RWJC

One area could likely be from the off topic threads section and what they deem as insinuations about the Russia/Ukraine war discussions, etc. That got pretty heated at times in there.

Thanks for all you’ve been trying to accomplish. Much respect.

Hogs would be the better option to move at this point in time. Podz has size and can still adapt his game to different roles. Love Hogs, but he’s unfortunately more expendable to me at this point.

Apparently CBJ ownership has since mentioned that Kek and Davidson are safe from any repercussions/fallout

Very much so. Contact IRCC and obtain a PR application number and then you’ll be hot to trot on the new forum.

…And Boeser 8x10s for your dart board

We’re ready to recharge your battery bank if required

Canucks: Team shuts down popular website fan forums, fans lament the loss "It really kept me in the loop and I feel like I'm going to be lost without it now…. Kind of a shocking day," said one fan. Patrick Johnston Published Sep 16, 2023 • Last Updated 2 hours ago The news arrived quietly, but those who saw it reacted with great shock. The Vancouver Canucks are shutting down Canucks.com’s fan forums, which at one time were the leading place online to talk about the Canucks and a model for fan engagement across the NHL. In a message that fans first started noticing late Friday, roughly around the end of the Canucks’ 7-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, the site’s administrators revealed that the forums would be closing at the end of September. The message reads: “Dear Canucks fans and forum users, “We want to thank you for your passion, your millions of posts and your interest in our team and this site. It has been an incredible journey and an entertaining experience. Unfortunately, the time has come to shut down this forum and turn the page on what has been an incredible novel to read. It will remain active until the end of the month and be closed October 1st. “Be sure to follow us on social media and download our mobile app for breaking news and content on your Vancouver Canucks. We also look forward to seeing you at Rogers Arena this season. “Go Canucks Go!” The Canucks declined to comment, simply pointing to the statement posted online Friday. Known officially as Canucks community forums but known colloquially by the acronym CDC — for Canucks Dot Com — the forums first came online two decades ago and quickly became one of the most vibrant sites online for discussion about the province’s favourite pro sports team. Kevin Kinghorn, who headed up the Canucks’ digital team for years and now works for the Portland Trail Blazers, said that over about a five year stretch about 15 years ago, the Canucks’ website was the busiest site in the NHL’s network, with a large portion of that driven by activity on the forums. “It was about giving the fans a voice and that’s what made it so incredibly powerful. It created an online community around the brand,” Kinghorn told Postmedia. Creating a space for fans to interact was good for the Canucks’ business, he believed. There had been smaller, niche spaces like Usenet newsgroups before, but what Canucks.com came to offer was a central hub. There was some moderation in place, mostly administered by the users themselves, and commentary of all sorts, positive or negative, critical or surface-level cheerleading — all of it welcomed. “We always looked at it as a place for the fans, managed by the fans. What was really important was we gave people a place to communicate about the team. It was very hands off,” he added. “It was really just about fan-building.” The forums were so busy they needed the attention of a staffer. Kinghorn hired Byron Ribble to supervise the forums. “It was such a great time,” Ribble said. At times, senior team executives would push to shut down the message boards because they’d come across a thread critical of the team, but the team’s digital staff always pushed back, saying that the community it provided, shown in the high number of page views, brought the team far more overall value, added Ryan Nicholas, who worked alongside Kinghorn and Ribble from 2013 to 2020. As word of the pending closure spread, fans paid tribute to the site and what it has meant to them on the forums, and on social media sites and with Postmedia. “It was the first space where I found my voice as a Canucks fan. I remember joining in ’03 when I was in Grade 5. For a long time it was the only place for the Canuck fan community until Twitter took off,” Arpan Parhar said Saturday. “If you are a diehard millennial Canucks fan, there have been a few moments in the last few years to remind you your childhood is dead. Sedins’ retirement was one of them. CDC closing is another.” For Garrett Milne, who lives in Kitimat, CDC was a way to connect with B.C. fans. “Been on the forums since around 2009, never had an account, never got into any of the drama. It was just the best place to get all the news and signings first, great place to read articles and watch videos of prospects,” he said in a message to Postmedia. “It really kept me in the loop and I feel like I’m going to be lost without it now…. Kind of a shocking day.” He always preferred to go to CDC becasue it kept everything in one spot, instead of having to navigate his way through the chaos of X (formerly Twitter). “Instead of scrolling Twitter trying to find every highlight or interview from different reporters, the forum was one centralized place where each player and prospect had its own thread, making it easy to see clips of Euro prospects and the NCAA guys,” Milne added. “Of course there would be idiots on there trying to cut the team down, yadda yadda, but for the most part it just seemed like dedicated Canucks fans who wanted to talk hockey and share opinions.” Kevin Madigan, known on CDC as “kmad,” grew up in Nelson, then moved to Castlegar to attend Selkirk College and said the forums were a formative part of his life. He signed up for CDC in February 2003, not long after the forums launched. “Being on that forum allowed me to feel like I was involved, despite being a 12-hour Greyhound ride from home ice,” Madigan said. “Maybe it was for the best, as I probably would have attended that Free Bertuzzi rally outside of GM Place if I’d been living in Vancouver at the time.” When he moved to Vancouver a few years later, a CDC forum user known as phuser22 let him crash on his couch while Madigan searched for a job and a place to live. “Since I knew nobody else when I moved here, the people I’d known from the forums became my closest friends. I counted a while back and I’d met well over 100 different people from there. Lots of meetups at the Cambie,” he said. He’s still in a hockey pool with about 14 others from their old days on CDC, which he said is the most meaningful thing to have come out of his days posting on the forums. The commissioner of the pool is Miles Tautscher, who admits he has never won in the 15 years the pool has been running. Tautscher is among those who found love via CDC, meeting the woman who became his wife. The couple now has two children. “We were both teenagers on CDC at the time and we weren’t overtly looking for partners. But it was the days of MSN messenger and one thing led to another and here we are,” he said. Posters at CDC also started a number of threads lamenting the loss of their forum, both to vent and also to recall the good times. “Mine — and I’m sure a lot of other people’s favourite — has to be the, ‘Burrows? Do we really need him?’ Thread. That thread will always be iconic, always made me laugh when I needed it,” poster Apricot wrote. “The guy who was on a date, and the toilet backed up, and went to CDC for advice,” wrote TheGhostof1915. “Raymond, Ballard and a 2nd,” quipped Billabong, referencing the long-standing love fans have for posting their own trade proposals, which are often structured around a player they don’t like, plus throwing in a draft pick. Wyatt Arndt is one of the popular Canucks writers of the past decade, who first found his voice posting to places like CDC. “Before Twitter, the place to talk Canucks hockey WAS the Canucks.com message boards,” he said in a text message. “Today people go to Twitter but back then we all filed into the game day thread to hang out together and yell about hockey.” With the rise of Twitter, Youtube and Reddit, the CDC forums have declined in prominence, but for years it was the only outlet for fans to gather online. Arndt said: “Without CDC I might not have a sports writing career. It allowed me to test out my writing in front of an audience and I also read a lot of other hockey opinions on there, which helped deepen and broaden the way I thought about hockey.” Other fans quickly set up a new unofficial site, where they hope the vibe of the official site would carry on: forumcanucks.com. pjohnston@postmedia.com twitter.com/risingaction https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-team-shuts-down-popular-website-fan-forums-fans-lament-the-loss/wcm/d5c20087-f148-4abb-8e86-092f492dbdc0/amp/

If a van with no windows pulls up beside you as you’re walking down the sidewalk, just do us all a favour and volunteer to get inside. It’ll make the process much easier for everyone of us involved over at UCFF.

God’s thunderous voice = caps.

You’d have to think Kek is on the hot seat with this too. CBJ has struggled under his recent tenure. And some fan faves and locker room leaders moved out as part of his decision making.

Heartbreaking. Utmost thank you to everyone who has contributed to this forum and made my life that much more enjoyable. Hope we can all reconvene again.

Sounds like a cologne from Anchorman

He has that future captain vibe to me. Composed, confident yet humble and a solid energy to the guy. Really hope he pans out.

Latest On Shane Pinto September 15th, 2023 at 8:23pm CST • By Brennan McClain The NHL continues to crawl closer to the start of training camp, and as usual, most teams have done much of their heavy lifting already, eager to see how new acquisitions mesh with their new teams. Unfortunately for the Ottawa Senators, they are still left without a contract for their sixth-highest goal-scorer during the 2021-22 season, Shane Pinto. Only last week, the Boston Bruins, who much like the Senators have little salary cap flexibility to work with, had a reported interest in acquiring Pinto to fill their newfound void at the center position. Nevertheless, only a day later, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet spoke candidlyabout Pinto’s situation, describing that Ottawa would need to make a trade to fit him under the salary cap for the upcoming season. It’s no surprise as to why the Senators would want to extend Pinto, as well as the reported outside interest from other teams around the league. At 22 years old, Pinto is coming off a 20-goal season and should come at a fairly cheap price as he is coming off of his entry-level contract. Speaking in place for new owner Michael Andlauer during Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe‘s monthly breakfast at City Hall, General Manager of the Senators, Pierre Dorion spoke to the situation surrounding the contract of Pinto. Dorion noted that both sides are hoping to have a deal done by next Tuesday, which could provide a resolution by the end of the upcoming weekend. However, Dorion did acknowledge there still is a gap between the two parties, and that the team does need to move a contract of magnitude in order to keep Pinto in the fold for the 2023-24 season. Dorion said, “We’re working on that one (Pinto), hard. We’d like to see him next week when we open camp“. Whatever the outcome is for this ordeal, it’s important to point out that the Ottawa organization should be uniquely busy this weekend, unlike most teams during this time of the year. As things currently stand, the Senators have approximately $895K in cap space, and will likely need to free up around $900K-$1MM to sign Pinto comfortably. Whether it comes through a small deal, or even some roster manipulation by Dorion, a solution should be arranged by early next week. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2023/09/latest-on-shane-pinto.html#ref=home

Thanks, much appreciated!

Canucks: How Jett Woo found his way back to big-upside prospect Jett Woo regrets not making the NHL last season. This is now the year, he hopes. That he is even in a position to lament how his 2022-23 season went says everything about how different his potential career looks now compared to even a year ago, when “busted prospect” was being whispered by observers of the Vancouver Canucks. The 2021-22 season had been a struggle for the once-promising hard-rock defenceman. That was the 2018 second-round draft pick’s second professional season and it had been a struggle. He was often a healthy scratch, and when he did get in the lineup, he often skated as a forward. It seemed he was roster filler, a player who was suiting up simply because there was no one else. That was a far cry from the player the Canucks hoped would develop into mid-range defensive stalwart. As a general rule, second-picks stand a very good chance of playing in the NHL, especially five years out. Seventeen of the 31 players picked in the 2018 second round have suited up for NHL contests; 22 of 31 players picked in the 2017 second round. Last season, though, he got himself back on course. He wasn’t alone in that regard, as new AHL head coach Jeremy Colliton clearly brought a breath of fresh air to a squad that needed a new voice. Under Colliton, Abbotsford made the second round of the playoffs but more importantly, just about every Canucks prospect who suited up in Abbotsford got a new gleam to their potential. Earlier this year Abbotsford Canucks GM Ryan Johnson said that Woo had found his identity again and thought he might even play NHL games in the 2023-24 season. For his part, Woo said he was disappointed he didn’t suit up in an NHL game. It was a goal he’d set for himself coming into the season, even if the season before hadn’t gone quite as planned. “I try to make goals that I know I can make and goals that are pretty far out there,” he acknowledged this week after skating with his teammates at the University of B.C., a week ahead of the beginning of the Canucks’ NHL training camp in Victora. “I know I’m someone that I strive towards things like that and I think if I make some high goals that makes puts me in a good spot.” Finding NHL minutes will only happen if he puts his best foot forward, he knows. And that means staying focused on what he does best. “I just got to be noticeable at camp. I got to be smart. Move pucks. Be simple. And play hard on D. Even though I got some points last year, I think the staple of my game is playing hard D and being someone they can rely on in most situations,” he said. “I grew up always playing defence-first. I know I’m someone that can that can impact the game playing D and making hits and playing smart in the D zone. And I’m someone that, you know, guys don’t want to go up against in practice and in games. So I think just keep that up and try to make that into the NHL game too.” Woo’s self-assessment echoed what the Canucks then-director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett said after the 2018 draft. “He kept pretty calculated when he joined the rush,” Bracket said at the time. “His ability to defend is what stands out.” Being a right-shot defenceman helps somewhat. The Canucks have a long list of defencemen who can play on the left and who will be fighting for a call-up, but on the right side, the path to a call-up is a little clearer. If Woo doesn’t make the Canucks to start the season, he’ll likely have just a single rival on the right side of the Abbotsford blueline for an initial call-up, either Noah Juulsen, who impressed the NHL coaching staff late last season, or Matt Irwin, who the Canucks signed as a veteran depth presence this summer. For Woo, the time is just about now. At 23, he’s definitely found his man strength he said. And he’s weighing in at just a touch over 200 pounds, a size he’s very comfortable with. “I feel fast. I feel strong,” he declared. DOUBLE IT — Woo, who wore 4 last season for Abbotsford but was tentatively assigned 52 had he been called up to Vancouver last season, is set to sport No. 44 this season. “What’s better that one four? Two,” he quipped when asked about the number change. pjohnston@postmedia.com twitter.com/risingaction

Yes I understood

Good idea

“Much speculation has swirled around Dave Tomlinson — who worked on Seattle Kraken radio broadcasts the past two seasons and used to be the colour man on Canucks radio broadcasts before that. It’s likely that Tomlinson will fill the job, perhaps stepping aside for a handful of games for Ray Ferraro.” John Shorthouse will be back behind the mic for Canucks' Sportsnet broadcasts Who will be in the booth with Shorthouse remains a question mark. Author of the article: Patrick Johnston Published Sep 14, 2023 • Last Updated 16 hours ago • 2 minute read We still don’t know — at least not officially — who will serve as colour commentator on Vancouver Canucks TV broadcasts in 2023-24, but we do now know that John Shorthouse will once again return as play by play caller. An official announcement by Sportsnet of their plans for the 2023-24 season isn’t expected until next week, but Sportsnet 650’s Satiar Shah reported Thursday that John Shorthouse has a new contract and will be back on play by play, a role he’s filled on TV for the past 15 years. Shah’s report came about two hours after CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported on the Donnie and Dhali show that Shorthouse was still without a contract, less than a week before Sportsnet broadcasts their first game of the 2023-24 campaign, one of next week’s Canucks pre-season games. (The Canucks are unusual around the NHL in that they have pre-season games included in their regional TV deal. Most teams don’t do a full production in pre-season, if they broadcast their pre-season games at all.) During the discussion about Shorthouse’s status, Dhaliwal’s co-host Don Taylor made reference to U.S. markets perhaps being an option for Shorthouse, since hockey broadcast jobs rarely come open in Canada. Staying with the Canucks’ broadcast seemed the most logical option, Taylor suggested. Mentioning the U.S. likely was a reference to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ TV play by play job, which was revealed as open two weeks ago, though the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the team’s radio play by play caller seemed set to take over the TV role. Who will be in the booth with Shorthouse remains a question mark. John Garrett announced at the end of last season that he wasn’t returning to the Sportsnet Pacific booth for 2023-24, though he is expected to fill some kind of role for Sportsnet’s national broadcast. Much speculation has swirled around Dave Tomlinson — who worked on Seattle Kraken radio broadcasts the past two seasons and used to be the colour man on Canucks radio broadcasts before that. It’s likely that Tomlinson will fill the job, perhaps stepping aside for a handful of games for Ray Ferraro. Ferraro has a full-time gig with ESPN in the U.S. Dave Tomlinson (left) and Everett Fitzhugh (right) are the radio play-by-play team for the Seattle Kraken. They’ll work their first game together on Saturday, Oct. 23, the inaugural home opener for the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.PHOTO BY SUBMITTED /jpeg

I liked Insomnia. Another one where he played out of character and quite memorably.

Yeah I almost didn’t post it because it just seemed like he’s reaching for attention. But then I considered the folks who were on the tank for Bedard train and what it might’ve meant to this club’s future if just bottomed out for two seasons in order to try and dictate the next 15 years. If this season is a flop, I have a feeling we’ll hear from those opinions quite loudly again.

Can we bring back Troy Gamble? He was a personal fave.

As long as it has all the quiz answers in the back of the book, I’m on board.

Screen Shots: Canucks and Celebrini, Mike Babcock, Flames and Jets Adam Proteau wonders whether the Canucks will miss another opportunity to draft a No. 1 pick from Vancouver, and he discusses Mike Babcock's situation in Columbus and crossroads for the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Welcome back to Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we analyze a few hockey topics in shorter bursts. On to things we go: With junior hockey phenom Connor Bedard about to embark on his NHL career as the cornerstone of the Chicago Blackhawks, the next name on the horizon as a No. 1 overall draft pick is 17-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini. Like Bedard, he is a Vancouver native who would look great in a Canucks uniform for the next decade-and-a-half. However, Vancouver squandered its 2022-23 season by not tanking properly, and the Canucks wound up with the 11th overall selection. The same scenario could take place in the 2024 NHL draft, with Celabrini potentially going to a full-on rebuilding franchise – say, the Philadelphia Flyers or Montreal Canadiens – and Vancouver once again ending at or near the 10th overall pick next summer. We know many NHL fan bases are beside themselves with angst over the direction of their team, but it’s difficult to envision any scenario more frustrating than the one the Canucks are about to be dealing with again. Even if they’d only landed Bedard or Celebrini, at the very least, they’d have a foundational player to build around. Instead, a homegrown talent could once again wind up far away from Vancouver, and regret will mount over every passing year. As we’ve noted before, the type of talent possessed by players such as Celebrini and Bedard cannot be acquired by normal means like free agency or trades. The best way to secure the services of an elite competitor is through the draft. Now, not every first overall pick becomes a superstar, but many, if not most, superstars get picked at No. 1. And considering the money they get paid is essentially the same under the salary cap, you need to capitalize on a young player’s emotional connection to their hometown. But you’re never going to get anywhere near a top performer unless you undergo the pain and tumult of a full rebuild. If, at this time next summer, the Canucks have another mid-tier first-round draft pick, Vancouver supporters will have every reason to be irate. The hockey gods are offering them needle-movers, but their drive for mediocrity all but assures they’ll be short on them until further notice. ——————— In other news, new Columbus coach Mike Babcock is feeling the heat after former NHL player Paul Bissonnette alleges Babcock was being intrusive with Blue Jackets players, asking to see pictures on their smartphones. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic's Katie Strang reported on Thursday that NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey went to Columbus to meet the Blue Jackets about the allegations. Bissonnette strongly opposes what he perceives is Babcock crossing a line with players, while Babcock and the Blue Jackets strongly challenge the veracity of the story. Either way, it appears Babcock has the eternal ire of many players he crossed paths with in his NHL career. That in and of itself shouldn’t be shocking, as you’ll be hard-pressed to find a coach who had the admiration and devotion of each and every player who played for them. Just as one person’s feast is another person’s famine, the coaching style of any given bench boss could, in theory, rub one player the wrong way while hitting all the right notes with other players. Now, it may come to light that Babcock’s alleged request to look at players’ phones to learn more about their families is utterly harmless. But given Babcock’s history and admitted errors in dealing with players at every one of his NHL stops, he should be fully aware he has to be more delicate in his machinations than he’s ever been prior to being hired by Columbus. If that means he has to reinvent himself and find other ways to connect with his players, so be it. Babcock wouldn’t be the first coach who faced such a crossroads; some coaches adapt and stay in the game, while others fade into history. But although he’s getting another chance with his Columbus gig, he must be mindful that there’s a gigantic magnifying glass on him – not just for the moment, but for every remaining day he has as an NHL coach – and conduct himself accordingly. If he proves to be his own worst enemy, Babcock will be involuntarily retired, and no other teams will take a chance on him. Finally, two of the NHL’s tougher markets, Calgary and Winnipeg, are in the early stages of dealing with similar predicaments – namely, the fact they're entering the season without key components having signed contract extensions to remain with the team. In Winnipeg, we’re talking about center Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck, while in Calgary, we’re referring to center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin. The aforementioned players haven’t come out and made a public stink demanding trades, and Lindholm appears more open than last April to re-signing in Calgary, but every day that passes without their signature on an extension could end up being a de facto trade request if hasn't already. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Flames counterpart Craig Conroy know full well they can’t allow Scheifele, Helllebuyck, Lindholm and Hanifin to walk away for nothing at the end of 2023-24, so a day of reckoning is coming for all of them. Players earn their free-agency rights, so you can’t fault them for wanting to decide their place of employment in the later stages of their careers. But you can take a hard line about needing a commitment or moving on, and Conroy and Cheveldayoff will be lambasted if they don’t do so. And that’s why we have a tough time envisioning the Jets and Flames making the playoffs this season. One of them might be able to win in spite of their personnel problems, but both? Nope, we don’t think so. They need a clear direction sooner than later or find themselves severely disappointed. https://thehockeynews.com/news/screen-shots-canucks-and-celebrini-mike-babcock-flames-and-jets