Thank goodness for Bert - NOV.29.07
Entry posted by Polar Bear
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<table width=90% align=center><tr><td><img src=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/09/bear_head.jpg border=0 align=left vspace=1 hspace=4>When we got Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan Mccabe for Trevor Linden it was, perhaps, the greatest day in franchise history. We got an underperforming hulk of a forward for one of the most respected leaders and players in the NHL. We traded a valued member of the community, and one of the nicest guys in the league, for a frowning grump who caused unbelievable tensions and dissention in the locker room.
Thank goodness.
<a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/11/nov2707_canuckvsduck05_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/11/nov2707_canuckvsduck05_tt.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>The lunacy of Mike Milbury has been well documented, and in this case, he was so lost he was actually fleeced by the second misguided Mike, that being Mike Keenan. Keenan brought Todd Bertuzzi to town and, in the process, put together the most exciting team in Vancouver history. The WCE was the best line Vancouver has ever had, and that includes the best days of Pavel Bure. That line dominated the league and should have produced two Art Ross trophy winners in consecutive years. It was a treat to be a Vancouver fan in those days, and a nightmare for our rivals.
That line rejuvenated the city, sold out the building every night, made Vancouver a perennial contender, and lined the pockets of our absentee owner. While I am not suggesting Bertuzzi was the sole reason for that, he was a major major part of it. That line, with Bertuzzi, made Vancouver the hockey mad insane asylum of a city that it is today. The Canucks, in their history, have never been more popular than they are right now. Never. But one day the party stopped for the WCE, and the fans began to boo the team.
<a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/11/nov2707_canuckvsduck14_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/11/nov2707_canuckvsduck14_tt.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>Thank goodness for Keenan.
Together, Mike and Todd saved the franchise twice. Mike traded again for Bertuzzi hoping to catch lightening in a bottle twice. What he caught was a firefly. Sure, it was bright, but no one was afraid anymore. No one thought Florida was going to run and gun like the WCE. Almost everyone thought, even then, that Florida got fleeced; not one knew just how bad yet! We got a top four defenseman and the best goalie in the game for Bertuzzi. I still shake my head at how Keenan is still involved in the game. How is Calgary doing anyway?
Last night, when Anaheim came to town, we saw the difference Bertuzzi has made to this team. Markus Naslund ripped a beautiful wrist shot past Giguere just like he used to when he was on a line with Todd. We saw Bertuzzi float around the ice and make little effect on the game, just like he did in his final season, and we saw Luongo.
Enough has been said about how awesome Luongo has been, but not enough has been said about Bert. Without Todd, without Milbury, without Keenan, and probably without the incident with Moore, we would not be treated night in and night out to the best goaltending on the planet. Without everything that has happened to Bertuzzi, Keenan, and the city of Vancouver, we would not be in a position to win it all every year.
Thank you Todd Bertuzzi. Thank you for pulling me out of my seat when you were on your game, and thank you for making me hit the ceiling when you were traded; you have changed the city, and the team, forever. And thank you Mike Keenan, you've saved the franchise twice.</td></tr></table>
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