Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Vancouver-Canucks

What Do You Think Of Henrik Sedin Playing One Shift Tonight?

by Paul on 04/27/13 at 10:49 PM ET
Comments (7)

added 4/28/13 at 11:22am, Watch Don Cherry speak about Henrik Sedin and the ironman streak.

 

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Brian Burke Files Defamation Suit Against People Who Made Comments On The Web

by Paul on 04/26/13 at 07:59 PM ET
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from Matt Kieltyka of MetroNews,

The former Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs general manager’s lawyers have filed an action in B.C. Supreme Court Friday alleging defamation against several unidentified Internet commentators who “have spread lies about Brian over the internet, following Brian’s dismissal as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Burke, through lawyer Peter Gall of Heenan Blaikie LLP, is suing for damages and an injunction preventing the defendants “John Does #1 to #18” (identified only by their blog and comment forum user names) from posting any more defamatory statements online.

The comments in question were posted on numerous blogs and hockey forums “explaining” why Burke was fired as Leafs GM in January 2013.

The notice of civil claim says the Internet commentators were spreading lies, alleging Burke had a sexual relationship with a female sports reporter, and may be the father of her child.

continued with the usernames of the commentators...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: brian+burke

TiqIQ Ticket Preview: Canucks @ Oilers

by Paul on 04/26/13 at 07:00 PM ET
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By Eli Epstein, TiqIQ

To close out the 2012-2013 NHL season in Western Canada, rival teams the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers will collide at Rexall Place in Edmonton Saturday night to put one last exclamation point on the shortened campaign.

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The Officiating Standard

by Paul on 04/23/13 at 05:32 PM ET
Comments (5)

from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Henrik Sedin might not be the most objective source on the subject so, even if he’s 100-per-cent right, you can take his views with a grain of salt.

“Yes, absolutely,” the Canucks captain answered when asked if the officiating standard has changed this season.

“I think it’s too late now, but going into next season you’ve got to go back to the last lockout where they called everything. Guys are going to stop hooking if they know they’re going to get called. Right now there’s way too much of that.”

Kerry Fraser, on the other hand, is a more objective source on this subject and he sees the same things. In 30 years as a referee, Fraser called more than 2,000 regular-season and playoff games and was working right after the 2004-05 lockout when, in a stunning development, the game was called by the rulebook. That era now is referred to as the “good old days,” in hockey circles.

“I would have to agree (with Henrik),” said Fraser, who now works as an analyst for TSN.

continued

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Video- Ref Put In A Bad Spot

by Paul on 04/23/13 at 03:03 PM ET
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from Kerry Fraser of TSN,

I was watching the live feed of the game last night on the NHL Network and felt badly for my friend, referee Tom Kowal when he was unofficially creditedwith a 'helper' on Daniel Carcillo's goal. Beyond that feeling my immediate response was, "Oh no, not again!" (Referee in a traffic lane.)...

Officials occupy necessary space on the ice and must constantly navigate to avoid contact with players and the puck.  Most importantly the Referee must position himself in the very best location to see the play with an unobstructed view in order to make a good judgment. That typically means out of high volume traffic areas.

I don't blame Referee Kowal or his colleagues for often standing in this high traffic area behind the goal with a less than perfect sightline and much greater risk for personal injury. They are only doing as they are instructed by their Superiors in the "new way" that is poorly thought out and defies logic and common sense. This change for the sake of change is a bad idea and results in a giant step backward with regard to Referee End Zone Positioning - 101.

read on and watch the goal below...

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, NHL Talk, NHL Officiating, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: daniel+carcillo

Contenders Or Pretenders

by Paul on 04/21/13 at 11:49 AM ET
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from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Let's pretend for a moment this is a normal hockey season and we didn't spend three months trying to make sense of the make-whole provision.

By the time we get to April in a normal season, you generally have an idea about a team's state of preparedness as it readies for the playoffs. You know if they're hot or cold; coming together or falling apart. You know if their stars are starring or slumping; if they're big enough or tough enough; if they have playoff-calibre goaltending.

It doesn't mean the outcome of the Stanley Cup tournament is predictable Far from it. But it does mean you can review the available evidence and form a logical argument about the team in question and its chances.

Which brings us around to your Vancouver Canucks. The beauty, and the curse, of this Canucks' season is it can mean anything you want it to mean. Want to make the case they're a Stanley Cup contender? That's easy. Aren't they on a 12-4-1 run with three games left on their schedule? And aren't they just two years removed from a trip to the final?

Are they hollow pretenders? Of course they are. Weren't they in a three-wins-in-11-games tailspin not too long ago? And weren't they knocked out of the first round last year?

continued

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How Would Vancouver Handle A Run Of Non-Playoff Seasons?

by Paul on 04/16/13 at 05:58 PM ET
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from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

This team gets criticized when they lose a couple of games in a row, now that the city has become used to a winning environment. There were empty seats here not terribly long ago, although the town may have grown so much and going to games may have become such a status symbol that losing may not hurt them at the gate.

That winning environment certainly existed at one time in Edmonton, too, but there’s a big difference in the media of the two places. The Oilers have always been able to maintain a short leash on the media in Edmonton, whereas the relationship here has always been a little more antagonistic, far more so than even Toronto.

And it’s probably that way because this team has never won the big prize and only once has been a realistic winner, that being two years ago. The other two runs to the final were just average teams getting hot with great goaltending.

Looking ahead to the Sedins’ departure makes you wonder how this city would handle a series of severe losing seasons. It may never happen — in fact it probably won’t, in the near term at least. But if it does, we can guarantee you it won’t be pretty.

more

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All Daniel Sedin

by Paul on 04/16/13 at 05:36 PM ET
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from Katie Strang of ESPN,

STRANG: What can you say about the way your team has been playing?

SEDIN: I think we're playing well as a team. We've had a lot of injuries throughout the year and our power play hasn't been working that well, either, but we're just finding ways to win. I think that says a lot about our team. We have a lot of character on our team and our focus is on winning. We're not focused on personal stats or anything like that; it's about winning games.

STRANG: What do you think is most important in terms of gaining momentum heading into the playoffs? Sustaining confidence? Securing home ice?

SEDIN: I think home ice is always important but we're going to have a good chance of getting home ice if we play the right way and focus on doing the little things right. Then, the other things will take care of themselves. That's what we're focused on.

continued

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Give The Sedins A Break?

by Paul on 04/14/13 at 09:58 AM ET
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from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

Unlike last season when they had a consistent string of poor teams to play which gave them a lot of wins they didn’t have to work particularly hard to achieve given the goaltending Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider were providing, this season they have visits from a desperate Detroit team and the two teams ahead of them in the Western Conference. Those two happen to be the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks, and on paper at least, that would seem to be the ideal way to prepare for the post season.

The question is how will these teams behave when it actually comes to playing the games, and we include the Canucks. Six days from now, Vancouver knows it will be playing a quality team — the Wings — still trying hard to qualify or improve it’s position in the playoff pecking order.

But when Chicago comes in, will they go all out to try to demonstrate their dominance over Vancouver or will they be resting the likes of Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews? There is certainly a strong possibility the Ducks will be giving their aging Euro stars Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu a little time off before the playoffs when they come in. The pace of play, travel, and play in the Western Conference in this shortened season is obviously difficult on anyone, much less a guy in his 40s and the lesser celebrated Finn approaching that milestone.

Chances are the Canucks won’t be resting the Sedins through these games given their history and the fact the coaching staff seems to be extremely traditional and unable to try something creative or different.

more

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It’s No Longer A Game, Instead It Is An Event

by Paul on 04/09/13 at 09:42 AM ET
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from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

Perhaps the NHL has finally reached the level of the NBA in that all the distractions of dancing girls, mascots, contests in that league have been matched by the number of gimmicks at a hockey game. The actual on-ice affair was a sham of entertainment, the only artistry on display coming from the artful officials Kyle Rehman and Marc Joannette furiously finding ways to keep Phoenix as close as possible for as long as possible using any and all means at their disposal. Other than that it was pretty much excitement free, yet fans still seemed to be enjoying themselves.

So the big question that any long-time hockey observer or fan really has been asking him or herself lately really no longer comes into play. That question was: How long can they keep filling this place so many times at such high prices to watch such utter garbage entertainment? How long will fans pay over $300 to sit in club seats — even if it is corporate money in most cases — to watch Andrew Ebbett and Boyd Gordon go back and forth in front of them? You keep thinking that someone will wise up.

But then it finally dawns on you. That question is no longer relevant. The Canucks have reached the point where the game is purely incidental. The fans attending are doing so because it is one of the premier social events in this community, and to be able to afford to attend is a monumental status symbol. That's part of the reason why it's such a rush for any given fan to be shown on the big screen, so everyone can know you are in attendance and you are having a wonderful time whether you know Henrik Sedin from Cory Schneider.

more

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