Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community
  • entries
    6
  • comments
    27
  • views
    7,330

Optimist Prime - 11.27.2009


Optimist_Prime

838 views

<table border=0 width=1000 align=center><tr><td><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/10/oct0209_optimist_blog.jpg" border=0 style="float: left; margin-right: 8px;">Vancouver, BC – Allegedly inspired by the heroic play of Kyle Wellwood in Vancouver's 4-1 win over Los Angeles Thursday night, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis is planning a return to the NHL.

Gillis was spotted working out with the team at Friday's morning skate, his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame powering down the ice like a snowmobile.

MG seemed quite comfortable in his role as GM with the Canucks so it was a shock to most that he would try returning to the NHL for the first time since retiring in the summer of 1984.

Gillis came into this world when

by Jerry Lee Lewis was screaming up the charts and he turns 51 next week, so let's not kid ourselves, he may have lost a step or two. Or three. Or four. Or nineteen.

Speculation is that this bullish left winger, once a member of the Colorado Rockies – no, not the baseball team, child please – and the Boston Bruins, believes that if Wellwood can pot an empty net goal and get a cheer equal to what the Canucks got when they forced a seventh and deciding game in 1993-94, anything is possible.

<img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/Gillis.jpg" border="0" alt="" hspace="4" vspace="1" align="Right" />A source close to Gillis, who requested anonymity and may or may not be real, same with this story, said that Mike "

"

"Once he puts up some shelves and gets that stuff organized, he'll be good to go. Wicked shot,

attitude, wild intensity and he's got more drive and focus than Tiger Woods – what, too soon?"

Rumors are swirling on the Canucks message boards that Gillis will be penciling himself into the line-up as early as this weekend, either on the third or fourth line, possibly both. Fed up with the bottom lines producing as well as Matt Forte (if you are from Chicago, cheer for the Bears or picked this molasses running back in fantasy football, you know what I'm talking about), Gillis is expected to average roughly 40 minutes a game in an effort to produce, produce, produce.

Laugh if you will, but in 246 career NHL games Gillis piled up 76 points and that's more than Darcy Hordichuk, Rick Rypien, Tanner Glass and Jannik Hansen have combined for in more than twice as many games.

MG, a points machine? Who'da thunk it!

Playing for the team you're heavily involved in can be an issue, just ask Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky, but Gillis seems up for another challenge. He's already got the Canucks back to the post-season, finished a Rubik's Cube, successfully entered a text on an iPhone, said eleven benevolent elephants three times fast, stayed on a bull for eight seconds, landed a quadruple jump, written a country music song and understood something Manny Pacquiao said, so this should be nothing.

Next thing you know someone will write a

and he'll be throwing up the Olympic gang sign on CTV.

Good luck MG, not that you need it!

Who is Optimist Prime? He's an eternal Canucks believer whose glass is always half full, even when it's empty.

Throughout the 2009-10 season, Optimist will take a lighthearted look at the Canucks while never losing the faith. It's Cup time baby!

</td></tr></table>

8 Comments


Recommended Comments

Is that picture real? I seriously hope you aren't kidding.

Maybe...

Sedin - Sedin - Gillis? Or Burrows - Kesler - Gillis? His physical play would work well with either of those lines. The Sedins need to hit more, maybe MG can show them how it's done.

Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...