Have the Canucks done enough to fix the "country club" locker room

[-DLC-]

5 minutes ago, Goal:thecup said:

I get all that of course Deb.

I was trying too hard I guess, ragged on Kypper, and then meant to cut him a bit of slack by talking about how Trev came out with his golf clubs.

 

Back in those days, when Gretzky was rippin' us up, Canucks fans put up with a lot of guff from other Vancouverites; and maybe even more so up north, cuz they had gone with a winner and cheered the Oilers as if they were their team (the traitors).

So I got ribbed for Trev and his clubs too, on that score.

 

Trevor Linden under Pat Quinn was an awesome player and captain and I loved him.

A lot of hockey players are also good golfers and they have the money for it and it is probably a great activity without the pressure of the rink.

 

Just an old fart here trying to have fun and cheer on the Canucks.

Sorry if it all came across as disrespecting Linden.

 

Trev could hit.  Separate the man from the puck (and the glass from its frame, lol).

I remember the draft; him and Modano; neck and neck; who's gonna go first?

 

I think Quinn was happier that Modano (who was a great player in his own right) went first cuz he got his boy.

Trev and Mike Modano went at it that way, neck and neck, their whole careers; MM with more points, Trev with more leadership etc.

 

Anyway, I'm enjoying this Sunday morning, afternoon, and hope you are too.

(Last time I said I was enjoying a Sunday morning, I was corrected: it was Monday!  But.. the morning anyway.)

Ahh retirement and CDC; perfect.

 

 

Oh and I totally was ok with you saying what you did...I like honesty and I'm a total Trevor homer so....

 

FTR, I have Modano's jersey card. He was a great player...gotta give props where they're due. Cheers to Sunday...football's back and hockey's around the corner so I'm in total bliss mode.

[Smashian Kassian]

26 minutes ago, Goal:thecup said:

I get all that of course Deb.

I was trying too hard I guess, ragged on Kypper, and then meant to cut him a bit of slack by talking about how Trev came out with his golf clubs.

 

Back in those days, when Gretzky was rippin' us up, Canucks fans put up with a lot of guff from other Vancouverites; and maybe even more so up north, cuz they had gone with a winner and cheered the Oilers as if they were their team (the traitors).

So I got ribbed for Trev and his clubs too, on that score.

 

Trevor Linden under Pat Quinn was an awesome player and captain and I loved him.

A lot of hockey players are also good golfers and they have the money for it and it is probably a great activity without the pressure of the rink.

 

Just an old fart here trying to have fun and cheer on the Canucks.

Sorry if it all came across as disrespecting Linden.

 

Trev could hit.  Separate the man from the puck (and the glass from its frame, lol).

I remember the draft; him and Modano; neck and neck; who's gonna go first?

 

I think Quinn was happier that Modano (who was a great player in his own right) went first cuz he got his boy.

Trev and Mike Modano went at it that way, neck and neck, their whole careers; MM with more points, Trev with more leadership etc.

 

Anyway, I'm enjoying this Sunday morning, afternoon, and hope you are too.

(Last time I said I was enjoying a Sunday morning, I was corrected: it was Monday!  But.. the morning anyway.)

Ahh retirement and CDC; perfect.

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, -DLC- said:

Oh and I totally was ok with you saying what you did...I like honesty and I'm a total Trevor homer so....

 

FTR, I have Modano's jersey card. He was a great player...gotta give props where they're due. Cheers to Sunday...football's back and hockey's around the corner so I'm in total bliss mode.

 

It's funny that out of anyone its Linden, perhaps the most clutch player we've ever had, you see carrying golf clubs out. (Sorry Burr)

 

Who knows where Kypper was getting that from. I imagine the right mindset really comes when the core players become confident in themselves first. Sometimes u have young players come into a good team & that torch is just handed off from the veterans. Other times when you've been bad it can take longer to go from the ground up.

 

(I think our team started to have that confidence under Bruce, I'm expecting it to continue)

 

Also I'm willing to cut Trev a bit of slack given his playoff prowess. That's a great story though. 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by Smashian Kassian

[-DLC-]

8 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

 

It's funny that out of anyone its Linden, perhaps the most clutch player we've ever had, you see carrying golf clubs out. (Sorry Burr)

 

Who knows where Kypper was getting that from. I imagine the right mindset really comes when the core players become confident in themselves first. Sometimes u have young players come into a good team & that torch is just handed off from the veterans. Other times when you've been bad it can take longer to go from the ground up.

 

(I think our team started to have that confidence under Bruce, I'm expecting it to continue)

 

Also I'm willing Trev a bit of slack given his playoff prowess. That's a great story though. 

 

 

 

I think part of this "country club" deal may have started quite awhile ago when our team was one of the first to implement innovative dressing room changes (state of the art air circulation systems in the lockers for drying equipment), sleep therapists, etc. to try to support the team. Other teams that weren't as progressive in this stuff saw it as country club. When, really, it's genius to try every single aspect to help a team.

[Alflives]

1 minute ago, -DLC- said:

I think part of this "country club" deal may have started quite awhile ago when our team was one of the first to implement innovative dressing room changes (state of the art dryers in the lockers for the equipment), sleep therapists, etc. to try to support the team. Other teams who weren't as progressive in this stuff saw it as country club. When, really, it's genius to try every single aspect to help a team.

Yup.  Gillis was a very progressive GM, who did a lot to get the best out of his club.  Not too sure if Benning continued with those “genius” innovations though? 

[Goal:thecup]

15 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

 

It's funny that out of anyone its Linden, perhaps the most clutch player we've ever had, you see carrying golf clubs out. (Sorry Burr)

 

Who knows where Kypper was getting that from. I imagine the right mindset really comes when the core players become confident in themselves first. Sometimes u have young players come into a good team & that torch is just handed off from the veterans. Other times when you've been bad it can take longer to go from the ground up.

 

(I think our team started to have that confidence under Bruce, I'm expecting it to continue)

 

Also I'm willing to cut Trev a bit of slack given his playoff prowess. That's a great story though. 

 

 

 

This is a really good post.  I think you may be right with the quote bolded above.

That might have been one of the improvements from Green to Boudreau that is not easily measured.

 

Bieksa also said a couple months ago, that we looked like a team he "I would like to play against; they look like a team that would be fun" or something similar.

At least Kevin has credibility and was actually in that room before, and provided necessary leadership then as well.

 

Didn't JR say something too?  I think somebody quoted him earlier, re: 'country club atmosphere' or some such like.

Has he done enough to change it?  Probably not, but bringing in some grit and some guys who are pushing for position will help.

 

Kypreos is a goof who thinks he still has a working brain to go along with his motoring mouth.

And no, I would not say that to his face.

 

The country club thing is definitely a slur on the leadership in the room.

Unwarranted or not, he saw an opportunity to rag on the Nux, and of course, he drilled it.

 

Aside, another vignette (?) from the exact same time was how King Richard came out to the parking lot.

Back up to Trev, clubs and all, had time for a horde of people wanting autographs and just a chance to be up close to a hero, etc.

 

Brodeur slipped out of another exit near by and almost sprinted to his car, started it and headed out of the parking lot.

Wouldn't look at anyone.

 

Hell of a goalie, but a little weird at times (maybe especially after a loss I don't know).

But it was a stark contrast to Linden.

 

Cheers Smash, glad you got my exc/etc dig.)

 

 

[dr.naughtypants]

Do we think the country club reference is still from Linden storing his clubs at the Colliseum? That seems like a tremendously dated reference. 

Or is it maybe pointing at keeping players like Erxsn and Virtanen and Juolevi on the roster despite putting in zero effort. 

[Goal:thecup]

7 minutes ago, dr.naughtypants said:

Do we think the country club reference is still from Linden storing his clubs at the Colliseum? That seems like a tremendously dated reference. 

Or is it maybe pointing at keeping players like Erxsn and Virtanen and Juolevi on the roster despite putting in zero effort. 

No; I think this is a more modern reference to the probability that our room was a mess until Green was fired.

 

And previously, as you say, unworthy players were gifted roster spots, and some young guys who really wanted it were not given much of a chance.

Also, of course, no Nuclear Deterrents whatsoever, Schenn and OEL expected to carry the load in the heavy going. 

Juolevi laying on the ice was ... I don't know what to say.  KB3 would have kicked his butt.

[Slegr]

7 minutes ago, Muttley said:

From when he was drafted till he got involved with the Players Union. Trev was at his best...

 

 

Man those jerseys are sexy. I want to see a lot of them this year. And man, that Trev sure had a large wingspan. It's easy to forget how tall that guy actually was.

[Smashian Kassian]

14 minutes ago, Muttley said:

From when he was drafted till he got involved with the Players Union. Trev was at his best...

 

 

 

Holy crap that was a good whack from Shanahan, and he just kept on..

[iceman64]

As dense as kyp seems to be sometimes, it doesn't really matter because I remember PA actually said it and he wouldn't say it unless there was something to it. 

 Thing is, as long as that so-called  "country club" locker room turns into hard hats on, on the ice team.

Who the F cares? 

Last I saw, we played like that country club on the ice to start of the year and finished with hard hats on so something happened.. 

"Bruce there it is" happened and we almost made the playoffs! 

 PA needs to relax and let Bruce do his magic.

Or keep doing his magic more like it.

[Goal:thecup]

20 minutes ago, iceman64 said:

As dense as kyp seems to be sometimes, it doesn't really matter because I remember PA actually said it and he wouldn't say it unless there was something to it. 

 Thing is, as long as that so-called  "country club" locker room turns into hard hats on, on the ice team.

Who the F cares? 

Last I saw, we played like that country club on the ice to start of the year and finished with hard hats on so something happened.. 

"Bruce there it is" happened and we almost made the playoffs! 

 PA needs to relax and let Bruce do his magic.

Or keep doing his magic more like it.

Just win baby.

 

[Oregon.Duck]

7 hours ago, iceman64 said:

Like this? Omfg! You should do that to the media ALL the time, it's all bull$hit clickbait that a LOT of people fall for.

 The media said that JT wasn't even worth a 1st round pick and everyone believed it..  now look at them, looking like the idiots they truly are.

From not worth a 1st rounder to...wow hometown discount to stay with the Canucks, we knew all along! Much Wow.

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Oregon.Duck

[canuck73_3]

4 hours ago, Slegr said:

Man those jerseys are sexy. I want to see a lot of them this year. And man, that Trev sure had a large wingspan. It's easy to forget how tall that guy actually was.

You’ll be seeing it a lot more it is our new alternate jersey going forward. 

[canuck73_3]

4 hours ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

Holy crap that was a good whack from Shanahan, and he just kept on..

That right there is the reason Linden will be the first Canuck I will have 3+ jerseys of. I plan on getting his yellow rookie jersey and the 40th anniversary in the next year or so to add to my black Skate and original Gradient one. 

[Honky Cat]

There never was a country club atmosphere in the Canucks dressing room. Every single player pulled their weight under Boudreau ,in the remaining 57 games.

 

Clickbait media quote, manufactured by one of the usual suspects.

 

Nick Kypreous.

[Mustard Tiger]

Lol. This reporting was somewhat accurate actually. There clearly was a country club feel throughout the club. People felt their jobs were safe regardless how their departments results.

 

Ultimately it was all the behind the scenes staff, not the players. Damn near every single behind the scenes person got canned this summer. All of our IMO horrible medical + strength and conditioning guys gone!

[TheRocket18]

Yup.

New carts for everybody after that 8m.

[lmm]

11 hours ago, Muttley said:

Doesn't seem like a country club attitude at this point to most...:

 

 

2022 > 09/11 > 5 keys for the Canucks to make the playoffs in the weak Pacific Division

 

 65 

PHOTO CREDIT: © JEROME MIRON-USA TODAY SPORTS

5 keys for the Canucks to make the playoffs in the weak Pacific Division

SEPTEMBER 11, 2022, 10:00 AM | CODY SEVERTSON

The Pacific Division is probably the weakest it’s been in quite some time.

 

Outside of the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers, there’s reason to believe that any of the remaining five teams in the division could vie for that third playoff spot or the wild card position — well, except for the San Jose Sharks, who are presently in no man’s land with an aging core, a bottom-tier prospect pipeline, and one of the ugliest-looking CapFriendly pages in the NHL.

Down the I5, the Seattle Kraken had themselves a juicy summer, starting with highly-touted prospect Shane Wright falling into their lap at fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. A few weeks later, the Kraken acquired Oliver Bjorkstrand in a cap dump by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

 

Besides those coups, it was relatively quiet for the squids. Perhaps the addition of Matty Beniers and Shane Wright pushes the needle forward. Or newly hired goaltending coach Steve Briere make enough of a difference on defence? However, the odds are that Seattle will sit this year’s playoffs out as they continue to build with an eye toward the future.

The Anaheim Ducks raised some eyebrows this offseason when they spent big to acquire one year of John Klingberg. Klingberg is likely a trade deadline asset for the Ducks to acquire more futures for their current rebuild. If the defence churns out a better effort than it’s managed over the past four seasons, then maybe the Ducks could be a sleeper in the same vein as the 2021–22 Los Angeles Kings, but something tells me Pat Verbeek knows what he has in this lineup and will sell under any circumstances.

Speaking of the Kings, they showed the league how critical a well-constructed prospect pipeline is for a team. After injuries to Mikey Anderson, Olli Maatta, Matt Roy, Sean Walker, and Drew Doughty, no one expected the Kings to retain their playoff spot. But, the Kings relied upon a laundry list of U24 defencemen from the Ontario Reign who all showed promise in spot duty for the club.

 

Despite the question marks in net, the Kings’ addition of Kevin Fiala to their developing forward group could make them the Canucks direct competition for the third playoff spot.

Vegas is a complete wild card with their own question marks in goal. Will Logan Thompson be good enough to be a full-time starter? The tandem of Thompson and Adin Hill doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for a team with hefty playoff expectations.

The Golden Knights are getting older, and management has struggled to bring in the same quality of players they keep shedding for free. The quality of the remaining core is still enough to make them one of Vancouver’s direct competitors for a playoff spot, but it might be a much closer battle this year than in past seasons.

With all this divisional uncertainty in mind, let’s look at five things that absolutely need to happen for a legitimate Canucks playoff push.

Spencer Martin needs to be as close to his 2021–22 form as possible

Before we dive into the numbers, let me be clear: Spencer Martin seizing the AHL starter job and putting up outrageous NHL numbers at 26 years old to earn his first NHL one-way contract is an incredible story. Easily one of the few good stories to come out of the Canucks disappointing 2021–22 campaign.

That being said, with $1.5 million on the books for Braden Holtby’s buyout, uncertainty surrounding Michael DiPietro, Collin Delia’s unspectacular numbers, and Arturs Silovs still being years away from an NHL role; Spencer Martin needs to replicate or be as close to his 2021–22 form as possible as the Canucks backup.

 

 

The problem is that Martin’s goals-against-average and save percentage from last year were incredibly high career benchmarks. Martin’s 2021–22 NHL numbers leapfrogged his career bests set in both the NHL and the AHL.

For better or worse, Martin set an incredibly high bar for expectations with his Demko-like performance last season. His stats and his win rate were the best of his entire career. There is a good chance that Martin won’t replicate his 2021–22 successes, and who could blame him? His save percentage in Vancouver was 2.9% better than his career peak in the AHL!

Fortunately, Martin only has to be better than Jaroslav Halak and Braden Holtby before him. Which is a low bar.

However, the track record is not on Martin’s side as it was on Holtby’s or Halak’s. Therefore, the closer Martin is to his last year’s form, the better chances the Canucks will have of qualifying for playoffs.

 

No pressure!

Brock Boeser’s shooting percentage should improve

Look, we all know Brock was going through a tremendous amount of off-ice hardship last season. This bullet point isn’t a criticism of Boeser’s season nor a point of concern about his play moving forward. No, Brock will be better than he was last season. This bullet point should be viewed as a ray of positivity as there is zero chance he replicates his on-ice shooting percentage from last season.

Last year, among forwards who played over 500 minutes at 5v5, Boeser had the 55th lowest on-ice shooting percentage at 5v5. The only Canucks forwards with worse shooting percentages were Jason Dickinson and Nils Höglander at 5.79% and 5.85%, respectively.

A regression towards his career average will be a massive boon toward the team’s 5v5 goalscoring rates.

 

Elias Pettersson needs to be who he was through the back half of last season

The first half of Elias Pettersson’s 2021–22 campaign was rough. Really rough, like “purge from your memory banks” rough.

Pettersson looked like a shell of his former self throughout the first half of the season. His shooting percentage cratered, his sticks were breaking on every one-timer, and it seemed like absolutely nothing was going right for him.

After getting over a nagging wrist injury alongside a coaching change that brought on increased responsibility on the penalty kill, Pettersson’s production swelled through the back half. Most impressive was Pettersson’s ability to nearly triple his production rate while adding consistent penalty-killing minutes to his arsenal. Pettersson finished with the highest shorthanded on-ice save percentage among forwards with more than 25 minutes of cumulative PK time!

Pettersson’s better-late-than-never production rate still saw him finish second in overall team scoring. If Pettersson can replicate that late stretch over an entire season, and JT Miller repeats his production rate, the Canucks could have two players pushing for 90 points or more. A feat that hasn’t been accomplished by the Canucks since the Sedins did it back in 2010–11

 

The penalty kill must be average or better

Speaking of penalty killing! The Vancouver Canucks penalty kill needs to be above-average, something they have not accomplished since the 2018–19 season.

The tall task of turning around the Canucks’ struggling special teams falls on the plate of recently promoted Trent Cull, who takes over the defence and penalty kill for the outgoing Brad Shaw. Cull is reportedly a solid tactics coach who frequently gets a lot out of his players. We’ve seen this in execution with the breakout seasons of players like Sheldon Dries, Sheldon Rempal, and John Stevens in Abbotsford last season.

While Cull’s track record as a PK coach leaves a lot to be desired, the fact that the organization brought Cull in to replace noted “defensive guru” Brad Shaw speaks to the organization’s belief in his ability to help fix Vancouver’s struggling penalty-kill.

 

 

It would be genuinely shocking if the Canucks penalty kill operated as poorly as it did under Travis Green and Nolan Baumgartner to start last season. The team has plenty of skilled youth in their lineup eager to contribute to its shorthanded play. Bruce Boudreau leaning on Pettersson, Hughes, and briefly even Boeser, completely altered the function and look of the Canucks’ penalty kill for the better. Should Cull continue with that approach and involve more youth, such as Will Lockwood, Vasily Podkolzin, or even Nils Höglander, the Canucks could see a much-improved shorthanded team in both the short and long term.

The blueline (other than Quinn Hughes) needs to start scoring more goals

Last year, Quinn Hughes broke team records with eight goals and sixty assists through seventy-six games. He broke the all-time Canucks record for points in a single season by a defenceman and nearly became the first Canucks defenceman to produce at a point-per-game pace.

That’s good!

The Canucks tied the Buffalo Sabres with the fifth-lowest goals scored by defencemen with twenty-eight goals total. Among teams in the bottom ten of defencemen scoring, four made it into the playoffs, and all four were first-round exits.  That’s bad!

 

There’s nothing wrong with the Canucks leaning heavily on Hughes to produce for the club. However, to be a true playoff-contending team, the Canucks need more than one defenceman who can push for double-digit goals-scored. Alex Edler was the last defenceman to crack double-digit goals-scored with ten in 2018-19. Before that? Yannick Weber, with eleven goals in 2014-15.

Perhaps Jack Rathbone establishes himself at training camp, and the team utilizes his one-timer on an “all-offence” pairing alongside Hughes. Or, the team manages Ekman-Larsson’s minutes better, such that he produces at a near-forty point pace like he did not four years ago.

Tucker Poolman has three points over his last 79 games. Kyle Burroughs has six points over his last 47, Travis Dermott has seven over his last 60, and recently signed training-camp PTO Danny DeKeyser was two points shy of matching Myers’ production rate from last year. No one should expect the Canucks’ blueline to turn into the Avalanches overnight. But the Canucks need to find a way to get their blueline to start contributing by committee.

Not everything is bound to shake right for the Canucks this season. They are, after all, the Vancouver Canucks. However, if at least a few of these things occur, fans should feel slightly better about their team’s playoff aspirations.

 

https://canucksarmy.com/2022/09/11/vancouver-canucks-pacific-division-playoff-keys-nhl/

 

 

this point isn't really the issue though is it?

every team looks good in August /September

We will never really know until the chips are down whether this team has what it takes

the team that "Nearly" made the playoffs last season actually went 11 - 11 in the last 6 weeks of the season. ( a few loser points won and lost but who cares about those)

500 hockey when the chips were down won't cut it this season

there are new players and new coaches and medical staff

the question is will they be in full operation come January/February/March and April of 2023?

being focused in September is great

being loose in October is great

but can the team from management down to the stick boy be loose and focused for 82 games and beyond?

 

[tas]

taking your info from a guy whose career highlight was laying unconscious in a pool of his own brain cells is a proposition fraught with peril. 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by tas

[Metal Face Doom]

This is why people hate us fans.