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Jason's Canucks Blog

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The Comeback Kids

No one can accuse the Canucks of giving up. The Avs struck quickly, with Matt Duchene and budding power forward Chris Stewart scoring just 28 seconds apart. Duchene added another powerplay marker 13:26 into the first period to give them a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Roberto Luongo, who didn't mince any words about his first period performance, said the intermission was the turning point: "once we got back in the locker room, we said 'just keep playing.' We have the confidence.

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Head Shots

Just in time for the annual GM meetings that are going to be held in Boca Raton this week, Matt Cooke's blindside hit on Marc Savard has drawn the ire of many, many people. Head shots will certainly be a hot topic at the meetings. No penalty was called on Cooke's hit although many, including myself, assume that a suspension is forthcoming. Savard has been flown back to Boston and will be seeing a concussion specialist and will be sidelined indefinitely. Cooke's hit is eerily similar to one earli

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Now That The Dust Has Settled...

First off, a big congratulations to the Big Red Machine, winning gold on home ice. Canada's 14 gold medals, if you haven't heard for the millionth time now, is the most by any country in Winter Olympics history. It's no small feat, and as cliched as it sounds, Canada's success has really united its people from coast to coast. The importance of "Own The Podium" was not lost in the eyes of the government and this is great news for the traditionally under-funded Canadian athletes, with the federal

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

To The Semis We Go!

What an absolutely dominant performance by Canada last night in a 7-3 rout of Russia, the performance we've been looking for since the opening game against the Norwegians. After a close shave against the Jonas Hiller-led scrappy Swiss squad and a disappointing loss against the rough and tumble Americans, the Canadians responded with two convincing wins. The key last night wasn't so much that Mike Babcock completely outcoached Vyacheslav Bykov, or that Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Semin, a

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

The Long Road Ahead

Before we begin anything, first, take a deep breath. Okay, now we're ready to go. The game came as advertised, although for Canadians everywhere (or for those who may cheer for Canada) the loss was devastating. It's not the gold medal game, not yet, but it might as well have been. With an electric, playoff-like atmosphere, the US fended off a multi-faceted Canadian attack, who were unable to beat Vezina favourite Ryan Miller, who stopped 42 shots in the win, while at the other end of the

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

5 Things to Watch

Many people have touted this tournament as the "best of the best." Sweden begins their quest to defend gold. It will be Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby's first foray in the Olympics, carrying on their rivalry from their day jobs. It is, for the first time ever, played on Canadian soil with all-stars from the best professional league in the world. It's hard to find arguments to disagree with all these things, and should the two heavyweights, Russia and Canada, face-off in the final, expect a

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

One More Week...

It will be only another three days before the Olympic torch enters BC Place and it will be exactly a week today when Canada will step onto the ice to show the world what they can really do after a devastating seventh place finish at Turin. The Games coincide with what has been traditionally the toughest stretch in a grueling 82-game NHL season, in which the travel and general wear and tear catch up to players, resulting in injuries to key players. For the 12 teams that will take part, some of th

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Around the League

On some days when I can't up from bed in time, or even when I do it's hard to be totally aware of things at the moment, I like to read the recap about the Canucks' effort. From I've read, it sounds like Roberto Luongo did his thing and bailed a dis-spirited team in front of him with some big, big saves. It wasn't until the shootout when you could literally win the game by skating as leisurely as you'd like (which is why it'll never fly in the playoffs) did the Canucks pull out with a win with no

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

The Price is Halak

It may have well been the Vancouver Canucks vs. Jaroslav Halak last night. If there was any question of which young goalie La Belle Province liked better, the Slovakian netminder made 45 saves in a 3-2 win. Jacques Martin decided to not start British Columbia native Carey Price amidst rumours of locker room drama, sitting him for the fifth time in their last six games in which the Habs have gone a rather pedestrian 2-2-1. Halak improves to 15-8-2 and is making a strong push to be Slovakia's star

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

You Said You'd Stay...

It's no secret that the Canucks want to keep Ryan Kesler. But the other 29 teams in the league want him as well. The Selke nominee becomes a restricted free agent on July 1 and Mike Gillis wants to keep Kesler in the fold, preferably for the foreseeable future... but contract talks haven't gone well and have been put off until the end of the season. Reports indicate that the Canucks have made a pitch for roughly $4 million per season, but Kurt Overhardt, Kesler's agent, and his camp have cou

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

On Burke and the Leafs

I thought I was in for a long night when Phil Kessel scored just minutes apart and Jamal Mayers wired a shot past an uncharacteristically mediocre Roberto Luongo. It always stings to lose to the Leafs on every level, but Vancouver's big line came through and scored 5 straight goals to seal the win. I don't think the Canucks came out flat in the first, but more so that the Leafs really capitalized on what few chances they had. Vesa Toskala was good in net despite letting in four goals and I think

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Rumour Round-Up - Backes in Vancouver?

Even though the animosity on the ice between the Blues and the Canucks is real, it looks like upstairs in the front office it may be quite amicable. The Globe and Mail has recently reported that there is a potential deal in the works, with John Davidson having scouted the Manitoba Moose recently and Mike Gillis taking in the Blues-Habs game rather than the CHL Top Prospects game. <img src="http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/1124/fantasy_g_schneider_300.jpg"class="imageFloatLeftFramed"&g

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Hockey Politics

Today, the OHL announced that they have suspended Windsor Spitfires forward Zack Kassian 20 games for his hit on Barrie Colts forward Matt Kennedy. A little shameless plugging but I touched on the issue in my previous blog post. I think this is an absolutely terrible ruling and that there is an obvious double standard here. I think David Branch's ruling just proved how much of a joke the entire process of disciplining a hockey player is. Scratch that, it's not a joke. It's a disgrace. The

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Thumbs Down to Patrice Cormier

For those of you who haven't seen or heard about it yet, last night's game between the Quebec Remparts and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, former World Junior captain Patrice Cormier was ejected in overtime after a vicious elbow headshot on Mikael Tam. Tam was convulsing on the ice and left the game on a stretcher. He is in stable condition but has suffered a concussion and possibly a broken jaw. Needless to say it could've been much worse. A word of warning - the video is quite graphic and horrifyin

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

On Ron MacLean and Auger/Burrows

I think everyone's a little tired of the Stephane Auger-Alex Burrows incident. What had been said to Auger behind closed doors won't be revealed, but it'll probably be along the lines of, "well, you know, just keep your mouth shut before the game and watch who you talk to." The NHL was in a bit of a pickle here because they can't pick sides - whatever side they choose, it sends the message that the NHL acknowledges that they have refs who cannot stay impartial during a game but are really refusi

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Road Woes Continue

And so the Canucks' road woes continue after a third period collapse in which Antti Miettinen was the Wild's spark. The loss drops Vancouver to two games below .500 on the road and a chance to claim top spot in the division. I think it bears mentioning that the Canucks must finish above .500 on the road to make the playoffs. The face their biggest challenge in February and March and the Canucks have yet to play with any form of consistency. The recent 4-win surge was nice, but it has been follow

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

How Much?

I'm convinced that the Calgary Flames took a page from so I really wonder how much the Calgary Flames gave veteran referees Bill McCreary and Stephen Walkom before the game. The problem tonight with the NHL's inconsistent reffing wasn't the fact that there were a lot of phantom or soft calls, but rather that they didn't call anything. It's one thing to let the game play on without any sort of stoppages, especially a match-up as crucial as this one, but it's totally another to let the lack

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Sweet Swede Swagger

I have to admit that I was never quite convinced that the Sedins could carry this team. First, there were naysayers that their offensive success had come because opposing teams' top defensive pairings regularly drew the famed West Coast Express. After Todd Bertuzzi was shipped off to Florida, Brendan Morrison signed with Anaheim, and Markus Naslund left for Manhattan before retiring, there is no higher scoring duo than Dan and Henrik. Since the lockout, Henrik is ranked among the top five playma

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

The Final Selection - My Team Canada Picks

As the date for Steve Yzerman to reveal his team fast approaches, and after a whole two months of countdowns, it is now time to reveal my picks. So without further ado, here it is: GOALIES Martin Brodeur Roberto Luongo Marc-Andre Fleury DEFENSEMEN Scott Niedermayer 'C' - Shea Weber Chris Pronger 'A' - Dan Boyle Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook Jay Bouwmeester FORWARDS Rick Nash - Sidney Crosby - Jarome Iginla 'A' Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Dany Heatley Martin St. Louis - Ry

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

The Showdown

Identical 4-1 wins over Nashville and Edmonton have suddenly vaulted the Canucks to eighth place, finally in the playoff picture at the turn of the new year. A win over Calgary means Vancouver would be second in the division and four points away from first place Colorado, who are 7-3-0 in their last ten and despite a young and somewhat less talented roster have managed to cling onto the division lead halfway through the season. I had the opportunity to take in both games (from the lower bowl!

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Team Canada Watch - December 21

Another week and the list continues to get shorter. This final week of scouting and evaluation will be absolutely vital for Olympic hopefuls, especially for bubble players like Drew Doughty, struggling veterans like Brenden Morrow and Shane Doan, and players who have clawed their way into consideration, like Patrice Bergeron. GOALTENDERS 1 (1) Martin Brodeur, NJ (.887 SV% isn't pretty, but chalk up two more wins for Canada's starter) 2 (3) Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit (3 straight wins over rival

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

The Kicking Motion

Was Alex Burrows' goal good or not? It really depends on which team you're rooting for really because even as a die hard fan I thought the call would've gone either way, but because Mike Leggo originally signaled a no-goal, his original call stands. In the NHL rulebook, Section 5, 39.4 (iv), it clearly states that: "Puck directed or batted into the net by a hand or foot or deliberately batted with any part of the attacking player's body. With the use of a foot/skate, was a distinct kickin

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Anaheim Post-game Reaction

The last ten minutes of the third period were probably the most fun I've had watching the Canucks in awhile. The action was rapid and the Canucks were constantly on the forecheck, causing turnovers and creating scoring chances. But where was that all game? The Canucks have been plagued with inconsistency all year and no wonder they're still sitting outside the playoff picture - they can't play a full 60 minutes of solid hockey. The first period was forgettable to say the least, but only when the

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Team Canada Watch - December 15

In light of Steve Yzerman's comments that the selection progress is an ongoing one, I think it's about time I trim this list down. There will still be key battles down the stretch, including questions regarding Mike Green, Drew Doughty, Steve Stamkos, Brad Richards, and co. Players I don't think have any shot at all anymore will be eliminated. GOALTENDERS 1 (2) Martin Brodeur, NJ (3-win week means he's fast past the post with 20) 2 (1) Roberto Luongo, Van (six wins in past eight starts, ou

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

Team Canada Watch - December 8

Another week, another countdown. Expect the races to get heated especially after Steve Yzerman announced that the team will be announced on December 30th, moving it up one day. Brian Burke has announced that he will be picking his Team USA too, as just for kicks I've done so as well. GOALTENDERS 1 (3) Roberto Luongo, Van (best Canadian goalie this week: 2-0, 1 SO, .970 SV%) 2 (1) Martin Brodeur, NJ (NJ now division leaders with 103rd SO but 5 GA vs. Luongo) 3 (2) Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit (g

Jason Chen

Jason Chen

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