Well, in the Disney area code, anyhow.  The first game for a bunch of the regulars was tonight, to quiet the kerfuffle from some of our puck media complaining about the way that AV and Gillis set it up.  Me? I was OK with it.  You know that if they get off to a slow October start though, it won't be because that has happened before, but because of the preseason schedule!

Anyhow, the big guns were out tonight, in a game that had NHL ready lineups on both sides.  We'll see after the break whether it was a more regular season or preseason...

Continue reading this post »

The first games, even in preseason, are always fun. You wanted it back so much, you tend to view it all through a rosey pair of glasses.  The players seem to be faster, the goalies stop everything, and every hit sounds much louder.  But we do have to remember, this is the preseason, there is a reason some of these guys were not in the NHL last season, and even the sweetest smelling rose has some thorns.

Now, I am not saying that our heroes had one of those kind of games.  They did not. Hard work and the "Canuck Hockey" prerequisites of speed and pressure were well on display tonight.  But this is the mighty San Jose Sharks! Pierre Lebrun's pick to win it all.

Whatever.  Bottom line is the Canuck prospects and guys trying so hard to make the team were up against a team that looked very much like the same bunch we beat in the Western Conference Finals.

Let us see how they fared after the break.  

Continue reading this post »

As the various puck media debate how the Canucks have went about their preseason lineups, we got another chance to see how our young guns are doing against an "NHL ready" lineup.  This time it is the Ducks though, with one of the better lines in the league in Getzlaf, Ryan and Perry.  Include in that the entire 2nd line from last year. Most of their blue line from last year.  And of course Jonas Hiller.

Once again, somehow, the Western Conference Champs would have to survive somehow with a top line that was Hodgson, Sturm and AV's new fave Niklas Jensen.  Schroeder, Ebbett,  and Lapierre as the other centres, guys like Duco, Dmitrakos, Billy Sweatt and Victor Oreskovich.  A blue line that has Ballard, Alberts and Tanev as the "vets", and Sulzer, Conautton and Ryan Parent as the young guns.

But we have the old warrior Todd Fedoruk, and of course, the MANchild himself, Mark Mancari.  With Cory Schneider in the nets, who knows?  It probably won't be enough ( it was not ), but its Canuck hockey, and at least we can all agree that the Ducks play like A'holes!

Continue reading this post »

First of all, Manny Legace has been released. I don't see another NHL team signing him but wish him luck regardless. Other players cut:

Kellan Tochkin (sent back to Medicine Hat - WHL team)

Anton Rodin, Alex Friesen, Taylor Ellington, Prab Rai, Adam Polasek and Stefan Schneider have been assigned to the Chicago Wolves. Matt Clackson and Nathan Longpre have been released to the Wolves.

Thanks to Jake_Canadian for the heads up.

The Canucks also announced on Friday that they signed their 150th overall pick in the 2011 Draft, defenceman Frank Corrado. He has been assigned to his OHL team, the Sudbury Wolves.

As we waited for this one to start, there was a tremendous amount of invective for a preseason game.  Hordichuk running his mouth again ( its going to be a theme with him this year ), Terry Jones whining about the lineup not being "NHL" enough. That it would not be a fair assessment of the inevitable win that was coming their way.

Ferraro talking about the Canucks making a "mockery" of the 8 veteran rule.  It got a bit much. After the break, lets try to break down the mayhem and mastery of the youthful Oilers. 

Continue reading this post »

CANUCKS (1-1)		OILERS (1-1)
	AT

Not much or any info out there yet about rosters for tonight's game. Jim Jamieson offered what could be considered a little bit of light on the Canucks' end, saying that at practice on Wednesday the following Canucks forwards were lined up: Sedins-Burrows, Pinizzotto-Lapierre-Nolan, Sturm-Ebbett-Samuelsson and Higgins-Malhotra-Hansen. Jason Botchford mentioned that Vigneault rolled out the artillery on D: Bieksa-Hamhuis, Salo-Edler and Tanev-Ballard. Even so, this is not necessarily the roster that will play against the Oilers, as I read somewhere that AV said he'd ice a "mixed bag."

On Edmonton's side, no one knows. We might see Darcy Hordichuk (golf clap). We won't see Ben Eager as he suffered a concussion from being hit by one of his own teammates at the Joey Moss Cup. Maybe we'll see a Ryan Smyth-Nugent-Hopkins-Eberle line that beat Chicago on Tuesday. Edit: Roster updates after the jump.

No matter who plays, expect speed, skill and violence. Lineups will be revealed sometime tomorrow.

Continue reading this post »

Once again, the Canucks hit the ice, on the long journey back to one more win.  After a President's trophy season, hitting heights ( not since 78 has a team been #1 in GF and GA, not since 81 has a team been #1 in PP and PK , which we just missed by a couple penalty kills! ) that have not been attained in a long time by any team.

So, we know we have a great team.  But this is a new year, and everyone starts at zero again.  The new guys want the old guys jobs.

One thing. Don't sweat the scores, good or bad.  Especially with the split squad games. The Flames obviously wanted a win at home tonight, that lineup is almost their NHL one.  After the break, let's see who was good, and who was not so good, and what's what with the home and away double header.

Continue reading this post »

CANUCKS		FLAMES

Hockey is back, folks! Sure it's just preseason but it's a glorious chance to watch players fighting for an NHL spot, and actually, for many of them, fighting in the form of fisticuffs against the hated Calgary Flames. Preseason hockey is awesome even though it lacks star power. It's intense. It's worth watching.

Two split squad games will be played, one in each city. Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »