GAME DAY: Canucks vs Oilers

We knew this 12 day 6 game road swing at the start of the season was going to be a tough one. Many of us dared not admit the scenarios we saw in the back of our heads: a litany of injuries and less than half the games won. So here we are, sitting in the basement of the NW Division, desparately needing a win to keep pace tonight in the first real crucial game of the season. Despite the injuries, the Canucks find themselves in a pretty decent position tonight. They are back at home and have had 3 days rest, and are facing an Oilers squad that has lost their last 2 contests and have suddenly started looking human after a 4-0 start. The injury bug has hit the Oilers too, as they could be missing Shawn Horcoff, Fernando Pisani, Steve Staios and J.F. Jacques. The Canucks have added Kyle Wellwood and Jason Krog to replace Pavol Demitra and Rick Rypien (rib contusion and viral infection, respectively). Wellwood had a goal and an assist, and Krog will be on a PP unit with the Sedins as Taylor Pyatt has been demoted from the special teams unit. Darcy Hordichuk may be back tonight, and Sami Salo is listed as day to day with a groin injury. The Canucks were 4-1-3 against the Oilers last season, but no doubt the April 3rd win by the Oilers to knock them out of the playoffs is on the minds of a few of the Canucks. A number of things are going to have to happen for the Canucks to snap this 3 game losing streak tonight. Special teams must improve greatly, especially the PK, which has been horrible after a run of 14 straight kills to start the season. The power play must score (anyone remember 'The Shift' from last season? That was against the Oilers...) and score more than once. They must lock things down defensively right from the start, as the first periods have been killing the Canucks this season. Roberto Luongo must be the better goalie tonight. He has been below average on this trip, giving up uncharcteristic goals, and not making the big save when the Canucks really needed it. They also need to avoid the shootout, as we went 0-3 against the Oilers last season. And once again we need a huge game from the Sedins. The Canucks haven't lost when they both get a point, and are 150-49-20 when that happens.

It should be a good game, better than what we have seen over the last week from the team, as they attempt to get back on course early in the season. Oh and did you hear that Mats Sundin is working out in L.A. to prepare for a return to the NHL. Just sayin'.

In other news, the St. Louis Blues decided to one-up the Flyers by asking Sarah Palin to drop the puck at their game, well after her blatant race baiting and lies had been cranked up. So is it any wonder that not only did the Flyers finally win a game last night, and the Blues lost to the Kings, but also Blues G Manny Legace was injured in the pregame ceremony by tripping over the red carpet? Stunning to see that the NHL and some of it's teams are so desparate for fans and publicity that they would attatch the game and its' reputation to a figure so utterly repugnant recent polls show voters find Dan 'Potatoe' Quayle more qualified to be Vice President than Palin. How embarassing for hockey. The NHL seems to be getting their marketing heads out of their collective asses with their Super Saturday promotion. The main issue though, is that there isn't a game on NBC, to provide the maximum exposure. The idea is a good one though, but they could do so much more to push the whole 15 games in one night idea. Maybe there is hope for them after all, but probably not... And before you get on the idea that I think the Flyers Palin curse is over, they lost Danny Briere for up to a month last night. Heh.

Random Saturday-ness...

Looks like the Leafs are coming crashing to earth as the Habs are up with 2 goals in 1:39 in the first... Florida's Bryan McCabe's MRI has revealed just bruising and no fractured vertebrae as originally suspected, good news for the Panthers as that would have been a huge blow to them so early in the season... Take Anze Kopitar off the wishlist, he was scheduled to become a free agent after next season, but the Kings today signed him to a seven-year, $47.6 million extension, making him the richest man in that tiny little country where he is from. Bet that buys a lot of goats... Need further proof that Sarah Palin is poison? Rangers 4 Flyers 0 in the first. The Alaska Disasta is looking like a real flop for Ed Snider as well as McSame... The Islanders are off to a good start tonight, up 3-0 against the Blues, but got some bad news as G Rick DiPietro has sweeling and fluid buildup around his recently operated on knee. That 100 bazillion dollar contract they signed him to is starting to make those AIG guys look like they actually know what the hell they're doing...

Palin associates with known thugs

In an era where the game of hockey struggles with it's identity in the United States, Ed Snider of the Philadelphia Flyers has decided bad publicity is still publicity.
"Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the nation’s most popular hockey mom, will join the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers regional search for the “Ultimate Hockey Mom” contest and drop the puck at the ceremonial opening face-off as the home team Flyers host the New York Rangers at the Wachovia Center on Saturday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

“Because of the tremendous amount of publicity she has brought to our sport, we invited the most popular hockey mom in North America to our home opener to help us get our season started,” said Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider who founded the Flyers in 1967. “We are very excited she has accepted our offer and we are very proud of the publicity she is generating for hockey moms and the sport of hockey.”

The Flyers have been searching for the ultimate hockey mom in the Greater Philadelphia Region through an on line contest which asked hockey players or hockey moms themselves to submit their hockey mom poster to the team."

First of all, there is never a good reason to inject politics into sports. I don't care if they have Obama the next night. It's hockey. Leave the political grandstanding at home. Secondly, the press release from the Flyers is a tad decieving. It says nothing of Palin being the Vice-Presidential candidate, which is why she is there, not that she is the Governor of Alaska or "America's Favorite Hockey Mom" (by the way, can anyone confirm that any of her kids are still playing hockey? And just for clarification, hockey moms don't collect a per diem for taking their kids to the rink). It also implies that Snider is just trying to tie in a cute little promotion. A quick check of Mr. Snider's campaign donations show that perhaps it was his $25,000 donation to McCain's campaign that had more to do with it than anything else. The reaction from Flyers' fans has been strong to say the least, with a lot of strong feelings of anger on both sides. Expect her to get booed, rather soundly. That's not the big deal here. The big deal is another situation where hockey looks bad in the eyes of Americans. Take a bow, Mr. Snider. You've taken the lead from Gary Bettman in the "one up" game to destroy the NHL.