Canuck Brunch- Shut The F*@# Up!

As lame as the whole 'Sistergate' thing was, having Alain Vigneault get involved made it even worse. Look, I get that you've had enough, we all have. The fact that two legitimate superstars of the game have to put up with a constant barrage of slights and insults, knowing full well that they wouldn't have endure this if they played for some other team is a sad thing. That being said, lowering one's self to the level of the Chicago media that egged Dave Bolland on makes zero sense. No one should ever, EVER get into Barry Rozner territory. Apart from the use of referring to someone as a female as though it's an insult, which is the real issue here, the Canucks would do well to treat this like the on-ice attacks they endure. Shut up, and make them pay on the scoreboard. There's a lot of hockey to be played this month, and with the Minnesota Wild suddenly spinning their wheels, staying focused on getting on another roll should be their ONLY concern.

The Canucks have two games left on this 5 game Eastern road swing, and they're looking to get back on track after an off game in Columbus. And that's what it was. You can sit there and attach whatever narrative you want to it, but a pissed off Columbus team who played the Bruins hard and deserved a better fate than they got in that game, combined with a team that didn't work (save for Roberto Luongo, that is) is gonna be a loss every time. Much like the way they beat the Detroit Red Wings, if you give ANY team a chance in the NHL, they will take advantage of it. This isn't something that only the Canucks do. It's done. Move along.

Carolina is another team struggling this season, and things haven't gotten much better since they fired Paul Maurice and replaced him with Kirk Muller. Cam Ward has looked downright ordinary, and most importantly, their best player has been in a career slump. Many have tried to figure out what is wrong with Eric Staal, and unfortunately the Carolina Hurricanes don't have the kind of depth enjoyed by some teams that would allow them to ride this out. As Stall goes, so go the 'Canes. And this team doesn't appear to be going anywhere but a shot at 1st overall in the 2012 draft.

The Canucks have been shuffling things around a bit with the injury to David Booth, but we could see the end of Alain Vigneault dressing 7 defencemen as early as tonight with word that Andrew Ebbett has joined the team in Raleigh. I would bet he doesn't get in until Saturday against Toronto, and while Ebbett isn't exactly a physical force, it will be interesting to see what he can bring. Either way, I look forward to the Canucks playing a prototypical road game: get in, take the crowd out of it early and shut them down, leaving town with two points.

LEFTOVERS

Mrs Waachcast returned from a lengthy and well-deserved sojourn in Ontario with family yesterday, so I didn't really pay attention to what was happening last night. I did see the McQuaid knee on knee with Foligno, and two things struck me: 1) Karma exists, and 2) I will be stunned if he gets anything more than a fine, because he's a member of the Boston Bruins. Call it what you will, the evidence of the last two years speaks volumes. The other thing was the complete shock of the Chicago/ Minnesota game going to the shootout last night. Those teams have combined for 8 shootout victories so far this year.

BAND OF THE DAY- CORROSION OF CONFORMITY

The most well-known band from the home of the 'Canes, COC were part of the crossover movement in the 80's that saw bands doing the unheard of idea, mixing thrash metal with hardcore punk. Along with bands like DRI and Suicidal Tendencies, they helped bridge the gap between metal and hardcore fans at a time when the two factions could barely be in the same room together. The band has gone through numerous changes of personnel and even musical style over the years but are still plugging away, returning closer to their punkish roots. Saw them open for Megadeth in Vancouver once, really solid live act for sure.