I hope my kids turn out to be just like this little cutie.
This is another entry in the search for the “Ultimate Canucks fan”. This particular one is of an incredibly cute little girl who probably knows more Canucks’ than kids twice her age.
I first saw this video a few weeks back, but I thought I’d post it for those of you that haven’t seen it.
One of the easiest ways to visually explain the changes to hockey over the years, is to use goaltenders. Their styles, their size and most of all, their equipment has changed so drastically over the years. This post will give you a decade by decade look at just how much things have changed in the past 50 years.
1950/1960′s
(Pictured: Gump Worsley)
1970′s
(Pictured: Tony Esposito)
1980′s
(Pictured: Patrick Roy)
1990′s
(Pictured: Bill Ranford)
2000′s
(Pictured: Marc-Andre Fleury)
Wow, have things ever changed. The equiptment has become larger, colorful, more protective and simply much, much nicer looking. The fact that goalies didn’t start wearing helmets regularly until the 1960′s is almost incomprehensible to me. Granted, players didn’t shoot nearly as hard, but still. Just incredible.
Needless to say, am I ever glad I’m a goalie here in 2007, and not back in the 50′s or 60′s.
It’s always exciting when a young prospect comes along and gives hope to seeing another superstar in the NHL. John Tavares is the next in line after Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. He’s a 16 year old playing in the OHL, and just this week he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals as a 16 year old. The old record was 71, and Tavares hit 72 this past Friday.
“It was pretty excited when I saw the puck go in. It was nice to finally get it,” Tavares told GlobeSports.
“It takes a bit of pressure off myself. I’ve been holding my stick a little tight the last couple games. Now I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates and my family.”
Pretty exciting stuff to see a 16 year old playing at the same level that Gretzky did, especially when the overall talent level of kids is much higher now than it was 30 years ago. It’s going to be a long wait however, before we see Tavares in an NHL game. He won’t be draft eligible until 2009. Makes me wonder if the NHL will do what the OHL did; make a special rule exception that allows Tavares to play before he hits minimum age requirement. I, for one, hope they do.
A New Jersey Devil’s Superfan dresses up in full goalie gear behind the Pittsburgh Penguins bench in an attempt to distract them. Check out the funny video below (credit for the link: James Mirtle).
Tonight I’m playing two games of hockey. That, in itself is not unusual at all. I often play two games a night for two different teams, as I currently play for two teams and spare for another three or four. However, I’ve always played in the same arena, in games one after another.
Tonight I’m playing at 7pm in one arena, then at 9:30pm in another. I will have just enough time to get undressed, travel to the other arena and get dressed again.
I could almost pull the novice hockey trick, and show up to my second game already dressed in full gear. On second thought, it might be a little difficult driving my car in full goalie gear.
After playing in a boring-as-hell 14-4 win last night, here’s to hoping tonight’s games are a little more exciting.
UPDATE: So, last night turned out pretty good. We won the first game 9-5, after leading 9-2 for most of the game, my team decided to absolutely fall apart for about 5 minutes and allow four breakaways. Either way, we won. I wasn’t too happy with how I played, but the game was slow and boring, and I wasn’t really into it.
The next game was a blast to play. It was a close, hard-fought game the entire night. We lead 2-0 until mid-way through the second period. With about 10-15 minutes left in the third they tied it up, and it stayed that away until with a minute left, we scored to go ahead. They were a really good team, and I had a ton of shots… I was pretty happy with my performance. Our two teams were very evenly matched, so it was a very fun game to play. I hope we see them again in the playoffs. I play on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the playoffs start the week after that. Should be a fun couple of weeks.
The Canucks’ are running a contest where fans can send in a video of why they are the “ultimate Canucks fan”. I think the guy who submitted this video has to be the front runner. This video is excellent!
[YOUTUBE=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBpDvb5hTgg]
Seeing as the guys in our family always debate about who knows more about hockey, I’d like to point out the current standings in our hockey pool:
1st place: Matt, with 800 points
5th place: Mel, with 762 points
7th place: Tyson, with 739 points
10th place: Grandpa, with 702 points
Hmm, interesting. I think that settles the debate, no?
Back in 1964, playing with a broken leg, Toronto defenseman Bob Baun scored a goal in overtime to win game six of the Stanley Cup Finals against Detroit.
This week, Ottawa forward Jason Spezza went shopping for groceries, and tweaked his back while getting out of his car. This forced him to miss a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Injured while going shopping? Are you kidding me?
Thanks Spezza, you’re really helping out my hockey pool here by missing games because of these dangerous grocery escapades of yours. If you end up costing me first place and my $150…
Seriously, this is ridiculous.
Not too long ago, BCTV News did several segments called “The Greatest Canuck”, featuring several of the Canucks’ all time greatest players. Here is their excellent video segment on Pavel Bure, via YouTube.
Last night, while watching the Canucks’ vs. Tampa Bay game, I got to enjoy seeing Jeff Cowan score his 5th goal in 3 games. Not too bad at all for a guy who went 23 games with the Canucks before scoring any goals. Cowan is a guy who probably 90% of even intelligent hockey fans hadn’t even heard of until the Canucks’ picked him off waivers. He’s 30 year old grinder who happened to actually have 350+ NHL games, but still remain mostly unknown.
Anyways, after his second goal of last night’s game, while the fans chanted “COW-AN! COW-AN! COW-AN!”, a female fan threw her bra onto the ice. John Garrett referred to it as “debris”, but it was obviously a very large cupped bra. The referee used a player’s stick to remove it from the ice (as seen in the picture above). I don’t ever remember seeing this happen before. Ladies, when someone scores a goal is your immediate reaction to take off your bra and throw in on the ice? What the heck?
Could this be the next hockey game tradition? Wouldn’t be much weirder than rats or octopuses.
The NHL has released their latest commercial, this one titled “The Quest for the Cup”. The commercial mixes NHL highlights with that of the new upcoming movie, 300. 300 is my most anticipated movie this year, and the playoffs are… well, the playoffs. Check out this awesome new commercial, via YouTube:
The Canucks’ made two very solid trades the day before the NHL’s trading deadline.
They re-acquired Brent Sopel from Los Angeles in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a 4th round pick. Sopel was sought after by several teams, because of his ability to be both a physical presence and powerplay point-man. I’m very happy with this move. The Canucks were in need of another top four defenseman to complement the current group, and Sopel was an excellent choice for that role. He has also expressed interest in re-signing with the Canucks, and that could be a good backup plan if Sami Salo bolts via free agency.
The ‘Nucks also acquired Bryan Smolinski from Chicago in exchange for a conditional 2nd round pick. Smolinski was someone I had mentioned as being the perfect fit for Vancouver. He has the talent to play in an offensive role (a great fit with Naslund), but is also responsible defensively, which enables him to play a 3rd line and penalty killing role as well. Another excellent move, and I’m surprised it only took a 2nd round pick to acquire him.
Here’s my analysis of some of the trades during yesterday’s NHL trading deadline:
Gary Roberts (Pittsburgh) for Noah Welch (Florida)
Georges Laraque (Pittsburgh) for Dan Carcillo and a 3rd round pick (Phoenix)
- Pittsburgh wasn’t supposed to be in the playoff hunt this early in their rebuilding stage, but because they are, they needed to make a few veteran upgrades, and they did just that. They added an enforcer to protect Crosby and Malkin, and Laraque is the perfect man to do just that. He wanted to go to Pittsburgh, and he got his wish. Roberts will be a great veteran presence in the dressing room, and he’s still quite capable of being a valuable member on the ice as well. The Pens have a lot of good prospects, and could afford to give up Welch and Carcillo without harming their future.
Nolan Schaefer (Pittsburgh) for 7th round pick (San Jose)
- Schaefer is a top goaltending prospect, and I’m shocked that San Jose could only get a 7th round pick for him. They are very deep in goaltending prospects, but a 7th round pick is the lowest return you can get. A great move by Pittsburgh, as I’d expect Schaefer to back-up Marc-Andre Fleury next year once Jocelyn Thibault leaves via free agency this summer.
Martin Biron (Philidelphia) for 2nd round pick (Buffalo)
- At this point last year, teams were offering 1st round picks and high-end prospects for Biron, but this year, none of the playoff-bound teams needed a goaltender. The Sabres needed to clear salary space to make other acquisitions, so Biron had to be traded. Philidelphia were hoping to sign Biron as a free agent next season, so to get the inside track they traded for Biron, in hopes of finding chemistry with him and get him signed before he becomes a UFA on July 1st. A good move by Philly.
Ty Conklin (Buffalo) for 5th round pick (Columbus)
- After trading Martin Biron, Buffalo was in need of a backup. Conklin was obviously not their first, second or even tenth choice, but he should fill in as a decent bench-warmer. However, if Ryan Miller gets injured, Buffalo is finished.
Bill Guerin (San Jose) for Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball and a 2007 1st round pick (St. Louis)
- San Jose matched Detroit and Nashville’s pickups (Bertuzzi and Forsberg, respectively) by picking up Guerin. Guerin is having a rebound season after his horrible 05-06 campaign. Guerin should be a great addition to San Jose’s already strong group of forwards, and they didn’t give up a whole lot in the process. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Guerin return to St. Louis next season as a free agent.
Aaron Ward (Boston) for Paul Mara (NY Rangers)
- After a lockerroom dispute/fight with star Jaromir Jagr, Ward had to go. Boston won this trade, but Mara should help The Rangers’ weak powerplay.
Brad May (Anaheim) for Michael Wall (Colorado)
- Brian Burke adds even more toughness to his lineup, and gives up Wall who is probably at best, an AHL-starter. A good trade, but not the forward upgrade most Ducks fans were probably looking for.
Todd Bertuzzi (Detroit) for Shawn Matthias and a conditional draft pick
- If Bertuzzi returns from injury, this will be a great pickup by Detroit. If not, there’s little risk as they didn’t give up much. “Big Bert” could be the power forward Detroit has desperately needed since Brendan Shanahan left for New York.
Pascal Dupuis and a 3rd round pick (Atlanta) for Alex Bourret (NY Rangers)
- An excellent trade for the Rangers. They give up a 3rd line checker that is a free agent at the end of the season in exchange for a top-end prospect in Alex Bourret.
Keith Tkachuk (Atlanta) for Glen Metropolit, a first and third-round draft pick in 2007 and a second-round draft pick in 2008, and if Atlanta re-signs Tkachuk, another 1st round pick in 2008 (St. Louis)
- An excellent trade by St. Louis, and a gross overpayment by Atlanta. Obviously, Atlanta is going all out to make the playoffs this season. If they do well, and make it to the semi-finals or better, this will be seen as a good move, but if they are eliminated in the first round, or happen to miss the playoffs entirely, GM Don Waddell will no longer have a job.
Dainus Zubrus and Timo Helbling (Buffalo) for Jiri Novotny, and a 1st round pick (Washington)
- A huge overpayment on Buffalo’s part. Jiri Novotny is a young, potential top-six forward, and the 1st round pick is just an added punch to the gut. I would have figured Novotny would have been enough, as Zubrus is nothing more than an average second-liner. But after all their injuries, Buffalo was desperate to add some offensive punch, and unfortunately had to overpay for a marginal player such as Zubrus.
Mattias Norstrom, Konstantin Pushkarev, 2007 3rd round pick and 4th round pick (Dallas) for Jaroslav Modry, Johann Fransson, 2008 1st round pick, 2007 2nd round pick and 3rd round pick (Los Angeles)
- Wow, what a large trade this one is. A good trade for Dallas, as Norstrom is a veteran leader, who will provide excellent defense for an already strong Dallas team. LA picks up some good draft picks, as well as a replacement for Norstrom in Modry, who is an under-rated offensive defenseman. Dallas was also able to acquire a good prospect in Pushkarev. Good trade for both teams, especially Dallas.
Brad Boyes (St. Louis) for Dennis Wiseman (Boston)
- I’m quite suprised Boston is giving up on Boyes after one poor season. A great trade for the rebuilding Blues, but Boston was still able to pick up a potential powerplay quarterback in prospect Wiseman.
Ryan Smyth (NY Islanders) for Ryan O’Marra, Robert Nilsson and 1st round pick (Edmonton)
- The biggest trade of the deadline. I know most Edmonton fans are probably quite unhappy with this trade, but I think it was a great move by Kevin Lowe. As much as they may not want to admit it, the Oilers will not make the playoffs this year, whether Smyth plays the final 20 games or not. Might as well trade him and get something, then potentially lose him for nothing at the end of the year. And get something they did. O’Marra and Nilsson are very good prospects, and the 1st round pick could be anywhere from the 13th-20th range in this year’s draft. If Smyth helps the Islanders have a lengthy playoff run, this will be a good trade for them, but I wouldn’t be suprised in the least to see Smyth return to the Oilers in the off-season. And when/if he does, this will prove to be an excellent move for the Oilers.
A great YouTube video of Thursday’s line brawl between Buffalo and Ottawa. The goalies, Ray Emery and Martin Biron even get into it!
Based on our current hockey pool standings, I guess I can officially say I’m the most knowledgeable hockey fan of the family. I currently sit in 1st… yes, I’ll say it again… 1st place. Where’s the rest of the fam? Dad is in 5th, Tyson is in 6th and Grandpa is in 10th.
So, being the incredibly knowledgeable hockey fan that I am, I’m going to throw out my opinions on what the Canucks’ should do on trading deadline day.
The biggest needs right now are obviously a center (to replace the injured Ryan Kesler) and a defenseman able to play top-4 minutes.
The most likely trade is with Chicago for Center Bryan Smolinski. Smolinski is an NHL veteran, and I believe the Canucks’ could use one of their three 2nd round picks to aquire him. Smolinski is capable of playing both an offensive and defensive game. He’ll fit in perfectly on the Canucks’ third line between Markus Naslund and Jan Bulis.
The Canucks’ should also try to aquire Los Angeles’ Aaron Miller. Miller is a tough, defensive defenseman with many years of experience. He may be a little harder to acquire, but if the ‘Nucks could grab him for a 2nd round pick and low-level prospect, I’d say go for it. More likely, however, would be for the Canucks’ to go after a player like Washington’s Jamie Heward. A 2nd or 3rd round pick should be enough to pick up Heward.
Here’s to hoping Nonis acquires somewhat of an upgrade without giving up prospects Cory Schneider, Luc Bourdon, Michael Grabner or any 1st round picks.
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