Jeff Cowan is on his way back to Vancouver. Do people even know that he still plays for Vancouver? I didn't. He was recalled this morning from Peoria of the AHL to the Canucks. What does this mean? Nothing really. His team was eliminated from the from the playoffs 2 days ago, and the Manitoba Moose are just about to start their second round of the AHL playoffs.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Guest Post at Cycle Like the Sedins: Round 2
Your Vancity Canuck is again writing on Cycle Like the Sedins' mini-blog for the Canucks vs. Blackhawks series. James O'Brien of CLS has invited me to be part of his awesome mini-blogs and has let me ramble on again about the Canucks.
This series will again have a blogger from other team, so this time round, Clare, from All Hawks Hockey will be also posting. I will again try to cross post, or at least update you with the links. If you have any suggestions or want to submit something send me an e-mail. I'll be a little late with my initial postings, and the postings after the home games, because I'm freakin going to them! (well except for Game 1, but rdizzle will be there). Wooooo!
So check out the CLS mini-blog here: Canucks vs. Blackhawks or on the blog list on the right.
This series will again have a blogger from other team, so this time round, Clare, from All Hawks Hockey will be also posting. I will again try to cross post, or at least update you with the links. If you have any suggestions or want to submit something send me an e-mail. I'll be a little late with my initial postings, and the postings after the home games, because I'm freakin going to them! (well except for Game 1, but rdizzle will be there). Wooooo!
So check out the CLS mini-blog here: Canucks vs. Blackhawks or on the blog list on the right.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
NBC get's their dream match-up
In case you gave up watching the East because the West finished last night, there were two game 7's on tonight. You might have missed a few things:
The Caps WON over the Rangers. That's right, Fedorov gets his first goal in the playoffs with less than 5 minutes left in the 3rd period to break the 1-1 tie that held through much of the game. They were trailing 3-1 in the series, and game back and won game 7. For Caps fans, you gotta be happy this game didn't turn out like last year. It was pointed out that Varlamov now wants his name to be pronounced "Var-LOM-ov" instead of how the commentators have been pronouncing it.
Tucked away on TSN2:
New Jersey fans can't believe it. What a collapse of the Devils in those last 2 minutes....Brodeur well...tomorrow he will wake up thinking that Bettman engineered this marketing genius:
NBC presents:
Washington Caps vs. Pittsburgh Penguins!
With the upset of the cardiac Canes over the Devils, the Pens will now play the Caps. I cannot wait for the photoshops and the jobbing to come out of The Pensblog (the original, not the pansy version). The first game starts onThursday Saturday on NBC at 1pm ET (10am PT).
Bettman is I'm sure very please with how this turned out, hello casual fans! Have you heard of Ovechkin or Crosby?
The Caps WON over the Rangers. That's right, Fedorov gets his first goal in the playoffs with less than 5 minutes left in the 3rd period to break the 1-1 tie that held through much of the game. They were trailing 3-1 in the series, and game back and won game 7. For Caps fans, you gotta be happy this game didn't turn out like last year. It was pointed out that Varlamov now wants his name to be pronounced "Var-LOM-ov" instead of how the commentators have been pronouncing it.
Tucked away on TSN2:
New Jersey fans can't believe it. What a collapse of the Devils in those last 2 minutes....Brodeur well...tomorrow he will wake up thinking that Bettman engineered this marketing genius:
NBC presents:
Washington Caps vs. Pittsburgh Penguins!
With the upset of the cardiac Canes over the Devils, the Pens will now play the Caps. I cannot wait for the photoshops and the jobbing to come out of The Pensblog (the original, not the pansy version). The first game starts on
Bettman is I'm sure very please with how this turned out, hello casual fans! Have you heard of Ovechkin or Crosby?
Round 2: Canucks v. Blackhawks Schedule
Game 1 will be Thursday. 6pm start time.
I don't have the full schedule yet, I will update once I see the dates.
UPDATED: It appears broadcasters wanted earlier start times, say 4pm for people Toronto. The Canucks told them to shove it.
Full Schedule:
Game 1: Thurs April 30 - in Vancouver – 6pm PT
Game 2: Sat May 2 - in Vancouver - 6pm PT
Game 3: Tues May 5 - @ Chicago - 5pm PT
Game 4: Thurs May 7 - @ Chicago - 5pm PT
*Game 5: Sat May 9 - in Vancouver - 7:30pm PT
*Game 6: Mon May 11 - @ Chicago - 6pm PT
*Game 7: Thurs May 14 - in Vancouver - TBD
*if necessary
All games are broadcast on CBC and Versus.
I don't have the full schedule yet, I will update once I see the dates.
UPDATED: It appears broadcasters wanted earlier start times, say 4pm for people Toronto. The Canucks told them to shove it.
Full Schedule:
Game 1: Thurs April 30 - in Vancouver – 6pm PT
Game 2: Sat May 2 - in Vancouver - 6pm PT
Game 3: Tues May 5 - @ Chicago - 5pm PT
Game 4: Thurs May 7 - @ Chicago - 5pm PT
*Game 5: Sat May 9 - in Vancouver - 7:30pm PT
*Game 6: Mon May 11 - @ Chicago - 6pm PT
*Game 7: Thurs May 14 - in Vancouver - TBD
*if necessary
All games are broadcast on CBC and Versus.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sharks lose, Chicago wins....and the Canucks have an opponent
After a 4-1 win over the Flames, the Blackhawks win the series. The Sharks can't beat the Ducks and lose 4-1.
Round 2: Canucks vs. Blackhawks
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Too long of a break?
You know this is going to be a tough week for the Vancouver sports media and fans. The earliest game for the Canucks vs. X opponent will be Friday or Saturday. These past few days have been pretty hard, it's like being in Canuck withdrawl. As we have never swept a 7 game series, we've never had to feel this waiting before. We could ask Detroit fans how it feels like, but I have never met many of them that I actually like.
The Canucks media will have another few days to write stories about nothing. Don't you find they have been doing that over the past few days? Want some examples?
-Gallagher has starting talking about the salary cap and the Sedins' contract. Hate to break it to Mr. Negativity, but he'll have plenty of time to talk about salary caps and contracts in June.
-Botchford wrote about Luongo's puck handling. In the article Kevin Bieksa says: "He's good at playing the puck." Luongo isn't awful at handling the puck, but he ain't great. Turco or Brodeur is good at playing the puck, if given the choice, I would prefer Luongo to stay in the crease, not become the extra D man.
-Sundin doesn't know if he will be ready to play game 1. Hopefully he can decide if he is ready in the next 5 days, this time he has a time limit rather than taking say....6 months?
-Ed Willes posts THIS article about media and Luongo. With excerpts of:
"That's a good question. But before I answer it, I want to talk about something that's been bothering me; something you guys have missed. First off, let me say Roberto Luongo is not an embellisher. I'm not going to name names, like Miikka Kiprusoff, but Roberto would never put on an act. That's why I think what's been going on is a disgrace. The league has said it will protect the goalies but they're treating Roberto like a human piñata out there. He won't say anything, of course. That's why I'm bringing it up."
*may not have been actually said
Ed, the Vancouver fans can't figure out when you media type are joking. They couldn't figure it out when the Kurtenblog posted THIS in the Province either.
So as you can see from the above examples, this week will be a hard one on the media for coming up with new stories.
They will have some opponent analysis depending on how the San Jose/Anaheim game goes tomorrow, if Anaheim and Calgary wins, the poll questions can switch to, who do you want to play more Chicago or Calgary? If both Anaheim and Chicago wins tomorrow everything in the West will be wrapped up and we can move onto the pre-series analysis.
Random hockey related stories:
-A Flyers draft pick is charged with killing referee and burying body. Of all the NHL teams this guy was drafted through, it had to be the Flyers.
-Want to see what a broken finger looks like? Matt Walker blocked a shot during the game on Saturday night, check out the reaction from the fans behind the bench when he took off his gloves.
The Canucks media will have another few days to write stories about nothing. Don't you find they have been doing that over the past few days? Want some examples?
-Gallagher has starting talking about the salary cap and the Sedins' contract. Hate to break it to Mr. Negativity, but he'll have plenty of time to talk about salary caps and contracts in June.
-Botchford wrote about Luongo's puck handling. In the article Kevin Bieksa says: "He's good at playing the puck." Luongo isn't awful at handling the puck, but he ain't great. Turco or Brodeur is good at playing the puck, if given the choice, I would prefer Luongo to stay in the crease, not become the extra D man.
-Sundin doesn't know if he will be ready to play game 1. Hopefully he can decide if he is ready in the next 5 days, this time he has a time limit rather than taking say....6 months?
-Ed Willes posts THIS article about media and Luongo. With excerpts of:
"That's a good question. But before I answer it, I want to talk about something that's been bothering me; something you guys have missed. First off, let me say Roberto Luongo is not an embellisher. I'm not going to name names, like Miikka Kiprusoff, but Roberto would never put on an act. That's why I think what's been going on is a disgrace. The league has said it will protect the goalies but they're treating Roberto like a human piñata out there. He won't say anything, of course. That's why I'm bringing it up."
*may not have been actually said
Ed, the Vancouver fans can't figure out when you media type are joking. They couldn't figure it out when the Kurtenblog posted THIS in the Province either.
So as you can see from the above examples, this week will be a hard one on the media for coming up with new stories.
They will have some opponent analysis depending on how the San Jose/Anaheim game goes tomorrow, if Anaheim and Calgary wins, the poll questions can switch to, who do you want to play more Chicago or Calgary? If both Anaheim and Chicago wins tomorrow everything in the West will be wrapped up and we can move onto the pre-series analysis.
Random hockey related stories:
-A Flyers draft pick is charged with killing referee and burying body. Of all the NHL teams this guy was drafted through, it had to be the Flyers.
-Want to see what a broken finger looks like? Matt Walker blocked a shot during the game on Saturday night, check out the reaction from the fans behind the bench when he took off his gloves.
Ranger letter to Gary Bettman
So now that the Canucks are on a ridiculously long break, I have had the chance to catch up on things, like, um life. This morning I watched the Caps win and push the Caps/Rangers series to 7 games. Can they come back from being down 3-1 in the series? Or will they lose like they did last year to the Flyers in overtime?
Regardless, Tuesday night's game will be a watcher. In case you missed it, Tortorella was suspended for squirting a fan with water, then throwing the bottle at the fan. If you want a video of it, click here or here (the second one doesn't have sound, just a replay of the bottle going over the glass). So Tortorella got suspended for game 6, and the Caps won but ESPN posted a letter than the Glen Sather from Rangers organization sent to Gary Bettman, it's worth a read.
Dear Gary:
In addition to your suspension of Coach Tortorella for his actions during last night's game, we respectfully request that you consider appropriate discipline in light of Washington's gross negligence in ensuring the safety of the personnel on the Rangers' bench, including Coach Tortorella, in the face of the Rangers' repeated requests for intervention against egregious fan misconduct during Game 5. As importantly, we would like the League's intervention to ensure that there are adequate security measures in place to protect our personnel in the event there is a Game 7 in Washington.
Neither the NHL nor either team has had the opportunity to conduct a full investigation or to interview all witnesses but the television coverage and the statements made by Rangers bench personnel make clear that Washington utterly failed in its security obligations to the Rangers, not to mention its own fans. The tension was evident from before the opening face-off. Throughout the game, several people seated immediately behind the visitors' bench took advantage of the looseness of the glass panels and the unusually wide gaps between the panels to assault the Rangers with some of the most obscene language imaginable.
Because of the way the glass is installed, the patron sitting behind Coach Tortorella (the gray-haired, bearded man in the white T-Shirt) could literally scream into the coach's ear. According to Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay, one patron was screaming at the team, in graphic language, about whether Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have a sexual relationship. This was within earshot of several children seated nearby. Several other fans also made repeated homophobic remarks. Moreover, Mr. Ramsay reported that he and other bench personnel were spit on by one or more "fans" as they yelled through the gaps in the glass.
Your statement tonight referred to alerting security. In the first period, Mr. Ramsay warned the security guard stationed on the nearest stairwell (a large African-American man) that the situation was unacceptable and was likely to get ugly. No action was taken. The misconduct continued. In the second period, Mr. Ramsay warned a female security supervisor that some fans were out of control and that he was concerned that something unfortunate was going to happen. Although this supervisor was equipped with a radio, she apparently took no action, because the same fans were in their seats when the team returned to the bench for the third period. According to press accounts, no fans were ever ejected or permanently removed from their seats.
Washington's failure to respond to what its personnel knew -- and were specifically warned -- was a potentially dangerous situation contributed significantly to this unfortunate incident. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you consider imposing appropriate discipline on Washington for its knowing failure to protect the Rangers and prevent the situation from deteriorating into an incident that reflects badly on all of us. In addition, we must immediately discuss how Washington is going to handle security for any Game 7. Neither the Rangers nor the well-behaved Capitals fans should be forced to endure the extraordinary level of fan misconduct that Washington failed to prevent in Game 5.
Thank you for your consideration.
Glen
-From ESPN
Regardless, Tuesday night's game will be a watcher. In case you missed it, Tortorella was suspended for squirting a fan with water, then throwing the bottle at the fan. If you want a video of it, click here or here (the second one doesn't have sound, just a replay of the bottle going over the glass). So Tortorella got suspended for game 6, and the Caps won but ESPN posted a letter than the Glen Sather from Rangers organization sent to Gary Bettman, it's worth a read.
Dear Gary:
In addition to your suspension of Coach Tortorella for his actions during last night's game, we respectfully request that you consider appropriate discipline in light of Washington's gross negligence in ensuring the safety of the personnel on the Rangers' bench, including Coach Tortorella, in the face of the Rangers' repeated requests for intervention against egregious fan misconduct during Game 5. As importantly, we would like the League's intervention to ensure that there are adequate security measures in place to protect our personnel in the event there is a Game 7 in Washington.
Neither the NHL nor either team has had the opportunity to conduct a full investigation or to interview all witnesses but the television coverage and the statements made by Rangers bench personnel make clear that Washington utterly failed in its security obligations to the Rangers, not to mention its own fans. The tension was evident from before the opening face-off. Throughout the game, several people seated immediately behind the visitors' bench took advantage of the looseness of the glass panels and the unusually wide gaps between the panels to assault the Rangers with some of the most obscene language imaginable.
Because of the way the glass is installed, the patron sitting behind Coach Tortorella (the gray-haired, bearded man in the white T-Shirt) could literally scream into the coach's ear. According to Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay, one patron was screaming at the team, in graphic language, about whether Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have a sexual relationship. This was within earshot of several children seated nearby. Several other fans also made repeated homophobic remarks. Moreover, Mr. Ramsay reported that he and other bench personnel were spit on by one or more "fans" as they yelled through the gaps in the glass.
Your statement tonight referred to alerting security. In the first period, Mr. Ramsay warned the security guard stationed on the nearest stairwell (a large African-American man) that the situation was unacceptable and was likely to get ugly. No action was taken. The misconduct continued. In the second period, Mr. Ramsay warned a female security supervisor that some fans were out of control and that he was concerned that something unfortunate was going to happen. Although this supervisor was equipped with a radio, she apparently took no action, because the same fans were in their seats when the team returned to the bench for the third period. According to press accounts, no fans were ever ejected or permanently removed from their seats.
Washington's failure to respond to what its personnel knew -- and were specifically warned -- was a potentially dangerous situation contributed significantly to this unfortunate incident. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you consider imposing appropriate discipline on Washington for its knowing failure to protect the Rangers and prevent the situation from deteriorating into an incident that reflects badly on all of us. In addition, we must immediately discuss how Washington is going to handle security for any Game 7. Neither the Rangers nor the well-behaved Capitals fans should be forced to endure the extraordinary level of fan misconduct that Washington failed to prevent in Game 5.
Thank you for your consideration.
Glen
-From ESPN
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