There's Always Next Year:: a Vancouver Canucks BaGM (NHL 12)

[Toews Sideburns]

The 2010-2011 NHL season was an unforgettable experience for many Vancouver Canucks fans. Watching your local NHL team have a franchise year and to win the Presidents Trophy... Boy oh boy were we ever spoiled.

The Canucks went 54-19-9 in the regular season leading the NHL with 117 points. Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler both had the most goals on the team with 41 each. Henrik Sedin had 75 assists.

The playoffs... Where do I get started? First off the Canucks got situated against the long time rivals, Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have knocked out the Canucks 2 years in a row and they always say 3rd time is a charm , until Burrows swats down the puck after a failed clearing attempt by Chris Campoli and scored a slapshot over Corey Crawfords right shoulder.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TbJ-SKrsYs]Alex Burrows 2-1 OT Goal - Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks 2011 Quarterfinals Game 7 (CBC) - YouTube[/ame]

Thus beginning our journey to the Stanley Cup finals. We beat the woes of the Blackhawks and moved onto the Nashville Predators. The Predators were a defensively minded team with Pekka Rinne leading the way. The Canucks beat the Predators in 6 games when Daniel Sedin netted the rebound off of Ryan Kesler's shot and thus lead us to the Western Conference finals.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOmTnmrGD4]Daniel Sedin 2-0 Goal - Canucks at Predators - R2G6 2011 Playoffs - 05.09.11 - HD - YouTube[/ame]

The Western Conference finals saw the Canucks matchup against the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had a great asset of forwards and defenceman and had Antti Niemi the "Canuck killer" in net. The Canucks ended up winning against the San Jose Sharks in 5 games when Kevin Bieksa scored in double overtime! Nobody really knew how this went in as people lost track of the puck.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cklj_11digY]Kevin Bieksa Double OT Game Winning Goal - YouTube[/ame]

Advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994, the Canucks opened the fourth round against the Boston Bruins with a 1–0 win in Game 1. Winger Raffi Torres scored the winning goal with 18.5 seconds remaining. The following game, the Canucks won 3–2 in overtime with Burrows scoring the winner 11 seconds into the extra frame, making it the second fastest overtime goal in Stanley Cup Finals history.

As the series shifted from Rogers Arena to TD Garden for Games 3 and 4, Boston tied the series with 8–1 and 4–0 victories. Game 3 marked the highest score by one team in a Finals game since the Avalanche defeated the Panthers in 1996. During the contest, the Bruins lost first-line forward Nathan Horton for the remainder of the series when he suffered a serious concussion from a late hit by Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome, who received a four-game suspension as a result. Returning to Vancouver for Game 5, the Canucks won 1–0 with a goal from late-season acquisition Maxim Lapierre in the third period.

With an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup in Boston, Vancouver lost Game 6 by a 5–2 score. The Bruins' first four goals occurred in a span of 4 minutes and 14 seconds during the first period, setting a Finals record for the fastest four goals scored by a team (surpassing the previous mark of 5 minutes and 29 seconds set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1956). Hosting Game 7, the Canucks were shutout 4–0 as Boston won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, setting off riots and looting in downtown Vancouver.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzsLz7s9q40]Vancouver riot 2011 - YouTube[/ame]
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[Toews Sideburns]

Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed defenceman Kevin Bieksa to a five-year contract.

Bieksa, 30, appeared in 66 games for the Canucks in 2010.11, recording 22 points (6-16-22) and 73 penalty minutes. The 6’0”, 199-pound defenceman finished the season with a rating of +32, ranking tied for second in the League. Bieksa also ranked second among Canucks defencemen in hits (104) and third on the team for blocked shots (93) despite missing 16 games to injury. In the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he registered 10 points (5-5-10) in 25 games played, including the series winner against San Jose in the Western Conference Final on May 25, 2011 to help advance the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 17 years. Bieksa was also named as an Alternate Captain for the 2010.11 season.

Bieksa has spent his entire career with the Vancouver Canucks, collecting 147 points (34-113-147) and 556 penalty minutes in 347 NHL games. He now ranks 12th among Canucks defencemen in career points.

The Grimsby, Ontario native was originally selected in the fifth round, 151st overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
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Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have acquired the New York Islanders fourth round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for the rights of defenceman Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff lead the Canucks defenders last year in goals, assists, points and shots. Ehrhoff will be a big loss for the Vancouver Canucks.

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Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed centre Maxim Lapierre and defenceman Andrew Alberts each to two-year contracts. Lapierre, 26, recorded 12 points (6-6-12) and 80 penalty minutes in 78 games played in the 2010.11 season with the Canucks, Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens. In the 2011 playoffs, Lapierre recorded five points (3-2-5) and 66 penalty minutes in 25 games played. He also ranked second in the League in hits (83) in the playoffs and notched the game-winning goal in game five of the Stanley Cup Final versus Boston on June 10.

The Saint-Leonard, Quebec, native has appeared in 333 NHL games, recording 84 points (41-43-84) and 301 penalty minutes over the span of six NHL seasons with the Canadiens, Ducks and Canucks. The 6’2”, 207-pound centre was originally selected 61st overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

Alberts, 29, appeared in 42 games in 2010.11, recording seven points (1-6-7) and 41 penalty minutes. The 6’5”, 209-pound defenceman led Canucks blueliners in hits with 113. In the 2011 playoffs, Alberts played in nine games, collecting six penalty minutes.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native has appeared in 381 career games, recording 51 points (6-45-51) and 420 penalty minutes over the span of six NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and Canucks. Alberts was originally selected 179th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.

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Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed defenceman Sami Salo. Salo, 36, collected seven points (3-4-7) and 14 penalty minutes in 27 games in the 2010.11 regular season. The 6’3” defenceman also appeared in 21 playoff games, recording five points (3-2-5). Salo notched the game winner of game 4 of the Western Conference Final on May 22, 2011.

The Turku, Finand native concluded the season having played in 497 games in a Canucks uniform (19th all-time in franchise history), ranking seventh in club history as the top scoring defenceman (65-146-211) and tied for fifth for most overtime goals (5). Salo has played in 12 NHL seasons with the Canucks and Ottawa Senators, collecting 280 career points (84-196-280) in 692 games. On the international stage, Salo has played in three Olympic Games, winning a silver medal with Finland in 2006. He also collected a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships and 2004 World Cup.​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS FREE AGENCY

Significant Loses

Christian Ehrhoff:

There just wasn’t enough room under the salary cap for the Canucks to re-sign both Christian Ehrhoff and Kevin Bieksa. Therefore, they let Ehrhoff walk to the free-agent market. He doesn’t appear to have the same ties to the city of Vancouver or the Canucks that Bieksa has, and he was looking for a long-term deal that GM Mike Gillis wasn’t willing to hand out.

The Canucks loss is the Buffalo Sabres gain, although they paid a hefty long-term price to get him. Ehrhoff’s 50 points will be hard to replace, and the Canucks didn’t sign another defenseman capable of producing even half of those 50 points.

Instead, the Canucks are hoping the rest of their deep defence core will collectively step up and fill the void left by Christian Ehrhoff.

Raffi Torres:

The 2010-11 season was filled with peaks and valleys for Raffi Torres. But no one can deny the physicality he brought to the Canucks third line.

However, the emergence of trade deadline acquisition Chris Higgins in the playoffs made Torres expendable. It wasn’t that Mike Gillis couldn’t afford to sign Torres, he just chose not to.

Perhaps, Gillis feared the risky nature of some of Torres’ hits might earn him more suspensions in the future or perhaps he just felt he could get a better player from the free-agent market.

Regardless of the reasons why the Canucks chose to let Raffi Torres sign with the Phoenix Coyotes, only time will tell if his forceful body checks and timely scoring will be missed.

Overall, the departures of Ehrhoff and Torres won’t be easy to recover from, but it could have been much worse. The Canucks could have also lost Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo and Chris Higgins to unrestricted free agency, which would have been a huge blow.

The entire team will need to step up to replace the grit of Torres and the scoring abilities of the Ehrhoff, which is a challenging but reasonable request.

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FREE AGENCY REVIEW

As a potential replacement for the departed Raffi Torres, the Canucks signed free-agent winger Marco Sturm to fill a void on either the second, third or fourth line.

It’s hard to predict what the Canucks will get out of Sturm. He’s nearly 33 years old and played just 35 games for two teams last season, notching 16 points in those games.

The optimist would point out that if you average those totals over an 82-game season, Sturm’s point totals were slightly better than Torres’. But the pessimist would argue that the German forward was given plenty of opportunities to provide offense while playing alongside some extremely talented players on the L.A. Kings and Washington Capitals, and he didn’t even average a point every other game.

At the very least, the $2.5 million awarded to him by Mike Gillis seems like a gamble given his shortened campaign last season. However, the potential is there for him to have a 20-goal season because he’s done so seven times before in his NHL career.

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Mike Gillis could have let Chris Higgins sign elsewhere last month, and not many fans would have lost much sleep over it. But Gillis chose to re-sign Higgins, which I believe was a smart move as he was an unsung hero for the Canucks throughout the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Higgins proved he has both the offensive capabilities and the grit to play on either the second or third line, which will come in handy for head coach Alain Vigneault over the course of a long season.

He also appeared to have good chemistry with Ryan Kesler, which is something the Canucks obviously need out of any winger who is going to play on the second line.

Gillis was able to sign Higgins for two years at $1.9 million annually, which is a great deal for a player who stepped up his game at the most important time of the season.

Hopefully, Higgins can bring his drive and passion to the table for a full 82-game season as he’ll be a key component to the Canucks offense in 2011-2012.
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For the second straight year, the Canucks and Jannik Hansen came dangerously close to needing salary arbitration to settle their contract dispute. Then again, maybe this was just part of their negotiation tactics, and they really weren’t as close to an arbitration hearing as we thought.

Regardless of how the Canucks qualified Hansen, the deal got signed, and this time, it’s a three-year contract at $1.35 million per season. This is not only a bargain for the Canucks, but it’s a longer term contract than what we’re used to with Hansen so we won’t have to worry about him signing elsewhere or his rights being traded for at least three years.

Hansen was a huge part of arguably the best third line in the league last season. He put up decent offensive numbers, but he also killed penalties, checked tenaciously and was a ball of energy during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Even though he wasn’t an unrestricted free agent, getting Jannik Hansen signed to a reasonably priced deal was a very good move heading into the 2011-12 season.
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This was the Canucks most important move of the offseason. Bieksa was one of the most coveted free agents to hit the market, except he never made it there because Mike Gillis re-signed him to a five-year deal worth $4.6 million a year.

That kind of money isn’t a bargain for Bieksa, but it’s also not an overpayment compared to the ridiculous money thrown at some free agents in the first few days of July.

Bieksa has the most complete game of all the Canucks defensemen. He can score, hit, fight and move people out from the front of the net. He was one of their best players in the postseason and if the Canucks had lost him to another team along with Christian Ehrhoff, it would have been a disaster.

For locking up one of the core pieces to a potential championship team next season, Mike Gillis gets top marks for keeping the man known as “Juice” in Canuck nation for five more years.
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If re-signing Kevin Bieksa was the Canucks most important deal of the offseason, re-signing Sami Salo was their best deal.

With player salaries almost as high as they were just before the lockout when there was no salary cap, getting a top four D-man to sign for just $2 million is a steal.

Sami Salo might be 36 years old, and he also might be one of the most injury plagued athletes of all time, but when he’s healthy, he is a strong force on the back end. His powerful slap shot and steady play in his own zone make him a commodity that any NHL team would love to have.

The fact that the Canucks were able to re-sign a solid unrestricted free agent like Salo is a good thing. The fact that they were able to keep him for just $2 million is even better.
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Aside from Maxim Lapierre, who has a new two-year contract, the Canucks fourth line and depth forward positions will look completely different this season.

Almost everyone else who played any sort of a role on the bottom line for the Western Conference champs in 2010-11 is gone. That includes Tanner Glass, Jeff Tambellini, Alexandre Bolduc, Guillaume Desbians, and last, but certainly not least, Rick Rypien (rest in peace).

In the place of those players, the Canucks have brought in Mark Mancari, Andrew Ebbett, Byron Bitz and Mike Duco. They’ve also given Owen Nolan and Todd Fedoruk the opportunity to try out for the team, which should make the competition that much stiffer for roster spots.

It’s difficult to grade such a huge overhaul of players that don’t have big roles on the team, especially when little is known about many of the new players that have been added. Hopefully, someone can step up and fill the toughness void left by Rypien and Glass.

One thing we do know for sure is that the Canucks appear to have plenty of depth at the forward position in case of injuries.

One fourth liner who is still up in the air is Victor Oreskovich. He currently does not have a new contract, but the Canucks own his negotiating rights so there isn’t any fear of losing him to another team for the time being.

Expect him to be back in the mix before the regular season begins.
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Overall, the most important goal of the Canucks management this offseason was to keep the team's core intact. After all, when you finish one game from winning the holy grail of hockey, there isn’t much need for big changes.

With the exception of a couple of players, their mission was accomplished. The 2011-12 version of the Vancouver Canucks is extremely similar to the team that we watched throughout the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs—at least for now.

Time will tell what the Canucks roster looks like as the regular season takes shape but expect them to be right in the middle of the Stanley Cup hunt regardless of who comes and goes throughout the season.

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[Toews Sideburns]

AARON VOLPATTI SEEKS TO CRACK CANUCKS ROSTER

Vancouver Canucks​' forward Aaron Volpatti, a Revelstoke product and former Vernon Viper, skates up ice in NHL action at Rogers Arena.
Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images


Aaron Volpatti already has a significant stash of pro hockey moments tucked away in his memory bank, but few will stand out more than the one from Dec. 20, 2010.

It was the Revelstoke native's first NHL goal with the Vancouver Canucks, in just his second game as a call-up from the AHL Manitoba Moose.

The goal, the first of the game, wasn't anything fancy. No spin-o-rama top-shelf backhander. Just a smart hockey play that exemplified two of the cardinal rules of the game instilled in every kid to put on skates – go to the net and keep your stick on the ice.

Linemate Tanner Glass started the play with a thunderous hit in the corner on a forecheck, and fellow Moose call-up Alexandre Bolduc​ quickly retrieved the loose puck to set up Volpatti with a backdoor pass to beat St. Louis Blues' netminder Jaroslav Halak​.

The Canucks went on to stuff the Blues 3-1.

"It happened fast. It was a good play by my linemates and I just got it to the front of the net and get it off as quick as I could. We did well when we played together," recalled Volpatti, a fan favourite because of his feisty style when he played with the Vernon Vipers (2003-06).

Said Sportsnet colour man John Garrett of the goal: "You want your fourth line to create some excitement, (but) you don't necessarily think there's going to be some goals, but boy oh boy, that fourth line made it happen."

Volpatti's rise up the ranks has been exponential. Signed as a free agent by the Canucks following his senior year with Brown University Bears in Providence, R.I., the hard-hitting winger finished the year with the Moose, racking up a goal and an assist and 17 penalty minutes in eight games.

He added another 13 points in 68 games last year (15 with Vancouver and 53 in Manitoba).

"It was obviously pretty surreal, growing up a Vancouver fan. Going from my senior year in college to actually signing with Vancouver in itself was pretty surreal," said Volpatti, who trains with local pros Eric Godard and Stefan Schneider, along with a handful of up-and-comers, at Excel Fitness.

Volpatti, who graduated with a degree in human biology, as well as the single-season school record for penalty minutes (115), will have to get used to a new city this year as he will likely start the season with Vancouver's new AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves​.

"Chicago's a fun city. Everyone kept telling me, there's no way the franchise will go to Chicago because of the rivalry (with the Blackhawks), but it doesn't matter," said Volpatti.

"I had a really good time in Winnipeg. I really like the city. You go from a place like Vancouver to Winnipeg, it's not as nice, I guess, but we had a good group of guys."

Then again, with the departure of roughneck forwards Glass (Winnipeg Jets) and Raffi Torres​ (Phoenix Coyotes​), there could be an opening for the 6-foot, 215-pounder's physical skill set. Most of Vancouver's offseason signings – namely Vernon's Andrew Ebbett​ and Marco Sturm​ – don't really fit that mold.

Regardless, Volpatti knows he will have to battle to secure a job with a team that just won the President's Trophy.

"It's tough to crack the lineup on that team. They signed a few new guys that can fill those bottom-six roles as well. There's always competition, but it just makes everyone better. I'm just looking forward to getting to camp and getting it going."

Volpatti disagrees with critics who declared the Canucks' season a failure because they didn't win a Stanley Cup after they cruised to the regular-season title.

"That's a successful season in any team's eye. It's not the finish anyone wanted, but it's still a good season," he said.

"Sometimes they say that once you lose like that, then the next time you're going to win. Hopefully that happens."

Volpatti was stunned and saddened to learn of former Moose/Canuck teammate Rick Rypien​'s recent death, as was the entire Vancouver organization.

"No one honestly expected anything like this," he said.

"I got to know him pretty well and became good friends with him playing on his line for two months and into the playoffs. He was a great guy in the dressing room. He didn't talk a lot about what was going on personally with him, but he seemed like his spirits were high and he always had a smile on his face."

Volpatti was always amazed by Rypien's ceaseless work ethic and tough-as-nails demeanor.

"He had a few injury problems he was battling through. He was coming to the rink on one leg and still playing. He was a tough kid."

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[Toews Sideburns]

[b]

2011-12 Vancouver Canucks Prospects Training Camp Roster
      DEFENCEMEN
No. PLAYER POS HT WT HOMETOWN DATE 2010-11 CLUB GP G A PTS PIM
61 Connauton, Kevin D 6’2” 200 Edmonton, AB Feb 23 1990 Manitoba 73 11 12 23 51
58 Corrado, Frankie D 6’0” 188 Woodbridge, ON Mar 26 1993 Sudbury 67 4 26 30 94
59 Duininck, Craig* D 6’0” 200 Plymouth, MI Apr 29 1993 Windsor 66 7 15 22 65
50 Erixon, Sebastian D 5’10” 183 Sundsvall, SWE Sep 12 1989 Timra 44 5 15 20 20
65 Hannay, Sawyer D 6’4” 202 Moncton, NB Sep 6 1992 Halifax (QMJHL) 58 0 7 7 164
63 Polasek, Adam D 6’3” 200 Ostrava, CZE July 12 1991 PEI Rocket (QMJHL) 61 7 32 39 59
64 Saab, Ian* D 6’2” 178 Halifax, NS Feb 8 1992 Lewiston 46 3 5 8 106
47 Sauve, Yann D 6’3” 220 Montreal, QC Feb 18 1990 Vancouver 5 0 0 0 0
                                                   Manitoba 39 3 11 14 24
                                                   Victoria 8 0 2 2 4
60 Zanetti, Marc Anthony* D 6’0” 200 Richmond Hill, ON May 20 1991 Ottawa 67’s 55 7 30 37 49

FORWARDS
No. PLAYER POS HT WT HOMETOWN DATE 2010-11 CLUB GP G A PTS PIM
71 Anthony, Steven LW 6’2” 205 Halifax, N.S. Mar 21 1991 Saint John 61 23 37 60 23
49 Archibald, Darren LW 6’3” 209 Newmarket, ON Feb 2 1990 Niagara 37 23 13 36 30
                                                               Barrie 24 18 12 30 21
62 Curtis, Michael* C 5’11” 182 Mississauga, ON Jan 26 1993 Belleville 58 9 9 18 32
56 Friesen, Alex C 5’10” 190 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Jan 30 1991 Niagara (OHL) 60 26 40 66 61
67 Grenier, Alexandre RW 6’4” 185 Laval, QC Sep 5 1991 Saint-Jerome 33 25 35 60 34
                                                         Quebec (QMJHL) 31 9 15 24 29
74 Harrison, Ryan* C 5’10” 190 Kelowna, BC Mar 31 1992 Everett 29 8 11 19 55
72 Janes, Steven* RW 6’2” 180 Toronto, ON Feb 24 1993 Ottawa 67’s 17 4 2 6 13
46 Jensen, Nicklas W 6’3” 187 Herning, DEN Mar 16 1993 Oshawa (OHL) 61 29 29 58 42
70 Lessard, Jonathan* RW 6’0” 180 St. Eustache, QC Feb 22 1991 Acadie-Bathurst 62 37 29 66 70
68 Longpre, Nathan* C 6’0” 185 Peterborough, ON Jul 16 1988 Worcester 8 0 1 1 4
                                                                 Robert Morris Univ. 33 14 28 42 29
53 Rai, Prab LW 6’0” 190 Surrey, BC Nov 22 1989                   -- -- -- -- -- --
43 Rodin, Anton RW 6’0” 176 Stockholm, SWE Nov 21 1990 Brynas 53 7 19 26 16
73 Roussel, Antoine* LW 5’11” 185 Roubaix, FRA Nov 21 1989 Providence 42 1 7 8 88
                                                              Reading (ECHL) 5 0 1 1 7
48 Schneider, Stefan  C/RW 6’4 203 Vernon, B.C. Dec 13 1989 Manitoba 47 2 2 4 9
45 Schroeder, Jordan C 5’9” 180 Prior Lake, MN Sep 29 1990 Manitoba 61 10 18 28 10
57 Smith, Andrew* RW 6’5” 210 Corner Brook, NL Oct 1 1991 Victoriaville 50 1 4 5 102
42 Sweatt, Bill LW 6’0” 185 Elburn, IL Sep 21 1988 Manitoba 80 19 27 46 28
51 Tochkin, Kellan RW 5’9” 179 Abbotsford, BC Feb 15 1991 Everett 72 28 40 68 64
      
GOALTENDERS
No. PLAYER HT WT HOMETOWN DATE 2010-11 CLUB GP W L T/OT MIN GA   SO AVG
76 Honzik, David 6’2” 207 Milevsko, CZE Aug 9 1993 Victoriaville 36 17 12 1 1781 105 1 3.54
34 Jensen, Brendan* 6’0” 193 El Grenada, CA Feb 6 1993 Vancouver (WHL) 30 8 13 1 1339 84 0 3.76
75 St. Laurent, Karel* 6’4" 181 Ville Ste-Catherine, QC Dec 30 1990 Saint John (QMJHL) 5 4 1 0 305 15 0 2.95
                                                                       Surrey (BCHL) 32 19 12 1 1905 87 1 2.74
                  
*Players that have not been drafted or signed by the Vancouver Canuck[/b]

 

[Toews Sideburns]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ_5WCccbEE&feature=related]Canucks 2011-2012 Season Pump Up Video Full HD - YouTube[/ame]
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[Toews Sideburns]

FORMER CANUCK PAVOL DEMITRA DIES IN TRAGIC PLANE CRASH ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF TEAM LOKOMOTIV OF THE KHL

This summer sucks. Who would have thought losing the Cup and the riot afterward would be the end of it?

As you know, following on the heels of Rick Rypien's passing was the tragic news this morning that a plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia claimed the lives of 43 of the 45 people aboard. Former Canucks winger Pavol Demitra has been confirmed as one of those lost.

Demitra was far from a fan favorite, at least in this neck of the interwebs. Both Sean and I weren't fans of how much money the brittle winger cost. But regardless of how we felt that shouldn't detract from his on-ice product. Over the course of his career Demitra was a skilled threat who ranks as the 154th highest scorer in league history (just behind Sergei Zubov and ahead of guys like Mike Ridley, Russ Courtnall, Greg Adams, Scott Niedermayer, Ziggy Palffy, Petr Nedved and Cam Neely).

Roll the tape back to the 1993 draft (yes the Alexander Daigle knee slapper of a draft) when Demo was selected in the 9th round (227 overall) by the Senators. That alone is worth remembering since 9th rounders rarely pan out; in fact of the 25 players taken in that round only six would go on to play at the NHL level with only three playing above 100 games (Demitra, Mike Grier and Brad Norton). Norton and Grier didn't (or rather haven't) come close to matching Demo's 304 career goals and 768 career points.

Demitra would play sparingly for the Senators before he held out and was moved in November 1996 to St. Louis for Christer Olsson. It was then that Demitra went off, spending eight seasons with the Note, making three All Star Game appearances (1999, 2000 and 2002) and winning the Lady Byng in 2000. He lead the league in game winners in 2001-02 (10) and would finish 6th best in 2002-03 with 93 points. He currently sits as the fifth best scorer in St. Louis history.



Demitra would move on to one injury-plagued season with the Kings, one which he still scored 62 points before landing in Minnesota for two seasons and then finally to Vancouver where he'd finish his NHL career. Unfortunately for us it was one of Gillis' attempts at getting a former agent in house who was well past his prime. He was perceived, at a time when Vancouver let Markus Naslund walk, as replacing one "soft" winger with another.

He never played a full season for the Canucks and literally took himself out the majority of the 2009-10 season when he collided with Brian Campbell during the second round loss to Chicago the season before. As a Canuck Demitra played a total of 97 games and added 23 goals, 46 assists, 69 points, five PPGs and one GWG. His lasting legacy may be his time with the RPM line (Kesler/Sundin/Demitra) which was the first real time in this era that Vancouver had a legit second scoring line to relieve the pressure off the Sedins. The RPM days pretty much gave birth to the KesLORD that we know and love today. It also allowed Sean to warm up his PS skills from time to time.

When the end of his contract was up, some of us were happy (myself included) to see Demo and his $4 million dollar price tag skip on over to the KHL. And, for the record, Demitra was outscoring Jagr last season and didn't miss any games to boot. (*head slap*)

In the end his time here wasn't the best, but it wasn't his fault that (a) Gillis threw a ton of money at him and (b) he was asked to shoulder a heavy load as a sunsetting player. I'm sure you're quickly recollecting some of your favorite memories that Demo provided us over his two years, so I'll toss mine out there as well: his first goal as a Canuck. The quality of that video is pretty bad, but I remember at the time we had a slew of new players, the new GM, no Naslund and a lingering pang of "where precisely is this team going?" So when one of the new guys not only scores to beat a rival but showed some passion afterwards, it warmed my cold heart. His series opening goal against the Hawks in the 2008-09 post season was a thing of beauty as well which is tough for me to say considering Wellwood and Sundin factored in on the score.

RIP Pavol and to the others who lost their lives today in the crash.

Vancouver, B.C. –

The Vancouver Canucks issued the following statement today on the sudden passing of former Canucks forward Pavol Demitra:

“It is with great sadness that we learn of the sudden passing of Pavol Demitra and his colleagues of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey club today. Pavol was dedicated and passionate about his young family and the game of hockey. Pavol was a valued teammate and member of our organization and will be sorely missed. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Demitra family and their friends so affected by this tragedy.”

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQswWoH4Q9s]Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Tribute - YouTube[/ame]

Rest in Peace.
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[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS ANNOUNCE OPENING NIGHT LINEUP FOR THE REGULAR SEASON

Daniel Sedin [91] Henrik Sedin [91] Alex Burrows [83]

Chris Higgins [80] Ryan Kesler [88] Mikael Samuelsson [81]

Mason Raymond [80] Manny Malholtra [80] Jannik Hansen [80]

Victor Oreskovich [76] Maxim Lapierre [80] Marco Sturm [81]

Alex Edler [84] Sami Salo [81]

Dan Hamhuis [83] Kevin Bieksa [83]

Keith Ballard [80] Chris Tanev [77]

Roberto Luongo [89] Cory Schneider [83]
*Lineup Subject to change,also ratings subject to change.
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[Toews Sideburns]

CROSBY RUINS THE CANUCKS SEASON OPENER

Picture This: Sidney Crosby returns from concussion to spoil the Canucks opening night.

Shots
28|25
Faceoffs
15|11
Time on Attack
7:17|3:37

1ST Period Scoring

-Matt Cooke (1) from Jordan Staal,Paul Martin

-Chris Higgins (1) from Mikael Samuelsson,Ryan Kesler

2ND Period Scoring
No Scoring

3RD Period Scoring

-Zbynek Michalek (1) from Sidney Crosby

-James Neal (1) Unassisted

-Sidney Crosby (1) from Kris Letang,Pascal Dupuis

FINAL SCORE
4-1 Penguins

1ST Star-Sidney Crosby - 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 4 Hits, 1 Shot, +3

2ND Star-Marc-Andre Fleury - 1.00 GAA, .960 SV%, 25 SA

3RD Star-Zbynek Michalek - 1 Goal, 0 Assists, 1 Point, 2 Hits, 2 Shots, +3

Next Game: October 10th, 2011 @ Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-0).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

Alex Edler to miss a month.

Swedish born two-way defenceman Alexander Edler was injured for a month during Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Edler suffered an injured elbow while blocking a slapshot and will require elbow surgery. The Canucks have called up veteran defenceman Andrew Albert and young two-way defender Alexander Sulzer. Alberts, 30 , has spent the past 2 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks while Sulzer, 27, has spent the past season with both the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers. The Panthers acquried Sulzer from the Predators for a conditional 7th round draft pick.

The Canucks defensive pairings now look like this:

Kevin Bieksa-Dan Hamhuis
Sami-Salo-Keith Ballard
Alexander Sulzer-Andrew Alberts

​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS LOSE IN COLUMBUS 2-1

Picture This: Huselius' late 3rd period effort puts the Blue Jackets over the Canucks.

Shots
32|35
Faceoffs
8|21
Time on Attack
5:45|5:53
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring

-Alex Burrows (1) from Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

2ND Period Scoring

-Rick Nash (1) from Radek Martinek

3RD Period Scoring

-Kristian Huselius (2) from Derrick Brassard, Antoine Vermette

FINAL SCORE
2-1 Blue Jackets

1ST Star-Steve Mason- 1.00 GAA, .969 SV%, 32SA

2ND Star-Roberto Luongo - 2.09 GAA, .943 SV%, 35 SA

3RD Star-Rick Nash - 1 Goal, 0 Assists, 1 Point, 6 Hits, 6 Shots, +1

Next Game: October 12th, 2011 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-0).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS LOSE 3rd STRAIGHT IN PHILLY!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM2YoZQHZfw]NHL 12 CANUCKS DYNASTY-BALLARD INJURED - YouTube[/ame]
Picture This: Van Riemsdyk injures Keith Ballard with a vicious elbow and no penalty called :scared:.

Shots
31|35
Faceoffs
15|16
Time on Attack
4:55|6:06
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring

-Claude Giroux (1) from Kimmo Timonen, Chris Pronger

2ND Period Scoring

-Daniel Sedin (1) from Henrik Sedin

3RD Period Scoring

-Jakub Voracek (3) from Maxime Talbot, James Van Riemsdyk

-Claude Giroux (2) from Jaromir Jagr, Matt Carle

-Mason Raymond (1) from Jannik Hansen, Dan Hamhuis

-Maxime Talbot (3) from Jakub Voracek, Chris Pronger

-Scott Hartnell (1) from Daniel Briere

FINAL SCORE
5-2 Flyers

1ST Star-Claude Giroux - 2 Goals, 0 Assists, 2 Points, 1 Hit, 6 Shots, +0

2ND Star-Jakub Voracek - 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 2 Hits, 4 Shots, +1

3RD Star-Ilya Bryzgalov - 2.05 GAA, .935 SV%, 31 SA

Next Game: October 13th, 2011 @ Detroit Redwings (1-1-0).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

Keith Ballard to miss 3 weeks.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM2YoZQHZfw]NHL 12 CANUCKS DYNASTY-BALLARD INJURED - YouTube[/ame]

On Wednesday's game in Philadelphia, James Van Riemsdyk, #17 of the Philadelphia Flyers landed a vicious elbow on Canucks defenceman Keith Ballard, #4. Ballard will remain out of action for a good 3 weeks while he rests a broken leg that he landed on awkwardly. The Canucks have called-up rookie defenceman Chris Tanev from the Chicago Wolves , they also re-adjusted their lineup due to losing so many games. Their lineup now looks as so:

Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin
Mason Raymond-Ryan Kesler-Mikael Samuelsson
Chris Higgins-Manny Malhotra-Jannik Hansen
Victor Oreskovich-Maxim Lapierre-Marco Sturm

Kevin Bieksa-Dan Hamhuis
Andrew Alberts-Sami Salo
Chris Tanev-Alexander Sulzer

Roberto Luongo
Cory Schneider

The Canucks will give Schneider the start against the Red Wings.

**Here's to hoping Sami "glass" Salo doesn't get hurt either **

​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS FINALLY WIN IN HOCKEYTOWN!

Picture This: The Sedin twins finally show up to lead the Canucks to a 7-2 victory.

Shots
34|37
Faceoffs
13|28
Time on Attack
5:42|5:14
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring

-Daniel Sedin (2) from Henrik Sedin, Kevin Bieksa

2ND Period Scoring

-Todd Bertuzzi (1) from Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom

-Chris Higgins (2) from Sami Salo, Manny Malhotra

-Jannik Hansen (1) from Manny Malhotra, Andrew Alberts

-Henrik Sedin (1) from Daniel Sedin, Kevin Bieksa

3RD Period Scoring

-Andrew Alberts (1) from Alexander Sulzer

-Alexander Suzler (1) from Ryan Kesler

-Maxim Lapierre (1) Unassisted

-Niklas Kronwall (1) from Valtteri Filppula

-Johan Franzen (1) from Brad Stuart, Pavel Datsyuk


FINAL SCORE
7-3 Canucks

1ST Star-Henrik Sedin - 1 Goals, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 1 Hit, 4 Shots, +1

2ND Star-Andrew Alberts - 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 1 Hits, 2 Shots, +4

3RD Star-Alexander Sulzer - 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 3 Hits, 1 Shot, +2

Next Game: October 15th, 2011 @ Edmonton Oilers (1-1-0).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

OILERS DOWN CANUCKS 1-0.

Picture This: Shawn Horcoff snipes the only games goal against Roberto Luongo.

Shots
19|35
Faceoffs
8|20
Time on Attack
3:25|7:43
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring
No Scoring

2ND Period Scoring
No Scoring

3RD Period Scoring

-Shawn Horcoff (1) from Cam Barker, Ryan Whitney



FINAL SCORE
1-0 Oilers

1ST Star-Roberto Luongo - 1.00 GAA, .971 SV%, 35 SA

2ND Star-Nikolai Khabibulin - 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 19 SA

3RD Star-Shawn Horcoff - 1 Goal, 0 Assist, 1 Point, 1 Hit, 4 Shot, +1

Next Game: October 18th, 2011 VS New York Rangers (1-1-1).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

RANGERS SERVE CANUCKS THEIR 5TH REGULATION LOSS.

Picture This: Dubinsky and the Rangers celebrate his early 1st period goal.

Shots
24|31
Accidentaly simulated the whole game instead of to the last 5 minutes for this game, wanted to see how it would work.

1ST Period Scoring

-Brandon Dubinsky (2) from Marc Staal, Brandon Prust

2ND Period Scoring
No Scoring

3RD Period Scoring
No Scoring



FINAL SCORE
1-0 Rangers

Didn't get 3 stars

Next Game: October 20th, 2011 VS Nashville Predators(3-1-1).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

PREDS SERVE THE CANUCKS THEIR 3RD STRAIGHT NO SCORING GAME.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCprd2OxFBc]Smithson Goal (Game 7 of BaGM) CANUCKS BaGM - YouTube[/ame]
Picture This: Jerred Smithson nets his first of the game.

Shots
26|18
Faceoffs
11|5
Time on Attack
6:19|4:18
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring
No Scoring

2ND Period Scoring
No Scoring

3RD Period Scoring

-Jerred Smithson (1) from Niclas Bergfors, Kevin Kelin

-Jerred Smithson (2) Unassisted


FINAL SCORE
2-0 Predators

-Jerred Smithson - 2 Goals, 0 Assists, 2 Points, 0 Hits, 1 Shot, +2

-Pekka Rinne - 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 18 SA

-Roberto Luongo - 2.00 GAA, .923 SV%, 26 SA

Next Game: October 22nd, 2011 VS Minnesota Wild (1-4-2).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

Jannik Hansen out for 4 weeks.

On Thursday's game against Nashville the rugged third liner Jannik Hansen went to go block a shot from Shea Weber and took Weber's slapshot right off his leg. Hansen will be out for four weeks with a broken leg, he should return against Ottawa on November 20th. Here's hoping Jannik a speedy recovery! The Canucks have called up 21 year old Cody Hodgson from the Chicago Wolves. Hodgson had 2 goals and 2 assists with the Wolves in the AHL. Hopefully the line of Malhotra-Hodsgon-Higgins can produce well and Cody can keep his spot on the team.

Canucks Lineup for Saturday's game against the Minnesota Wild
Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin
Mason Raymond-Ryan Kesler-Mikael Samuelsson
Manny Malhotra-Cody Hodgson-Chris Higgins
Victor Oreskovich-Maxim Lapierre-Marco Sturm

Kevin Bieksa-Dan Hamhuis
Andrew Alberts-Sami Salo
Chris Tanev-Alexander Sulzer

Cory Schneider
Roberto Luongo


​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

CANUCKS WIN SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON IN A SHOOTOUT!

Picture This: Henrik Sedin polishes off his stick after scoring the game winner.

Shots
32|33
Faceoffs
35|16
Time on Attack
14:05|15:22
First stats are the away team.

1ST Period Scoring

-Dan Hamhuis (1) from Kevin Bieksa, Maxim Lapierre

2ND Period Scoring

-Ryan Kesler (1) from Chris Tanev, Marco Sturm

3RD Period Scoring

-Guillame Latendresse (2) from Matt Kassian, Nick Schultz

-Dany Heatley (4) from Mike Lundin, Nick Schultz

Overtime Scoring
None

Shootout Scoring

MINNESOTA:
Heatley-Miss
Bouchard-Goal
Koivu-Miss

VANCOUVER:
Daniel Sedin-Goal
Henrik Sedin-Goal

FINAL SCORE
3-2 Canucks in a shootout

-Cory Schneider - 1.85 GAA, .938 SV%, 32 SA

-Dany Heatley - 1 Goal, 0 Assists, 1 Point, 5 Hits, 8 Shots, +0

-Dan Hamhuis - 1 Goal, 0 Assists, 1 Point, 2 Hits, 3 Shots, +0

Next Game: October 25th, 2011 @ Edmonton Oilers (5-2-0).
​

 

[Toews Sideburns]

Mason Raymond out 4-5 weeks.

In Saturday's game against Minnesota , Mason Raymond was hit from behind into the boards by Guillame Latendresse. Raymond has obtained a concussion and will be out of action for 4-5 weeks. The Canucks have called up 24 year old grinder Mario Bliznak who has 1 goal and 3 assists in the AHL, 27 year old grinder Byron Bitz who has 1 goal and 1 assist in the AHL and 24 year old defensive defenseman Ryan Parent who has 1 goal and 0 assists in the AHL. The Canucks sent down 21 year old playmaking center Cody Hodgson and 21 year old defensive defenseman Chris Tanev because we feel that they will develop much better in the AHL rather than the NHL, although Hodgson and Tanev could still see time in the NHL with the Chicago Wolves parent team, the Vancouver Canucks.

Canucks Lineup for Saturday's game against the Minnesota Wild
Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin
Chris Higgins-Ryan Kesler-Mikael Samuelsson
Marco Sturm-Manny Malhotra-Mark Mancari
Mario Bliznak-Maxim Lapierre-Byron Bitz

Kevin Bieksa-Dan Hamhuis
Andrew Alberts-Sami Salo
Ryan Parent-Alexander Sulzer

Cory Schneider
Roberto Luongo


​