Canucks and Beyond

The Canucks media day in Vancouver featured a number of interviews. Transcripts are below of conversations with Mike Gillis and Alain Vigneault, plus players: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Alexandre Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler and Dan Hamhuis.

COACH VIGNEAULT & GM GILLIS

Q. Mike, when you were assembling this team, did you want to have the balance where you could either play offense or defense because you can dominate the way either way? Alain, coaching that style, is it a matter of guys buying into the mentality of that?

MIKE GILLIS: Well, we got focused on defense initially. I spent three years trying to get the best defense we could assemble so we could play any style of game. We wanted puck-moving defensemen who could join the rush.

That was the style of game we decided upon. We went about trying to find those players that could complement it. Have to give Alain and his staff credit because they implemented a system that utilizes that type of player. That’s what we went about doing.

From the Canadian Press (via THN):

“We have a few things up our sleeves,” Force, part of the green dynamic duo, said Tuesday. “We are going over some plans. We are heading to a thrift shop this afternoon.

“Boston has some good celebrities we can make fun of. Zdeno Chara’s height may be a target. We have to step up our game.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I think there might be something quintessentially ‘Canadian’ about planning pranks—that are liable and likely to get international coverage—by haunting the local thrift store.

Canadians: Yes, we’re understated and cheap. And we’re not embarrassed to say so. :-)

David Andrews, President and CEO of the AHL, released the following statement after today’s announcement by True North Sports & Entertainment in Winnipeg:

“The Manitoba Moose have been a flagship franchise for the AHL over the last decade, always near the top of the league in attendance, regularly going deep into the Calder Cup Playoffs, hosting the AHL All-Star Classic and developing countless National Hockey League players for the Vancouver Canucks, all while also maintaining a strong grass-roots presence in the Winnipeg community.

“While our league will not be the same without the Manitoba Moose, our loss will be the NHL’s gain. Mark Chipman has been an influential leader as an owner in the AHL, playing an important role in our expansion to absorb the former IHL and serving on the league’s executive committee for 10 years. He will be a terrific addition to the NHL Board of Governors.

“Manitoba deserves to have NHL hockey, and we have no doubt that the NHL will be successful in its return to Winnipeg. Our sincere thanks go to the Manitoba Moose fans who have supported the American Hockey League loyally and passionately for the past 10 years.

“The future of the Manitoba AHL franchise will be determined in the weeks ahead, and we look forward to Winnipeg’s NHL club developing its top prospects in the AHL.”

—via NHL.com

Blogger Nikolay Dudaev, an NHL writer at the Russian sports site Tribuna Sports, was kind enough to ask me (and some other Canucks and Bruins folks) a series of questions on the Boston - Vancouver matchup starting on Wednesday. I was glad to oblige—after all, I figure there’s an outside chance I sound far more brilliantly insightful when translated into Russian, than I do in English. :)

But as for the English, here it is. Alas, not so ‘brilliantly insightful’, but it’s a starting point for my series preview which should be up tomorrow.

1. When it became clear that Vancouver was in the Final how did you feel?

I was excited to see that Vancouver made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, of course, but very nervous, too. Usually the stress is over for Canucks fans by June, since we’re usually drowning our sorrows in beer and writing team eulogies. Not that I’m complaining.

From Nicholas J. Cotsonika at Yahoo! Sports:

Ryan Kesler grew up in Livonia, Mich., a Detroit suburb about a 25-minute drive to two Canadian border crossings. It was there that he and his older brother, Todd, played with mini-sticks and mini-nets while their sister, Jennifer, cheered on the sidelines. “They would literally play for hours,” said his father, Mike Kesler, “and it was always for the Stanley Cup.”

It was there that his quiet intensity first came out, where he began developing into the top two-way player he is today, where he gained that chip on his shoulder – and where he still returns over the phone or in person to feel at home.

He was 4 when his father, a former college player and longtime youth hockey coach, now a scout for the U.S. national team development program, first took him onto the ice.

“He grabbed my hand, went around the rink once, and then he said, ‘Dad, I don’t need your hand anymore,’ ” his father said.

read on—A great, in-depth piece about Kesler’s childhood and hockey history

From the Canucks official Twitter:

Manny Malhotra has been officially cleared to play, said coach Alain Vigneault.

Malhotra is day-to-day, Vigneault added. Would not discuss the #Canucks Game 1 line-up.

What a comeback. TSN’s Bob McKenzie remarked that it was “bordering on a medical miracle” the other day, when Malhotra returned to full practice. And with this new announcement from the team, it’s hard to argue the point.

So, my little poll last night shows about 80% of respondents favoring Vancouver to win the series… but I suppose the opposite results are appearing on some Boston dude’s blog today, too. I haven’t looked around the ‘net yet, but “unbiased” probably doesn’t apply to any of us. :)

Still, Boston fans are feeling seriously confident.

The video below is from NESN, and catches the excitement in Boston after their big win last night. (Not to mention, a whole lot of Bruins fans making some big predictions about kicking some Vancouver butt…)

Vancouver has been getting a lot of “favorites” talk in these Stanley Cup Finals, but as a Canucks fan, I struggle to accept that. Not because the Canucks aren’t a great team—sure they are (not that I’m biased *cough*)—but because it’s the damn Canucks. They don’t win Stanley Cups. They exist to terrorize us. And we exist to be terrorized. They don’t win. They “almost win.”

And yet, here they are.

On Wednesday, June 1st—the Canucks first NHL game in June in around 400 years—Vancouver will be ready to compete. But are they ready for Boston? For Tim Thomas? Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron? Or how about for Milan Lucic…? Now, there’s a guy who’s barely one-step removed from being a Canuck himself, given the number of accolades offered to him at GM Place/Rogers Arena over the years, not to mention his many fans in the province.

So, who’s your favourite to take it all? Bruins or Canucks:

Dave McGinn at the Globe & Mail posts a look back at the evolution of the Canucks hockey jersey, from 1970 to the present. Click here or on the image below to see the images and textual history:

McGinn’s pictorial is also accompanied by an article titled Designing a Jersey you can be proud of. He’s talking about the design process NHL teams need to abide by. But while we’re on the topic, I figure there’s nothing wrong with fan permutations, either:

From Tom Berridge of Postmedia, in Burnaby Now:

It’s been 17 years since the last time a Vancouver Canucks team went on a memorable playoff run to the Stanley Cup. But Burnaby’s own Cliff Ronning finds the memories flooding back to him as if it all happened yesterday.

“Yeah absolutely. What I remembered was the excitement in the city,” Ronning said in a phone interview. “The fans and the city have waited a long time for this.”

Ronning, who retired from the National Hockey League in 2006, played 18 years in the bigs on seven separate teams, including six seasons with the hometown Canucks.

Ronning remembers his time with the Canucks in 1994, as David going up against “Goliath.” But today, his assessment of this current Vancouver team is optimistic, arguing the Cup is “theirs to lose.” Complete article is here.

It occurs to me it would be great to see a lot of those 1994 guys at game 1 next Wednesday. Hopefully the Canucks have extended such an invitation.

Out of curiosity yesterday, I was perusing Craigslist for Vancouver Canucks tickets, and mused on Twitter, wondering who—in these days of home foreclosures, job losses, and various other difficult economic realities—can afford to spend $500+ for a single seat at a hockey game?

Certainly not me. But clearly, plenty of other people. And apparently $500 is a bargain for some. Today, StubHub.com sent me their own breakdown of the cost and demand for tickets for these Stanley Cup Finals by customers using their service, and the numbers are ridiculous.

Fans are paying on

average $924 per ticket

for the potential four games in Vancouver

• Low end purchased has been $400 for Game 1– 2 each at this price for the Upper Bowl Goal 319
• High end purchased has been $4500 for a potential Game 5 – 2 each at this price for Club 105

From Bob McKenzie at TSN:

It is bordering on a medical miracle.

Vancouver Canuck centre Manny Malhotra, who suffered what was thought to be a season-ending eye injury on March 16 that at one point was perhaps considered to be career-threatening, has been cleared by doctors to fully participate in practice, including taking contact.

While no decisions have been made on playing a game as Malhotra still needs to prove to himself and the coaching staff he’s capable of playing without being a liability to himself or the team, there is now a legitimate chance he could see action in the Stanley Cup final if all continues to go well.

Miraculous news indeed. And I’m not talking about Malhotra’s potential chance of playing in the Finals—though that’s an exciting prospect, if he and coaching staff determine it could work—so much as his amazing recovery from such a scary injury. [photo]

Great cartoon from Bob Krieger at The Province today. You can click the image to see it full size at The Province website, and see some more great stuff by Krieger.

And Peter Diamond, an illustrator in Vienna, Austria, forwarded this remarkable work to me the other day, depicting Daniel and Henrik Sedin:

From NBC, via the White Towel, but not confirmed by the NHL yet. All times Pacific:

Game 1: Bruins/Lightning at Canucks, Wednesday, June 1, 5 p.m.

Game 2: Bruins/Lightning at Canucks, Saturday, June 4, 5 p.m.

Game 3: Canucks at Bruins/Lightning, Monday, June 6, 5 p.m. (Versus, not NBC)

Game 4: Canucks at Bruins/Lightning, Wednesday, June 8, 5 p.m. (Versus, not NBC)

Game 5 (if nec.): Bruins/Lightning at Canucks, Friday, June 10, 5 p.m.

Game 6 (if nec.): Canucks at Bruins/Lightning, Monday, June 13, 5 p.m.

Game 7 (if nec.): Bruins/Lightning at Canucks, Wednesday, June 15, 5 p.m.

I hate 5pm games, I admit. It’s almost impossible for me to watch the game live. But I guess we’ll figure it out. Matthew Sekeres at the Globe notes that it’s a fair “bet that commerce will shutdown across British Columbia at about 4:30—if not sooner—on every game night.” And he’s not wrong about that.

Pierre LeBrun reminded me today of the story of how Kevin Bieksa found himself signed by Brian Burke of the Vancouver Canucks back in 2004.

Here’s Burke’s story (which I originally posted on this page back in 2007):

“He’s in there, having a good time, and he bumps the table of another of our kids, Fedor Fedorov. [...] Well, one thing leads to another, and Fedorov, a pretty good-sized kid [6 foot 3 inches, 230 pounds], asks Bieksa if he wants to take it outside. So, Bieksa’s a willing kid, and says, ‘Sure, let’s go!’”

Out to the parking lot the two went, and according to Burke, Bieksa KO’d the bigger Fedorov with one punch.

“Down and out!” recalled Burke. “The next day, I’m talking to [assistant GM Steve Tambellini], and I guess Bieksa was all worried about it, saying to Tamby, “Oh, geez, I’m all done, Burkie’s going to be really [steamed], I show up and knock out one of his own guys.’ I listen to Tamby and I say, ‘Are you kidding me? I love that. Sign him—today!’

Canucks Sport and Entertainment head Victor de Bonis says Rogers Arena will be opened during away games, allowing fans to watch the action on the huge screen above centre ice.

De Bonis says the plan will work as long as there are no conflicts with events already scheduled for the downtown Vancouver arena.

—via CP24

Given the Canucks’ fans penchant for filling their opponents’ arenas during road games, I can imagine Boston/Tampa would fully endorse the idea of Canucks fans staying home and hanging out in their own building for games 3,4 and (perhaps) 6.

Are any Canucks fans you know planning on traveling to Boston or Tampa for the away games? Seems like a long, expensive trip for a fan, but who knows… people do seem to find a way.

How far have you traveled to watch an away game?

Transcripts:

Q. Everything that you’ve gone through in your careers here, can you put into words playing for the Stanley Cup championship?
ROBERTO LUONGO: Just real excited right now. I mean, worked my whole life to be in this situation right now. It’s a great feeling, especially winning in overtime. I’m just looking forward to starting the next series.

Q. Henrik, can you explain what you saw on the winning goal, what you were doing? Looked like you were tapping your head or something.
HENRIK SEDIN: It’s my helmet. It’s a little loose (laughter).

No, it bounced off the partition or something between the glasses. We were lucky. Usually the referee blows it down when they don’t see the puck. But it was a good goal.

Here’s video of Kevin Bieksa and his completely bonkers goal which takes the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals:

Greg Adams also ended double overtime back on May 24th, 1994, to send the Canucks to the finals on their last journey. It’s a strange world sometimes:

Update: Post-game videos also available here.
_____________________________

Game still in progress

, but here’s some video to watch later.

Last 30 seconds of the third period, and an icing call brings the puck down for a faceoff in the Sharks defensive zone, leading to Ryan Kesler scoring the tying goal with just 14 seconds remaining. (*Kesler’s goal is further down the post). Meanwhile, here’s what had the Sharks so frustrated with that icing call.

The puck clips Daniel Sedin on it’s way down the ice, nullifying the call if officials had seen it. They didn’t. Frustrating if you’re a Sharks fan. Really frustrating if you’re an actual Shark. (But a helluva nice break if you’re me…)

And here’s Ryan Kesler’s goal which sent the game to overtime:

Game on, 6pm PT: Consider this an Open Post if anyone has any comments, cheers, criticisms or outright horror stories to share during the game.

Sorta having an anxiety attack myself. Something about being soooo close to the SCF, but—in true Canuck fan fashion—never believing it could really happen.

Go Canucks! :)

Q. Alain, you talked about yesterday how today the players can talk about maybe moving on. How do you make sure their focus is in the right spot?

COACH VIGNEAULT: By giving them a precise plan with precise things to focus on. Our guys are a mature group. They know it’s going to be a real tough game. We’re just going to do what we’ve been doing all year long: focus on our process, focus on our game, go out there and play real hard.

Q. Sports psychologists always talk about envisioning the moment. Do you allow your players to think that way, what it will lead to?

COACH VIGNEAULT: When I think our guys need to be in the moment, like I just said, need to focus on what they need to do on the ice. That’s the most important thing. That’s how you’re going to get your best game on the ice.

If you do that, you give yourself a chance to win. That’s what we want to do tonight, we want to give ourselves a chance to win.

With Henrik Sedin taking over the top spot on the playoff scoring leader board yesterday—capped off with a streak of 8 points in the last 3 games along—the NHL put this video together, highlighting some of his best playmaking in the post-season.

Complete transcripts from the Q&A’s today with Henrik Sedin, Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, Roberto Luongo and coach Alain Vigneault.
____________________________________
Q. How have you and Danny turned around to be so good this year?
HENRIK SEDIN: Again, we believe in ourselves. We believe, even though everyone on the outside hasn’t, we believe that we’re good players and we’re playoff players. We can show up in big games.

But, again, if we lost against Nashville or Chicago in Game 7, we wouldn’t be here.

Q. (Question regarding the style of game against San Jose.)
HENRIK SEDIN: I think it is for everyone if you want to score. They’re a good defensive team, don’t get me wrong about it. They got guys that want to score.

Every team obviously has different matchups, different styles. You have to be able to fight through both. Against Nashville, it was low-scoring games.

Courtesy of Kurtenblog, Canucks fans having a helluva good time, taking over San Jose yesterday.

From Jason Botchford at The White Towel:

Henrik Sedin leads the NHL in postseason scoring. Daniel Sedin is second in goals.

“It’s pretty good for being the two worst playoff players in the league,” Henrik quipped.

Sure is. Maybe it’s puppy power. More likely, it’s health.

More, plus video below.