November game between the Islanders and Coyotes wouldn't usually be more than an afterthought for 99% of hockey fans, let alone casual sports-viewers - if properly marketed, however, an Ugly Uniform Match could be a huge draw.

If the NHL wanted to generate more fan interest, it could hold online voting to determine which teams would participate in the games (personally I think this should be a double-header) and which jerseys they should wear. It could maintain veto power if the choice of jerseys would cause issues for the players (for example two yellow jerseys) but otherwise it would be left up to the fans. As every team now plays each other at least once, the match-ups could be determined by fans before the schedule is released, allowing the league some flexibility in determining how to fit these (usually unusual) match-ups in the schedule.

So whaddya think? It may be a dumb idea, and it will likely never happen, but here's dreaming. The NHL would be a much more interesting place if this idea ever got adopted.

Revisiting my pre-season predictions - Part II

Way back in the fall I made my predictions for the 2008-09 regular season. Predictions were made for the Eastern and Western Conferences, as well as for major award winners. Now that the season is over and the hardware handed out, it is time to look back in embarrassment at my preseason predictions. This is Part I in the series.

I will rank all my predictions them on a four-letter scale:

A - Nailed the pick exactly right
B - In the ballpark but not right on
C - A pretty misguided pick, but you can kind of understand why I made it
F - Epic fail

Western Conference

1st Place
Predicted: Detroit Red Wings
Actual: San Jose Sharks
Grade: B+
Okay, so San Jose took first by 5 points, but the Red Wings still finished the season with 112 points and challenged the Sharks for the President's Trophy for much of the season.

2nd Place
Predicted: Dallas Stars
Actual: Detroit Red Wings
Grade: F-
Yes I know that F- technically doesn't exist, but I deserve it anyway. I also picked Dallas to win the Stanley Cup. Let's just not talk about it, 'kay?

3rd Place
Predicted: Calgary Flames
Actual: Vancouver Canucks
Grade: B-
Ye of little faith! Yes, I actually put aside my obvious partisanism and called the Flames to win the Northwest Division. To be fair, Calgary did appear to have the division wrapped up before falling apart down the stretch, often dressing fewer than 18 skaters due to injuries and salary cap issues. No wrong prediction pleased me more than this one!

4th Place
Predicted: San Jose Sharks
Actual: Chicago Blackhawks
Grade: C
The Sharks dominated in the regular season, but unfortunately for them the President's Trophy just ain't the same as the Stanley Cup.

5th Place
Predicted: Anaheim Ducks
Actual: Calgary Flames
Grade: C
The Ducks slipped to 8th. The Flames stumbled their way to 5th. To be fair, Anaheim was better than their record indicated.

6th place
Predicted: Chicago Blackhawks
Actual: St. Louis Blues
Grade: B-
Chicago defied my expectations by maturing faster than I had thought they would, and finished with an impressive 104 points in the regular season. Let's not talk about the playoffs. Ever.

7th Place
Predicted: Vancouver Canucks
Actual: Columbus Blue Jackets
Grade: A-
Yes, I know the 'Nucks made it to 3rd. So why I am being so self-congratulatory about this pick? Well, mainly because - as I noted in my original post - "the conventional wisdom of 99.9% of hockey experts" was that they would miss the playoffs entirely. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News had them at 14th. So the fact that I called them to make the playoffs at all is, I think, worthy of a decent grade.

8th Place
Predicted: Phoenix Coyotes
Actual: Anaheim Ducks
Grade: F
I thought the Coyotes would turn a corner this year, and for half the season it looked like they might. But then the wheels fell off, and they finished the season in 13th and twelve points behind the 8th place Ducks. Oops.

9th Place
Predicted: Columbus Blue Jackets
Actual: Minnesota Wild
Grade: D
Didn't think that CBJ had it in them to make the playoffs. But they defied my predictions by making their first ever postseason.

10th Place
Predicted: Edmonton Oilers
Actual: Nashville Predators
Grade: A
The Oilers actually finished in 11th place, but I am proud of this pick for a similar reason to my Canucks prediction - because it defied the prognostications of many hockey experts. The pre-season hype about the Oilers was that they had a great youthful core led by players such as Sam Gagner (who managed just 41 points in his second season) and that they were poised to take a big step in 08-09. These predictions, however, ignored the fact that the Oilers were pretty abysmal in 07-08 until they made a late push for the playoffs. Those kind of streaks rarely carry over into the following regular season.

11th Place
Predicted: Colorado Avalanche
Actual: Edmonton Oilers
Grade: D
Wow, I thought the Avs would be bad, but not last-in-the-conference bad. Which is exactly how bad they were, finishing a full 10 points below the 14th place LA Kings.

12th Place
Predicted: Minnesota Wild
Actual: Dallas Stars
Grade: B+
Yeah I was off by a few spots, but I was reasonably accurate in my prediction: "I feel like the Wild are in for a fall. Call it a hunch."

13th Place
Predicted: Nashville Predators
Actual: Phoenix Coyotes
Grade: C-
Never count out the Predators. While I correctly called them to miss the playoffs after four straight seasons of making it, I did not expect them to be as competitive as they were. The Preds hung in there, and finished just three points back of the 8th place Ducks.

14th Place
Predicted: St. Louis Blues
Actual: Los Angeles Kings
Grade: F
Didn't see this one coming. After finishing with just 79 points in 2007-08, good for 14th in the conference, the Blues rocketed back to legitimacy by finishing 6th in the West with 92 points. Fortunately they met their match in Round 1 of the playoffs.

15th Place
Predicted: Los Angeles Kings
Actual: Colorado Avalanche
Grade: A-
The Kings finished in 14th. Close enough.

Final Grades:

A: 1
A-: 2
B+: 2
B-: 2
C: 2
C-: 1
D: 2
F: 2
F-: 1

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.

Penguins dance with Lord Stanley

The title of this post is a reference to the commentary of the Penguins legendary, high-octane announcer Mike Lange:



Lange has given us some gems over the years, from "Get in the fast-lane grandma, the bingo game's ready to roll!" to "He smoked him like a bad cigar!" to, on the occasion of the Pens' first Cup victory, "Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, get me the brandy!" And he had reason to celebrate again last night, as the Penguins atoned for last year's loss to the Red Wings by taking an exciting Game 7 2-1.

It is a great story for these young Penguins (who, by the way, the announcers did not constantly refer to as "too young to know any better" - hopefully that moniker is never heard again in NHL broadcasting unless, for some reason, a Timbits Hockey team takes on the Leafs, Senators, Lightning or any other team they may have a chance against).

First of all, there is the NHL's wonderboy Sidney Crosby becoming the youngest captain to lift the Stanley Cup. And he was the main reason that the Penguins even survived the first and second rounds, carrying the team on his shoulders against the Flyers and Capitals. He led the playoffs with 15 goals and finished second to teammate Evgeni Malkin with 31 points.

Malkin emerged as a playoff force, leading the playoffs with 36 points and becoming the first Russian to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy - which, incidentally, he can place on his mantle next to the Art Ross Trophy he earns this year for leading the league in scoring in the regular season.

Malkin turns 23 this year, and Crosby will be 22 by the time the 2009-10 season starts. These guys haven't even hit their prime yet, and seem poised for many years of greatness with the Penguins.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was excellent in Game 7, and shook the label of not being able to win the big game (hmm, I wish another French-Canadian goalie would do the same thing). Grinder Max Talbot emerged as the Stanley Cup hero, scoring both goals for the Penguins. And the Pens played a solid team game to defeat the very talented Wings.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins, your 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

And congratulations to the NHL's marketing department for producing this commercial, which captures some of the heartbreak of the Penguins to the Red Wings in last year's Final and somehow makes this year's victory seem all the sweeter for them:



Here's hoping they'll pull off something similar with the Canucks and Roberto Luongo this coming October, and the Canucks will proceed to knock off the Blackhawks in the Conference Final.

2009 Playoffs: Round Three Predictions

Hmmm. So I might have been wrong about the Blackhawks. And the Hurricanes. Oh well, life goes on - and as a Canucks fan that usually means not having your team in the playoffs at this time of year. Here are my predictions for the Conference Finals:

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6) - Penguins in 7

Ah yes, a classic 4 vs. 6 seed match-up in the Conference Finals. But more importantly it's a Staal vs. Staal series, as brothers Jordan and Eric face each other (anyone remember the Russ vs. Geoff Courtnall/Stars vs. Canucks series in 1994?) Both these teams should scare the bejeezers out of each other. The 'Canes have overcome two great teams, including the conference champion Bruins, and have lived up to their nickename Cardiac 'Canes for their improbable ability to win last-minute or OT games in the clutch. The Pens, meanwhile, are looking like a more mature version of last year's squad that bowed out in the Stanley Cup Final. Sidney Crosby is playing unreal, while Evgeni Malkin is hit-and-miss - but when he's "hit" he is amazing. Marc-Andre Fleury looked shaky at times, but also made huge saves such as this game-changing one early in Game Seven against the Capitals:



I think Pittsburgh is the better team, but Carolina has been proving its critics wrong all playoffs and the Penguins would be very, very wise not to underestimate them like the Devils and Bruins may have been guilty of.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4) - Red Wings in 6

Who knows how this could play out? The 'Hawks showed a ridiculous resiliancy and ability to come back from deficits against the Canucks and the Flames. But the Red Wings are better and more experienced than either of those Northwest Division squads, and I think the Blackhawks are due for a reality check against a team will be far less likely to stunningly implode than its two earlier opponents. Still... betting against the 'Hawks feels like a risky proposition. But I'm taking the Wings and calling a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final.

Pete's Playoff Beard - Part 1

My buddy Pete has decided to grow a playoff beard for the Canucks postseason run, and I thought it would be entertaining to document the progress of what will hopefully be a beard worthy of Confucius come mid-June. Fortunately Pete also thought this was a good idea - otherwise this ongoing feature would be both creepy and borderline illegal. Enjoy!


This is Pete's beard as of May 3, 2009. The Canucks began their playoff quest on April 15.

Nazzy retiring?

Unconfirmed news came today that current NY Ranger, and all-time awesome Canuck, Markus Naslund may be hanging up the skates for good. You can read the TSN report for more details, or check out Puck Daddy for a detailed explanation of how Nazzy, in his usually classy way, put the team ahead of his own interests.

In short, the Rangers would have had to pay him $2 million if they bought out his contract, which was a likely scenario given the team's cap-crunch. By retiring Naslund forgoes the $2 million but saves the Rangers valuable cap space for next season and the one after. How many pro athletes would forego that kind of cash to avoid screwing over a team with which they had only spent one season?

It is sad that Naslund did not retire a Canuck, but no doubt he expected more from himself in his new start in New York. His numbers this season were decent, but not Naslund-like: 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 82 games. This continues the downward trend since his brilliant 104-point campaign in 2002-03.

Naslund will go down as one of the greatest Canucks of all-time. He holds club records for goals and points, and was peer-voted to win the Lester B. Pearson Trophy in 2003. While he wasn't the same heart-and-soul type of player as Trevor Linden and Stan Smyl, he was nonetheless an excellent captain in his own quiet way - though the burden of the 'C' did seem to be wearing on him as the seasons dragged on.

I hope, and expect, that Naslund's number will one day be hanging alongside Smyl and Linden in the rafters of GM Place. We will have to wait for the official announcement before reflecting too much further on Naslund and his impact on the Canucks organization, but here's wishing Markus all the best with his future plans.

And I can't help but wonder, if he chooses to play a season in Sweden next year, if we might see Nazzy back on GM Place ice for one last hurrah with Team Sweden at the 2010 Olympics. I have a feeling that the applause would bring down the house.

2009 Playoffs: Round Two Predictions

Well the conference semi-finals are underway, and there some brilliant match-ups - most notably, what should be an amazing Pittsburgh-Washington series. So without further ado, here are my picks for the NHL Playoffs' Round Two:

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6) - Bruins in 6

The Bruins manhandled the Canadiens in the opening round, but that isn't saying much given the fact that the Habs were essentially The Titanic on ice this season. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have all the momentum in the world after their spectacular comeback against the Devils in Game 7. However, the 'Canes are not good enough to stand up to this deep and tough Bruins squad, though I think they will steal a couple games. Oh yeah, and if you haven't seen the Game 7 comeback yet then check this out, it is amazing stuff:



Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4) - Penguins in 6

Superstar Ovechkin vs. superstar Crosby. Hart Trophy candidate Ovechkin vs. Hart Trophy candidate Malkin. A Russian rookie between the pipes for the Caps. Two of the most exciting teams in the NHL, each of them with a huge hate-on for the other. This should be an amazing series with all kinds of storylines and subplots. The Caps are a great team, and if Sergei Fedorov continues to play like it's 1994 then they could take it. But I think the Pens will get to Simeon Varlamov and rattle his confidence, and I think they are a deeper and better team. And if you need any more reasons to watch, just think how awesome it will be if Crosby and Ovechkin get in a fight.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8) - Red Wings in 7

Anaheim is a scary opponent (hands up Canucks fans who are stoked not to be playing the Ducks in this series). Just two seasons removed from winning the Cup, and with a roster stocked with the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Pronger, Scott Neidermayer, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Bobby Ryan, the Ducks are well-placed to score another upset. However Detroit is still Detroit. They have the deepest roster in the league, a handful of superstars (headlined by Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom) and are the defending champions. I think the Ducks will give them a good run, but am picking the Wings to prevail.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4) - Canucks in 5

I am counting on the 'Hawks to win one on home ice, but I do not like their chances in this series. Luongo is on fire, despite allowing three goals last game, and the depth players are stepping up huge for the Canucks. I would like to see the 'Nucks defencemen throw their weight around more against the skilled Blackhawks players, and I expect that we will see Mitchell, Ohlund, Bieksa et al. do just that against Kane and Toews in the coming games. The 'Hawks are a good team, but the Canucks are that much better and more experienced. Sock it to 'em boys!

Round Two predictions coming tomorrow

I don't have time to get my picks up before the Canucks face off in just under two hours, so I will post them tomorrow. But you can probably guess who I am picking to win the 'Nucks-Hawks series. I will generously give the Blackhawks one on home ice, and call the Canucks in five games.

Also coming soon: a post-mortum of my first round picks, as well as some more thoughts about the last round.

GO CANUCKS!!!

How sweep it is!

"WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

That was the sound of hundreds of thousands of Canucks fans around the globe cheering as Alex Burrows buried the game winner with just 19 seconds left in overtime.

The Canucks, for the first time in their franchise history, have swept a 7-game series. And they did it with an amazingly solid series against what was, a week ago, a red-hot Blues team. Four things particularly impressed me about the Canucks' performance against St. Louis:

1. Luongo. Obviously. 5 goals allowed on 131 shots, for a ridiculous .962 save percentage just about says it all. For those of you keeping track, that's 1.25 goals on roughly 33 per game. Bobby Lou was spectacular, even though solid team play in front of him meant that he didn't always need to be.

2. Throughout the series, even on the rare occasion that St. Louis grabbed the momentum (see Period 1, Game 3 and Period 2/OT, Game 4) the Canucks displayed incredible poise to settle themselves down and keep playing their game. Rather than get frazzled, the 'Nucks rode out the Blues momentum and then went for the jugular to shut 'em down.

3. Depth. Give GM Mike Gillis kudos, because this squad showed that it is solid from Sedin to Johnson, Ohlund to Vaananen. Obviously the top line of Burrows (3G, 0A) and the Sedins (2G, 3A for Daniel and 1G, 3A for Henrik) was awesome. But how about the fourth line, who brought energy all game every game? And playoff rookie Kyle Wellwood, who showed resiliance and brought an as-yet-unseen toughness to the rink? And what about Mason Raymond, who drew into the lineup only because Taylor Pyatt was unable to play due to personal tragedy - Raymond didn't hit the scoresheet, but he brought intensity, speed and a signature moment when he flattened noted pest/trash-talker B.J. Crombeen in Game 3? Then there is the defence. The D was excellent at taking away shooting and passing lanes, thus shutting down the Blues skilled forwards, as well as mostly keeping the St. Louis forwards from crashing the crease.

4. The Canucks special teams were amazing in the series. The powerplay went a solid 4/18 (22%), and scored all three goals in a key Game 3 road win. The penalty killers, meanwhile... well, WOW. What else can you say? The Blues had 22 chances on the PP, and only scored one goal the entire series! Those 22 chances included three lengthy two-man advantages, as well as three powerplays in the OT period of Game 4. Three cheers to the Canucks PK for its yeoman's work in the series - thank goodness they'll have a lengthy rest to ice bruises from all those blocked shots.

So, to celebrate, enjoy this clip of the winning goal, post-game celebration, post-game interviews and, of course, the end-of-series handshake:

Analyzing the Canucks moves at the Trade Deadline

....................

Oh yeah. They didn't make any moves.

Actually I'm pretty okay with this. The big rumour was Kevin Bieksa, Mason Raymond and a 1st-round pick to Florida for Jay Bouwmeester, which is very steep unless Bouwmeester was guaranteed to resign with the Canucks.

So standing pat, putting faith in Luongo and Co. and not giving away prominent roster players for unproven playoff-performers (cough, Calgary, cough!) seems like a decent move. It was a slow deadline, with so many teams still in playoff contention and fears of a reduced cap scaring away GMs from long-term contract commitments, so making no moves doesn't seem like the worst thing to happen.

It is, however, quite dull. So for entertainment purposes here is a SportsCentre Top 10 Own Goals. They're not all hockey, but they are all highly entertaining. Plus who can complain about seeing the infamous Steve Smith own goal one more time?

Leafs Bashing Week II - Canucks win, Leafs fans show their class

Last night's game between the Canucks and Maple Leafs was a highly emotional affair given Mats Sundin's return to Toronto. I like giving Leafs fans a hard time, but last night they were all class.

The night had some pretty special moments, beginning when Sundin was treated to a standing ovation when the scoreboard flashed a tribute to him during the first TV timeout (some of them booed when the play started up, but hey, it's hockey and he's on the other team so that's okay):



Then, after a late goal by Alex Burrows to send the game to OT and an exciting extra period, the scene was set for some drama in the shootout.

Blake was stopped by Luongo. Demitra scored on Toskala. Hagman was stopped by Luongo. Wellwood could have ended it, but he shot wide. Next up for the Leafs was Mikhail Grabovski - if he scored, it would give Sundin a chance to win it for his new team:



Classily the fans cheered when Sundin came out to shoot, and even when he scored. Pretty impressive stuff. Sundin was named the game's third star, giving him one more chance to feel the love from Leafs fans and an opportunity to salute them in return:



Ordinarily I would feel the urge to gloat about the Canucks victory over the hated Leafs. But based on what I saw last night I am disinclined to do so. Good on ya Leafs Nation. I hope the Canucks faithful give Markus Naslund a similar show of respect when he visits with the Rangers next season.

Leafs Bashing Week, Game Day Edition

Finally, game day has arrived! Yes, it all goes down today at 400 PM PST. I, for one, can't wait to see the Canucks hand it to the Leafs in the unfriendly confines of the ACC. Here's betting Mats has a great game.

In the meantime, here are a couple images (compliments of http://leafs-suck.com) that nicely dovetail with the theme of Leafs Bashing Week:

At first I thought this picture was doctored. Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, Trevor Kidd used to play for the Leafs!"

Fortunately for Laidlaw, they haven't had to change their sign since May 2004. In the meantime the Leafs traded for Mark Bell. Ironic?


Leafs fans can be forgiven if they've forgotten about Dmitri Yushkevich - Lord knows the rest of us have. Though you've gotta love this exit interview, circa 2003. Seriously, Carlton the Bear is so honest he was calling out Vesa Toskala for terrible performances long before Burke and Wilson jumped on that bandwagon.

Leafs Bashing Week, Part II - Storylines and predictions

First of all, a big thanks to Leafs-suck.com for letting me borrow some images (including the one above) for this, the biggest week on the 'Nucks and Pucks calendar. Now, one with the bashing!

Obviously the biggest storyline for this game is Mats Sundin's first game with the Canucks against the Leafs, the team for which he played 13 seasons and served as captain for 11. What will the reaction be when Mats takes his first shift? Damien Cox is calling on Leafs fans to cheer the big Swede who toiled so long for the organization, often with very little in the way of a supporting cast, and I applaud his stance.

Unfortunately, I am a little more pessimistic than Cox. I think there will be some scattered cheers, but in all honesty I expect there to be a considerable amount of bitter jeering from fans who are upset that Mats did not allow himself to be traded last season. Just think of how the Leafs could've squandered those first and second rounders they would've gotten in return.

Does the return of Kyle Wellwood to Toronto count as a storyline? Probably not. Although Wellwood was pretty darn stoked to score against his former team when the Canucks beat the Leafs 4-2 back in November.

This is also the Canucks' first game against Toronto since the migration of their former front-office tandem of Brian Burke and Dave Nonis to Toronto. However these two, each of whom served a tenure as Canucks' GM, were together in Anaheim to start the season so the novelty is slightly dimmed.

While we can predict with 95% certainty who will start in goal for the Canucks, the Leafs goaltending carousel provides no such certainty. Vesa Toskala has been mediocre, and has been called out in the media by his coach and GM for his poor play. Youngster Justin Pogge got his fourth career start just yesterday, and is sporting a rough 4.26 GAA and .837 save percentage for the season. But he has not been given a chance to settle into an NHL role, and when given that shot will surely shrink those numbers. Will Wilson go to the rookie against a Canucks team that, of late, has been somewhat of an offensive juggernaut?

Can the Canucks continue their offensive outburst? They have 29 goals in seven games this month (over 4 per game, for those of you scoring at home), and the Leafs seem like a prime target against whom to continue this trend. Here's betting that if they score early, they will jump all over the Leafs and put in 4+ goals. If they get off to a sluggish start, however, they will likely be hard pressed to scrape out 3.

Final Prediction: Canucks 5, Leafs 2. The Canucks jump out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period, then give up a powerplay goal early in the second before scoring themselves. The teams trade goals in the final frame, and the 'Nucks head to Montreal with another well-earned two points.

Canucks goal-scorers: D. Sedin, Sundin, Burrows, Edler, Demitra
Leafs goal-scorers: Blake, Ponikarovsky

Leafs Bashing Week, Part II

Yes, it's back!!! After the success of the inaugural Leafs Bashing Week back in November, 'Nucks and Pucks is back at it. We'll be filling the site with anti-Leafs material all week, in anticipation of another Canucks destruction of the Buds this Saturday. Stay tuned...

And, just in case you missed it last time around, this is how it all went down when these two teams met on November 15, 2008:

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!!!

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?