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Category: Vancouver-Canucks

Canucks/Oilers: Coaches Disagree About Hit

by Alanah McGinley on 09/30/07 at 07:00 AM ET
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From the CP via TSN,

It wasn’t the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 pre-season victory over the Edmonton Oilers that will be remembered, but rather a scary third period hit.

And perhaps the coaches reaction to it.

The game itself was overshadowed by a wince-inducing incident five minutes into the third as Canuck Rick Rypien slammed Oiler defenceman Mathieu Roy into the boards behind the Edmonton net. Roy was briefly knocked unconscious and taken away on a stretcher, but does have movement in his extremities. Rypien was assessed a five minute major for charging.

continued…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: edmonton+oilers, injuries, vancouver+canucks

Fighting Remains Part Of The Game

by Paul on 09/27/07 at 10:21 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,

Rightly or wrongly, fighting remains with us. What the means for the league is a matter of some debate as it will continue to be a source of appeal to some and a source of revulsion to others.

“A good portion of teams will want to copy a team (Anaheim) that’s been successful,” Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said. “But I’m not a believer in an enforcer who plays three or four shifts a game. I think you have to be able to play and I think we have guys on our team who can do that. That’s not an area I’m concerned about at all.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: fighting, vancouver+canucks

Oh Roberto!

by Paul on 09/26/07 at 02:38 PM ET
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from Adam Proteau of the Hockey News,

I’ve never been a major proponent of enlarging NHL nets. But when I hear Roberto Luongo threaten retirement if such a thing comes to pass, I want nothing more than to see the NHL go that route.

The audacity and petulance of Luongo’s statement truly is stunning.

continued plus more NHL talk…

Note:  Here is the full transcript of Luongo’s comments yesterday.

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

The Dreaded Groin Injury Pops Up

by Paul on 09/19/07 at 09:51 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,

The Canucks’ plans have taken a shot to the groin.

Five players have now been sidelined with sore groins. It’s an epidemic of injuries among the veterans that coach Alain Vigneault implied Tuesday could have been avoided under the old rules governing camp.

“There is no one who is sore who was at the prospects camp,“he said. “The prospects had seven full days of practice before we got into games. They had more time to prepare for game-like situations.

“Because of the CBA [collective barganing agreement] our hands are tied. Before [the current CBA] it was five to seven practices before you played an intrasquad game. Now, it’s three [for the veterans] and you’re right into it.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: injuries, vancouver+canucks

Line Of The Day

by Paul on 09/14/07 at 09:18 AM ET
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via the Vancouver Sun,

Cowan lost an edge during a high-speed one-on-one rush and slid hard into the Hart and Vezina Trophy runner-up. The two became entangled in the net and it seemed like an eternity, although it was only seconds, before they were able to regain their feet. Happily no one was injured.

“I was wondering what was going on,” said Luongo, who was able to chuckle about it after the fact. “I thought maybe he took a page out of the Anaheim Ducks’ playbook.”

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

Canucks Must Find Consistent Offense

by Paul on 09/13/07 at 10:13 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,

Can the Vancouver Canucks, coming back with nearly the same team, extract enough scoring from an offence that finished 21st in the NHL last year to make a run at a championship?

“We’re going to hear about it until we go out and do something about it, there’s no question,” forward Brendan Morrison said.

“I don’t see it being a huge issue, but obviously it becomes a huge issue if things don’t change.”

read on

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

Canucks Focus On Work Ethic & Preparation

by Paul on 09/12/07 at 09:18 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,

“I don’t know what the expectations are,” said Vigneault. “I know our expectation is we want more and we want more success. We’re going to demand more from each other. We’re raising our own expectations.”

Vigneault then paused, his eyes grew wider and he became visibly animated.

“Our first step is making it to the dance. But making it isn’t as easy as saying we had success last season. It’s a big challenge. The teams that made the final two years ago [Carolina and Edmonton] didn’t make the playoffs last year. You have to respect that process. It’s our job to make sure the players don’t get caught looking ahead.

“We know about the challenge. We’re going to hit it head on with our work ethic and our preparation. We’re confident if we do it the right way we’ll get in the playoffs and then we’ll see what happens. And that has nothing to do with outside expectations.”

more

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

Northwest Division Wide Open

by Paul on 09/11/07 at 09:20 AM ET
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from Wes Goldstein at CBS Sportsline,

One man’s competitiveness might be another’s mediocrity, but it makes things intriguing in the Northwest Division, where most teams start the season with as good a chance of finishing first as missing the playoffs entirely.

Not much actually separates the top from the bottom in this cutthroat division, where the best two teams last season were playoff outsiders the year before and the last-place club was a Stanley Cup Finalist only months before. Things can and do change quickly in the Northwest, even in the middle of the season as the Colorado Avalanche proved last year when they were given up for dead around the All-Star break.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Roberto Luongo Knows Pressure

by Alanah McGinley on 09/11/07 at 01:35 AM ET
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From TSN via CTV,

Last season was all that anyone would have expected of Roberto Luongo, who carried his team to a division title and was runner-up for the Vezina and Hart Trophies in the process.

But his biggest accomplishment was the hope that he gave the franchise. So what does Luongo do for an encore?

“There’s always room for improvement,” he told reporters on Monday. “The more experience you get, the better you become. The harder you work in practice and better your game in aspects you know you can be better at, that’s how you improve yourself.”

more…

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

Willie Mitchell Deals With Popularity

by Paul on 09/09/07 at 11:10 AM ET
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from the Times Colonist,

“Hockey is popular in Minnesota [where Mitchell spent more than three NHL seasons with the Wild], but being back playing in a Canadian city is a whole different ball game with the crazy amount of attention you receive,” says Mitchell.

And this isn’t just any Canadian team Mitchell finds himself with, but the home-province team he grew up adoring as a kid.

“It gets a little crazy, but it’s all part of it and I enjoy what I do,” said the product of the North Island Eagles minor hockey teams.

“I’m lucky to be doing it. But it can be a little overwhelming being a Canuck in B.C. and trying to balance that with personal and family time.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: willie+mitchell

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