The lack of push back is concerning

[TNucks1]

1 hour ago, Junkyard Dog said:

As games get tougher and more physical we seem to almost cave in under the pressure. Our stars getting pushed around without any consequence? There are no positives to that, it just lets teams know they have a good chance to win if they up their physicality. What kind of message does it send down the lineup? It seems like it's been this way  for a while. ever since the Matheson hit, even before, we've seen nobody stand up for our stars. Games around this time of the season are gonna get tougher and something has to change otherwise our chances of making the playoffs and succeeding in them will not be great.

 

You have to be able to show that you can't be pushed around so easily and be able to at least match teams when it comes to the physical side of the game. When your star his hurt you've got to stand up for him and play like your pissed off. Whether that be in a fight or a hit you gotta do something because doing nothing just ain't gonna cut it.

and people dont want to add simmonds or dillion, hopefully we pick some one tough who hits and sticks up for team mates.

[Kevin Biestra]

Man, I remember when we had Momesso, Diduck, Murzyn, Odjick, Tim Hunter, Robert Dirk and Babych on one team.  Not to mention Linden, Courtnall and Bure.  Even Ronning didn't take crap.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Kevin Biestra

[Squamfan]

we need players like pronger, clarke, kocur, ciccarelli, kasparaitis if we want to win the cup

[Trebreh]

7 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

Man, I remember when we had Momesso, Diduck, Murzyn, Odjick, Tim Hunter, Robert Dirk and Babych on one team.  Not to mention Linden, Courtnall and Bure.  Even Ronning didn't take crap.

when Gillis became GM he identified the teams lack of toughness, then proceeded to acquire tough players like Hordichuck, O'Brien to augment what we already had in Mitchell, Johnson, Rypien, Bieksa. then the following years he got Lappy, Torres, Alberts, Glass. those guys changed the culture so much, we were tough, hated, and skilled. The Sedins were untouched for the most part in the regular season and they thrived. 

 

Petey and Hughes have targets on their backs because they are elite players, we should be doing more to protect our assets.

[Provost]

I was pretty shocked that we didn’t take a few runs at Rittich to return the favour for Markstrom being draped in red all night.

 

I am not sure if Roussel is playing hurt, but he has been invisible energy wise for a while.  He and Schaller needed to be the ones responding.

 

Insert MacEwan and Bailey next game please.

[Tystick]

Completely agree.

Pettersson is targeted and attacked almost every game.

We sit there, hoping the officials will do something. Hoping DOPS will do something.

The reality is, the league doesn't really care; so come on boys, take matters into your own hands.

[RRypien37]

Getting? Where have you been for the last 10 years? 

[DownUndaCanuck]

To be fair to Green, there's a time and a place for a physical "push back". All those dirty plays on Pettersson were when the game was still tight and taking a silly penalty could have cost us the swing of the game. Even at 4-2, this Canucks team has been known to blow up offensively and we still could have tied it up (see what Carolina did). I think at 5-2 we should have started taking some liberties. Obviously everyone was scared of Lucic, but someone like Virtanen or Roussel should have just gone out there to give Gaudreau a whack on his wrist.

 

The problem with the Canucks is that they're not soft, they're a tough team, but they're always on the receiving end of the dirty plays. They're a clean team, and sadly in this league the DOPs doesn't help out much so clean teams and good guys finish last. The 2011 SCF was the ultimate sign of this, but we see it every single day and every single game. This team is not going to be feared physically if they don't go out there and hack away at opponents best players.

 

Obviously it's nice to say that we need Ferland back, but he's not going to play a dirty game either unless Green tells him to go out there and injure a divisonal rival star. Calgary knows, Bennett knows, that being a useless 4th liner, if he can cross check Petey in the back, give him spasms and have him useless all game long and potentially out for a few games, the Canucks will drop points in the standings. We never play like this which, while is ethically great and is nice to stand by a "good guy" team, means we're always going to be on the receiving end of dirty plays.

 

Next Flames game I want to see someone rock Hamonic again on his side, re-injure him, and someone try and cork-screw Giordano to tear open that hamstring again. You want to win in today's NHL, you have to play the long-game and that's wearing down the opponent through injuries. It'll happen in the playoff series, but clearly the Flames are starting now.

[Squamfan]

30 minutes ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

To be fair to Green, there's a time and a place for a physical "push back". All those dirty plays on Pettersson were when the game was still tight and taking a silly penalty could have cost us the swing of the game. Even at 4-2, this Canucks team has been known to blow up offensively and we still could have tied it up (see what Carolina did). I think at 5-2 we should have started taking some liberties. Obviously everyone was scared of Lucic, but someone like Virtanen or Roussel should have just gone out there to give Gaudreau a whack on his wrist.

 

The problem with the Canucks is that they're not soft, they're a tough team, but they're always on the receiving end of the dirty plays. They're a clean team, and sadly in this league the DOPs doesn't help out much so clean teams and good guys finish last. The 2011 SCF was the ultimate sign of this, but we see it every single day and every single game. This team is not going to be feared physically if they don't go out there and hack away at opponents best players.

 

Obviously it's nice to say that we need Ferland back, but he's not going to play a dirty game either unless Green tells him to go out there and injure a divisonal rival star. Calgary knows, Bennett knows, that being a useless 4th liner, if he can cross check Petey in the back, give him spasms and have him useless all game long and potentially out for a few games, the Canucks will drop points in the standings. We never play like this which, while is ethically great and is nice to stand by a "good guy" team, means we're always going to be on the receiving end of dirty plays.

 

Next Flames game I want to see someone rock Hamonic again on his side, re-injure him, and someone try and cork-screw Giordano to tear open that hamstring again. You want to win in today's NHL, you have to play the long-game and that's wearing down the opponent through injuries. It'll happen in the playoff series, but clearly the Flames are starting now.

Do this to Johnny and giordano 

 

[Dungass]

1. Dave Lewis runs Boeser from behind in 2017, vicious hit.  No pushback.  Canucks score on the ensuing pp, Green says that was revenge.

 

2.  Matheson body slams Petey.  "I didn't see anything, did you see anything?  I didn't see anything." is the response.

 

3.  Boeser is again run by the Kings this pre-season and again "I didn't see anything, did you see anything?  I didn't see anything." response.

 

4.  Petey gets dirtied in Boston.  No response at all, Myers pretends nothing happened.  

 

Reality is, this team hasn't stood up for its stars for years.  

[Shirotashi]

9 hours ago, Vanuckles said:

Lack of pushback is pretty disgusting. Wolf pack mentality is not possible with this culture. They have the personnel if they were going to do it. Schaller, Beagle, Sutter, Virtanen, Roussel, Benn, Myers, Horvat, Miller. That's some solid weight if they wanted to do something about it. Not the case.

Wolf pack mentality is a good way of putting it as it is absolutely NOT on one single guy to do all the fighting.

I pray we dont put all that weight on Ferlands shoulders because its not fair. Everyone needs to play 

bigger than they are and take some responsibility for their own well being. 

 

Like Pettersson the other day when he got checked late he said himself "I relaxed my body and wasnt ready for the hit"

Its like in boxing buddy protect yourself AT ALL TIMES!

[smithers joe]

i wish we could all get out on the ice with them, we’ld show them how to play. if we were playing, we’ld win every game, kick every butt and never let the fans down.  we’ld be great. if we were coaches, we’ld only put the players, the fans want, on the ice. ain’t they got no learnin?

[MoldyTaco]

9 hours ago, TNucks1 said:

and people dont want to add simmonds or dillion, hopefully we pick some one tough who hits and sticks up for team mates.

it doesnt matter who comes here man, like others have said they get toughness coached out of them right away. we see it time and time and time again. vancouver isnt a tough team they have no desire to build a tough team. and most of this fan base wont accept a tough team. its not snowflaky enough for the west coast life style. 

[Wayne Glensky]

The Canucks have always had a nice team mentality. Unfortunately that’s why we are the laughing stock of the NHL. Teams don’t take us seriously anymore. At this point from what I’ve seen in the last few games, with Petey getting hacked and chopped with no one backing him up, I’d rather not make the playoffs if this &^@#ing team won’t protect their guys. It’s not about winning or losing anymore. It’s about sticking up for your fellow teammates. I’m beginning to think it’s coaching and the higher ups creating this soft culture where we will get “payback” from scoring goals. &^@# that, if someone wants to slough foot Petey, you get out there and jab the butt end of your stick into the &^@#ing groin. There is so excuse for it anymore. Being at the top of the division has blinded this team and it’s fans from what this team really is. Horvat has done nothing to deserve the captaincy. And he should be the one trying to rally his boys up but sits quietly on the bench only getting mad when he &^@#s up a play, which happens 15 times a night. 

[Battlemonger]

Push back is hard to accomplish in today's game. Refs are always looking for retaliations. Instead of pushing back, I say initiate actions in all games and let other teams retaliate. That's today's game.

[JeremyCuddles]

I hate the idea that you don't do anything cause you want to make them pay on the PP. F that. Send a message. Let them know you aren't a punching bag looking to daddy (the refs) to stand up for you. This team is an embarrassment. Listening to people b**** about Jake not hitting pisses me off too, cause it definitely looks like something that was coached out of him and likely others as well. This team has the same mentality it had in 2011, except we actually had a PP that'll punish any team. This PP only looks dangerous against the LA's and the Detroit's. I'd throw away every PP for the next 10 games if a player took matters into his own hands to punch someone's face in when they take liberties with the team. IE Ragdoll someone like Kassian did to Tkachuk.

[brokensticks]

This is not a playoff team. As much as the league denies it, the rules are different in the lead up the playoffs and, especially, when the playoffs start. Unless the Canucks show teams that they cannot hack and whack our star players without some retribution, then it will continue to happen. Recent games have shown that Petey is a target and the current Canuck players (except for Miller) are not willing or able to do anything to stop it.

It is a culture problem. A player like Schaller was much meaner and tougher playing for the Bruins than the Canucks because he knows he has a team to back him up. I doubt he has the same feeling in a Canuck sweater.

How safe do you think Petey feels when he's consistently fouled and neither the refs or the team are there to help?

Ferland will help but he is damaged goods. The whole team needs to change their attitude. Sit Schaller and Eriksson and insert McEwen and Bailey.

[Alflives]

29 minutes ago, Battlemonger said:

Push back is hard to accomplish in today's game. Refs are always looking for retaliations. Instead of pushing back, I say initiate actions in all games and let other teams retaliate. That's today's game.

Bingo.  We need to be the aggressors.  Pushing back sounds like we’re a team of passive pansies who are getting bullied.  

I too believe it’s a culture of passivity that is coached into our team, and that has to go.  Fire Green and get Babcock in here.  Our young players deserve a hard nosed coach, who gets his team to play with the same arrogance and aggressiveness that he displays in his daily life.  Babcock is a serious a$$hol*.  But he coaches his teams to play like he is, and they win.  

[Pickly]

All I know is that if you don’t play aggressive in the playoffs you are gonna get destroyed. Whoever the Canucks end up playing in the first round will undoubtedly be trying to go after Hughes and Petey. Now, if our so called leader and captain actually set the tone for once and led by example maybe the troops will follow suit.

[chon derry]

1 hour ago, smithers joe said:

i wish we could all get out on the ice with them, we’ld show them how to play. if we were playing, we’ld win every game, kick every butt and never let the fans down.  we’ld be great. if we were coaches, we’ld only put the players, the fans want, on the ice. ain’t they got no learnin?

I would.... but I got a sore hand.