Do we owe AV an apology?

[Canuck Surfer]

Now if you had managed to get Ballard into your line up; we could have offered all praise to Gillis for a line up any coach could win with.

As is, your probably right to give all credit to AV!

A lot of us have been calling for AV's head the last few weeks, but considering the roster we've iced for the last few games, i'm mighty impressed that we've pulled this latest streak together (although that does come with stellar play by Schneids.)

But considering we've taken the Northwest division back with this roster, it's quite impressive.

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Chris Higgins

Mason Raymond - Jordan Schroeder - Jannik Hansen

Andrew Gordon - Maxim Lapierre - Tom Sestito

Andrew Ebbett - Alex Burrows

Kevin Bieksa - Andrew Alberts

Dan Hamhuis - Jason Garrison

Chris Tanev - Cam Barker

And to those of us who thought AV may have lost the room, the team has adapted well to AV's readjustment to their game (the *%*%ing dump/change and grinding style, which is boring but in this case it's paying off). Not only that, should we also give AV credit for placing Hansen in a situation where he's having a breakout year this year?

I've been on the 'fire AV' bandwagon for a while, but I'll admit I've been impressed by this stretch of games the past two weeks.

For now at least, I'll bite my tongue and say I was wrong about AV. But I just don't know if we can go all the way with him.

[Red Light Racicot]

So will you start giving him credit for doing those things now?

Schroeder played himself onto the 4th line before and then played himself onto the wolves. He got another chance and has played excellent since coming back. Unless you feel his play is the same as it was before. He's looked better for the entire time he's been back up. If you're going to be critical you also have to give credit.

[Red Light Racicot]

Y'all ignorant fools have cost this team ten times more games putting all your negativity out there than Vigneault has since he was hired. He's an excellent coach who understands the value of defence and individual responsibility. How many people are there with their ropes tied to the back of the Canucks' bandwagon, digging their heels in, pulling with all their might to hold this team back, claiming to be fans? Refusing to root for the team properly until the coach is fired, or the goalie is traded, or this or that player is switched to this or that line, or the GM says what they themselves are thinking? Sack up and root for your team, or find one that you want to root for.

There is a black cloud hanging over this franchise, a poisonous atmosphere, ever since we lost the Finals. That should have been counted a success but fools have let it fester and rot, and defined it as a failure when it was our greatest achievement in almost two decades. We need to lance this boil, scour it and cauterize it before the rot gets any deeper and gets into any truly essential systems...we have been lucky so far, but it's time to be smart as well. When a successful team's own fans are actively rooting against it, the hockey gods will only tolerate that for so long. The end of last season is a taste of what we will all get for a main course, if y'all don't recognize your wrongs and repent what you're doing.

[1970 and beyond]

_{Apology...................for what?????}

[Gman]

While I can appreciate some of the more intelligent conversation within this thread from people on both sides of the arguement I need to point out the following. Those of us who happen to have lost faith in AV and think it is time for him to go have been subjected to the following personal attacks and slagging, we:

• are whining

• are freakazoids

• are schizo

• are reactionary

• guilty of mindless criticism

• don't have awareness

• don't have decent sense

• just lash out at the first person that comes to mind

• just want to bash somebody

• aren't real fans at all

• have zero patience

• have the memory of a goldfish

• are fickle

• are often quite stupid

• are ignorant fools

• have cost the team

• are holding the team back

• are rooting against the team

• we need to recognize our wrongs

• should repent

• are nitpicking

• are "so called fans"

• are ungrateful

• are fools

• are dumb

• have little to no grasp of reality let alone hockey

• are insanely idiotic

• are all guilty of rambling incoherent responses

• don't have close to anything considered a rational thought

• need to stfu

Really? We're the ones that need to check ourselves? The hypocrisy has never been so thick.

Progress is made by those willing to push forward and challenge the status quo not by those whom simply choose to accept things as they are.

[wallstreetamigo]

No. I am saying the Canucks poor play this season is due to circumstances uncontrollable by the coach - IE 25% of the salary cap being invested in players unable to be on the ice for most of the season. ( either goalie, booth, kesler, malhotra, ballard)

"doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a fool" - the coach is but one variable in a multitude. With players, being the most numerous... an also unpredictable as they grow and change from year to year. Unfortunately, sports are not an exact science. Our current coach, however, has proven capable of coming oh-so-close to winning the Stanley Cup on top of two Presidents Trophy seasons.

Ask yourself - has a team with a roster akin to ours this season (IE without Kesler) ever won a cup? I would think not.

[wallstreetamigo]

[Kryten]

-AV is a good coach.

-The players on this team are also very good.

-Sometimes good players play bad.

-Sometimes good coaches coach poorly.

-Bad coaches still win games.

-Bad players still win games.

-Neither AV nor the players are any more responsible for a win streak than they are for a losing record.

-Changing players around could be the impetus for a vast improvement in the teams record.

-Changing the coach could do the same thing.

-An apology is not owed from anyone whose position has been consistent for a reasonable amount of time, unless you support your argument with "AV only chews gum LOL " or "AV haters are dum ", and in these two cases, apologies are owed from the parents and teachers of said offenders.

[Gman]

unless you support your argument with "AV only chews gum LOL "

[NightHawkSniper]

AV owes Ballard an apology for sure.

[Gustavo Fring]

I'll apologize to AV once we win a cup.

[nuck nit]

Nobody owes AV,he is a pro and is paid handsomely to do a job that only the select few in the world get the pleasure and honor to perform.

All of these professionals were gifted at birth or excelled at a game we all love.

When AV has a team that consistently loses he will likely be the fall guy for a GM that is one phone call from losing his own status.

[Baggins]

AV owes Ballard an apology for sure.

[gradin123]

Coach of the year in my books right now.

[wai_lai416]

nah not really.. i mean they Canucks are riding good goaltending... if they had avg or even above avg goaltending in any of those game.. coulda easily lost every single one... i hope fans realized.. even with this mini streak.. and kesler coming back and everything... we are no where close to being a contender to win the cup.. there's still a lot of holes that needs to be filled...

[MikeGillis58]

We don't owe AV an apology. His job is to make this team into a cup contender.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Ask me after the Playoffs.

[-DLC-]

nah not really.. i mean they Canucks are riding good goaltending... if they had avg or even above avg goaltending in any of those game.. coulda easily lost every single one... i hope fans realized.. even with this mini streak.. and kesler coming back and everything... we are no where close to being a contender to win the cup.. there's still a lot of holes that needs to be filled...

Do you know what though? That's what makes a team - that, when some are missing or struggling others will pick up the slack.

"Coulda easily" lost, but won.

When you're patching together a team and are winning despite that, it shows that you are a fairly strong team.

"No where close to being a contender"?? Don't just pick up phrases that others have thrown out there...any team is a contender until they're knocked out of the playoffs. Including us.

[Coconuts]

We don't owe him a thing. He's paid handsomely to get this team to perform at it's best, and in my eyes he hasn't done that consistently during his tenure. He's done good things, he's done bad things. He's made good decisions, and he's made some pretty stupid ones. We made it to the finals with him as a coach, but it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as I feel the guys we had got there in spite of him.

If we don't get past the second round I'd like to see some fresh blood in the coaching staff, and a new head coach. AV's chapter in Canucks history has been a good one, but it could have been much better.

[RUPERTKBD]

When he actually outcoaches someone in the playoffs, yes.