Nuckchuks

Heard Virtanen has gone down to 213 from 240 and is in much better shape. Heard he is learning the game in Utica. Hopefully he can come up next year. He was drafted same year as Nick Ritchie who is doing well in Anaheim with 28 points. Tryamkin is not naturally mean, that's a bit of a problem. If he can be unleashed, watch out. He had Jamie Benn's helmet off, could have destroyed Benn but didn't happen.

i need help. My password seems to be good for one sign in only, is there something I'm doing wrong? I have to reset my password every time to get back in. So frustrating. They also lock me out for 30 minutes at a time? I don't understand the rationale of that other than maybe their server cannot handle the traffic volume. Your suggestions will be appreciated.

well i am with you there. the team doesn't finish checks, they rather crash into the boards. I have had enough of this Zen philosophy. 'we have to find a way' 'not hitting doesn't bother me as long as we play hard' 'we want to finish well this year and start next year we we left it' Would be nice to actually address the problems: like we are not fast enough, we need more grit, we need more pressure on the forecheck and finish our checks' That may inspire more hope in the fans. Not only is the core group 'stale' Coaching is a little 'stale'

I did look up Zack MacEwan, he must be from the same ilk as Hague.

Ok, I prematurely assumed that he was a goon for getting suspended. I don't know him. So you may very well be right.

There was some issue with Evander, he was in the dog house in Winnipeg. If he is not a good team player, then he won't be a good fit. He has the skills and toughness for sure but character is also important, a prima donna won't be good for the team.

No, we are not casting for Slap Shot. Tough hockey players, not goons.

haha, I agree with you but you are getting the hate on for your comment. Mind you to be fair to Joulevi, he looks like a great player and if paired with someone who clears the crease, he would be awesome. He would be like a Duncan Keith! Just pair him with a Brent Seabrook. But again people forget they are posting on a 'get tough' thread! if we need more grit, Tkachuk is the guy, no disrespect to Joulevi.

I meant Boston beat us with truculence in 2011, we had more skill than Boston for sure.

I'm not his brother or his agent, feel free to suggest your own sandpaper for the Canucks. Have to admit that 46 points for a 19 yo rookie is a pretty good season.

Well, wouldn't you want to have Tkachuk dishing it out for the Canucks when Marchand punches the Sedins in broad daylight. That will be the push back we need. You cheap shot us, we can dish it back. Who's doing that job for the Canucks now? Maybe Dorset but he is not going to last long. He had neck surgery. That is not a good sign. You can't really train your neck to be stronger so one more season max for Dorset. He was a trooper but way too small with the neck snapping back too many times, ergo the surgery. Hope he doesn't have screws in there cos contact sports is contraindicated in that case.

Tkachuk is tough, he went against Brayden McNabb, is abrasive and truculent. Opposing teams want to take his head off. We need players like him on the Canucks imho. I take points over skill anytime. Tkachuk has 46 points, just for comparison, Horvat has 50, Brandon Sutter has 33. Points win games, not skill. Just think Stanley Cup Finals 2011, truculence wins.

no doubt that was Benning's thinking and it is hard to get him to think differently and hence we are the soft team that we are. Not trying to sell you on Tkachuk, just want some toughness. Also don't get why you don't like Tkachuk. He is tough, hates to loose and has attitude, which are characters we are after in a tough player. You can't teach 'hate to loose'. He is also clutch, scoring the winning goal to win the Memorial cup. Made the team which already has monahan, gaudreau, bennett, frolic, verteeg, brouwer, chiasson, not sure hank and danny can crack the line up, let alone a 19 yo.

Trembling may be an exaggeration but as Burrows said, he feels 6 inches taller when Gudbranson is on the ice. Skill players play more comfortably when protected. The question is why Benning didn't take Tkachuk. He is tough and has the pedigree. Benning likes to pick skill players. He could have gone for Troy Brouwer or Andrew Ladd when Lucic fell through. Instead he went for Eriksson. That is not what the team needs. That is why we are having a discussion on toughness.

Hopefully, the management sees that there is a lack of toughness on this team. They have consistently signed for skill players like Baertschi, Granlund, Erickson.....that has got us nowhere. if you sign for skill, you need top level skill like McDavid, Laine, P. Kane, J Gaudreau, to move the needle. The second class skill players need toughness elsewhere on the team to create space. Now Burrows traded for Jonathan Dahlen, Hansen for Goldobin. There is no toughness in return. There is a bit of skill here but it is not going to get far. Skill needs toughness before it can be unleashed. Just imagine you have 5 Johnny Gaudreaus on the ice, after a few crushing body hits, cross checks, hacks on the wrist, the skill is going to be diminished due to uncontrolled trembling on the part of the skill player. I think Peter Chiraelli has out managed Jim Benning, he brought in as mentioned, Patrick Maroon and Lucic to give McDavid the time and space and they are third in the Pacific. Brad Treliving also beat Benning, drafting Tkachuk who paid immediate dividend with toughness and scoring Calgary has 13 more wins than losses. Tkachuk elbowed Dowdy, next time Dowdy is not going to go near Tkachuk, that's what toughness will do. I don't get Willy neither. So many goals against us cause our goalie is screened, can Willy just tell the D to at least battle with the opposing forward so that he pays a price for standing in front of poor Miller. We could prevent a goal a game just doing that. I know Gudbranson is not there but the coach should get whoever playing D to try to clear the crease, instead so many time our guy is in front of the opposing forward and double screens our goalie, great way to loose. Willy is about being responsible at both ends but he has not used his assets to the team's advantage. Have some plays to spring Goldobin and Baerstchi, they are wasted as a checker. Why won't they play Padan over Biega for toughness. Our team never finishes their checks, the opposing D has no sore muscles after a game against us. It hasn't worked the entire season but Willy just keeps sticking with the same old same old. I am so stressed and frustrated over the bland style of the Canucks the whole season. The whole team is just bland and also looks like a farm team. No wonder the results are the way they are, 7 games below 500. Yes we need toughness, at least if we loose, I would be less frustrated than seeing our guys get run over on top of that, right now the Canucks remind me of my life, getting run over by my boss and not even a peep out of me.