Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Vancouver-Canucks

Would Tortorella Be A Fit In Vancouver?

by Paul on 06/11/13 at 02:02 PM ET
Comments (5)

from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,

With Tortorella you might get Vigneault 2.0 with a heavy reliance on great goaltending, good defence and a struggle to score goals. The Rangers were 10th in offence and 23rd on the power play during the regular season and a paltry 4-for-44 on the power play in the playoffs. But you also get a snap to attention from a guy who guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship in 2003-04. That carries cache, even though Torotella rubbed many Rangers the wrong way and you can just imagine how Henrik and Daniel Sedin would react to that approach. They’ll probably call Henrik Lundqvist for a heads-up.

However, this could be another fact-finding mission for both parties. Tortorella knows Ryan Kesler from the Team USA program at the 2010 Olympics, but he’s probably anxious to learn how Gillis plans to make his club better while already being at the salary cap ceiling for next season with seven players to still sign to flush out the roster. Is Gillis going to trade Keith Ballard? Can he move Roberto Luongo? What about Alex Edler? What about employing a more up-tempo approach? What about assistant coaches?

Gillis will be just as curious. Can Tortorella rule with an iron fist and not turn off a veteran core than doesn’t believe it needs somebody to come in and rattle the chains? Would he be a lockerroom presence or allow players to police themselves? Can he handle a hockey-mad market? Can he handle a core of veterans who savour having considerable clout in the room?

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: john+tortorella

Cory Schneider Talks Goalie Equipment

by Paul on 06/06/13 at 12:07 PM ET
Comments (2)

from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,

“It’s kind of a running joke that everyone thinks goalies are too good because their gear is too big,” said the Vancouver Canucks starter, part of a five-member NHL Players’ Association contingent that met with one owner, three general managers and a coach at the NHL office. “When you look at it, in 2000 the average goalie was six-feet tall and now it’s 6-foot-2. That’s part of it. The position has gotten bigger and faster — just like the rest of the game — and they’re making changes to compensate.

“Maybe it’s a natural progression to take away some of our blocking area to score goals. It’s not something as a goalie you want to hear with all the time and effort you put into the position. It’s muscle memory and repetition and when those repetitions change, they can throw you off.”

That said, Schneider realizes the game continues to evolve and scoring is at a premium. It’s rare to see a shooter blast a puck past a stopper without the aid of a screen or deflection. Goals most often come from a rebound into the slot or from goalmouth scrambles that resemble mosh pits.

It’s to the point where well protected goalies bemoan pucks that go through them — especially between the arm and body — because their razor-sharp reflexes and quick post-to-post movements negate those opportunities. In that sense, Schneider understands what’s at play and that the NHL board of governors will do anything to advance scoring. And bigger isn’t better when it comes to goalie mobility.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: cory+schneider

Possible Landing Spots For Luongo

by Paul on 06/06/13 at 09:34 AM ET
Comments (5)

from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

It is safe to say there are goaltending concerns in Philadelphia, Florida, Edmonton, Washington, Buffalo, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Calgary, Minnesota and the Islanders — a team whose goalie problems my colleague Jason Botchford wrote about last week in The Province.

You would think, at some point, there have to be takers, given the importance of the position. But then, Luongo’s contract represents a lot of money — and there are always other options.

Here are snapshots of the nine teams mentioned above:

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers always have issues and they might think they have solved them with Steve Mason, who certainly finished up with solid numbers after coming over from Columbus and being re-signed to an extension. So Mason’s likely their man but if that isn’t high-risk, it’s hard to tell what might be.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: roberto+luongo

Evening Line

by Paul on 05/22/13 at 08:17 PM ET
Comments (0)

I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a group these past seven seasons in Vancouver and only wish we were able to win the Canucks first Stanley Cup. I am a career coach and it is what I love to do. I hope to coach again in this League and will always have good memories of my time and the fans in Vancouver.

-Alain Vigneault.  Read more from a release he sent out at the Canucks' website.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alain+vigneault

Canucks Will Be Searching For A New Coach

by Paul on 05/22/13 at 04:18 PM ET
Comments (0)

Numerous media outlets are confirming the report from Louis Jean of Vigneault being fired by the Canucks.

 

 

 

added 4:30pm, from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province.

Popes are elected in less time than it took the Canucks to fire Alain Vigneault. But now that the inevitable decision has been made, the longstanding debate over Vigneault’s abilities has finally come to an end.

For this we can only be thankful, because the issue had long since become tiresome. The small but persistently shrill anti-Vigneault faction laid a disproportionate share of blame for the Canucks’ shortcomings at the former coach’s feet. Vigneault supporters were likely blind to a staleness that had set root in the organization. In the end, it was simply time for a new voice, a new face, and unless Francesco Aquilini decided to reset the organization from top to bottom, Vigneault was going and general manager Mike Gillis was staying.

continued

added 6:10pm, Read the press release from the Canucks below...

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alain+vigneault

Time To Replace Vigneault

by Paul on 05/22/13 at 02:06 PM ET
Comments (3)

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

It is time to either put Vigneault (read: us) out of his (our) misery, not to mention a couple of assistant coaches who would be networking for their next job already, if what we suspect to be pending was actually announced as fact.

Penned beat man Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: “Like a carton of sour milk, the expiration date on Vigneault has passed. Move on.”

We’re not so sure that analogy isn’t a tad harsh, as we’ve always found Vigneault to be anything but sour. Guarded around playoff time, yes. Sour? No, he’s usually good for a laugh or two.

But after seven seasons at the helm in Vancouver there is no doubt: The Big West Coast problem might not be Vigneault’s fault entirely, but it is his problem.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alain+vigneault

What Direction Is Edler’s Career Going?

by Paul on 05/17/13 at 10:19 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

If you thought Edler had a brain-dead season this year — coughing up the puck and playing soft for a man of his tremendous physical abilities — you will be pleased to know that he at least tried to hit somebody in this one. Unfortunately for the Carolina Hurricanes and Eric Staal, it was a ridiculously lame hit on the Canadian forward’s knee in the first period of Thursday’s 3-2 Sweden victory. Edler got a major penalty and was ejected from the game, and rightfully so. Loads of people on Twitter joined the condemnation of the hit.

Staal went down as though he’d had his leg sawed off and if he doesn’t have a serious knee injury that will keep him out a long while, it will be nothing short of a miracle. Edler threw his stick in frustration as he left the ice, and whether he was upset with himself or the call isn’t known. The bonehead play certainly gives Canucks fans pause to ponder just where this guy’s career is going — given he hasn’t made a zot of progress under this coaching staff.

There have been suggestions that general manager Mike Gillis should move Edler before his new no-trade clause kicks in — and suggestions that this won’t be happening, because the organization promised they wouldn’t do that when they convinced him to take a hometown discount to remain with the club. So in all probability, the Canucks will try to keep their reputation as an honourable organization, and keep their word by keeping the player. But they’d better figure out a way to get this kid some help if they ever want to see any benefit from their $30-million investment.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alex+edler, team+sweden

Time For A Coaching Change In Vancouver

by Paul on 05/10/13 at 09:50 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

When Mike Gillis said all those good things about Alain Vigneault at his Thursday press conference, there is absolutely no question he meant every one of them, and when the coach is fired, it won’t mean there’s been any change to those feelings — it just means it’s time for a change.

In fact, it’s long, long overdue, and the only reason Vigneault coached here and not in Montreal this season is because Gillis felt strongly he should continue.

There have been reports he refused to sign his own contract extension unless the organization was going to renew Vigneault at the same time, though Gillis denied that Thursday. But ownership has been sour on the coach now for some time, so when the move is made, nobody should feel the coach is being maligned or put upon.

It turns out the ownership was right, and among mistakes Gillis has made, this is one he’s almost certain never to repeat — wait too long on a coach.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Canucks Forced To Change With The Game

by Paul on 05/09/13 at 06:52 PM ET
Comments (6)

from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

The Canucks, it seems, are trying to win with a game that’s no longer played in the NHL. This game is based on speed, skill, execution and precision, and while these are noble virtues, they’re no longer effective or necessary in the NHL. This is a sad development for the game, and if Gary Bettman and the league’s other stewards could stop counting their profits long enough to notice it, there’s a chance something might be done.

But that’s also another story for another time. On this day, the relevant theme concerns the Canucks and how they got in this predicament.

For the second year in a row, the Canucks were eliminated by a team that might not have been as flashy but were bigger, heavier and tougher. This showed up in a hundred ways but, mostly, it was apparent in the hockey’s principal war zones where the game has traditionally been won and lost.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Morning Line

by Paul on 05/09/13 at 08:33 AM ET
Comments (1)

“When I die, I want the Vancouver Canucks to be my pallbearers. So they can let me down one last time.”

-a tweet from a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, via Allan Maki of the Globe and Mail where you can read an article on the heroes who are beginning to appear in the playoffs.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

 1 2 3 >  Last ›      Next »