Waiting For Stanley

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Belfour in trouble again
2007-04-09 18:35:00
One of the last things we remember about Eddie before he retires will probably be this. Crazy Eddie just can't stay out of trouble, not can Ville Peltonen.T Tags: Belfour Peltonen Arrested Drunk
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Waiting For Stanley Playoff Pool
2007-04-09 08:21:00
Feel free to join my Wait ing For Stanley Play off Hockey Pool . I will send the winner a $50 dollar cheque! That prize isn't nearly as creative as Mike Halford's prize at the Orland Kurtenblog Playoff Pool (a flat of Molson Canadian!) But hey, a cheque is easier, and everyone likes money! And yes, I did join Mike's pool! I'm thirsty...All you have to do is sign in or register at The Common Fan hockey pool page, which is quick and easy, and then join my (or anyone else's) pools.Rules:-Pick 20 forwards or defencemen-Players get points for goals, assists, shorthanded goals, and game-winning goals.-You can adjust your roster up until the first playoff game starts. After that, you better start praying.-Don't do anything stupid like pick Hurricanes or Oilers.-Win! Make me look like I don't know hockey, and take $50 of my hard-earned money!-If I win, you all pay me $50! (I'm kidding)

The Dubie Menace
2007-04-09 05:25:00
We got a good look at the back of Wade Dubielewicz's mask prior to the shootout today, and there was a picture of Yoda there. The Islanders play-by-play guy made remark about using the force in the shootout. Funny stuff. The best line came after Dubie made his second consecutive poke check stop, where the play-by-play guy says: "Oh my...Wade Dubielewicz coming through with another enormous save using the lightsaber!"Just thought I'd do up a pic of it, capturing the moment.T Tags: Dubielewicz Islanders Lightsaber
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It's time
2007-04-09 02:38:00
I won't even get into analysing the Canucks-Coyotes game today, because it was a waster.The timeouts to give Roenick and Cujo appreciation was a nice touch by Gretzky no doubt. As much as I admire Cujo, I must say, I have not respected/cared less about Roenick since he was traded by Chicago to Phoenix for Alexei Zhamnov in 1996.----------------------Now comes the 2nd season. The name Waiting For Stanley stems from a feeling I always have after every post season ends. In my 32 year-old life the Leafs and/or Canucks have failed to claim the Holy Grail. The Canucks have come close twice, in '82 and '94, and the Leafs have not made a Cup Final appearance since 7 years before my conception, their last Cup win in 1967.This season, a less-skilled but more defensive Canucks team enters the playoffs after an offseason of change and a successful regular season.How much is to be expected of this bunch? How will Luongo play in hisvfirst post season?Will the Canucks remain poised under Vignea...
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Islanders 3 Devils 2 (SO)
2007-04-08 21:59:00
It's all Island ers so far. They are pressing hard, and the Devil s look very uncoordinated.Richard Park bags the first one after a scramble in front of the net. The 2nd goal for Park in his last 2 games. Why couldn't he still be a Canuck?I don't like Lamoriello's decision to start Clemmenson in goal. It's a big fuck-you to Toronto, and maybe that is his point. There is no love between Toronto and New Jersey....at all.7:30 2nd PeriodSame same. The Devils have generated nothing at all so far. The Islanders are fighting for their lives. No knocking Clemmenson though. He is holding a lifeless team in it. One more goal by the Isles and it's pretty much over.Isles goalie Wade Dubielewicz looks like he's going to post a shutout. Where the hell is John Maclean and Claude Lemieux when you need them? Brodeur's response to not playing tonight: "We went from playing half a game, one period, two periods, the whole game, not playing," said Brodeur, referring to a conversation he had with L...
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Canucks / Coyotes Preview
2007-04-08 21:11:00
After yesterday's hockey day from heaven, I am almost finding it difficult to even motivate myself to watch this game, as it really has no benefit to Vancouver except to win their 50th game, end the season on a winning note and put a few extra grey hairs on Wayne Gretzky's head. Oh, and to possibly give Roenick a loss in perhaps his final NHL game.Are we going to see a not-so-urgent Canucks squad now that they have clinched first in the Northwest? Probably.Points-BlankThe Canucks have won all 3 games against the Coyotes this season. An interesting point at Canucks.com: The Canucks have not swept this season series since 1993-94, when the Coyotes were known as the Winnipeg Jets. What the hell is up with Kevin Bieksa? Ron MacLean mentioned he left the Shark Tank with a cast on, and there has been nothing in the media that gives an update on his condition.I see a commentor at Canucks and Beyond mentioned that the CBC guys said that Bieksa had gone for preliminary x-rays and that they...
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Leafs 6 Habs 5
2007-04-08 04:11:00
Now that was one messed up game. For a couple of teams that were fighting for a playoff spot, they sure as hell were fragile mentally. The Leaf s came out in the first all guns firing, out shooting the Habs 23 to fricking 9 in the 1st period, and only having a 2-1 lead to show for it. Thank Huet for that. But then the 2nd period was the extreme opposite. It turned into the Michael Ryder show. As soon as Andrew Raycroft let in a weak one off his glove, the dominant Leafs lost all of their confidence and looked like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Typical Leafs. Where the hell did their defence go? Same place as always..into the shitter.Ryder had a 2nd-period hat trick in under 5 minutes, helping the Habs go up 5-4, and silencing the ACC crowd. I was so pissed off that I went home and got my Sundin jersey and brought it back to the party. I was going to burn it in disgrace and shame.But when the Habs got into penalty trouble early in the 3rd, the Leafs capitalized with 2 ...

Canucks 4 Sharks 3: (Final OT)
2007-04-07 21:24:00
May as well semi-live blog this, as I won't have time (or the wits) to do it later.After 1The Canucks weathered a brief Shark attack at the beginning of the 1st and then completely took over, getting goals from Matt Cooke and Taylor Pyatt. Wow. They are moving the puck around fast tonight. The Sharks are trying to muscle the Nucks around, but it's not working.Cooke looks terrific tonight.Was that Santala beating up on Thornton during that scrum? The Sharks seemed to wake up after that.After 2Yeah, the Sharks are alive, and the Canucks are taking too many damned penalties! They took 4 penalties to San Jose's 1. Michalek and Thornton made them pay. I'm not going to sit here and bash every call made against them, because Vancouver has to stop putting their stick on the players like that. But Luongo's delay of game call was utter bullshit! What the fuck else was he supposed to do there? Play the puck? Where to? He was way out of his net.Cooke calls the Luongo call stupid in the 2nd...
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Tension in Leafland / Hab World
2007-04-07 20:53:00
It seems that everyone in Toronto and Montreal is watching the Islanders / Flyers game today and praying for an Islander loss, preventing them from taking the Leaf s or Habs' 8th seed tomorrow.The folks at Battle of Ontario are crossing their fingers. The Isles are up 3-1 after 2 periods. Hey, this is only Philly. The real test for New York comes tomorrow against New Jersey. A loss there is a little more realistic. The Devils have 6 wins and only 1 loss to the Islanders this year.Reality Check at Eyes on the Prize throws his digs in on the Leafs today. He is super confident (like most damned Habs fans are) that Montreal is going to win tonight. The class photo shown here is apparently him (haha). But what do you expect, living in the bowels of Ontario (Cornwall) and being a Habs fan!! :) You should have been beaten for that!Go Leafs go!On a depressing note: The talk of Mats Sundin's future (or lack thereof) is already being thrown out there in a piece by ESPN's Scott Burnside 1 g...
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Canucks / Sharks Preview
2007-04-07 06:36:00
Before I give any personal insight into tomorrow's game, I'll grace you with a few stats.* Canucks ' record against the Shark s this season: 2 wins 1 loss* The scores: 6-4 loss to SJ in Vancouver on October 13, a 3-1 win in Vancouver on January 28th, and a 2-1 win in OT in San Jose on March 9.* Canuck killers in those 3 games: Milan Michalek: 3 assistsPatrick Marleau: 2 goals* Shark killers in those 3 games: Kevin Bieksa: 1 goal and 4 assistsDaniel Sedin: 2 goals and 2 assistsHenrik Sedin: 1 goal and 4 assistsTaylor Pyatt: 2 goals and 1 assist* Powerplays:San Jose: 1 for 15Vancouver: 2 for 12Joe Thornton only has 1 assist against the Canucks this season. Jonathan Cheechoo has zero points. So much can be said for the Canucks penalty-killing against the Sharks this season. It's the biggest reason why those 2 are held off the scoresheet.So what is going to happen on Saturday afternoon? In their last 5 games, Vancouver has allowed 3 goals on 23 times shorthanded. Not bad. They will ha...
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Brodeur Beats Luongo to Record
2007-04-07 00:46:00
Due to the Canucks' lack of desire to win last night, poor Roberto Luongo didn't even tie Bernie Parent's 33-year-old record for single-season wins (47) last night. Instead, Martin Brodeur backstopped the Devils to a 3-2 win over Philly last night and surpassed Parent's feat. Brodeur had good things to say about Luongo in his post-game interview: "If goalies are able to play a lot, they'll get close to it every single year," Brodeur said. "Luongo's in his prime right now and if he doesn't do it this year, it's going to happen. ... I think it's the bulk of the games. If somebody's able to stay healthy and stay successful on a top team, they'll probably be able to challenge that record."That is little consolation to Luongo right now I'm sure. Brodeur would need to lose his last game against the Islanders on Sunday, and Luongo and the Canucks would have to win their last 2 against San Jose and Phoenix in order for Luongo to tie Brodeur and not feel like second best.And in m...
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Bertuzzi Watch 6
2007-04-07 00:23:00
Notice Bert's ice time from last night's game against Chicago? Nah, it wasn't because he was benched because of his inability to play well at both ends of the ice. Rather, he sprained his neck in the 1st period and did not return. **UPDATE**My sources tell me that the neck injury occurred when coach Babcock slapped him in the face because Bert wasn't playing well enough at both ends of the ice... Go figure.As for the Wings' loss to lowly Chicago last night, all I can say is...WAHAHAHAHAAA!Tech Tags: Bertuzzi Red Wings injury
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Detroit signs Datsyuk to a 7-year deal
2007-04-06 22:12:00
A $46.9 million, 7-year deal to be exact."Pavel really wanted to commit here for his career," Ken Holland said. "In the end we felt very comfortable with a long-term commitment to Pavel," the GM said. Mike Ilitch singled out longtime captain and current team executive Steve Yzerman for his insistence that the Red Wings' management retain Datsyuk. "We felt it was extremely important to lock this player up for as long as we can," Yzerman said at an afternoon news conference at Joe Louis Arena. Datsyuk has 328 points in 362 games with Detroit . His points-per-game average is on the rise as he continues to improve every season. Datsyuk could have become a UFA this summer.Datsyuk stats.Datsyuk magicTech Tags: Datsyuk Red Wings
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Canucks 1 Hejduk 3: (Final)
2007-04-06 02:56:00
Due to the magnitude of this game in the positioning of both teams, I am going to live blog it period-to-period. Since tomorrow is a stat holiday (thank you Jesus, literally) I plan on excessively consuming Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and Coke. I may as well blog while I can remember something still! Feel free to hang out during the game if you wish.---From the East---6:32 PM - doesn't Montreal or Toronto want to make the playoffs? Both teams are losing in the 3rd period. Jeeziz! 7:59 PM- Milan Hejduk, the Canuck killer scored early and put fear in our minds in the first minute. Naslund had a goal disallowed because he directed the puck into the net with a kicking motion. Fair enough. Less than a minute later, Sami Salo wrists a shot to the net and Morrison deflects it in. 1-1!The Canucks settled down quickly after the Hejduk goal and owned the play, even though they didn't generate a lot of scoring chances. I'm loving their dump-ins and forecheck tonight.8:36- The Avalanche res...
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Canucks / Avalanche Preview
2007-04-05 18:01:00
I am loving this time of year! The races for final playoff spots especially in the East, but also in the West between Colorado and Calgary have been a thrill to watch.Colorado's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. It could be over for them tonight.There is no doubt that the Avs will be scoreboard watching, as they are 5 points behind Calgary. The Flames play the Sharks starting at 7:30 pst. The Canucks /Avs game starts at 7:00 pst. A win by the Flames will terminate the Avs' hopes. A win by the Canucks tonight in regulation will terminate the Avs' chances. Tonight, you would have to think that if the Avalanche players look up and see Calgary beating the Sharks say, 3-1 early in the 3rd, that it will negatively affect their psyche and potentially ruin their momentum and desire. But we'll see.Odds are stacked against Colorado. Even if the Sharks beat the Flames in regulation tonight, and the Avs beat Vancouver, Calgary plays Edmonton on Saturday, and you know how lousy the Oiler...
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Canucks-North Stars blast from the past
2007-04-05 05:15:00
Round 1......FIGHT!Love the organ music in the background!Can anyone tell me who the Canucks players were in those fights? I actually can't tell.
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This kid has attitude (or is hanging out with the wrong crowd)
2007-04-04 21:46:00
JJ Guerrero from Canucks Hockey Blog had posted a video a while ago about a little 2-year-old girl who had Canuck players' names and hockey lingo memorized. Now if she could incorporate a bit of the following language into her dialogue, we'd see one bad ass little Canucks fan...heheh.What Are you Gonna Do To The Monster - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!
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Bertuzzi Watch 5
2007-04-04 20:26:00
Back-to-back wins against Columbus? Ooo. I guess you Red Wings think you're pretty damned special, huh? The Red Wings now finish off their season with back-to-back games against the Black Hawks. Geez, it must be so tough playing in the Central Division.Let's see how Detroit fares against the Flames in round 1.Red Wings, Bertuzzi
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Canucks 4 Kings 2
2007-04-04 17:28:00
Alain Vigneault continues to work wonders with this team to get them to win. The King s were up 2-0 on a sluggish, non-clicking Canucks team last night until Vigneault made some changes to the lines and got results out of them.Smolinski- from Dan and Hank (PP)Pyatt- from Bulis and LindenCooke- from Morrison and Naslund (PP)"Sometimes you've got to mix and match to create a little bit of execution and a little bit more intensity," said Vigneault. "That's what we did and it seemed to work out." Hey, whatever works. Last night it seemed to be Bryan Smolinski who really stood out and played well. Or alot better than he has lately. He may stick on the Sedin line for a while.The biggest difference in this game? The referees and the powerplays. 4 of the 6 goals scored were on the powerplay. Both Kings goals were with the man advantage. My 3 Stars:1. Dan Sedin. (2 assists, 3 shots)2. Bryan Smolinski. (1 goal, strong game)3. Anze Kopitar. No points but was all over the place last night. Anz...

Canucks / Kings Preview
2007-04-03 18:24:00
So it all comes down to this. The Canucks have a 3-point lead on the Wild and still with a game in hand. Tonight's game against the King s is a must-win for a couple of reasons. For one, the Kings are not that good and Vancouver needs to bury a weaker team. Secondly, the Wild are playing the Oilers tonight and on Thursday night, as well playing the Blues to close out their season. Don't put it past Minnesota to win all 3 of those games and take 6 points.The Canucks are in a little more tough than that, but really should clinch the Division. After tonight we play the Avalanche on Thursday, the Sharks on Saturday, and the Coyotes on Sunday to finish off the season. All they have to do is win 2 of those and they are guaranteed NW Champs. Piece of cake right?The Kings have lost 4 in a row, including a 4-2 loss to the Canucks last Thursday.We need to see a better 60-minute effort from the Canucks than what we saw against the Flames on Saturday.Sami Salo will play tonight, and that will...
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Lou Lamoriello: Genius or Evil Sith Lord?
2007-04-03 18:00:00
I guess we shouldn't be overly suprised that Lou fired Claude Julien yesterday. He is an aggressive individual. On March 23, 2000, Lou fired coach Robbie Ftorek with only 8 games left in the season and replaced him with Larry Robinson. The Devils went on to win the Cup.The situation this time is a bit different. In 2000, the Devils were in a 5-10-2 slump. At this point, the Devils are not in the same predicament. However, they have only won 5 of their last 10 games, and 11 of their last 20. That will not be good enough for Lou. "I don't think we're at a point of being ready both mentally and [physically] to play the way that is necessary going into the playoffs," Lamoriello said outside an empty Devils locker room at the Continental Airlines Arena. "I am not saying that is going to change. But I think there has to be better focus going forward."Consider the message sent. Apparently the players were stunned and silent after the news was broken to them.You have to think that Lou is...
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Where are they now: Magnus Arvedson
2007-04-03 02:23:00
Arvedson was drafted 119th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 1997 at the age of 25. He played 6 seasons with the Sens before being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in 2003 via free agency. Arvedson got off to a slow start in Vancouver, but over time he really fit into a checking role, and was very effective at it. Unfortunately, Arvedson's first season with the Canucks was cut short by a knee injury, and he was let go in the summer. Arvedson was signed by Farjestad (Sweden) in August of 2004. Two months later he injured his back in preseason and was forced to retire, (October 11, 2004.) Wouldn't Arvedson fit in well with this year's version of the Canucks? He'd probably be a defensive 20-goal scorer.Arvedson's career stats.Technorati Tags: CanucksArvedson
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Bertuzzi Watch
2007-04-03 01:35:00
Yeah, it's still early to start heckling Bert. But you have to wonder sometimes: was it a mistake for the Wings to acquire a guy who had hardly played all year this close to the playoffs? When is Bertuzzi going to hit his stride? Will it be too late? Let's hear some of your predictions for the Wings in the playoffs this season. I say they don't make it out of round 1. Tech Tags: BertuzziRed Wings
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Canucks News for Monday
2007-04-02 17:42:00
Well, this is the last thing that needs to happen just prior to the playoffs. According the Vancouver Sun: Canuck assistant general manager Steve Tambellini isn't pleased with Taylor Pyatt's agent, Todd Christie, for apparently spilling some of the figures in their contract negotiations to a radio station last week."I'm not going to comment on the numbers, whether they are right or not, but I am surprised and disappointed that this has come out from the agent," said Tambellini, who noted that neither he nor GM Dave Nonis talked to CKNW.According to the report, the Canucks told Pyatt they're weren't prepared to go higher than $1.2 US million per season on a two-year deal. Pyatt is apparently seeking at least Matt Cooke money ($1.5 million) or even something beyond that. Pyatt is making $700,000 this year and stands to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.Pyatt was both surprised and annoyed that his negotiations have become public at a time when the Canucks are gearing up fo...
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Separated at Birth
2007-04-02 03:40:00
Besides the visual similarities:-They are pretenders. Diesel pretends he can act. Bulis pretends he can play hockey.-Diesel was born in New York. I wish Bulis played in New York.-One starred in 'The Fast and the Furious.' The other is Fast and makes me Furious.
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Remaining Positive
2007-04-02 01:40:00
I don't really want to get into last night's game all that much as it is pretty obvious what happened there. But I will say that I liked Don Cherry's hat. And I thought that Naslund stepped up last night more than he has in a long time. That's the kind of Naslund that we need to see more of. He showed desire and leadership out there.
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Canucks / Flames Preview
2007-04-01 00:40:00
There is alot on the line for both teams tonight. The Flames can clinch a playoff spot with a win, and put an end to the Avalanche's playoff hopes. The Canucks can put themselves 5 points ahead of the Wild tonight with a win, and pretty much secure top spot in the Northwest.The Avalanche did the Canucks a favor this afternoon by beating the Wild 2-1 in regulation. Now will the Canucks do the Avs a favor by beating the only team that Colorado can catch for a playoff spot? A loss in regulation for the Flames means that the Avs will only be 5 points behind them. The Avs and Flames play eachother 2 more times still. Ooo, big pressure on the Flames to win tonight.Calgary has won their last 5 games. 3 of those wins came on the road, including back-to-back games against the Wild. Are the Flames' road woes over with?The Canucks have won 5 of their last 6. Their only loss in that span was in the shootout against the Avalanche on March 25th. Vancouver has won 4 and lost 3 games to Calgary t...
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Bertuzzi Watch
2007-03-31 22:55:00
Hey Bert! You can put up points all you want. But if the team isn't winning then it won't really matter!The Wings are experiencing a bit more adversity, as Niklas Kronwall will be out 6-8 weeks after breaking his sacrum in last night's game against the Stars. The sacrum is a triangular bone located near the end of the spine. That basically means that Kronwall will be joining the Wings on the golf course in 8 weeks, as the Wings should be out of the playoffs by then. :)
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Pyatt rejects Nonis' offer
2007-03-31 11:26:00
From Canucks and Beyond: CKNW in Vancouver is reporting that the Canucks made a two-year, $2.4 million offer to Pyatt, and were subsequently told it would not be enough to retain the services of the 21-goal scorer. The Pyatt camp is apparently looking for a deal in the Matt Cooke range. Cooke, who has just eight goals, makes $1.5 million per season.According to reports, Pyatt is also looking for a three-year deal. So it could be the Anson Carter saga all over again. I don't blame Pyatt for wanting more than Matt Cooke, as he has accumulated 21 goals and 14 assists in 71 games to Cooke's 8 goals and 17 assists in 77 games. Pyatt is not going to care what happened to Carter after he got his raise elsewhere either. He is going to tell Noni s to 'show him the money.' Time will tell just how much Pyatt wants. But it is the usual story. A pylon could put up points on the Sedin line. Nonis is not going to cave in. If Pyatt will get more money elsewhere, then I'd tell him to not let the...
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Swedish D
2007-03-31 04:12:00
Ah! Now wonder why the Swedes are such good defencemen!
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