Canucks and Beyond
Entries with the tag: roberto luongo
The Odds on Vancouver Goaltending
by Alanah McGinley on 10/27/11 at 06:00 PM ET
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Given all the fuss about goaltending around these parts, Bodog is glad to make some money off the argument. Here are their odds on what has apparently become the Annual October Debate in this province:
Who will start more games in the month of November 2011?
Roberto Luongo (VAN) -500
Cory Schneider (VAN) +300
Who will have more wins during the 2011-12 regular season?
Roberto Luongo (VAN) -18½
Cory Schneider (VAN) +18½
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cory+schneider,
roberto+luongo
Luongo’s New Mask
by Alanah McGinley on 10/20/11 at 06:25 PM ET
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“It’s a couple weeks late, just like my game.”
—Roberto Luongo, on receiving his new mask (via Canucks.com which adds: “Criticizing Luongo has apparently become so popular that the man himself is taking shots at the man himself.”)
*photo is property of Ben Kuzma
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo
Canucks-Related Misery
by Alanah McGinley on 10/13/11 at 07:29 PM ET
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— Last night’s Philly/Van game. Listening to “Jagr has the puck…” calls was surreal enough, but much of the rest of the game was outright painful. Hopefully the pre-season ends soon for these guys? (On the other side of the equation, hearing the words “goalie controversy” five minutes into the season sort of makes some of us want to smack around the entire Canucks fanbase.)
— Today’s Canucks/Wings game. It appears that some Canucks fans (i.e. me) aren’t able to watch the Vancouver/Detroit game tonight. Apparently MLB (and its spry little scurrying squirrel... wth?) is dominating our regular Sportsnet SD and HD channels.
This has forced tonight’s hockey matchup between the Red Wings and Canucks up onto some stratospheric backup channel on the TV dial (well, they used to be called dials… back when I had 80’s hair), and one that apparently I can’t get. This is despite the fact I pay more for my cable each month than I do for health insurance. For my entire family.
Filed in: dumb stuff, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo,
sportsnet
Turning the Page in Vancouver
by Alanah McGinley on 10/05/11 at 07:23 PM ET
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Most of the stories about the Vancouver Canucks this past summer had one theme: they lost. Kaboom. The Stanley Cup Finals was a great ride… until it wasn’t.
But with a new season finally upon us, the page seems to be turning as the analysis switches towards the new topic of “so now what?” With the puck drop countdown now in its final hours, perhaps it’s finally safe to to start being optimistic about a new season.
_______________
—Is the latest version of the NHL—Brendan Shanahan’s NHL, that is— built for the Canucks? You could make the argument that it is. In today’s Province, Ed Willes argues his thesis about the Red Wings Way:
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cory+schneider,
playoffs,
roberto+luongo,
sami+salo,
scf
Post-Series: Luongo, Sedin, Sedin, Kesler
by Alanah McGinley on 06/16/11 at 02:46 AM ET
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Update: More video—Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: daniel+sedin,
henrik+sedin,
roberto+luongo,
ryan+kesler
Game 7—An Olympic Event for Luongo
by Alanah McGinley on 06/14/11 at 04:25 PM ET
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After some thought about how Roberto Luongo is likely to be handling the pressures of game 7, given the highs and lows he’s gone through in this series, my final estimation is that he’s probably not even thinking about the past games of this Stanley Cup Final series anymore. (Or I should say, if it was me, I wouldn’t be thinking about them anymore.)
Because for Luongo, this is much like a 2010 redux for the Gold Medal, one game takes all. And given how that turned out for him, on his own home ice no less, it’s probably a pretty inspiring way to approach game 7.
Furthermore, judging by his record on home ice during these 2011 Playoffs, home is a great place to be. Let’s consider the numbers:
- —In 13 home games, Luongo has allowed 23 goals. That’s 1.77 goals per game.
- —Luongo has had all 4 shutouts on home ice, including two against Boston
- —Luongo has recorded a .978 SV% against the Bruins on home ice.
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: hockey+fans,
olympics,
roberto+luongo,
stats
Marty Turco Talks Luongo
by Alanah McGinley on 06/14/11 at 02:14 AM ET
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Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: marty+turco,
roberto+luongo
Canucks Day Off: Luongo, Edler, Alberts, Ballard
by Alanah McGinley on 06/09/11 at 11:43 PM ET
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Canucks Q&A with Roberto Luongo, Alex Edler, Andrew Alberts and Keith Ballard, transcripts.
UPDATE: Alain Vigneault video here, and transcription added at the bottom part of the post.
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault,
alex+edler,
andrew+alberts,
interviews,
keith+ballard,
roberto+luongo,
transcript
Canucks Today: Q&A with Sedins, Malhotra, Luongo, Salo, Ballard
by Alanah McGinley on 06/07/11 at 05:37 PM ET
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Q&A with Henrik Sedin, Sami Salo, Daniel Sedin, Manny Malhotra, Roberto Luongo and Keith Ballard.
Vignault’s comments previously posted here.
____________________________________
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Henrik.
HENRIK SEDIN: He passes the puck, Rome steps up. It’s not like it’s a blindside. I think the guy didn’t even know that he was there. I thought it was a good hit.
Like I said, we have to move on. This is the finals. We got no time.
Q. Is this a rallying cry for you guys?
HENRIK SEDIN: No, I don’t think we need that. Like I said, we got to support Aaron. He’s been a big part of this team, a great player for us. It’s tough to see what he’s going through right now.
At the same time you don’t want to see a guy like Horton out like he is. That’s not fun to see. I’m hoping he’s going to be fine.
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: daniel+sedin,
henrik+sedin,
keith+ballard,
manny+malhotra,
roberto+luongo,
sami+salo,
transcript
Game 2: Canucks Post-Game Transcripts/Video
by Alanah McGinley on 06/05/11 at 01:46 AM ET
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NOTE: Updated with transcripts including Manny Malhotra, Daniel Sedin and Roberto Luongo. Plus Henrik Sedin, Sami Salo and Ryan Kesler videos down below.
All the game video posted here. Now, the interview video and/or transcripts, post-game. First, Alain Vigneaul (with more to be added below):
Vigneault Transcript:
Q. Could you talk about your team’s response when you’re down 2-1, the mood in the dressing room going into the third?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Yeah, you know, I didn’t like 15 minutes of that second period. Thought we didn’t have our work boots on. We got out-muscled down low in our end and out-muscled in their end, thought they really took it to us.
But we talked about adjusting different things, especially our work ethic. Thought our guys were real good the last five minutes of that second period and real good in the third period. There’s another tough battle by two teams that are battling really hard.
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault,
daniel+sedin,
henrik+sedin,
manny+malhotra,
roberto+luongo,
ryan+kesler,
sami+salo
Friday Canucks Transcript: Malhotra, Kesler, Burrows and Luongo
by Alanah McGinley on 06/03/11 at 05:52 PM ET
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Q. Manny, can you just give us your chances or odds of playing tomorrow.
MANNY MALHOTRA: I wish I could put it into a percentage for you. Again, it’s going to be day to day. I’ll see how I feel after our morning skate and we’ll make a decision at that point.
Q. What happened after the last three days?
MANNY MALHOTRA: As I said on Saturday, it’s a day-to-day situation. From one day to the next, things have changed. Didn’t feel proper to go on the ice. So I took a couple days off.
Q. Ryan, can you just describe what you saw on this game-winning goal. Seemed to happen so fast.
RYAN KESLER: Yeah, I saw the Krejci line changing. I saw an opening to go. I saw Boychuk trying to step up on me there. I just tried to chip it by him, stayed on sides. Saw Jannik. Jannik made a great play to Raffi to bury it.
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alexandre+burrows,
manny+malhotra,
roberto+luongo,
ryan+kesler
Not Such a Good Friday in Vancouver
by Alanah McGinley on 04/22/11 at 02:14 PM ET
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“Hockey Playoffs” vs “Sticking Hand in Meat Grinder”: What might be most fun on a weekday night?
I’m torn.
“Hockey Playoffs” seems like a no-brainer… till you suddenly remember you’re a $%#@&! Vancouver Canucks fan, and unexpectedly the hand-in-meat-grinder thing sounds like it might have an upside.
God bless the Canucks—all that sheer talent, all of it unilaterally focused on some mission to terrorize their own fanbase.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault,
cory+schneider,
roberto+luongo
Randomly…
by Alanah McGinley on 05/27/09 at 08:44 PM ET
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I’m awfully late with this, but that’s the kinda thing that happens when a girl has a couple of weeks away from hockey-ish things. I totally miss out on idiocy like this:
The Weather Network clearly has no idea who they’re talking to, (which is probably a surreally-awesome experience for Luongo), but it makes me worry about what else I’ve missed on the Weather Channel. Has Barack Obama ever come jogging by? Stephen Harper? Little green men visiting from Mars… perhaps too polite to point out that, “Geezus lady, we’re little green men visiting from Mars!”?
I definitely need to watch more TV, not less. 
(Thanks to my friend Josh for mentioning this vid to me!)
Filed in: obnoxious hockey blogging, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo
Luongo Sees His Chance
by Alanah McGinley on 04/29/09 at 06:12 PM ET
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“I feel this is the best chance that I’ve ever had in the NHL,” Luongo said. “This is an exciting opportunity for us. We have a real chance here to do some damage. We’re playing for one goal and that’s the Cup.
“That’s what everyone talks about: How many rings do you have? It would be nice to go through a career with at least one Stanley Cup, no? I assume half of my career is done with and I haven’t even come close. Time is ticking.”
More from and about Roberto Luongo in Larry Wigge’s column today at NHL.com
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Tags: roberto+luongo
Dear Vancouver: When All is Going Well, Be Sure to Find Something to Whine About
by Alanah McGinley on 03/17/09 at 04:49 PM ET
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The Vancouver media is even glad to set the trend for you. From the Vancouver Sun:
Roberto Luongo, the Vancouver Canucks’ last line of defence, went on the offensive Monday when faced with a series of questions about a recent rash of soft goals and his struggles playing the puck outside his crease. [...]
“Like I said, all the goalies make mistakes behind the net, even the best ones in the league,” Luongo said. “So just because I make mistakes doesn’t mean it has to be amplified and suggested I don’t know how to play the puck.”
Puck Daddy responds to Luongo’s irritation with a wry “Doesn’t change the fact that at times he’s been softer than Vince Vaughn’s midsection in between movies.”
Ah, swell. So, a 2.35 GAA is the new standard for “soft”...
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo,
stats
Canucks Picture Book
by Alanah McGinley on 01/27/09 at 06:52 PM ET
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The Canucks this week, told in various imagery.
First we’ve got “Brian Burke” who apparently discovered Twitter today, broadcasting this disturbing message.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: brian+burke,
detroit+red+wings,
mason+raymond,
roberto+luongo
Quick Random Hits on the NHL
by Alanah McGinley on 01/26/09 at 05:24 PM ET
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Random, post- All Star weekend thoughts on a variety of topics—some serious, most not.
- Watching Gary Bettman and Ron MacLean chatting at the ASG, I was struck by Bettman’s demeanor. He seemed to be almost vibrating throughout that interview and it led me to wonder if he has some mild neurological disorder developing that’s been unreported. (Note: I’m not in any way making a joke here. Hopefully I was just imagining things. But he seemed really jittery…). You can compare this year’s conversation with his time talking to MacLean at last year’s ASG. Bettman seemed—to me—to be much more ‘wired’ yesterday. Is there some mysterious illness at work, or was it just a sign of too much espresso? (Update: alternate theories from readers added below…)
Filed in: nhl general, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: asg,
gary+bettman,
hockey+fans,
roberto+luongo,
sidney+crosby
Luongo is Hot… So Says Joe
by Alanah McGinley on 01/23/09 at 08:11 PM ET
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From Kit Amundson at Examiner.com:
It was amusing to watch the crew from E! interview [Joe] Thornton. They informed him that they had decided he was one of the “Hot Guys in Hockey” and wanted to know how he felt about it. What’s he going to say? Being the nice guy that he is Thornton said he was flattered. As if that wasn’t enough, E! then asked him who else in the NHL he thought was hot…...and being a good sport by answered Luongo, “a nice dark good looking Italian guy.”
Immediately following the fluff questions, Thornton was asked by the Canadian media who at the game really stood out in his mind as outstanding players. First guy Thornton names is Luongo again.
I couldn’t resist, when my turn came, then to ask him what he thought the odds were that a guy he thought was hot was also good? He said maybe I shouldn’t quite word it quite that way.
Poor Joe. But that’s what you get for talking to E!
P.S. More on Luongo at the ASG from George Richards of the Miami Herald.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: joe+thornton,
roberto+luongo
Not Bitter, Just Stressed Out
by Alanah McGinley on 01/20/09 at 06:46 PM ET
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Shortly after Roberto Luongo was first injured—beginning a new era I shall henceforth refer to as Our Tragic Miserable Journey Into Darkness—I erected an on-the-fly guessing game for readers to speculate on his return date.
Looking back at that contest, I see the winner was Max Cekota of Victoria. I hadn’t decided what prize I would offer initially, but I’m thinking I might send a book. Last I looked, I think Gallowglass Books had an old Mark Messier biography hanging around—and I’m feeling bitter enough to send it, so watch your mailbox, Max.
Why bitter?
No reason at all. None. Nothing to worry about. Certainly not Clod freakin’ LeMoo.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: claude+lemieux,
roberto+luongo,
san+jose+sharks
Random Reading Material & Goalie Notes
by Alanah McGinley on 01/09/09 at 06:34 PM ET
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—Lindsey Craig at CBC writes about the absence of visible minorities in hockey, and the various reasons, both sociological and economic. She also touches on the fact that—for minorities and everyone else—hockey is increasingly a tough sell for parents to involve their children in with the costs being so high. It’s a good article on a topic seldom addressed in any depth.
—For something completely different, I see that Jason Jaffray’s media blitz at Canucks.com indicates he’s addicted to online hockey sites, specifically NHL.com and tracking everyone’s stats. He’s also a big Jack Johnson fan—the singer, not the hockey player. (Weird, as I’d've thought Sitting, Waiting, Wishing… would be a scary song for a NHLer.)
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: jason+jaffray,
jason+labarbera,
roberto+luongo
Sundin Commits to Getting on a Plane
by Alanah McGinley on 01/05/09 at 07:48 PM ET
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From Brad Ziemer at the Vancouver Sun:
Mats Sundin will travel to Edmonton with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, but won’t decide until after Wednesday morning’s game-day skate whether he will play that night against the Oilers.
Sundin participated in his first full practice with the Canucks late this morning and will work out with the team again Tuesday before travelling with the Canucks later in the day to the Alberta capital.
Another step closer to actually playing hockey game this season *knock on wood*.
And in goalie-related news, C. Sanford is ready for bench/net duty, J. LaBraBra is holding up nicely, and C. Schneider has been sent back down to Manitoba. (Although despite all this fairly good news, R. Luongo’s photo has been spotted on milk cartons throughout the lower mainland with the message: “Have You Seen This Goalie? Please call 1-888-HURRYTHEHELLUP”).
If all that news isn’t exciting enough, take a tour of the Canucks locker room, lounge and equipment area. Video below:
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cory+schneider,
curtis+sanford,
jason+labarbera,
mats+sundin,
roberto+luongo
Canucks Trade for Jason LaBarbera
by Alanah McGinley on 12/31/08 at 01:57 AM ET
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KK Hockey posted this earlier but I’m noting it here as well—from Canucks.com:
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have acquired goaltender Jason LaBarbera from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 7th round draft pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.
While this provides the more experienced backup for Curtis Sanford that many expected, it also inevitably hints at more concerns about Roberto Luongo’s recovery timetable.
(Incidentally—and I’m not going to back this up with actual ‘facts’ any time soon—but it seems like Vancouver has made a disproportionate number of trades with California teams over recent years. Not that I have a point here. Just saying.)
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: curtis+sanford,
jason+labarbera,
roberto+luongo
Dancing with the Canucks Stars!
by Alanah McGinley on 12/23/08 at 04:20 PM ET
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What happens when you get a couple superstar Vancouver Canucks hockey players—Sundin & Luongo—alone in a room with me, a bunch of fancy Christmas lights, and a boatload of Jägermeister? Well… DISCO of course!
What can I say? Them boys like to party…
P.S. If you can’t see/use the player above, you can view the movie here. Merry Christmas, all.
Filed in: dumb stuff, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin,
merry+christmas,
roberto+luongo
The Roberto Sundin Summary
by Alanah McGinley on 12/13/08 at 03:25 PM ET
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After a three-day holiday—both for the Canucks and for me, apparently, as I’ve been pretty much ignoring my favorite team around here for most of the week—the team is back in action tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.
But before that, let’s round up the Canucks news this week. Which is pretty easy—there’s only two topics anyone is talking about.
- Roberto Luongo— Luongo’s agent denied saying back in November that his own personal-puck-stopping-retirement-plan was going to be out 4-5 weeks. But now that Luongo is no longer traveling with the team and said to be “sore” (code-speak for “Oh, #$%!” in Vancouver) that original estimate is looking more believable three weeks into his injury. That was, believable until last night when Alex Burrows seemed to let it ‘slip’ on TV that Luongo might be out another 4-6 weeks? (depending how you want to interpret his remarks). So bottom line: it’s the perfect time to buy a jersey with Schneider-Sanford’s name on it. (Update: Luongo out “indefinitely” - more below).
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cory+schneider,
curtis+sanford,
mats+sundin,
roberto+luongo
I’m Not Feeling the “Zen”
by Alanah McGinley on 12/02/08 at 05:32 PM ET
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Since most of the Vancouver media and blogosphere is no doubt talking about how much the Canucks suck today, I’ve decided to leave the topic alone. Instead, I’m focused on something of more immediate importance: a new Canucks Blackberry theme gone awry.
Here’s a screenshot from the new “Zen Theme” for your Blackberry Bold.
Not bad, but then the problems begin…
Filed in: dumb stuff, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: blackberry,
roberto+luongo
Luongo Skating
by Alanah McGinley on 12/01/08 at 06:20 PM ET
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From CBC:
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo no doubt raised a few eyebrows when he took the ice late in Monday’s game day skate at Columbus.
Sidelined week to week with a strained left groin, he skated with full gear and took a few laps around the Nationwide Arena playing surface, did a few twists and turns, but didn’t face any shots.
“It’s a positive step in the right direction,” Luongo told reporters afterwards. “We’ll take it from here day by day. We’re going to try and increase the workload every day.”
So that’s good news.
And speaking of good news, if you have a happy hockey memory to share we’re doing Happy Hockey Day around here. You can write something on your own blog and send us the link, or use the KK Member Blog and post it there.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: happy+hockey+day,
roberto+luongo
The Crazy Canucks This Week
by Alanah McGinley on 11/26/08 at 04:53 AM ET
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A new episode of The Crazy Canucks is up and episode #69 obviously features a lot of groin talk.
Although touted as the super groin spectacular due to Luongo’s injury being the top story in Vancouver news [recently] this episode is pretty much about a team united (and happy to boot). All of the co-hosts join together to talk lines, recent wins, upcoming road trips, and to try and figure out the meaning behind the end of game hoots and hollers for Sanford.
Here are some tidbits we mentioned during the show:
- Dave’s open letter to VANOC media relations
- Alanah’s guessing game for Luongo’s injury time off
- JJ’s site is now a part of The Score Sports Federation
- Paul Kukla initiates Happy Hockey Talk Day (December 1, 2008)
- … and the tale of how John met Stanley’s Cup
TCC Epsiode #69 [46:58m]
__________________________
*photo is from John’s Flickr stream
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: curtis+sanford,
media,
roberto+luongo,
stanley+cup,
the+crazy+canucks
Luongo’s Injury Time Off Guessing Game
by Alanah McGinley on 11/25/08 at 07:30 PM ET
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Last night was a great win for Canucks fans. Perhaps not I-Just-Won-the-Stanley-Cup-and-I’m-Going-To-Disneyland! great, but under the circumstances, pretty sweet.
For one thing, its nice to slow down the Wings-fan trash talk around this website for 5 minutes (*immediate snarky little emails from The Sailor notwithstanding). And for another—and on a more serious note—it calms the reactiveness of both the hockey press and fans who assume Vancouver is weaker than a newborn kitten without Roberto Luongo in the net. (Of course they’re better off with their captain, but as last night proved they’re also a pretty scrappy kitten without him.)
Still, when the Canucks revealed yesterday that Luongo is destined to be off work “week-to-week” the truth is that they didn’t reveal anything at all. What does that really mean?
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: injuries,
roberto+luongo
Report: Luongo Out 4-5 Weeks—Update: Week-to-Week
by Alanah McGinley on 11/24/08 at 05:36 PM ET
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According to the en français stylings of Mathias Brunet at La Presse, there’s a press conference being held by the Canucks this afternoon at 2pm PT.
Brunet states that Luongo is
expected to miss 4-5 weeks
due to the groin injury suffered Saturday. He quotes Luongo’s agent, Gilles Lupien, confirming this information.
More later.
Update 1:45pm PT: I’m told that the Canucks are likely not going ahead with any press conference at 2pm. (So my “more later” promise above may be on hold for awhile). Presumably they want to await the results of today’s tests before making a statement.
Update 2:14pm PT: TEAM 1040 apparently spoke with Gilles Lupien who stated that the La Press story is inaccurate.
Update 3:37pm PT: Official from the Canucks via TSN—
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has been listed as “week-to-week” after a meeting with team doctors determined the All-Star netminder suffered an abductor strain.
Update 6:51pm PT: Speaking at his press conference before tonight’s game, Luongo is staying pretty vague about the time his recovery is going to take. He does say the injury doesn’t feel nearly as bad as it did at first. Anyway, “week to week” is all you’re going to get out the Canucks for now.
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Tags: gilles+lupien,
roberto+luongo
Top 5 Reasons the Canucks Can Survive Luongo’s Injury
by Alanah McGinley on 11/24/08 at 04:41 PM ET
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Darren Eliot at Sports Illustrated named the Vancouver Canucks as one of the most notable surprises of the NHL thus far this season, and he summed the team up this way:
Luongo is obviously the foundation on which the Canucks base their game—being the goaltender captain that he is—yet the team’s play goes beyond their defensive stinginess. Theirs is a hard-charging aggressive team game that is invigorating.
Very true. And that’s why Canucks fans—while understandably drinking heavily these days—need not jump off any bridges.
Here are my Top 5 Reasons the Canucks will survive Luongo’s injury:
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: roberto+luongo
Luongo Goes Down; Canucks Nation Collectively Goes Into a Fetal Position
by Alanah McGinley on 11/22/08 at 06:04 PM ET
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Roberto Luongo went down in the first period of today’s midday game, and while fans everywhere freak out, reports on the Penguins television broadcast were detailed and informative: it’s a “lower body injury,” they say.
Well, thank God for that explanation.
But the reports on Sportsnet tv were no less informative. Claiming to have the “official word from the Canucks” reporter Dan Murphy informs us that “Roberto Luongo is injured and won’t be returning to this game.” Gee, ya think?
Breaking news you needed to know.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: injuries,
roberto+luongo
Plea to Gary Bettman
by Alanah McGinley on 11/14/08 at 10:38 PM ET
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Thanks to an email from J.J. at Canucks Hockey Blog, I was moved to reprint this open letter in the Vancouver Sun:
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: captaincy,
gary+bettman,
petition,
roberto+luongo
TSOSWDNSO
by Alanah McGinley on 11/12/08 at 06:40 PM ET
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Update 7:32 pm PT:The Power of Nili is obviously very strong. Luongo has broke his record and did it the hard way, his team being out-shot 3,219 to 2 in the first period thus far. (Whoever said superstitions were stupid clearly isn’t a hockey fan…)
____________________
“The Shut-Out Streak We Do Not Speak Of” continues tonight as Roberto Luongo aims to pad his 201 minutes of shutout hockey with a few milestones, such as breaking his own personal record at around the 12 minute mark of the game. (*knock on wood*)
But while the Canucks dressing room has fears about jinxing things, I’m reassured by a secret weapon: my unabashed dedication to irrational hockey superstitions.
And for that, I’m pleased to say we have Nili Power on our side.
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Tags: hockey+superstitions,
roberto+luongo
The Canucks Write-In Campaign Ballot
by Alanah McGinley on 11/04/08 at 07:37 PM ET
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The All Star Ballots are up and ready—and Canucks fans will see some familiar names: Roberto Luongo, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. All fine choices normally, though it’s a good thing voting doesn’t begin and end this week.
Meanwhile, may I be the first to suggest a write-in campaign for Kyle Wellwood?
Granted, he’s no Rory Fitzpatrick, but he fits neatly into that category of insane-long-shots that Canucks fans so love to embrace—even if CBC’s Scott Morrison had no sense of humor about it.
C’mon… a Vote for the Wood! campaign has potential.
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Tags: all+star+game,
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rory+fitzpatrick
How to Beat Roberto Luongo
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/08 at 05:43 PM ET
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Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings snags this quote off LA Kings coach Terry Murray today:
Against Luongo, you need traffic. When I was in Florida, we traded for him, and you know what you’re getting. You knew what you were getting when he was going to be 27, 28 years old. He is that. He’s one of the premier goalies in the league, and if you give those top goalies lots of free looks, then they’re going to get the job done. You have to make sure you’re getting a lot of traffic and putting a lot of pucks at the net. The percentage of pucks that go in, the number is pretty high. You’ve got to get 20 pucks to the net for one goal, or hopefully one goal.
Call me crazy, but isn’t traffic always the best way to beat any goalie? Aside from crashing straight into him, or committing some other on-ice felony, I mean.
Filed in: | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: anaheim+ducks,
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How I Met Your Canucks
by Alanah McGinley on 10/20/08 at 06:52 PM ET
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The American television show How I Met Your Mother seems to have a strange fascination with Vancouver Canucks hockey. It began about a year ago with this reference to Mason Raymond:
The character Robin, who is Canadian, told a story about going on a date to a Rangers game. “I got to meet Mason Raymond,” she said, to which her friends gave her blank stares. “The Canucks left wing.” Still no response. Finally, Barney (played by Neil Patrick Harris) said, “Is that the opposite of name dropping?”
But it doesn’t end there. It seems the show has moved on to other Canucks, specifically the team’s captain Roberto Luongo. Here’s a video clip:
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Tags: how+i+met+your+mother,
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And then the news wasn’t so good…
by Alanah McGinley on 09/30/08 at 08:25 PM ET
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Coincidence or cosmic bad humor? Earlier today Roberto Luongo was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks, rather against the odds. Which made it a pretty good day for the celebrated goalie—except for this:
On the same day that the Vancouver Canucks named him team captain, Luongo suffered a minor groin injury during practice.
Luongo suffered the injury after colliding with forward Jannik Hansen.
Poor Louie. It’s possible that being captain of the Canucks has a curse something close to being featured on the cover of an EA Sports video game.
Luongo will be out for the next game, which is “precautionary” says TSN.
In other news, Jannik Hansen will probably be hiding in his locker until the building clears.
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Tags: injuries,
jannik+hansen,
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Oh Captain, My Captain
by Alanah McGinley on 09/30/08 at 04:33 PM ET
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How’s that for a cliché title? But the choice of a new Vancouver Canucks captain is not a cliché at all—in fact it’s one heck of a shock.
Roberto Luongo.
Now… did anyone predict that?? Not a chance.
Update 2:39pm ET: Assistant captains—Ryan Kesler, Mattias Ohlund, and Willie Mitchell. Coach Alain Vigneault also states they did advise the NHL this morning that they chose Luongo, and while there is no rule preventing a goalie from being named a captain, he won’t be permitted to have a ‘C’ on his sweater.
More updates below.
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Tags: mattias+ohlund,
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ryan+kesler,
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Unchecked Optimism
by Alanah McGinley on 09/22/08 at 11:54 PM ET
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Matthew Sekeres at the Globe & Mail is
deluded
optimistic about the potentially “high-scoring” Vancouver Canucks team in front of Roberto Luongo this year.
“This season, Luongo may know what [Grant] Fuhr felt like.”
Well, sure. Because obviously the 2008-09 Canucks are so similar to the 1980s Edmonton Oilers.
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Tags: edmonton+oilers,
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Fighting Words
by Alanah McGinley on 08/27/08 at 03:00 PM ET
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In a blog post arguing the domination of the Western Conference over the East, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News shares some nice and/or neutral comments about every team… until he’s forced to write a blurb on the Canucks:
12. Vancouver Canucks - Lack of offensive support could cause Luongo to implode
Far be it from me to say anything particularly complimentary about the Canucks lately, but I think it’s fair to assume that Roberto Luongo is already well-acquainted with the words “lack of offensive support.”
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Tags: roberto+luongo
Top 5 Reasons Sundin Prefers the Canucks to the Habs
by Alanah McGinley on 07/14/08 at 05:35 PM ET
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Mike Boone at Habs Inside/Out posted this over the weekend:
If Mats Sundin plays hockey this season it will be as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
Why?
Because it makes sense. And Sundin is a sensible guy from Sweden, a sensible social democracy where people drive Volvos and go to Ingmar Bergman movies and learn to play smart hockey.
Spare me. Ingmar Bergman movies are the answer to the Jeopardy question, “What is the most drab and depressing thing you can think of?”
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Tags: jeff+cowan,
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Judgement Day… Draft Day… Same Thing in Vancouver
by Alanah McGinley on 06/17/08 at 12:42 AM ET
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An FYI from Mike Gillis: Roberto Luongo won’t be traded this Friday. (Did anyone seriously think he would be??)
Anyway, a very good article from Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun, on the goings-on preparing for Draft day:
Gillis said he has been fielding offers for the 10th over-all pick, and expects many more will arrive before the first round Friday night. The final six rounds are Saturday. Gillis holds five picks, none in the third or fourth rounds due to deals the Canucks made in 2007 and 2005.
This is Gillis’s first draft. This will be the first of many judgement days on his leadership.
Indeed. Read the whole thing here (or listen to the audio of MacIntyre’s interview with Gillis).
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Tags: mike+gillis,
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Luongo’s Future Waterboy: Sanford or Auld?
by Alanah McGinley on 06/09/08 at 09:44 PM ET
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I noticed this Canucks’ rumor buried at the back of an unrelated article in the Boston Globe a couple days ago. I saved it in hopes of finding out more but that effort went exactly nowhere. So here it is, from Bruins reporter Fluto Shinzawa:
According to a Vancouver source, the Canucks would prefer to trim goalie Roberto Luongo’s workload in 2008-09. Over 73 appearances last season, Luongo played a total of 4,232:32, sixth-most among NHL goalies. With backup Curtis Sanford heading to the open market, one candidate to become Luongo’s No. 2 man is Boston’s Alex Auld. In 2005-06, Auld played in 67 games for the Canucks, posting a 2.94 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Ex-GM Dave Nonis shipped Auld out to Florida in a package for Luongo…
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Tags: alex+auld,
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goalies,
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Canucks: The Bane of Miami
by Alanah McGinley on 05/21/08 at 02:03 PM ET
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The Vancouver Canucks certainly have their problems, but they sure know how to screw the Florida Panthers. Or at least Florida seems to think so… From Brian Biggane at the Palm Beach Post:
When new Vancouver GM Mike Gillis hired former Panther captain Scott Mellanby as a consultant last week, the move didn’t make many waves outside of northwest Canada. Truth be told, it marked yet another lost opportunity for the Panthers [...] With his long Panther ties and enduring loyalty to the organization, Mellanby could have been a great fit [...] Remember, this is an organization that was ranked 30th and last by The Hockey News in terms of its organizational wherewithal this past season. It’s not like it can’t use the help..
If they’re this bothered by losing out on the Mellanby “sweepstakes” I can’t imagine they’re much over that whole Luongo thing yet.
Maybe the Panthers should have just ditched Jacques Martin and hired Dave Nonis…?
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Tags: mike+gillis,
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Canucks Golf Season Updates
by Alanah McGinley on 05/07/08 at 09:28 PM ET
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Just a few stories mildly related to Canuckish-type things:
Dave Nonis is being summoned for an interview in hell
Alex Edler made a not-so-endearing contribution to one very embarrassing Swedish team loss at the World Championships - a 10 minute game misconduct penalty
A company called Coleman Analytics has five NHL teams (and they’re looking to add Vancouver to their list of clients) that are paying them up to $100K a year for “basic” analytics services. Honestly, I bet plenty of obsessive & mathematically-inclined hockey fans would gladly kick those numbers out for free, or maybe a bit of swag. (I know, I know. I’m over-simplifying… but at least let The Forechecker bid for the job.)
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault,
alex+edler,
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statistics
This Game is Rigged
by Alanah McGinley on 04/18/08 at 04:19 PM ET
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Hmmm. Someone at the NHL Tournament of Logos has a perverse sense of fair-play. This week, one their polls features Roberto Luongo’s mask art versus Dan Cloutier’s. And as is the case in so many things for Clouts, the dude didn’t have a prayer.
Votes are currently sitting at 1,231 to 127 in Luongo’s favor. This screenshot from the poll should explain why…
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Tags: dan+cloutier,
goalie+masks,
roberto+luongo
Playoff Season When Your Team Sucks
by Alanah McGinley on 04/11/08 at 12:35 PM ET
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April hockey isn’t quite the same when your team finishes 21st in the league, but a positive attitude (and a wack-load of cocktails) can go a long way. At the West Ender, for example, they’re looking at the up-side of summer: trade season.
At least summer is here. It starts early if you follow the Canucks. For Vancouver hockey fans, summer is the true hockey season. In the sweet summertime, you can speculate about big moves, big trades, and big signings.
Here’s my idea: we trade Roberto Luongo to Mike Keenan and the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jarome Iginla and future considerations. Then, for the future considerations, we ask for Roberto Luongo. It’ll work. It’s Mike Keenan.
See? It’s fun. And the best part of summer hockey: no games. When you’re trying to get excited about the Canucks, the actual games can be a real buzz-kill.
And speaking of Roberto Luongo…
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Tags: roberto+luongo,
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Vigneault Underestimated Luongo’s Mental State
by Alanah McGinley on 04/08/08 at 04:49 PM ET
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From Ben Kuzma at The Province:
“If I could do it over again, yeah, I would probably do things differently,” Vigneault said Monday. “That being said, we’re in a playoff push where every game is huge and I don’t know how I can’t play our best player.”
Vigneault had often repeated that his workhorse could handle the workload of appearing in 73 games. In the end, Luongo looked agitated with it all.
“Obviously, I underestimated not the physical demands of the schedule and the amount of games we play, but I underestimated his mental situation about everything that was happening in his life,” added Vigneault.
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Tags: alain+vigneault,
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Blame the Players
by Alanah McGinley on 04/04/08 at 06:20 PM ET
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For what it’s worth, Darren Dreger at TSN has a theory:
On a decent night, the Vancouver Canucks generate 15 scoring chances. On home-ice Thursday night the Canucks charted 24 scoring opportunities, were awarded almost 17 minutes in power play time and became a non-playoff team, partly, by not being able to score more than one goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the biggest game of the year.
There’s no question injuries factored in to Vancouver’s demise, but key players failed to deliver when this team needed them most.
Down the stretch, Roberto Luongo wasn’t good enough. Down the stretch, the Sedins were not good enough.
The list goes on.
Filed in: vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault,
daniel+sedin,
henrik+sedin,
roberto+luongo
Mailing It In
by Alanah McGinley on 03/28/08 at 05:10 PM ET
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With the return of Roberto Luongo for tonight’s game in Minnesota—perhaps carrying an extra load of 7+ lbs on his mind—the suicide rate in Vancouver is probably slowing up. Though not for any good reason.
After all, the man has flown some 70,000,000 miles in 36 hours, and probably hasn’t slept in the same amount of time. Add that to the lingering stains of baby spew, and I can’t help but think Curtis Sanford must be one seriously annoyed backup goalie.
Anyway, I’m suddenly starving as well as having an off-day. Since readers wish to share their opinions, here’s a sample of this week’s mail:
Filed in: playoff hockey, vancouver canucks, | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: ham+sandwiches,
mailbag,
roberto+luongo,
vancouver+canucks
