Thursday 30 June 2011

Back to the Basics - 1

    This one is for a good friend of mine, LP. She is the one who planted the idea of this Blogspot in my head, so I figure the least i can do is help a girl out :P

    LP likes hockey, has watched the Canucks before but has never really learned the game of hockey or gotten to know the Canucks players. She started to follow my Canucks posts on Facebook and her interest in the Canucks started to grow. She started calling me and texting me asking me questions about the Canucks,  the games & hockey in general. So I am hoping this 'Back to the Basics' blog will help LP and others like her to understand the game and players more, which will then help build their interest in the game and make it as enjoyable for them, as it is for me.
     I'll run the Back to the Basics over time, adding to it slowly so as not to overload with info . We have until September to learn everything we need to know for the 2011/2012 season so let's learn and enjoy.

     I guess I'll start with Mike Gillis, the General Manager since 2009/2010. He would be what I call the Bossman. He makes the big moves like trades, contracts and draft picks. Personally, I like the guy. I think he has made some great moves and has been building a team we can be proud of for years to come. ( Mike is also President of Canucks Sports & Entertainment.. which has to do with the marketing, sponsorship, ticket sales etc )

   Below Mike Gillis aka MG, we have Alain Vigneault aka A.V. Head Coach of the Canucks since 2006/2007.  I absolutely love A.V ! He gets a lot of hate from some fans which I just don't understand. During this last playoff run, A.V took much criticism from fans but I'll save that story for another day . You'll get to know A.V through my blogs with videos, pictures, articles and more. ( and for you ladies, he is really rather handsome ;) )

     We also have a few assistant coaches, a goalie coach, a skills coach, scouting staff, training staff, sleep doctors and the medical staff. Yes, our boys are very well cared for.

      Last but most definitely not least , the players.  With trades & re-signings going on , the roster will be changing and I will do my best to keep it updated.
Usually the Goalies are listed last on any team roster, but because I have a 'thing' for a certain goalie, Im putting him first ;)

Our Goalies -
#1.   Roberto Luongo  
#35.  Cory Scheider

Our Forwards - ( Left wing, Center & Right wing )   
#17.  Ryan Kesler       
#22.  Daniel Sedin
#33.   Henrik Sedin
#14.   Alexandre Burrow
#40.   Maxim Lapierre
#27.   Manny Malhotra
#21.   Mason Raymond
#36.   Jannik Hansen
#20.   Christopher Higgin
#39.   Cody Hodgson
#38.   Victor Oreskovich
#26.   Mikael Samuelsson


Our Defense - 
#29.   Aaron Rome
#41.   Andrew Alberts
# 3.    Kevin Bieksa
# 2.    Dan Hamhuis
#18.   Christopher Tanev
# 6.    Sami Salo
# 4.    Keith Ballard
#23.    Alexander Edler
 ( with re-signings & trades going on, this roster will change & be updated but it will be here for future reference for those who need it )

   The next Back to Basics will cover positions , lines & some basic rules.





Please feel free to comment with any questions or ideas you want me to touch base on.  Comments can be done anonymously and you do not have to sign in or follow me to leave a comment.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Alberts Re-Signs

   When many said that we had seen the last of Alberts, I kept saying he would be back. I am happy to report that in fact, Andrew Alberts will be back with the Vancouver Canucks  :)! Our 6'5 Dman has re-signed for 2 years @ 2.45mil.

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Ehrhoff Takes off

There has been much speculation about Ehrhoff and where he would end up.
Just in, Vancouver Canucks trades Christian Ehrhoff's negotiating rights to NYI for a 4th pick. 

June 29 - Ehrhoff is traded to Buffalo from NYI for a 4th pick.  ( LOL That was a lot of work for not I would say .. NYI are back where they started.. and so is Hoffer . LOL )



I'll miss the Hoffer & wish him all the best .. kind of ;)





Henrik & The VPD

 Seeing things like this, makes me so happy and proud to have players like Henrik on our team.
Check it Out

The Armchair Knows Best ...

  Holy heck is there ever a lot of armchair GMs during trade time. It seems everyone and their dog has insight as to what Mike Gillis should be doing, who he should be re-signing, for how much and for how long. I admit, there are a few guys I am anxious to get re-signed and one or two guys I would be okay losing, but when it comes down to it, we are all just fans, not NHL General Managers and probably don't have the insight or knowhow to do what MG does.
   The Province 24/7 Canucks chat and the world of Twitter have an abundance of opinions .. some that make sense and some that seem to come from way left field;).
    Since I won't be doing any heated opinionated armchair GMing in my blogworld,  I thought I would share some of the trade talk, silliness, and opinions that I see floating around out there. ( all in good fun of course ) 


~ Offer Richards a 100 year 100 mil contract, front loaded . by Ryan (In response to another chatter asking if the Canucks could sign Richards )  - (Province Chat) =))

~ I can't make any sense of the Bieksa contract structure. I've been starting at that one tweet for 5 minutes straight now. -  ( Cam Twitter )
~ Kesler needs a combo of grit and speed along with someone who can score with a single touch and fast release -  by NCF (Province chat)  

~ sedin-sedin-burr, Gagny-kesler-sammy, raymond-malhtora-hodson
, oreswick-lappy-hansen  - by gurp ( Province chat )


~ You sign Salo for the LTIR - by thospratt ( Province chat) 

~ wouldnt it be nice to have Jagr sign with canucks  - by Gurp (Province Chat) 

!~ trade erhoff to det for ferraro's kid  - by Foxman ( Province chat)  =))




Monday 27 June 2011

Max Signs

I am a happy camper today. First we get the good news about Bieksa signing, and now this. Maxim Lapierre signed a 2mill 2 year contract with the Vancouver Canucks today !

Max came to us late in the season but made an impact on the team, filling a hole when Manny was out ( eye injury) and playing a large part in the Stanley Cup run. I'm very happy to have Max on our team . 

Max during practice
Max and Raffi watching Luo make a save during practice

The Juice Stays

Kevin Boom Boom Bieksa has agreed to terms on a new contract with the Canucks ! The choice Kevin made meant taking less than he could have gotten had he left the Canucks for the open market which makes me appreciate him that much more.
~ 4.6mill x 5yrs no trade clause.


Canucks new AHL Affiliate

  The waiting and wondering is over !   Today Mike Gillis announced a new affiliate agreement between the Canucks and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

“We look forward to this new venture with the Chicago Wolves,” said Canucks President and General Manager Mike Gillis “The Canucks have placed great importance and resources in developing prospects and have seen positive results to date, including the likes of Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Chris Tanev. The two organizations will work closely to ensure our goals are one in the same and continue to work on developing a strong relationship with our prospects.”


  The Chicago Wolves play their home games in the Allstate Arena which is located in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.  Their AHL franchise was established in 2001 and was previously affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers. . The Wolves have won 2 Calder Cups as the AHL's playoff champions. ( 2001 and 2008).


  I'd like to wish our Moose/Wolves good luck in the windy city. It doesn't much matter where they are , as long as they come home to us when needed ;) .

Sunday 26 June 2011

One Heckofa Ride

  I miss the ride !!!! I miss the roller coaster of emotions, the ups, the downs, the wins and yes, even the losses. (  a loss meant i was still on the ride )  I miss the Canucks. I miss having to rush around to get things done in time for the game. I miss talking hockey every day . I miss watching the interviews, giggling over the players silly antics with the kids. The 2010/2011 season was amazing. It was a ride to remember, from game 1 of the preseason, to the final game in.. well ya, let's not go there.

 Every season I try to partake in as much Canucks activity as I possibly can. This past season I got lucky. My kids have finally taken an interest in my most favorite thing, the Canucks, and together we were able to enjoy so many aspects of the season. Game days in this house became a ritual of sorts, me, the girls, our jerseys and our Canucks. We went to a few games, stood in the freezing snow to see the super skills competition, which was so worth the frozen toes, we went to the airport to see the team off and were there when they came home after a road trip. We were even lucky enough to go to a few Canucks practices which was oh-so-amazing !
It was one heckofa ride... and I sure do miss being on it. 

Welcome Home !


Alex and Alex B's stick at practice
Robbie Luo & his Lil one @ superskills 2011

I'll be posting pictures, videos, stories, podcasts and any other goodies I find that I use to get my Canucks fix, so for those going thru the hockey withdrawls, I will be sharing. Don't worry, we will get our fix !

Friday 24 June 2011

2011 NHL Entry Drafts/Trades

Top Ten Picks ~
  1.  Edmonton Oilers pick Ryan Nugent Hopkins (C)( First BC boy drafted 1st overall)
  2. Colorado Avalanche pick Gabriel Landeskog (LW)
  3. Florida Panthers pick Jonathan Huberdeau (C)
  4. New Jersey Devils pick Adam Larsson (D)
  5. N.Y Islanders pick Ryan Strome (C)
  6. Ottawa Senators pick center Mika Zibanejad (C)
  7. Winnipeg Jets pick Mark Scheifele (C) as well as revealing the name (Jets) 
  8. Philadelphia Flyers pick Sean Couturier (C)
  9. Boston Bruins pick Dougie Hamilton (D)
  10. Minnesota Wild pick Jonas Brodin (D)
 29th.  Canucks pick Nicklas Jensen (LW)
 71st.  Canucks pick David Honzik (G)
 90th.  Canucks pick Alexandre Grenier (RW)
101st.  Canucks pick Joseph Labate (C)
120th.  Canucks pick Ludwig Blomstrand (LW)
150th.  Canucks pick Frank  Corrado (D)
180th.  Canucks pick Pathrik Westerholm (C)
Final Pick  Canucks select  Henrik Tommernes (D)



Trades ~




L.A Kings trade Ryan Smyth  to Edmonton for Colin Fraser and a 2012  pick.

Colorado Avalanche trade John-Michael Liles to Toronto for a 2nd round pick (2012)

Philadelphia signs Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov 9 yrs @ 51 mil . Trade Captain Mike Richards to the Kings for Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. as well as Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets for Jakub Voracek two 2001 picks.

BlackHawks trade Troy Brouwer to the Capitals for a 1st round pick (26th) - Wow.. too bad they wouldn't give us Troy for our 29th pick. He could have fit nice beside Kes.

Sharks trade Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and 1st round pick (28th) to Minnesota for Brent Burns and a 2nd round pick

Ducks trade their 1st round (22) pick to Toronto for 30 and 39th picks (1st round)

Ottawa trades their 35th & 48th picks (1st round) for Detroits 24th pick (1st round)

BlackHawks trade Brian Campbell to Florida for Rostslov Olesz.

 Day 2 - 

Calgary trades Regehr & Kotalik & a 2012 2nd round pick to Buffalo for Chris Butler & Paul Byron

Canucks trade 60th pick to Minnesota for 71st & 101st picks

Ottawa trade their 66th pick for Blue Jackets F Nikita Filatov

N.Y. Islanders trade Bruno Gervais to Tampa for future picks.

Hamhuis Under the Knife

Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis went under the knife today to repair a sports hernia he suffered when he sent Milan Lucic for a ride with an awesome hip check in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals vs Boston.

 Gillis on Team 1040 radio :
"Very optimistic about outcome, (the surgery was) less intrusive than the team originally thought". 



When Hamhuis didn't return for the remainder of the series, many speculated for weeks as to what the injury was. Some people were saying it was his knee, many said it was his ankle, one guy even popped into the Province 24/7 chat to tell us that a friend of a friends cousins brothers fathers mom knew Hammer and said Hammer had blown a testicle. ( yes we all got a chuckle from that one as well )  I am glad to hear it was an easy-to-fix sports hernia and I am looking forward to seeing Hammer back in the lineup come October.




Thursday 23 June 2011

2011/2012 NHL Schedule - Canucks-

     Get your day planners and Calendars out folks.. the  2011/2012 NHL Schedule has arrived !

Canucks 2011/2012 Schedule Here

 
    
   Thank you NHL for giving us at least one home game before you send our guys on the road for their first road trip. Seriously ? One game ? That is just ever so kind of you.  I would have preferred two or three games at home to enjoy the hype, to get the excitement level high, to give the guys a chance to get comfortable before they hit the road for four games, but I guess that would be too much to ask, so we take what we get .
    

  Cheers to another great ( but even better ) season !

    

  

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Fan Entitlement

      I figure if I am going to start a Canucks blog, I may as well start with a mini-bang.  Fan entitlement. Are we, as fans, entitled to the Stanley Cup ? Do the Canucks as players owe us anything ? I have gotten into some heavy debates over this topic with the outcome never ending well .. for the opponent ;).
      I'm sure we can all agree, most Canucks players get paid an extreme amount of money to play a game they love. We can probably also agree that the Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize and what every player in the NHL strives for and what every fan dreams of. But is the Stanley Cup the only reason we watch our team so loyally ? Some say yes but I disagree.
      I watch the Canucks because I enjoy hockey. I watch the Canucks because I adore them. I watch the Canucks for the hits, the amazing passes, the spectacular saves and the tough guy fights. I love the behind the scenes antics like the Kesler Bombing and how the team rallies when a teammate is injured. When I am lucky enough to go to a Canucks game,  I don't think of it as doing the Canucks organization or the players a favor, I think of it as an opportunity to be a part of the Canucks team. I think of what an honor it is to get to be a part of the teams journey and how lucky I am to be entertained by a group of men who risk their own well being for my enjoyment.  After all, hockey is a game and games are made to entertain and I can honestly say that I am 110% entertained by the Canucks, and the enjoyment they bring me is payment enough. 
       One argument from the 'other side' is the fact that without fans, Vancouver wouldn't have an NHL team and because of this, the GM, the coach and the team owe the fans the biggest prize of all, a Stanley Cup. I can agree that the fans do matter and do 'pay' for our NHL team , I can agree with the fact that if there were no fans, there would be no Canucks in Vancouver, but we did just celebrate the 40th anniversary with our Vancouver Canucks , who have won zero Stanley Cups, and as far as I can tell, the fan base is bigger, louder and prouder than ever. Ticket prices go up, prices for merchandise rises, yet the fans still pay. I would have to come to the conclusion that Canucks fans keep paying because they are being entertained and not because of all the Stanley Cups our team has won.;)
      Every year we have hope, we have expectations, and seasons like the one we just had raise those expectations. Every season when we don't win that final grand prize, we have fans that hop off the bandwagon, some blame the coach, some blame the GM, some blame certain players, and after this let down many even state they will not watch another Canucks game again. For every one of those 'fans' who feel that way, there are 5 ( or more )  fans who are proud of what the Canucks achieved this season and who will still be paying to go to the games and to be entertained by our home team. The fans will keep cheering, the moms and dads will raise their children to love the Canucks, and the hope, and faith will carry on. Not because the Canucks owe us, not because we are entitled to it,  but because we are entertained and because we love the game. 

   

Tuesday 21 June 2011

~ And So It Begins ....

        Growing up as a female sports enthusiast, I often heard the words ” Girls don’t know sports”.   Well I beg to differ ! I may not know  some things a man would know, but I probably know many things he does not know ;) .  
        As an avid Canucks fan I tend to get into many discussions and debates about the Canucks  and while I do learn much from these discussions, I have also learned that it is always my male friends and acquaintances I am discussing with !   My female friends are usually phoning me, texting me and emailing me asking about a player, or when the next game is on , or to ask me "what's icing?".  I have even had friends ask me to feed them Canucks information so they can at least understand a portion of what their significant other is rambling on about for 6-10 months out of the year . 
        I had been tossing around the idea of starting a Canucks blog to release my pent up Canucks fan energy but it wasn't until I put some hard thought into it that I realized just how much a womans perspective is needed in the Canucks fan world . 
And so it begins...

    

      
    


P.S. Any man reading this, thinking a 'womans perspective' means it will just be another pompom cheerleading chick blog, think again ;). I am well informed in the world of Canucks and the game of hockey, so rest assured ... I Can Hold My Own ! Non believers.. Try me ;)