Update: Puck Daddy found a longer video, complete with the bedlam beforehand.

************

When it rains it pours.

Or, if you're the Canucks, you assault a paying fan in their arena while your team is getting curb stomped fiercely.

The replay showed the fan did nothing wrong. He mock-clapped and probably mouthed off, the same thing thousands of others do on a nightly basis in any arena. The difference was Rypien - already steamed about the score or another run-in with Staubitz - could hear him and lost it. Badly.

The only thing that could have made it worse would be if it was a Girl Scout in a wheelchair offering him free Thin Mints.

Poll

How many games will Rypien be suspended for?

4%

He won't be; he just needs some chamomile tea and a hug

40 votes

21%

1-5

192 votes

29%

5-10

263 votes

17%

10-15

152 votes

7%

15-20

65 votes

19%

20+

174 votes

886 votes | Poll has closed

It had to happen sooner or later. The Canucks finally lost a playoff game this post season, and did it in disturbing fashion, blowing a 2-0 lead, the 2nd game in a row that a lead was blown.

There are not enough obscenities I can utter towards the referees for the phantom hooking call on Kevin Bieksa in the 2nd period. Tragic. Willie Mitchell took a stupid delay of game penalty moments later to give the Blackhawks a 5 on 3 advantage and they capitalized on it, tying the game at 2.

That was all the Canucks had in the tank it seemed, because 3 minutes later Dave Bolland scored a shorthanded goal (where in the hell did he come from?) on the breakaway. The Hawks never looked back. I was thinking of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero" tune, but there were none to be found on the Canucks bench.

I'm not blaming the refs for the loss. But that bullshit call on Bieksa was the beginning of the end. So was Steve Bernier's missed opportunity with a breakaway. Before we knew it it was all over.

Beyond Ryan Johnson, I think the Canucks can all look at eachother and ask what the fuck happened tonight and then promise eachother that they will stop blowing these leads.

How will they respond in Chicago in front of that rabid crowd? That will be the million dollar question over the next few days, as the teams don't play again until Tuesday.

The status of Sami Salo will also be questioned. The CBC guys were mentioning how much the loss of Salo was hurting the team but that infuriated me. We don't need Salo to win. Roberto Luongo agrees.  “Obviously Sami is a big part of our defence corps but it’s not an excuse and not the reason why we lost tonight,” Luongo said. “We played without him in St. Louis [3-2 win] and we have make sure we step up and do a good job without him.”

Yeah, the winning streak had to stop at some point, but you wish it didn't happen like this.

More on the loss tomorrow.

BOXSCORE and HIGHLIGHTS

"I think first and foremost, I want to win the Cup and whichever team is going to give me the best chance to do that is the team I want to be with," Luongo said. "I love Vancouver, it's a great city with great fans. So far, I've really enjoyed my time there. Obviously, this year and next year are going to be a key role in my decision."

-What Luongo said on After Hours last night.  From the Province.

 

Note: This doesn't surprise me one bit about Luongo. So we'll have to make deep runs in the playoffs over the next 2 years. Even that may not be enough to keep Lou around. Whatever. There's no point making a big deal of this right now.

 

Well, you chalk it all up to a bad night in the middle of a great 16-4-1 run since February and hope it doesn't become a trend when the road show moves on to Dallas on Tuesday. You hope that an untouched and unchecked Matthew Lombardi isn't allowed to skate right in on LaBarbera in the third period and easily tuck the puck home on a deke. You hope the Canucks get mad on the rest of this journey and get a more even performance from everyone.

-Ben Kuzma, The Province

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I have to admit: for the very first time since I started this blog (at the dawn of the Luongo era) I find it impossible to tolerate my own team. I've been an unabashed fan of the Canucks, dedicating probably way more hours than I'd like to admit to watching, analyzing and writing for them here or at canucks.com. I've mocked them when needed but generally have rolled with the highs and lows like most headstrong supporters. But, again for the first time, I am catching myself asking why I bother.

That first period last night was the breaking point. Here were the downtrodden Canucks, well rested and angry, ready to make a statement. On the other end were the Wild, a tired team that played the night before, traveled to Vancouver and didn't even dress their #1 goon and don't have their #1 sniper who's been on the sideline for weeks. The two teams were tied in the standings, both needing the points. Honestly, what more of a stage to showcase a change in their play could Vancouver need?

And despite all of that the Wild outplayed them in the first 20. Immensely. The Canucks were outshot, took three penalties and gave up two goals, including one PP goal. The exact same script that this team has done (not playing the solid 60) since the very first game of this season.

It took Kesler - who you just gotta love as a hockey fan - to make a game of it. He basically took his merry band of men and lifted them on his back to keep them in it. Twice.

Kesler did precisely what Sundin is supposed to be here to do. Isn't that why he's a Canuck? Ed Willes jumps on this very theme this morning:

Maybe it was unrealistic to expect him to make an immediate impact. Maybe it was unrealistic to expect him to step in and be the player we last saw in Toronto...But, by any reasonable standard, he's been here long enough to acclimatize himself to the NHL grind and bring his conditioning and timing up to an NHL standard. And not only has he failed there, he's actually hindered the Canucks' attempts to get on track.

Maybe it was unrealistic? Damn straight it was. Some of us called that some time ago.

In fact, while I'm kissing my own ass, part of my argument against Sundin was the likelihood of getting him and not making the playoffs:

3. He signs with Vancouver and they miss the playoffs - Oh this would be fun; all this pre-production drama about where the hell will he sign and he doesn’t help the team make the cut. Why? We can take a guess at any number of plausible story lines: Luongo remains on the sidelines, Sundin doesn’t play well with the Sedins or anyone else, Demitra gets injured, Wellwood gets injured, Kesler gets injured, Bieksa gets injured, Salo remains injured, Fin gets injured, Vigneault can’t make heads or tails of his own team, etc.

Well my run of injuries notwithstanding, this is the trend they are on now.

Then there's that last one: Vigneault not making heads of tails of his own team. You realize that's the giant elephant in the tiny room here still. I've slowly accepted that he probably won't be fired, or if he is, it'll be at a point when it doesn't matter anymore. I mean, shit, if losing eight straight and nine at home can't get you pink slipped, what's a few more losses?

So fine, if we really have to live with AV, then he needs to make some drastic moves. Sitting Sundin in the 6-on-4 at the end of the third last night was a good start. How about some of these ideas for Tuesday against the Hurricanes?

1. Sit Wellwood. The poor guy just doesn't have it. He, alone, could have buried this game multiple times last night.

2. Sit Salo. When the duct tape holds him up, he can't hit the broad side of a barn with those shots. The PP is bad enough without wasting time cycling the puck around the perimeter, passing it back to him and letting him blast it 5 feet away from the net each and every time. Unless you want to sit Bieksa, this is the guy to give some rest too. Besides, I'm sure he needs to heal for something.

3. Figure out a way to at least get Jaffray back on this team. The young guy tried as best he could when given the chance earlier. Hell he's got more points then Sundin. This roster needs eager blood and Manitoba is where it is. If it doesn't work, fine. Send him back. But some of these kids may be able to make a difference. In fact, while you're at it, also consider Bolduc, Ouellet, Krog, Cullen and, what the hell, Grabner.

4. Move Kesler to the top line. You've had everyone try and play with the Sedins. Why not give Kesler a chance now. Make the third line Burrows/Pyatt/Bernier and keep your fingers crossed they don't implode. But Kesler (and maybe Burrows) is the only guy laying it all on the line right now and he should be rewarded.

Or you know? Don't do any of them. Keep saying your system works. Keep hoping that somehow, somewhere, this team will remember how to win a game. There's still plenty of losing streak left I guess.

Some may call last night progress. Vancouver may have ultimately outshot the Wild but they were rarely in control of the game, save for parts of the third. And mind you this is the Wild, not the Flames, Hawks, Sharks or Wings who would likely be first round opponents.

I don't call not playing yet another first period, having to crawl back into yet another game, coughing up more penalties and more PP goals "progress." I call it the ninth straight loss at home.

Albert Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Sorry Einstein, but clearly you never met Alain Vigneault, Mike Gillis or the Vancouver Canucks.

Continue reading this post »

Take a look at the battlefield this morning:

That's amazing: seven teams out of 15 are effectively in a logjam, from 11th to 5th! So while they don't deserve to still be in this, a Vancouver win tonight could actually pull this team back into the hunt far quicker than all these losses pissed them out of it. Then again, if you read this, we're basically dead already.

An aside: Phoenix, Edmonton, and Columbus? REALLY? This is a bad dream.

It's no shock what a win tonight does. I'm sure some would be so ecstatic that they'll forget the last 15 games or so. The players would likely say it's just one game with more work to do. They'd be right...if they win tonight, no one should be celebrating. Talk to me next week if they can rattle off three in a row (with Carolina and Chicago on the horizon).

In two weeks they get three games against absolutely beatable opponents, two of which they are currently chasing in the race: St. Louis, Phoenix and Dallas.

In three weeks they get hell week, the Canadian gauntlet: Habs, Flames, Sens, Leafs and Habs again in nine days.

Another aside: it's wonderful drama that if the Canucks still flounder through the next two weeks, Sundin's return to Toronto could be a potential knock out blow. Ugh. Will Toronto boo him any louder than Bertuzzi's return to Colorado?

The Wild are coming off a loss last night and the additional travel to get to GM Place. As you can see above, they are tied with Vancouver. And they both hate each other. What better test against a tired opponent could Vancouver possibly need?

The Canucks, meanwhile, have been busy the past few days fighting each other and waiting for Gillis to swoop down and spank them like an angry mother. Vigneault admitted yesterday "it’s just a matter of going out and playing"...interestingly no follow up about it also being a matter of a good coaching.

Demitra is still out, Raymond and O'Brien will be sitting (replaced by Brown and Davison respectively) and Sundin should at least start the game on the checking line with Kesler and Burrows.

I fear the window for a bump from a new coach's system is rapidly closing. Inexplicably, it would seem we should expect Gillis, perhaps not wanting to admit he made a mistake this summer, will let Vigneault drive this car straight into a brick wall. So be it, another link in the chain of Vancouver nightmares that spans decades.

Nothing more really needs to be said. If they win, they buy themselves an inch of wiggle room for next week. If they lose again, heads should roll. They probably won't. You'll just get the same recycled list of excuses as the season slowly flips from a playoff drive to the Tavares sweepstakes.

I'm not a positive person, but I am an angry one. So despite my doubt I'll go ahead and say:

GET IT FUCKING DONE TONIGHT GUYS.

NO. MORE. EXCUSES.

Continue reading this post »

4:20 PM ET Update - ....annnnnd the good time go go fun house that is the Vancouver Canucks continues.

Before you read the update, I ask that you kindly play this clip (no need to stare at the crazy clown) but the music will help give a little something to the update.

Courtesy of the Vancouver Sun we had a little altercation between players:

Mitchell ran at Raymond during a drill and, when the speedy sophomore came back at the veteran in the corner, Mitchell punched Raymond in the head and cross-checked him hard on the shoulder.

The fracas drew several players and coaches, and tough defenceman Shane O'Brien skated to Raymond's defence and challenged Mitchell to fight before tempers calmed.

Someone tell O'Brien he can't pad his PIM lead while practicing with his own team. But wait it gets better:

Centre Mats Sundin, meanwhile, has been reassigned to the checking line. He is practising between Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows.

That's right folks. His holiness is making his way to the the fourth line. I blame Alanah.

******************

Look out Ottawa; your claim to Canada's joke team of the year is getting some competition from the West coast.

Recapping these Vancouver losses is starting to feel like a priest giving last rites.

In the spirit of efficiency, let's just make a "How to Lose Seven Straight Games" checklist:

A weak first period in which your team doesn't come to play? CHECK
A second period come back done in by penalties? CHECK
A third period in which they can't find a way to tie much less win? CHECK
Did you have a defenseman (let's call him Bieska) with another poor game on defense? CHECK
Did you have a star center (let's call him Sundin) who sat in the box during a PP goal? CHECK
Did you leave your star goalie (let's call him Lui) out to dry again? CHECK

There. Now I feel more efficient.

So make that seven straight losses, eight straight at home and nine losses out of the last 11 games. Speaking of that number, Chicago is nine points ahead of Vancouver right now (and a team they play next week). Nine points behind Vancouver is - you probably guessed - dead fucking last in the conference. Only the NY Islanders, the worst team in the entire league, has had a worse last ten games (2-7-1) than Vancouver (1-5-4).

This train wreck simply wouldn't be complete without some quotes. Roberto (the least guilty man in the room) you're up first:

"When you are up 3-1 with five minutes to go in the second period, there’s no way that you should go into the locker-room tied...That’s the second time that has happened here in the last couple of weeks."

"Whatever the confidence level is it’s not hard to play defence. I’ve always said that. We gave them opportunities and they took advantage of it."
When your franchise goalie is on record as saying it's not hard to play defense, well, that should probably tell you something. Especially considering the supposed strength of this team is defense! This is setting up the true kick to the crotch one year from now when Luongo bolts for a team that has its head on straight.

Anyway, back to the situation at hand. Let's hear from the defense:

"The effort is there, the preparation is there, for whatever reason we’re just not getting the results right now," said Bieksa.

It's adorable he thinks the effort is there. Someone get him a tape from last night and Clockwork Orange him please.

And speaking of tying someone down to a chair and forcing them to learn something, let's move on to the big gamer Sundin:

"There is no excuse," Sundin said. "I barely touched his back. The ref was in a good position. I didn't think it was penalty. But I guess when you're in the box and the other team scores you never think it's a penalty."

Ah yes spoken like a true leader Mats: blame the refs. Sure they missed the Ward call, fine. But a team that gives a damn doesn't give up three straight PP goals (see Luongo's quote above) and a big ticket legend like yourself should find better ways to help his team other than to piss and moan and point fingers.

Last, but certainly not least, the man of the hour: Jack Adams-winner Alain Vigneault:

"You know when guys are indifferent and they’re not indifferent...They’re taking this personally and they want to succeed. Nobody in that dressing room is taking this lightly. We understand everybody’s frustration and disappointment, but we’re going to stick very close together and work as hard as we can to get back on the right track."

Inspirational to the very end. I need a tissue. Any last words for the suffering fans who pay your salary Alain?

"I’ve got a firm belief in this group, I believe in these players...Some people might just say that I’m saying that, but I think we’ve got a good team, I think guys intentions are good, I think they want to do well for themselves, for their teammates and the community. Obviously it’s not showing right now, but I don’t doubt for one second their intentions."

Newsflash guy: no one is doubting the men who put their livelihoods on the line every night aren't enjoying themselves. They deserve to play better yes and they definitely deserve a better outcome than what we've seen this month.

We can, however, doubt YOUR intentions. You and your staff are thoroughly incapable to carry out the roles and responsibilities you've been given. You've taken a defensive core that was a cut above the rest and have gotten them to play like the Cleveland Barons. You've (finally!) got two solid forward lines at your whim and yet still line juggle shift to shift. You've managed to transform the Canucks into Luongo's last team: the Panthers, a team that's easy to beat at both ends of the ice and a joke in their own arena.

If this is the best you can do, I'm not impressed. And if there's any merciful light at the end of this tunnel, a certain other Mike out there will feel the exact same way this morning.

Looking forward, I feel bad for anyone who has purchased tickets to Saturday's game. They're going to get crushed.

How about this - earlier this year Battle of California proposed merging the Kings and Canucks into one super NHL team. Scratch the Kings, let's just merge with Ottawa and have one super sucky Canadian team! Sundin, Heatley, Spezza, the Sedins up front with Luongo in the back? And we'd get access to Ruutu, Shannon and Isbister again!

Admit it, you sort of like that how that sounded for a second. Sadly, even if it could happen, Vigneault would still find a way to mess it up.

So instead I'll sign off with this: since Toronto is so big on our scraps, why not send Nonis back his precious coach and we'll take Ron Wilson in return. We'll even send Sundin along with him just in time for the trade deadline so the Leafs can finally trade him and get the draft picks they never received for him last year.

(wow, that's the happiest thing I'll say all day)

Continue reading this post »

I couldn't take all of the Sharks game in, so I left to rely on the beauty of pure numbers and the elegance of the scoresheet to tell me the story.

A 2-1 OTL suggests fine goaltending. Luongo stopped 27 of 29. Against the best in the conference? That's about the best we could have hoped for. And the goals, it sounds like, were damn lucky to go in at the times in the game they did. A few seconds away from a shutout turns into an OTL. Them's the breaks. But that's why you love this guy. He did everything he could to get the win and, thus, earned every cent of his paycheck.

On that theme of earning every cent of the paycheck, how about everyone else wearing the Orca? Hmm, I only see 14 shots on Nabokov (including a mighty two in the first period, one of which was Pyatt's goal). Really? Just 14? Half of them came from Daniel or Sundin, only one of whom found his name on the scoresheet (go ahead, take a guess which one).

Anyone remember Kyle Wellwood? Only Horidchuk played less minutes than he did last night. He must really suck these days. I thought he was a hidden gem, a good story in the making and one of the best players we had. At least he was a scant few weeks ago. Then again I haven't updated his meal plan in ages.

A Sedin hooking or holding call is now a reality in every game and Sundin, too, can't stay out of the box.

Well this scoresheet stuff is one thing and I don't have enough patience to dig into the numbers like the pros do. So someone tell me what the hell went on out there? Mr. Botchford if you please:

Many of the mistakes that have haunted them for weeks were still there. Shane O'Brien handed the puck to Joe Pavelski in the first. Jannik Hansen did the same in the second. Mats Sundin was mostly slow and ineffective. The Sedins were the only line that could provide any offensive pressure.

Thank you.

So they've lost six in a row, seven at home and eight of their last ten. In the majority of those games, they haven't shown up at all. Now that Luongo is back, you can assume the goals against should go down. Almost to zero like last night. But if no one else steps up in front of him, what's the point?

This morning maybe you'll find people who were happy that this team wasn't blown out 5-0 again. Perhaps you'll hear them be content that they showed some semblance of a team effort. You'll hear them say "it's something to build on". And, judging on what I said yesterday, I would agree with them in theory; they did show some emotion and guts against a team that is clearly superior.

But the harsh light of reality is always the better bet. Good effort or not, there's not a lot to be thrilled with right now (other then there is STILL time to fix this). This roster is currently not doing a lot of the things that are going to win them hockey games, much less win them convincingly. They aren't playing in a way that suggests they want to be in the top eight or, better still, could survive there.

It was a little over a month ago that Vancouver and Calgary were leapfrogging each other for the NW lead, leaving the rest of the division far behind them. And now Vancouver finds themselves in 8th place in the Western conference (setting up a laughable 1 V 8 scenario with San Jose if they playoffs started today). Edmonton - once the whipping boy - passed them in the standings last night and have two games in hand. A vastly improved Columbus, a silently improving Dallas and old enemies Minnesota and Colorado are all within striking distance of passing Vancouver. Meanwhile Calgary and Chicago slowly inch away and don't forget to chuck Phoenix and Anaheim in the mix.

(Broken record warning) I thought we learned last year Luongo can't do this on his own. I thought booting Nonis was proof that he didn't make the managerial choices to make this team better. I thought getting rid of Naslund, Morrison et al was meant to usher in a new sense of change and optimism. I thought Sundin was the missing piece to boost the team's offensive woes. I thought our top six on the blueline could stack up against any in the league. In theory, didn't we all think this?

But that bright shine of reality shows us something different yet still familiar: The Vancouver Canucks floundering away in the dead of winter, pissing away points that will force them to fight, scrap and claw for every point that remains in February and March.

And we fans are left to hope against hope that they go gangbusters like they did after the ASG in 2007 simply to avoid making the same mistakes they did in 2008 which, son of a bitch, are here again in 2009.

Continue reading this post »

Right now, nothing he tries is working. But what’s not working most of all is the team, since Sundin’s arrival. It might be coincidence, but I kind of don’t think so.

All I know is, many more stinkers like Thursday, and it could come down to this:

Not Vigneault’s fault, but his responsibility.

It might not be the right answer, but it is an answer.

Cam Cole, Vancouver Province
No no, it IS the right answer. There's a time to be diplomatic and a time for action.

Management already got to be diplomatic this past summer when Vigneault's neck was last on the line. We all did; newspapers, blogs, radio shows and countless sideline coaches and hockey moms all got to play the pros/cons game of keeping him around after the team tanked in the final weeks of last March.

A mere five months after he got a pass from Gillis (almost as long as it took Sundin to figure out he wanted to come back and sit in the penalty box as a Canuck) lady luck has shown brightly again: we're tanking in January instead of March. Maybe that's a good thing because there is still time and lots that needs to change, such as:

Fact: Six straight losses at home, tying a franchise record they set in the year the team debuted ('70-'71)
Fact: Three points from being out of the playoff hunt
Fact: In two straight they haven't bothered to show up in the first period, much less the remaining two
Fact: They have zero confidence or flow to their game (you want a particularly sadistic drinking game? Everytime a Canuck misses a pass from a teammate, pound a shot)
Fact: This team has become what the critics wanted them to be in the beginning of the year - a team with no chance in hell of competing.

In an effort to find some semblance of identity in 2008 alone, the Canucks booted their old captain (two if you count Linden's treatment), shed the vestiges of the past (Morrison) and canned the old GM for not getting it done when he had a chance to make a difference. In their place they took the unorthodox steps of naming an agent their GM and a goalie their captain and actually brought in high priced free agents (in Demitra and Sundin).

New look, same result.

Forget the Jack Adams; anyone who uses that claim isn't paying attention to (a) how the hell he got that award (re: Luongo) and (b) what the team has done since he got that award. He's failed to get the best out of the players he's been given. He can't juggle lines effectively (Naslund with Isbister? How about Sundin with Hordichuk?) and yet continues to do so. All the while he has consistently coached teams that have been in the bottom of the league in scoring EXCEPT this year. Well that's great only now they're not winning anymore. Or scoring. Or playing with a level of confidence your average beer league team would have.

Read this brutal account of last night's game, just two days after they played their worst game since San Jose a few weeks ago. That sounds like a team not destined for the first round. It sounds like a team waiting for something to get better. Anything.

So what happens now?

1. They keep Vigneault and turn it around when Luongo & Sundin everyone decides to collectively play better. They'll make the playoffs and we'll all forget the month of January ever happened.

2. They keep Vigneault and continue to tank. They move everyone possible for picks in March and rebuild (the likes of which we haven't seen in a long, long time) over the summer.

3. They fire Vigneault out of a cannon, get a new, strong coaching voice in there and try to keep up with the rest of the surging Western conference now. Before it's too late.

We know #1 isn't real and #2 is just too infuriating to think about with the season just half over. Unless we really want to challenge the Islanders for the #1 pick in June, we're left with #3. With apologies to Cole, this IS the right answer.

Denis Savard was fired by the Blackhawks just four games into the season because of a losing streak and a fear offseason expectations weren't going to be met. And my oh my have the Hawks benefited. Peter Laviolette was canned in December from a team he won the Cup with but was battling "consistency" issues. Melrose - the aslyum nature of Tampa aside - was also losing and not getting the best out of players, at least the few he wasn't benching.

No more excuses. No more games like last night (or like against the Devils or the Sharks or the Caps). No more. It's nothing personal Alain. It's just time.

Pull the trigger Mike.

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