[BigfishMike]

Hey Boys! Couldn't pass this up. TOO funny!
This statue was--(ahem) erected by some pranksters last night in
Vancouver along the Grandview Highway near Clark Drive.

What with all the changes on the team-- and office, my buddy Luc in
Powell River thought perhaps it was the new Canucks mascot.

Cheers and good luck this season! The west is tough!

 

[BigfishMike]

Here we go! Good luck to all of the teams in the very strong Western Conference.

Some real roster improvements all over the place....somebody out here should be hoisting the Cup.

 

[BigfishMike]

Burrows has taken his chickensheet play from defense--diving--to offense--head shots.
What a turd-

 

[BigfishMike]

Welcome to California!

The Eagles wrote a song for you.."Welcome to the Graveyard California..."

I'd assume --what with all the improvements---that you'll fare better than last season....
0-5 vs the Dicks, 1-3 vs SJ, 1-4 vs Kings.

The NHL representatives from the Golden State await the arrival of the rival.

A telling week, though still early. Cheers...

 

[BigfishMike]

Even my fishing buddy Jim Hughson can't make this sound good. 4-0 and halfway through, time to switch over to "Hogan's Heroes". Enjoy Anaheim tomorrow.

 

[BigfishMike]

Its Miller Time!...in the showers. I hope Canucks can get at least ONE goal.Looks like somebody told them this was game 7 of the Cup Finals. Wow.. Carter makes it 5. Good night boys.

 

[BigfishMike]

I guess the only thing worse than surrendering 5 goals at home to a bad team
-as well as a hat trick, and a goal with 2 seconds left in a period--is having the very first one
hold up as the game winner.
Nice to see Golden Boy Alex "Defence-Schmeefence" Burrows get burned for it, too.

 

[BigfishMike]

Alex Borrows is an ayhole

 

[BigfishMike]

Hey--Way to dominate the 1st period, talk it out and tighten things up in the dressing room at the break,
come out full of momentum---full of resolve--- and commence to laying siege to Dallas goalie
Kari Lehtonen by hammering away and unleashing a salvo...nay--a veritable barrage... of 4 shots in the 2nd.

(And going 2 whole power plays with NO shots is kinda counter-producutive as well....)


Probably should have expected that...Dallas won all 3 meetings last year, and extended the streak vs Van to 9-1.
Their record against the Canucks is approaching Shark-esque proportions of late.

The GOOD news is that the Flames are coming, and have also started to stink....

 

[BigfishMike]

Interesting--Losing BIG to a playoff team to start the roadie in Nashville, beating up on 3 bottom feeders looking for the first pick of the next draft, then losing BIG to another playoff team... not MY opinion...just fact.

Not a good recipe for playoff success.
Ben Bishop is 4-0 vs Canucks, and it sure helps when the "power" play he faces couldn't score on Okanagan High's 4th line.


You better hope Bieksa isn't out for long---you'll need help back there-

 

[BigfishMike]

I figured Bieksa would be out. The upside is that there are lots of players out there who won't be speared in the balls or cross checked in the back of the neck for a while.

 

[BigfishMike]

I thought this would be the perfect "trap" game for Anaheim.

They're cruising, coming to play a team that has sputtered on offense, and is defensively hobbled.
I thought they'd think they could win it on good looks alone.

They've played a ton of 1-goal games, and I truly thought Vancouver would buck up, having a week to prep,
get back to the basics they've displayed over time, and give 'em a game.

I don't hate the Canucks---I just continue to be baffled by their Jekyll-Hyde thing---

At the very LEAST, I was sure they'd earn at least PASSING marks in a category or two.

Christ--Defense--WHAT defense?
Offense--What offense? TWO shots in the second..when they could have kept it close--and 5 in the 3rd?
PK--feeble--PP even worse.
Goaltending..Luckily..Miller is rarely that porous...he's better than he looked last night.

Calgary---LA---you have to think they'll play tough headed down the stretch.

Time to play some serious hockey---for ALL of the bottom 4 in the Conf, and for those close enough to smell it.

 

[BigfishMike]

Daniel Sedin: One goal in 11 games.
Henrik Sedin: One goal in 13 games.
Radim Vrbata: Four goals in 12 games.
Nick Bonino: Three goals in 20 games.
Alex Burrows: Two goals in 14 games.
Chris Higgins: Two goals in 26 games.

That’s 13 goals in a combined 96 games, from the Canucks’ top six point-getters.

 

[BigfishMike]

Welcome back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
I don't hate the Canucks--I simply enjoy the back-and-forth, the banter, the "my dad can beat up YOUR dad" stuff with you guys.
You're good fans and you defend and support them.

The Nucks played solid hockey in a tough division and conference, and I wish them the best of luck.
(Nice to see 5 Canadian teams in the mix, too.)

Cheers to all my buddies up there, and I trust Vancouver will represent the West well.

 

[BigfishMike]

Even if the Canucks lose tomorrow, they will have won one more game in these playoffs than the Sharks did at home in February..so you have THAT.

(was Bieksa playing in ski boots?)

 

[BigfishMike]

I always had a bad vibe about Zack Kassian...half-in-jest joked that his attitude would not serve him well, and he'd be in another line of work in short order.

Well---He's now suspended and in Stage-2 Rehab, a rare move by the league.

Forget hockey for now...the guy needs help...and he won't be released until the physicians in the program deem him fit.


Not a fan of his in the least--but that's just on the ice----I hope he gets the help he needs.

 

[BigfishMike]

Tough loss in Buffalo. Nucks need at least a point, and then Ennis undresses 2 or 3 Nucks on his slick zone entry..reminded me of a young Peter Forsberg..dude stickhandled in a phonebooth to get the puck deep. Wow... Good lumps to take early in a season rather than late though.

 

[BigfishMike]

Wow..4-0. Deja vu