Canucks vs. Avalanche Live blogging

-Well, once again Toronto has found a way to keep Canuck fans angry, as they get the tying goal with just over a minute left, and are now in the shootout. Bastards.
-Looks like they've got Pettinger on a line with Kesler and Burrows, nothing like getting thrown into the fire,eh? He will see lots of action against Colorado's best...
-Nice save by BobbyLu on the PK, Pettinger is wearing #25 btw. Linden is back in the lineup.
-Scott Parker is still with the Avs???
-Good early PK for the Canucks, the crowd seems into it right from the get-go tonight. Gord Miller on TSN says it feels like a playoff game
-Ian Laperierre in the box for hooking, Naslund tips a point shot over the glass
-Raymond and Edler look so dangerous on the PP lately
-Rick Rypien is in the lineup, nice to see him back
-Great action so far, good puck movement on the PP and Naslund has had a couple good chances... Colorado seems to be scrambling a bit to keep up, especially on that PP.
-Good shift by the Sakic line
-And a good response shift by the Sedins and Nazzy...
-The Kesler/Burrows/Pettinger line looks dangerous, great setup by Kes and more hard work leads to a penalty on Sauer.
-Seriously, does anyone find those Molson commercials funny? Especially when you're seeing it for the 137th time?
-Pyatt with a couple chances but a hook by Kesler takes us off the PP...
-Colorado's discipline needs a tweak, another penalty,this time after a hit by Taylor Pyatt.
-15 of 20 in the net in 24 seconds... that's alot of pressure
-WOW!!!!! Can you believe that???? A Million Dollars for Darwin Head, and he & his buddies won Chevy Malibu hybrids, that was some impressive shooting

-Blogger loves me, as you can tell by the bold type that won't turn off... grrr
- Salo fires it over the glass... Colorado PP
-With all the Avs firepower it's pretty surprising that Colorado's PP is as bad as it is. Another great save by Luongo there
-Edler is usually so composed, but that was a dumb penalty...
- Nice job by Pettinger to block the shot
-1-0 Canucks, tipped in by Mason Raymond. Great shift as the Canucks put a ton of pressure as Jones broke his stick on the play. #7 for Raymond.
- Assists from Ryan Shannon and Alex Edler
-Nice play by Jones to intercept the pass by Naslund
-Even the 4th line is looking good tonight, hell Brad Isbister has been playing his best hockey all season over the last couple weeks
-19 points on the year now for Raymond, you can't help but think if he had been up all year he might be in contention for rookie of the year
-Foote took a shot off the arm, and he is in a lot of pain on the bench
-Canucks 10 for 15 in the faceoff circle in the first, they really have been improving over the last month on their draws
-Pierre McGuire reports Foote not on the bench for the Avs
-Really liking the intensity so far, the Canucks didn't seem to get frustrated after a scoreless first, and have been the dominant team in the 2nd after killing off a couple early penalties
-Canucks penalty as they get caught chasing as Daniel hooks Hejduk
-Colorado seems to be coming back to life, no word yet if Foote or Salei will be returning
-Boy you could see that goal coming...
-Ugh, apart from using John Ferguson, Jr. as an analyst, their worst panelist is definitely Mike Milbury. He is a classic example of someone who speaks loudly, and is rather animated to hide the fact they aren't very intelligent.
-Interview with Peter 'Nut Puncher' Forsberg... Here's to a relapse, Peter...

THIRD PERIOD
-Foote is back, but the Canucks have 1:53 left in a power play
-Salei with the cheapshot on Pyatt, punch in the head goes uncalled
-Liles fires it over the glass and the Canucks go back on the PP, 0-4 so far
-Luongo stops Guite on a shorthanded breakaway
-The PP has been good lately, but it isn't clicking tonight
-Avs are pressing again... and another penalty for Daniel, the Sedins have spent more time in the penalty box than on the scoresheet the last few games
-Thankfully the PK is good tonight, but as mentioned at the start, this game has such a playoff feel to it
-Both teams have gotten away with a few calls, early on it was the Canucks (especially the too many men non-call) but the Avs have been pulling down the Sedins all night long and not getting called for it
-Brunette in the box for hooking, Canucks need to capitalize and get the 2 points as the Wild beat Tampa Bay tonight...
-More chances, but the Avs are strong defensively tonight, as has Jose Theodore
-Nice hustle by Raymond to negate the icing... I think this one is goin to OT... again
-That was one of the best shifts all year, and Laurie said all along that it was in, but it is clearly in and what a time to get it! 1:14 left and her boy comes through with his 9th...
-Assists from Pyatt and Mitchell, goalie is pulled
-God I hate Joe Sakic... but the Canucks had so many opportunities to get that puck out
-Anyways, like I said, it's going to overtime lol. Frustrating, this has been something that the Canucks have struggled with all year, clearing the puck out when there is pressure, especially late in the period. Hopefully they keep the energy level up, Kesler was cut on the faceoff, no call
-Stastny highsticked Kesler and Brad Watson, who has had a brutal night on the calls, misses another big one
-I swear I hate shootouts more and more everytime we get into one, and that's win or lose.
-ugh
-Hejduk:stopped by Luongo
Raymond: Stopped by Theodore
Sakic scores
Shannon: Stopped by Theodore
Svatos scores and the Canucks lose it in the skills competition, a real shame they couldn't hold on as they deserved better in this one.

Pregame show Canucks vs. Oilers

We've got your pregame fix here or here and as mentioned in the podcast, it's the Crazy Canucks (a lil interview with yours truly featured within) and their latest episode.

Also, Blogger willing... I will be liveblogging the game tonight

Open Practice...

It was a whirlwind trip to say the least, but thanks to a hookup from that special dude, the one and only Chunky McFunbags, we were able to pop over and catch the practice Sunday. The look of excitement on Laurie's face just to see them going through drills was awesome, I can only imagine how thrilled she will be when we are there next month for the game against the Wild. Infinite Canuck on CDC has posted a video montage, including the full shootout.
I was fortunate enough to meet the gang from the Crazy Canucks podcast and those guys from the Ultimate Canucks search. Yours truly was invited to sitdown with said Crazy Canucks and have a lil chat, we will let you know as soon as that episode is up... We will be doing a special trade deadline show tomorrow, and then Wednesday we will wrap up all the trades, including any movement by the Canucks and preview the big game against the Avs.

Feb 20th podcast up..postgame wrapup

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I guess it's an indication of the season that the Minnesota Wild have had that they even got a point last night, but the Canucks were fully deserving of the the 2 they picked up for the OT win... Post game wrap up right now on WAACH

Wild Fans: Boo this!

Feb 19 podcast -pre Wild

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It was a game not only have we not seen out of the current version of the Canucks, but one we haven't seen in quite a while. Saturday night's emotionally charged affair with the Oilers was a huge boost, and we have propelled into 7th place, but in order to stay there they will need to beat the division-leading Minnesota Wild on the road... it's Gameday on WAACH

THE GM'S ARE COMING!! THE GM'S ARE COMING!!

And for the love of Dog, somebody hide the rulebook!!! Yes it's time for the NHL's annual Winter Meetings, this year in beautiful (or so we are told) Naples, Florida. The League's 30 GM's gather and discuss pressing issues in the game, and then make a bunch of cosmetic changes instead of fixing the real problems. Today they were split into groups of 4 and given a list of things to discuss. One of the most notable is one being pushed by Ducks GM Brian Burke. It proposes that minor penalties issued in overtime be shortened to 1 minute in length. The thinking here is that a minor penalty ends up being 40% of the OT period, and often leads to the end of the game. Instead of seeing the 2 obvious things: 1) Overtime would be better eliminated, or extended to 10 minutes, and 2) It's a penalty. It's meant to punish the other team and the 2 minutes is a hell of a deterrent if you think about it, they will probably push this through. Kind of a no-brainer Burke wants this one, it will affect his team the most. Another group examined whether or not to expand the shootout to a minimum of 5 shooters from the current 3. Once again, the obvious thing would be to put the shootout back where it belongs: The skills competition of All Star Weekend. So you can be teams like Dallas and Minnesota, whose GM's were in that group will be lobbying hard to win more games by trick shots instead of playing hockey. There's a full article at tsn.ca that has all the details and other proposed changes.

Canucks 4 Oilers 2

Guess this photo really says it all about the scrap-filled affair last night at GM Place. 193 Minutes in penalties, including 14 fighting majors, some bone crunching hits by both teams (including one by Zach Stortini that knocked Taylor Pyatt out of the game), and some genuine playoff-style animosity made for one of the most entertaining games we have seen out of the Canucks all season. The Sedins and Markus Naslund once again proved to be the undoing of the Oilers as they combined for 6 points, and Henrik picked up another in the last minute on Alex Burrows empty net goal. Burrows was given a shot by Jarret Stoll as he celebrated that goal, no doubt bringing back memories of Chris Pronger's cowardly attack on Ryan Kesler a couple months back, and Burrows responded with a one handed slash to Stoll's ankle, which got him a major for slashing, as well as the 5 for fighting that ensued in the line brawl. After that was cleared up, another brawl broke out, featuring a very spirited tilt between Mike Weaver and the much bigger Curtis Glencross. Weaver has been earning my respect lately with his solid play, but this fight has made me a fan. He took everything Glencross could muster and got in a number of shots, proving to be more than the newest Oiler could handle. The Canucks also got another goal from Sami Salo, who has really found his scoring touch after battling with injuries all season, missing 19 games. Roberto Luongo did what he hasn't done a whole lot lately, shut the door when the Canucks had the lead, despite many Oiler chances. The big story of the night was the response by the Canucks to the physical play of the Oilers. The gave as good as they got all night. "They tried to come in our rink and tried to intimidate us and push us around," said Ryan Kesler. "But when they try to push around Danny and Hank (Sedin), its our job to respond and show them and tell them that's not going to happen and I thought we did a good job of that tonight." A huge win, that was important not just because it moved them into 8th place in the Conference, but because of the effect this will have heading into Tuesday's rematch with the Minnesota Wild.

Pregame Oilers Podcast

If there was any justice in this world, King Diamond would have won the Grammy for best Metal Performance Sunday, every Senator who voted for the Telecom bill would be forced to resign in shame, and the Canucks would have gotten 2 points on Thursday night. A point is better than nothing, but sometimes you have wonder about luck, let's hope they get some tonight as they take on the Oilers, it's gameday Saturday on WAACH

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Feb 14th and a new Podcast is up.

Although they needed the break after that long road trip, you can't help but wonder if this 4 days off could kill the momentum gained by the Canucks in a gutsy comeback win over the Blackhawks Sunday night. But we could be getting some good news as Willie Mitchell may return in time for the Canucks' Valentine's date with the Wild. Can't you feel the love?

Mitchell could be back for date with Minny...

Willie Mitchell has been practicing in preparation for a return to the lineup, which may come as early as Thursday (from Canucks.com)
"Willie Mitchell suited-up and took part in team practice this morning at the Pacific Coliseum. The morning session was the first time he skated with the team since succumbing to back pain after a January 17th affair in Detroit.

Mitchell has missed ten games to date, suffering from a fractured L2 vertebra in his back. He has been skating on his own for the last two weeks and has been able to manage the pain while on the ice. There is still no definite timeline for Mitchell's return to the line-up. There is a possibility that he could play this Thursday against Minnesota, but also there is an equal chance that he will miss the Valentine's Day tilt.

“Obviously another healthy body on defence is definitely going to help us at this critical stage of the season, I haven’t talked to him but during practice he looked fine so we’ll see how he does tomorrow and he’ll let us know if he can play,” said Coach Alain Vigneault.

Mitchell's return depends upon his ability to endure the pain and whether or not the injury will hinder his performance. While it is still reported that the extent of the injury cannot be worsened, rushing into the line-up without being 100% is still risky. With the recent struggles in the Canucks own zone there be some pressure for Mitchell to jump in to the line-up as soon as possible, but Vigneault stresses that he does not believe in forcing a player to play if they are not ready and confident in themselves.

“I don’t put pressure on players to play if they tell me their hurt. No organization can do that, players are the ones that have the ultimate decision, it’s not he doctors, it’s not the organization, it’s the player that says if he can go,” said Vigneault. “No organization would put a player in a situation in where his health might be in danger, you can’t do that.”

Although there has been no direct pressure placed upon Mitchell from team management, the blueliner says he does feel some indirect pressure.

"As a player you do [feel pressure to get into the line-up]. Right now I think I can help out the team; I usually play my best hockey this time of year so I want to be in the line up," said Mitchell. "I think the pressure what you feel is from yourself, but it has to be a thing where you're smart about it and feel healthy, and I do and I feel ready to get out there."

Mitchell has played 47 games this year recording seven points (1-6-7), 60 penalty minutes, and a plus-7 rating.

Kevin Bieksa skated individually before the team session and continues to show rapid progress and improvement. There still remains no definite timeline for his return as well, although it is anticipated that it will be shorter than initially expected.

Dave Nonis estimated that Bieksa may be able to jump into the line-up before the end of the month, but it all depends on how the blueliner continues to progress through his rehab.

RELATED NEWS: Lukas Krajicek will undergo further tests today and tomorrow to determine the extent of his shoulder injury."

It will certainly help to have Big Willie back on the blueline, and Bieksa's progress is encouraging. Getting our D healthy may be just the thing that saves our season.

How's that for a comeback?

For just the 2nd time this season, the Canucks went into the 3rd period trailing and came out with a victory. 3rd period goals from Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows lifted the Canucks to a 2-1 victory over the Thrashers in Atlanta last night. Roberto Luongo was solid against Kovalchuk and Hossa, and the shutdown line really did a good job of neutralizing them, along with Burrows getting the winner from linemates Ryan Kesler and Taylor Pyatt. The win moves Vancouver into 9th, pushing them past Phoenix, and within 1 point of the Calgary Flames, who lost at home to Chicago. The set up for tomorrow night's game is huge. A win over Colorado puts us back in a playoff spot, and in a tie with the Avs, and just 1 point behind the division leaders Minnesota. There's a lot of work still to be done, but last night's win was a huge positive and something the team could really build on. Obviously having Mattias Ohlund back in the lineup helped, he was solid all night, as was Sami Salo who played one of his best games all season. The defense is slowly getting healthy, but with the way Alex Edler and Luc Bourdon have been playing, we are at least in contention every game. All we needed was a little puck luck and some help from other teams, and we got that in a big way last night. We will have a new podcast tomorrow morning with the pregame show as well as previews of CBC's big Hockey Day In Canada extravaganza from Winkler, Manitoba.

waach episode 65

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They tell you that you can't use injuries as an excuse, that good teams find a way to win when guys go down due to injury, but come on... this is rediculous. The Canucks will be drawing straws to see which forward ends up playing D... it's the Canucks and Stars game day on WAACH

waach episode 64

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Even eternal Canucks optimists are beginning to throw in the towel, and the pessimists are already saying tank the season and go for the lottery pick. It's February 1st, and there is still a lot of hockey to be played, but we are running out of time for Roberto Luongo to show up... is this a lost season... All that and more on the game day edition of WAACH