Polar Bear

<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>If you aren't in, then you are out. If you are not for us, you are against us. While these statements sound like a recruiting add for the Marines, or the latest round of motivational posters for suicidal Islamic fundamentalists, I assure it is something slightly more domestic; in both senses of the word. I have been lucky enough in my life to travel to a great many places in the world and there is one constant with every city I visit, and with every fellow traveler I meet. I wouldn't trade hometowns with any of them. I had a great meeting with a couple of travelers from New Jersey while I was in Santorini, Greece a few years ago. The conversation was a one sided one, with these two waxing eloquently about the beauties of Jersey and how it was the envy of all who were not from there. They discussed the fine city life of Jersey, and how Jersey did a better "Greek Salad" than the Greeks (complete with Croutons, Caesar dressing, Bacon, and Egg... I think they have their antiquities mixed up!). Then, an hour later (I was too polite, being Canadian, to interrupt their diatribe), they asked me where I was from. I pleasantly said Vancouver, Canada. As they looked at each other with a look of confusion, likely wondering where in Australia Vancouver is, I calmly explained that I lived in the city with the highest standard of living in the world, in the country, which finished atop the UN's Quality of Life Index. I have this great pride about where I live, where I work, and my fellow countrymen. I don't begrudge others who speak highly of their places of habitation, but I am convinced that mine is better. It is this attitude, which is well supported by the data, which leaves me rather confused. I don't understand why there isn't a lineup of UFA's willing to take pay cuts just to have the please of calling Vancouver home. I find it insulting that someone would have the nerve to pass up a contract in Vancouver so they could go and play in Nashville, or Carolina, or Minnesota. It just doesn't make sense to me. I have to admit that there is another emotion that comes out with the recent FA events in Vancouver. Anger. I get angry when I feel people are disrespecting my city and my team. When Mike Toth spouts off his unsupported vitriol directed at my team, I get annoyed. When people talk constantly of Luongo wanting to leave Vancouver it drives me up the wall. Why does he want to leave? Is it the crime rate in Miami that is pulling him away? All I need to do is look at players who call this city home. Trevor Linden was born to play for this club. Willie Mitchell, I am convinced, plays a little harder just because he is from Vancouver. Matthias Ohlund, in any other uniform just wouldn't be the same. There is a great deal of pride in this team and in this city. I have no tolerance for those who do not want to play here. If you don't want to play for this team, then get out or don't come at all. I don't care if you are a blazing fast Russian, a hulking Canadian winger with a mean streak, or an over-hyped indecisive Swede. If you aren't willing to put it all on the line to play for my team, then you don't deserve to live in the test city in the world and play for the best fans in the NHL. This team deserves to be one of the best in the NHL, this team deserves players who will represent the quality of this city. This team deserves players who are as passionate as the fans of Vancouver. This team deserves nothing less. Thank you everyone who was read my blog over the past year. I have enjoyed writing them; I hope you have enjoyed reading them! All the best, Tom Lupton </td></tr></table>

<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>Never, in my whole life, have I been prouder of an athlete than I am of Trevor Linden. He has done what so many people fail to do in their lives. He has finished his career, and he can have no regrets. No regrets? How can he have no regrets? His name isn't on the Stanley cup. Those very astute observers out there will certainly have noticed that, yes, the Stanley Cup is suffering by not having the name Trevor Linden on it, but that does not a career make. No regrets? He was a healthy scratch many times in this, his farewell season, which ended without a playoff run. How could that not be regretful? This is true. He was a healthy scratch this year on a team that missed the playoffs, but to think that would tarnish his career is to not understand that Linden is the definition of a team player. Others out there might point out his failure to win the Calder trophy in his rookie year. Finishing second to a hall of famer like Brian Leetch is no failure. Some might say losing to the Rangers in game 7 was the sign of an unfinished career. I would point out his two goals in that game and shift the "blame" for that loss elsewhere. What about being stripped of his captaincy? Two words, Mark Messier. Two more, Mike Keenan. These two ushered in the darkest days of this franchise by shipping out it's brightest star. This action, but extent, has proven the effect Linden had on this city and franchise rather than illustrate any perverse example of failure. Linden has often finished second. Second to Leetch, second to the Rangers, second to Naslund, second to Smyl, but he has always been first in one important category: Integrity. Trevor Linden lived his life the way it should be lived: Selfless, honest, hard working, and compassionate. That he was a gifted athlete as well was merely the vehicle by which to accelerate the causes he held dear. In an era of selfish athletes and fallen idols, Linden has stood firm and true. He bore witness to the era of Kobe Bryant, Popeye Jones, Barry Bonds and others of their ilk and remained a genuine role model for even the best of us. Trevor Linden finishes his career as a humanitarian, a great hockey player, and as a wonderful person. Stanley cup, no Stanley cup, I couldn't care less about the Stanley Cup, Trevor Linden is more than a name on a trophy, more than a great athlete. Trevor Linden has managed to leave the game on a high note; the title of "star" has never been more deserving. All the best, Trevor! </td></tr></table>

<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>Thank you Mr. Nonis. Thank you for building a team that for the first time in a long time has a strong farm system, some good prospects, and a game breaking goaltender. I'm sorry that all of these things, coupled with a record-breaking season last year, weren't enough to save your job. You deserve better, and I'm certain that wherever you end up, you'll be a success. Dave Nonis is the fall guy on a team that really didn't deserve to have one. I'm no apologist, and I'll be the first person to criticize and condemn poor management and play, but the latest edition of the Canucks was not a team that deserves the vitriol ad venom that is being spewed at them from all-comers. One would think that the GM has just declared war on Poland, or attempted appeasement with Calgary, with the level of attacks administered to this team. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct2207_nonis06_t.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Everyone is an expert now, everyone is the armchair GM who wouldn't have signed Naslund, who would've drafted Kopitar, who would've made Linden captain, and who would've won the Stanley Cup every year. I want to meet some of you experts next time I go and pick my next lottery ticket. It's so easy to sit behind your keyboard and criticize and condemn. It's much harder, I assure you, to put together a good team and then watch it disintegrate down the stretch. This was a good team; a team capable of winning the division and challenging for the Stanley cup; a team with perhaps the best defense in the entire NHL. I know no one wants to place the blame for this season where it belongs, but I am not afraid. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct2207_nonis03_t.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Injuries sank this team, and injuries cost a good man his job. If Bieksa and Salo are not hurt against Nashville, don't you think we would have won two more games this season? If Mitchell didn't crack his back, don't you think that would have earned this team two more points? If Tootoo hadn't run Miller, are you convinced that we couldn't have forced just one more game to overtime? If Morrison is able to play the season, don't you think those 20+ goals he would have provided might have been enough to put this team into the playoffs? Sure, injuries are a part of every season, but the injury bug decimated the Canucks this season. It cost the fans here their chance to go playoff nuts, and it cost Dave Nonis his job. I respected the job Nonis has done, and I felt confident in his leadership as this team went forward. I only hope the next GM can fill his shoes. </td></tr></table>

<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>My apologies for not writing sooner, but I was in China on a school workshop. My experience was a very profound one; I learned a great deal about Chinese culture, Chinese education, and Chinese society. One thing I was particularly surprised by was the apparent lack of religion in the country, especially when compared to her neighbors such as India, South East Asia, and Japan. Of course, that got me thinking about Canada, and our great religion: Hockey. There is no other element in this diverse country of ours that unites us the same way hockey does. There is no holy grail in Canada other than the Stanley Cup. Similarly, the church of our great sport takes place wherever children and adults alike can find some sticks, a ball, and a couple of net-like creations. Hockey is truly a great sport, but it can also be a cruel sport as well. If hockey is a religion, then it stands to reason that there must be hockey gods. My fellow blogger, Mike Macri, wrote an excellent blog earlier in the season about hockey gods. I feel that this year the hockey gods have unduly punished Vancouver and the only way we can appease them is through these 10 ways. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/03/03122008_ducks05_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/03/03122008_ducks05_t.JPG" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>1) Religious sacrifice. This is a practice that has taken place for millennia in a variety of civilizations including the Greeks, Mayans, Aztecs, and Zulus. Typically the things sacrificed are animals, but occasionally they are humans as well. In hockey, I recommend we combine the two and sacrifice Chris Pronger. He looks like a donkey, he stomps like a donkey, and he has the common sense of a donkey. The gods will be happy with that choice. 2) Pray at the alter. Find a beer fridge, any beer fridge that has Molson Canadian or Labatt Blue in it. Ask the beer to help our beloved Canucks. Drink the beer. Be happy. How can you go wrong? If there is an "elixir of life" for Canadians, beer is it. 3) Make a pilgramidge. Muslim's go to Mecca, not because it is the nicest part of the world, but because it was there that Islam had its start. We need to go to the Pacific Coliseum. Sit in the seats and watch a giant's game. Who knows, the ghosts of Kirk McLean, Trevor Linden, and Pavel Bure circa 1994 might just come back to help us now. 4) Sing a Hymn. Write a song for the Canucks, bring it to a game, teach your fellow fans the song, and serenade our team. I love that element of soccer in Europe, why not start it here? 5) Be kind to your neighbors. Pity the fan from Toronto; they are ignorant and suffering. Show them the path to nirvana lies in the mountains of British Columbia and on the Ice at GM place. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec3107_flames09_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec3107_flames09_t.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>6) Slay the evil beast. This one is easy. Beat Calgary, and beat Dion Phanuef into the ground. I like how our road to the playoffs goes through Calgary. There is no team I like beating more. 7) Go to Church. Get out there and play some hockey people! Pretend you are Naslund coming in on a breakaway, and score! Have you and your buddy be the Sedins, and cycle the puck/ball. If nothing else it'll get you in shape. Who knows, maybe your positive energy will pay off! 8) Take the sacrament. Order pizza and have beer on game nights (not too much of either mind you), and have friends over to watch the game. The more the merrier. And remember, positive energy people. 9) Be faithful to your partner. In this case, it is the Canucks. Do not give up on them ever. Even when it looks hopeless believe. Only through faith will we be redeemed. 10) Celebrate the birth of our savior. Christians call it Christmas, I call it Luongmas. The guy is a hockey god himself. Luongo has come to save this franchise, and I believe he will. Just imagine how focused he is going to be now that he has a beautiful and healthy baby? I said earlier in the year that once this team got healthy we would make a push for the playoffs. We got sort of healthy, got some wins, and the hockey gods punished us again. Follow my 10 steps and we will surely be in the playoffs. Have any other great ideas? Post them below and I will be sure to follow them. Go Canucks! </td></tr></table>

<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>My apologies for the inconsistent theme in this blog today folks, it is exam and report card time, and I am up to my eyeballs in marking, writing, and stressing about the Canucks and their season. I'm also busy looking for a house to buy in the Lower Mainland, and let me tell you, what a pain in the behind. Buying a house and moving is sort of like fighting for the #8 seed in the playoffs; it is as stressful as all else, but once you get in, get your stuff in the right place, then the fun really begins. It's when you miss out on the house you want that it really hurts. The team plays 82 hard fought games in 7 months just to earn the right to battle even harder for a shot at the Stanley Cup. The ability of these players to focus and stay fresh is remarkable, and in the case of the injury plagued Vancouver Canucks, it is even more amazing. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/021908_dad07_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/021908_dad07_t.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>I started with my house metaphor, so let me continue (by the way, the Leafs are clearly the "leaky condo" in this scenario). Playing with as many injuries as the Canucks have had is the same as buying a house based on the advice of your uncle. Who is a used car salesman dealing exclusively in Pintos. Sure, he may know how to swindle the local idiot into overpaying for what amounts to little more than a rust experiment, but does he know what he is doing in a housing market? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing our replacements to Pintos, or used-car salesmen, I'm just suggesting the absurdity of trying to make such an important decision based upon the advice of someone who isn't perhaps the most qualified. Similarly, how does a hockey team make the playoffs with a blue-line that looks more like a farm team than is does an NHL team? Let me try a different analogy Losing Sami Salo, Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Kevin Bieksa, Lukas Kraijcek, and Aaron Miller at various points in the season and replacing them with farm team players is like asking a pre-med school student to perform a vasectomy on you. They may be the best doctor in the city in a few year, but they have to practice somewhere, and the guinea pig is going to be on you! Such an important event in your life requires that you used a seasoned professional with a proven track record. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB2708_Canucks-Avalanche13_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB2708_Canucks-Avalanche13.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>My point through this sea of mixed metaphors is, quite simply, that the playoffs are a difficult goal for any team to reach, even if your team is healthy the entire season. The team we have on the ice has done a remarkable job to even be at this place, where we have a very good chance of making it in. When I look back at the various obstacles these guys have battled through this year I am even more impressed with their effort. There were and are a lot of naysayers who have doubted this team's ability to get into the playoffs. I firmly believed all along we would and will make it (see my blog entitled "playoff bound"). I have said all along that no one wants to draw Vancouver in the first round, even if we enter the big dance in the 8th spot. Why is that? There is a catch to playing Vancouver. The catch is this: we have the best real estate agent/doctor in town. Dr. Luongo rarely takes a night off, and he looks to get this team to the playoffs. However, it may surprise you what I am going to say next: if we win the cup this year, it'll have everything to do with Kesler and Burrows, but that is the subject for my next blog. I'll have that one up just as soon as I finish grading these 100 essays I have sitting in front of me… </td></tr></table>

<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>Fight Night at GM place on Saturday – what a great way for this much maligned team to show the rest of the league we have team toughness. With players like Isbister, Linden, and Weaver, opposition goons beware! The point, of course, is that we don't need nor want a thug like Stortini in this lineup. In this NHL, you cannot afford to waste a roster spot on a goon who can't keep up with the play. I'll take team toughness any day, and the game on Saturday was proof of that successful formula. How about Willie Mitchell dropping the gloves? That guy is a warrior. With so much happening in that game, it made my mind wander… I was at the game on Saturday and had the opportunity to chat with Shane Foxman in the first intermission. It's pretty easy to be an average MC for something like a wedding, but to be an exceptional MC for a hockey game takes real talent. Shane effortlessly (it seems) keeps the crowd engaged on the many happenings at GM place while at the same time remaining completely calm and cool. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB1608_Canucks-Oilers13_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB1608_Canucks-Oilers13_t.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>There I was, for my interview to be shown in front of thousands, and I was so nervous I was pacing back and forth like I had just been told the only way home after the game was by parachute. Shane was, and is, a real professional, and he did his best to make me feel at ease and cover up my bumbling answers. It reminded me of my first day teaching class. Public speaking is its own kind of stress and, ironically, its own type of exhilaration. It doesn't surprise me much that people fear public speaking more than death, but at the same time, it is such an important skill to have. Clearly I need to continue to work on mine; I'm sure my students would agree! It was indeed an exciting evening, and another one of those games that will go a long way for this team over the final stretch. I am now 2-0 in games I have attended this year (I was also witness to the Shannon spin-o-rama vs Chicago). If you are serious about the Canucks winning games in an exciting fashion, then feel free to take me to a game. Slam dunk. Luongo was particularly spectacular on occasion on Saturday, and it reiterated to me just how lucky we are to have a professional like him on our team. However, I feel this way probably not for the same reasons that the average fan might. We all know is a great athlete, but it is ability to focus that has particularly impressed me. As a new father myself, knowing what I went through and the ups and downs of having a pregnant wife, I cannot believe that Luongo can even show up to the games. Even in a "normal" pregnancy, the stress and worry that you feel can be indescribable, and yet here he is, night after night, thousands of kilometers away from his expecting wife, stopping pucks. When I look back on that time in my life, the uncertainty, the worry, the loss of control, I consider it one of the most stressful periods in my life. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how he can concentrate. When dealing with the health of two lives, his wife's and his baby's, hockey must come in at a very distant second. He must be able to temporarily push it to the back of his mind as he plays, but I am sure it's never off his mind. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB1608_Canucks-Oilers03_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/02/FEB1608_Canucks-Oilers03_t.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>Even if he lets in 10 goals a game for the rest of the season, I will do nothing but applaud Roberto Luongo. I know the age-old argument that "we all have our stress", but this is different. Even if we all have our stress, very few of us have a million people waiting to criticize us if we are not performing a 100% at our jobs. Every time I hear someone talk about how Luongo is off his game and how he needs to play better, I feel like yelling at them. The fact that he is playing at all speaks volumes about his commitment to the team and to the city. The fact that he makes save after save should remind us what a gem we have here. But he needs us. He needs us to lift him up during a stressful time in his life. He needs us to send our positive energy to both him and his wife. So how do we do that? As fans, we can cheer as loud as we can, even when he falls. He has proven to us time and time again he wants to win here, and in times when he needs our positive energy, like right now, let's give it to him like true fans.</td></tr></table>

<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>The Canucks will make the playoffs this year. It'll be close, but they will make it. They are also the team that no one will want to face. This is my prediction, and I am prepared to back it up by any means necessary. I'm aware of the standings, I'm aware of the slide, and I'm aware of how difficult it is to get into the playoffs. I know that Nazzy is not the 40goal scorer he used to be. I can see, like everyone else, that Luongo is human, and I don't pretend that Linden is going to be reborn and rescue this team. I know all of these things, yet I am certain this team will make the playoffs. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec2007_canuckvsdallas17_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec2007_canuckvsdallas17_t.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>It's good to have slumps like this. Slumps show who the faithful fans are, and who the bandwagoners are. The one thing that true Canucks fans are not is bandwagoners. After all the ups and downs of this franchise, the true fans have stuck by this team through all of the ebbs and flows. If you are ready to give up on the team, prepare to be called a bandwagoner. If you are calling for Luongo to be traded, or Nazzy benched, or the Sedins shipped out of town, then you sir are a bandwagoner. I recommend you move to Toronto: the capital of the bandwagon. For you true fans out there, do no fret. This team will make the playoffs. Luongo's wife will give birth to a wonderful healthy baby, and Daddy Luo will be so pumped he will carry this team on his back to get us there. Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa will come back, shore up our back end, and re-establish this team as a defensive juggernaught. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/01/011708_detroit05_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/01/011708_detroit05_t.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>Sami Salo will start shooting the puck again. On net. Brendan Morrison will return healthy. He will ignite Nazzy again and solidify our second line. The Sedins will start putting the puck in the net more regularly as well. Is this slump over? Probably not; but if we are within 6 points of 8th when we get our regulars back we will make the playoffs. I am no bandwagon fan. I believe this team, without any additions, can win the cup this year. When we are healthy, no team will want to face us. Even Detroit. </td></tr></table>

<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>I'm glad I am not a fan of the Flyers. My sensibilities as a West coast pseudo-hippie with socialist leanings would be offended by the brash Republican style of hockey the Flyers play. If I cannot be a fan of George W. Bush, then I cannot be a fan of any team associated with his hockey equivalent: Bobby Clarke. I am glad I am not a fan of the Flyers. They play hockey like the Americans play foreign policy: through bully tactics and a lack of understanding of the opposition. By that same token, I am glad I am not a fan of the Leafs. As if languishing in mediocrity for 40+ years wasn't bad enough, they are also from Toronto. The Leafs are to hockey what the Yankees are to baseball, except without any success. Toronto calls itself the centre of the hockey universe, which is enough to draw a chuckle out of even the most cynical of hockey fans. I'm glad I'm not a Flames fan either. If I don't want to be American, I certainly can't cheer for Canada's most American hockey market. Any province that hails Ralph Klein as the king of anything is enough for me to cheer against them. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/121207_ana23_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/121207_ana23_tt.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>No, I'm glad I am a Canucks fan. Despite our lack of cups, I am happy to be a fan of this team for one reason more than anything else. I believe that sooner or later, nice guys will finish first. The Flyers are the broad street bullies. They lead the league in suspensions, thuggery, and aggressive moves by a now-fired GM (pre-Kevin Lowe anyway, but I digress). I would be ashamed of any team that puts a product on the ice that relishes the goonery of the game rather than the skills. It is the same reason I cannot cheer for the Leafs. As if the politics of Toronto weren't enough, as if the arrogance of Leaf fans didn't tip the scales, as if the ex-pat Leaf fans didn't buy all the tickets when they visit our fair city, they have Darcy Tucker. They have also had on the ice a collection of some pretty dirty players over the years (Shane Corson, anyone?). I'm surprised they haven't signed Sean Avery… which is yet another reason not to like the Rangers as well. The Flames? A look at the rumors regarding Kristien Huselius and his days in Florida will tell you why I can never cheer for a team that has him on their roster… that and they are Vancouver's biggest rival. So what is it about the Canucks that I like so much? It is Dave Nonis. I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand how generous this man can be at charitable events, and how genuine he is when some stranger approaches him with the latest scheme to land Crosby in a five-way deal. It is Trevor Linden. The man never takes a day off from being a good guy and donating his time and energies to people who really need it. If you look up "good-guy" in the dictionary, I'm sure you'll find his picture. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/121207_ana04_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/121207_ana04_tt.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>It is Matt Cooke and Brendan Morrison. Every time I see Cooke in his yard, he is playing with his kids or chatting with his neighbors. He may drive opponents nuts, but he is a good father and husband, and the same can be said for Morrison. I can't help but think he is enjoying his time with his family almost as much as he enjoys playing hockey. It is Roberto Luongo who recognizes that hockey is second to the birth of a new human being in this world. It is also the Canucks organization for gladly giving him the time off. We may not have the silverware, but the reasons I am a Canucks fan are more important than that. I am lucky. I get to cheer for a team that plays hard every night and then goes home as good human beings as well. Charles Barkley may have said that he isn't a role model, and he is right, but these players we have in our city make me proud to be a fan… even when they lose. In my books, nice guys finish first.</td></tr></table>

<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>Have you thought that this year, it might not actually be about finding a winger for the Sedins, but rather, a winger for Morrison? Markus Naslund has rejuvenated himself playing alongside the Sedin twins, and it makes sense to keep him where he is producing. But what about Mo? The guy has been playing well but he needs a skilled winger to put the puck in the net for him. I think someone like Glen Murray would make the Canucks a team to fear. It seems that the league finally got a decision right. In a season that has seen some bizarre non-calls to the stars the league made one Saturday night that was spot on. The penalty shot attempt by Crosby was a debatable call, but it was the right call. Why not err on the side of excitement? I am a big fan of the penalty shot. Even watching the game on TV the buzz from the crowd was awe-inspiring. Oh, the missed calls? Gaborik's elbow to Kesler that was not a suspension. We need to protect the players.<a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec0807_canuckvspenguin08_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec0807_canuckvspenguin08_t.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a> Speaking of Saturday night, how good is Luongo? Luongo is to hockey what Christmas is to holidays. No good? Luongo is to hockey what the Ferrari is to cars. Think you can do better? Lets see the replies. I for one am super impressed with the Hughson/Simpson combo on HNIC. Hughson is as exciting as they come (on TV, I still like Shorty and Tom for the radio) and Simpson is a breathe of fresh air after years of Greg Millen. Well done CBC. Now, lets stop forcing the Leafs down our throat and lets see more Luongo. In HD! <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec0607_preds09_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec0607_preds09_t.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>Trevor Linden is still the fan's favorite. What an ovation for a Penalty Shootout. When he scored I yelled so loud I woke up the neighbour's dog, and it's deaf! Speaking of Christmas, I will be doing a blogger's attempt at a broadcasters attempt to be funny and ironic all at the same time in a couple of weeks with a canucks wishlist. Wish me luck! My blog is to blogging what Luongo is to hockey? I wish I was that good…… </td></tr></table>

<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>

<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>The Canucks need to stop watching Michael J Fox movies and start worrying about their hockey. The hockey team this year seems to be either trapped in the past or stuck in their Halloween masks. Let me explain. The Canucks of the 1980's, pre-Linden, were a group of competitors who showed up to the rink each night and gave it their best shot. Often, the only compliment they would receive from the media was a hearty "at least they tried". Oh, there were characters on the team to be sure, but they weren't going to dominate any games. The team was plagued by the Oilers, Flames, and Canadiens, who would beat them with ease almost nightly. The team we have this year seems to be keen on transporting themselves back to that team; the only exception is that our media will not submit that the team "tried". Why the Canucks of today, a team that can win the division and go far in the playoffs, want to play like a team of two decades ago is both bewildering and frustrating. As a passionate fan, I see a great team spinning its wheels, and the only thing I can think of is that they are nostalgic for the bad old days. Please, we fans deserve better. Well, if the team isn't trying to get "back to the future", then they must be proud of their Halloween masks; so proud that they don't want to take them off. So here is a list of the players currently wearing the "masks" of former Canucks: <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8465185.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Willie Mitchell: Dana Murzyn Willie is clearly still one of the best defenders in the game. Why he is getting skated around so often this season is a mystery. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8458530.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Markus Naslund; Dan Quinn Does anyone remember how talented Dan Quinn was? He could have scored a ton of points, but for some reason he can't seem to put the biscuit in the basket the way he used to. Markus still has the talent, he just needs some puck luck. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8466141.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Roberto Luongo: Sean Burke He's still fantastic, and he is a big goalie who still stops every shot he is supposed to, but the players in front of him are making him look mediocre. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8467881.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"><Taylor Pyatt: Todd Bertuzzi Taylor has size, skill, and the ability to take over a game; why he doesn't more often is a wonder. <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8467875.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/photos/mugs/thumb/8467876.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1">Daniel and Henrik: Daniel and Henrik as rookies. They still have oodles of skill but seem to be struggling to adjust to NHL defenses this year. The bad news is that this team is off to an awful start. The good news is that we have yet to play a game when healthy. This is a team that has six great defenders, talent up front, and a world-class goaltender. The team, once they remember what made them great, will be fine. I truly believe that the players will lose these masks, we will get healthy, and we will have a run starting in December that will have teams around the league remembering why we were division champs a season ago. I believe this because I don't wear the mask of a bandwagon fan; and neither should you. (bloggers note: this was written just prior to the game vs the Avs Nov 3)</td></tr></table>

<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>It's a strange thing for a Canucks fan to be a Flames fan. I imagine it is akin to being a drug addict dealing with withdrawal. You wake up feeling nauseous, defeated, and disgusted with the way your life has become. You look into the mirror and claw at your eyes so that you may cease to view the troll that looks back at you. You are ashamed to call your parents, talk to your friends, or even get out of bed because of what you have become. I have to say, I hate it when I am a Flames fan. I hate it almost as much when I am Leafs fan, or a Sharks fan, or a Canadiens fan. Every time I cheer for a team I despise with all of my heart, I hate myself a little bit. Take Philadelphia for instance; I have disliked Philly for as long as I can remember. They play a gooned out style of hockey that rewards toughness over skills, and for years, a GM who did business in the same manner led them. Yet a few nights ago, I was a Philly fan. I cheered when they scored. I punched the air when they won, and I had a smile on my face when they took 2 points (granted, I had to shower right afterwards, I felt so dirty). Why would I do such a thing? It is very simple: The Flyers were playing the Flames; a team I hate, and a team we will battle with this year for the division crown. It is safe to say that there is no other team in the entire NHL I dislike more than Calgary. They are so smug with their oil, their country music, and their underpaid goalie. I hate the Flames and wish them nothing but misfortune and misery in their NHL season. Misery, that is, until they play a team that needs to lose so we can make the playoffs. I hate it when that happens, but it does. At some point during the season, I will actually be cheering for Iginla and Kipper to be successful, and I hate myself for it. I hate it when I have to cheer for a team that I hate. I cheer for them because my love for the Canucks trumps my hate for the Flames; I cheer for them because I would rather the Canucks succeed than the Flames fail… but it is close. Real close. The NHL is a funny league in that regard. There is so much parity, the divisions so close, and the playoff race so tight that eventually every real fan of the game will cheer for a team they dislike. Senators' fans will cheer for the Leafs, Wings' fans will cheer for the Avalanche, and Rangers' fans will cheer for the Islanders. I bet you, dollars to donuts, that each and every one of those fans hates it when they do that. So, if you happen to be walking down the streets of Vancouver and you stumble across someone in a Flames hat beating themselves with a piece of bamboo, just let him be, because that is me, and I deserve it. </td></tr></table>

<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>Two different people have more or less, delivered the most exciting moments of my history with the Canucks. It seems like every time I recall one of those highlights that make me grin from ear to ear these two guys are a part of it. Greg Adams might as well change his name to Mr. Clutch. He scored some of the greatest, and most timely, goals in Vancouver history. Game 7 vs Calgary in '94 everyone recalls Bure scoring his beauty in OT, yet people never talk about the guy that got them there. Greg Adams, in the third period of that game, scored in the last minute to send the game to over time. It wasn't the piece of art that Bure's winner was, but it was, one could argue, far more important. Without Adams' goal, there is no cup run. The second memory comes from the same playoffs. After getting shelled throughout game one by the Rangers, Adams stole the game with an OT winner over the shoulder of Richter. His picture was enshrined on the sports section of every paper in NY and Vancouver and he was the man who gave Vancouver our first finals victory. The last memory from Adams was a moment that should rank as the best moment in Canucks history. Nothing pleases me more to this day than the memory of Felix Potvin sitting in absolute despair as the Leafs' season was finished. While we would lose the Cup to the Rangers that year, beating the Leafs was almost as sweet. <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct1307_canuckvsoiler08_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct1307_canuckvsoiler08_tt.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="1"></a>So who is the other player? Well, he is a player who, like Adams, seems to get hurt a lot. He is a player who, like Adams, is not the star on the team. He is a player who, like Adams, always seems to score the big goals. He is Brendan Morrison. It's about time there was some love given to B-Mo for all he has done in a 'Nuck's uniform. He rises to the occasion when regulation time is out. He has more GWG vs Calgary than any other Canuck player and, if it isn't in OT, he seems to arrive out of no where to score a goal when needed, just like Greg Adams. Morrison has more OT goals than anyone on Canucks history, and yet he continues to be a lightening rod for criticism. When he is scoring, people complain about his defense. When he is shutting down the opposition, people complain about his lack of scoring. Never has a player achieved so much for the Canucks and been treated so poorly by many fans out there. He has earned, and deserves, more. Brendan Morrison and Greg Adams deliver and have delivered many times for this team. Adams was Mr. Clutch for Vancouver, and Morrisson IS Mr. Clutch now. Stay tuned for the next OT game for Brendan to prove his worth once again. </td></tr></table>

<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>By my count, the Canucks have won the Stanley Cup several times and, since their inception into the league, have been the most successful Canadian team besides Montreal. I'm not talking about my NHL08 league either, this is real. I'm not usually one to bellyache about the inequalities in the NHL, but this one drives me up the wall. The Canucks are screwed over by the NHL every year, and it is about time it stopped. Because of our geography, the Canucks travel more than any other team in the NHL. Our closest rival is still a plane ride away, and we find many of our games against the "Western Conference" require cross continent flights and several time zones difference. This needs to stop because it is costing this city and its fans their rightful claim to the Stanley Cup. I can't believe that anyone is surprised that the vast majority of the Stanley Cups that have been won come from the East. The Flyers, Bruins, Islanders, Rangers, Red Wings, and Devils, who have all won cups since the Canucks joined the league, often find themselves on minutes-long bus rides to get to games as opposed to hour-long plane rides. In the Stanley Cup final of 1994, a final that hinged on a post by Lafayette, the Canucks traveled a tremendous amount more during the season than did the Rangers. Had the distance been reversed don't you think the Canucks would have won that series? The travel schedule for this team costs us at least ix points and several injuries each year. In short, it cost us a second-round battle with Detroit instead of Anaheim last year, a series that I think we would have won. It also may have cost us key injuries during the season to players like Matt Cooke, Sami Salo, and Willie Mitchell. Had they been healthier, we could have iced a full team against the Ducks, and I think we would have gone on to the Finals last year and beat Ottawa ourselves. But what about Anaheim? Aren't they in the West? Yes, but they also have cross-town games with LA, near-neighbour San Jose, and they are closer to western teams such as Phoenix, Colorado, and Nashville. The comparison isn't equal (How man cups have the Kings and Sharks won anyway?). Face it - the Canucks have a harder job winning the Stanley Cup than any other team in the league. The NHL, in order to maintain their maxim of parity, must schedule the Canucks before any other team to reduce our travel time. If they do that, then we will be playing on an even field. If they don't, it'll take an act of God, or Luongo, to win the mug. If the league had been smart enough to do this earlier, then we would have a few cups under our belt already, and I could stop giving Layfayette a bad time. It's about time the best city in the NHL got a fair shot at the silver.</td></tr></table>

<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>NHL players are totally underpaid. Yes, underpaid. How can a player who makes millions of dollars a year be underpaid? How can someone who plays a game for a living be considered a bargain? It's really quite simple. It all makes sense when you compare these players to other professions in the world. If NHL training camps were episodes of the Apprentice, there would only be room for the top 50 CEO's in the world to attend and only half of these would make it to the NHL. Of that 50%, most would be taking a pay cut. The point I am trying to make is that every player who has made it to training camp is already one of the best players on the planet. They have excelled through the ranks to be given the opportunity to try out for a shot at the big time. If they make it, if they beat the odds and the other players who have worked their whole lives for this chance, they might make the league minimum on an NHL club. And this is after dedicating themselves to their trade in a way that would seem obsessive to the layperson. The road to becoming a professional athlete is long and arduous. They have sacrificed family time, holidays, and weekends so they could improve themselves . They have sweat buckets to shape their bodies into the best they can be. They have harnessed all the athletic energy they posses into improving their hockey skills. They have skated with twisted knees, and separated shoulders, and bad hips; injuries that would leave many of us on crutches. Their careers are short because of the pounding they take and the speed of the game. Make no mistake, the life of an aspiring pro athlete is not an easy one. If you take the very best of any profession out there you will find massive pay cheques being taken home. You find me some of the wealthiest CEO's in the world and I'll show you someone who is overpaid. The players who are competing for a spot this year for the Canucks deserve every penny they earn along the way. Only the best of the best of the best ever make the millions, and after the time and effort they put into it, they deserve it. In fact, they probably deserve more.</td></tr></table>