And Boom Goes the Dynamite (Now with more MARK LEE!)

IT'S GAME DAY! And since I have a feeling our game day thread will dominate the day, and since Cam's Noon Number is apparently going to be so mind blowing that it will knock your socks off, I will keep this short and sweet.

My only fun thing to relate to people, is the "Politics make for strange bedfellows" frame of reference in regards to Fantasy Hockey. In Fantasy Hockey, it's strictly business. You can't afford to not pick a player because you don't like the way they look (Looking at you Versteeg) or because of the way they run over small children (Hey there Toews). No, in Fantasy Hockey, you must take the best player available in order to survive. 

As such, we often end up with players we dislike or in some cases hate with the burning passions of a thousand fires of burning lava dripping with stale Frosted Flakes. This was the case for me last night, as in the third round of one of my pools, one player was available, a player that I had to take, even though I almost threw up doing so. Mr Patrick Kane was sitting there, begging to be picked, chewing on its mouthguard, looking indifferent to entire process. But choose him I did, knowing that I was making the right pick, but saddened that I had just committed to cheering on Patrick Kane for the 2012 NHL season. There is something depressing about watching a game at Rogers Arena, seeing the Hawks score, getting really angry, then realizing it was Kane, then silently telling yourself "Sweet, a goal in the pool." It's disgusting.

So in the comments below, if you play Fantasy Hockey, share your horror stories of having to pick a player you don't like. Share your horror stories of having an auto-draft **** over your team. Let's swap some fantasy hockey talk! On with the news!

Before I start, if any of our readers out there run their own blog and write about the Canucks, send me your link to your page at thestanchion@ymail.com and you might just find your link on our daily links! I link to a lot of mainstream media, but it's nice to get the fans perspective on things as well! 

Vancouver Canuck News:

• Icing on the Puck is a blog written by a female, so it's always nice to add more of the fairer sex's opinion into the fold. Is Icing on the Puck written by a mindless puck bunny who still doesn't regret getting that Dan Cloutier tattoo on her rear? No, it is actually written by a hardcore hockey fan who knows her stuff.  Read her article weighing in on equipment being an issue in hockey injuries over at [Icing on the Puck]
• Rob the Hockey Guy asks the question, will THIS be the year the Canucks win the cup? I screamed at him "NO. NO YOU IDIOT NO." many times until he called the cops, but if you want to see what his crystal ball says, give him a read over at [Rob the Hockey Guy]
• Canucks are apparently ready for another Cup run according to CBC. I read this and I felt like a weight dropped on my shoulders, as I had to prepare myself for the inevitable failure of another Canucks year. (Yes I am pessimistic. I've recently been called a misomaniac ). Still, amazingly Ron MacLean doesn't weigh in about how Alex Burrows has plans for world domination or killing off all the cute puppies in the world, so give it a twirl over at [CBC]
• Alex Burrows on the powerplay? IMPOSSIBLE. Some said it could never be done, but apparently all it took was a crippling injury to Ryan Kesler, and an impossibly bad 2nd powerplay unit from last year leaving us with no other choice. Burrows will get a chance on the powerplay to start the year, and to all of us that chose Burrows in their pools, let me just say THANK YOU OH MY GOD THANK YOU. [Vancouver Sun]
• Hopefully more people get excited about Kesler wearing full gear rather than being nude, but regardless, it was a nice sight to see Kesler being fully geared up and cleared for contact, leaving many of us to wonder how long we can hide the Kesler photos from the girls our life so we don't look terrible in comparison. Either way, Kes might be on pace to return sooner rather than later. [Vancouver Province]
• Kevin Bieksa confirms we are the most hated team in the league. Also, apparently people poked fun at Kesler being fully nude. Who saw that coming?? [Toronto Sun]
• Vancouvers MSM weighs in on if Schneider will be traded this year, and if he likes being tickled. [Province]
•  I enjoy the picture they used for this story. It shows Alain Vigneault completely focused while a blur is behind him. AV CAN STOP TIME. Anyways, here is an article discussing how AV controls his team without having to throw tantrums. I won't lie, I miss Crawford's "TOO MANY" screams at times. Not that gum chewing isn't intimidating. [Vancouver Sun]