2007 NHL Entry Draft: Predicting The Top 10

The NHL Entry draft is one of my favorite “hockey days” of the year. It’s happening this Friday, and over at GunnHockey.com, I’ve written my predictions for the top 10 picks of this year’s draft.

> Check them out, by clicking here.

GunnHockey.com!

As anyone who knows me is aware of, I am hockey obsessed. I originally planned on having this website be mostly hockey related, but realized most of the people that read this site have no interest in hockey. My entertainment posts are always the most popular. For the past few weeks I’ve been working on a separate blog, which will be entirely focused on hockey.

So those of you that have an interest in my hockey related posts, please check out my new blog at GunnHockey.com, as I won’t be posting about hockey on this blog anymore.

My hockey blog is still in the baby stages, and I’m still working on improving the look and content, but I plan on keeping it updated on a regular basis.

Don’t worry, I won’t be ignoring MattGunn.ca at all. It will still be my primary focus, but my other blogs just give me something else to occupy my time with. I’ve always wanted to have a site that is 100% hockey based, so now I have that and won’t be filling this site with hockey-related material that a large percentage of you have no interest in reading.

Feedback is welcome, both for MattGunn.ca or GunnHockey.com. I always appreciate it, and if there’s any specific topics or posts you’d like to see in the future, feel free to send an email or message my way.

The Ducks win the Stanley Cup

When it was announced this past summer that Anaheim had acquired Chris Pronger from the Edmonton Oilers, they immediately became Stanley Cup favorites. I agreed that they had a very good team, but I didn’t think they were deep enough to win the Cup, and that two All-Star defensemen weren’t enough.

Well, even after predicting against them in every single series of this year’s playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks managed to win professional sports most famous trophy, The Stanley Cup. Almost all of the media and bloggers were picking Ottawa to win the series, and well, so did I. They easily defeated the favorite, the Buffalo Sabres, and looked like they had a complete team running strong. Unfortunately due to a ridiculous schedule, they had a long lay-off in between series’ and I think that was their undoing.

Anaheim proved they are a lot more solid that anyone expected, and their no-name stars such as Andy McDonald, Chris Kunitz, Samuel Pahlsson and Travis Moen are going to be nothing but from now on. Their checking line was the best in the NHL, their top line, although inconsistent, played well and their “young guns” line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Penner will be a force for a long, long time.

The person I am most happy for is Brian Burke. I was a huge fan of “Burkie” when he was the GM of the Canucks, and when they let him go, a lot of fans, including myself, were outraged. He did an incredible job in Vancouver, and was let go based on politics, not his quality of work. He quickly turned the Ducks into a contender, and won the Cup in his second season with the team.

For the third straight year, a Canadian-based team and lost in the Finals. I wonder what’s going to happen next year?

So, hockey’s done. I’m going to miss it, although I’m already used to it. Once my team (the Canucks) are eliminated, my “care factor” drops quite a bit.

The off-season can be exciting, as we have the NHL Awards, NHL Entry Draft and July 1st (the day free agents are available) coming up over the next month.

You know you’re a hockey fan when… it’s Summer weather outside, hockey has just ended after going on for nine months, and you are already looking forward to NHL training camp in September.

The Top 10 Ugliest NHL Jerseys of All-Time

Over the years, there have been many different NHL jerseys. In what is always the case, some are great, some are average, some are boring, and some are downright awful.

I’ve compiled a list of what I think are ten of the ugliest NHL jerseys of all time. You’ll notice a theme among my choices. A good percentage of them are from the era when nearly every team came out with a “third” jersey. The reason behind this was nothing other than marketing. These jerseys were all pretty flashy and had some ridiculous type of logo. It was a way to quickly sell some more jerseys. These didn’t last for more than a season or two.

There are of course some other horrid jerseys that came before the third-jersey era. I tried to keep my selections to the “modern NHL”, which is about 1970-current.

Here’s my choices:

10. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins used these jerseys in the mid to late 90’s. They had a pretty ugly original jersey (it’s main color was blue?!?), but I’ve liked their current design, which is the design they’ve had for most of their history. But this one? The “triangle robot penguin” just doesn’t work. Thankfully they switched back to the old logo after a few years in this ugly thing.

9. Atlanta Thrashers

This is the Thrashers’ third jersey, which they unfortunately still use to this day. Baby blue just screams, “we’re a tough hockey team, watch out!”. Their regular jerseys have hardly any, if any at all, baby blue… so I don’t understand the logic in making it the main color on this jersey. Also, why is there a shoulder stripe on only one side?

8. Vancouver Canucks

One of the earliest of the Canucks’ jerseys. Most people would rank it as one of the worst of all time, but I personally don’t think it’s quite that bad. “Puke yellow” is not a good color choice. And the “logo”? It’s a couple of stripes that resemble the letter “V”. Horrible.

7. Dallas Stars

Dallas have pretty nice jerseys. So of course, they needed an ugly jersey, and created this horrid “third jersey” piece of crap. I see how they are trying to be creative by having the “stars” align to form a “Texas” bull’s head… but well, it comes off looking really, really ugly.

6. Los Angeles Kings

Once again, a “third” jersey makes the list. The LA Kings came up with this poor excuse for a jersey, and it looks like something an eight year old would paint with his water colors. The Kings’ rarely wore this jersey, but they did manage to have it just long enough for NHL legend Wayne Gretzky to be stuck seen wearing it.

5. Phoenix Coyotes

Coyotes’ fans and players were actually forced to endure this awful thing for quite a few seasons. Fortunately they’ve changed to their newer jerseys, which are pretty nice. But the “robot coyote” is one of the ugliest logos of all time, and the jersey pattern just compliments it’s ugliness.

4. New York Islanders

The Islanders were a pretty good franchise during the 70’s and 80’s, and they had some pretty decent jerseys during that time. They kept the same jersey and logo for a long time, before deciding to switch it to one of the most hated logos in sports history. Fans utterly despised the new logo when it was released. It was nicknamed the “captain fishstick logo” , and fans would go as far as to chant that in a mocking tone during games. After begging to have it switched back by fans, the Islanders’ quickly did so the next season.

3. Nashville Predators

If you thought the Canucks’ “puke yellow” jerseys were bad, well look at these things. They take “puke” to a whole new level. One of the ugliest jerseys of all time, of any sport. And the worst part is… they STILL wear them!!!

2. Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Before they were just the “Ducks”, they were the “Mighty Ducks”. This is a franchise that’s name originated from a silly Disney movie of the early 90’s. They have had some pretty bad jerseys and logos, but this one takes the cake. This is another one of those horrid “third” jerseys. This jersey seems like something that would come out of a badly drawn cartoon. Hockey players are supposed to be tough athletes… and how are you supposed to look tough in something like this? Disgusting.

1. Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are one of the NHL’s original six teams, and one of it’s most storied franchises. The team has had the same basic jersey and colors for nearly it’s entire history. The NHL’s decided to come out with third jerseys, and with all the awful designs that came out from that little project, the great Bruins come up with the ugliest of them all. They take the beautifully simple “B” logo and nicely colored jersey, and get (here it is again) “puke yellow” with a giant smiling teddy bear slapped in the middle. It looks like they made this jersey as a joke. Way to go Bruins, you have the ugliest jersey in NHL history.

> Read my Top 10 Favorite NHL Goalie Masks

You are uglier than Mike Ricci

Even though I had seen it before, the hilarious Jes Golbez recently posted this picture of Chris Chelios. It still manages to crack me up, though.

In the photo, Chelios gets a laugh out of a fan’s sign…

Those of you that aren’t familiar with Mr. Ricci are probably wondering ‘who the hell is Mike Ricci, and why is this funny?’

Well, this is Mike Ricci…

Needless to say… that is not a compliment. Mike Ricci is famous among hockey fans as being quite possibly the ugliest player in the history of the game.

Ahhh, how I love them Canucks’ fans.

Quote of the day

“When you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, the chicken makes a contribution, but the pig makes a commitment”.
– Fred Shero

That’s a quote I read today on the great Edmonton Oilers’ fansite, Lowetide. I can’t remember if I had heard it before or not, but either way I got a kick out of it.

Fred Shero was a defenseman for the New York Rangers during the late 1940’s. He was, however, more successful as a coach. Shero won two Stanley Cups as a coach of the Philidelphia Flyers.

Fred Shero passed away from cancer on November 24th, 1990.

The man who destroys dreams has retired

From TSN.ca:

Star defenceman Brian Leetch officially retired Thursday, ending an 18-year career that featured two Norris Trophy wins and 10 all-star selections.

The 39-year-old sat out the entire out 2006-07 season after spending 2005-06 with the Boston Bruins, when he recorded five goals and 27 assists in 61 games.

In 1991-92, he became only the fifth defenceman in NHL history to reach the 100-point plateau and finished the year with 102 points (22-80).

Leetch is also the only American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after helping the Rangers end a 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994.

Normally, I wouldn’t make mention of something like this, but Brian Leetch holds a special place in my heart. That special place where you hold those most hated and despised.

Don’t get me wrong, Brian Leetch will go down as one of the best offensive defensemen in NHL history, but that doesn’t change what he did to me.

Brian Leetch is one of direct causes to what is probably the saddest of all my childhood memories. He helped the evil New York Rangers defeat my beloved Canucks, back in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I was just twelve years old, but I remember the moment very clearly. Leetch receives a cross ice pass and scores a goal for the Rangers, in what I believe was the third period. I remember crying, and feeling absolutely crushed.

The underdog Canucks were not able to come back, and were defeated 3-2 in that Game 7 by Leetch and the super-powered Rangers.

I will never forget you Brian Leetch. But not for the good things you brought to the game, but for turning that potentially wonderful day into one of the most crushing moments of my life. And I’m sure not just mine, but also millions of other young (and old) Canucks’ fans around the world.

Good riddance.

Stanley Cup Finals – Predictions

Well, the Stanley Cup Finals are upon us. After nearly 2 months, we are about to find out who the Stanley Cup Champions will be. And for a third year in a row, a Canadian team is in the finals.

Before I get to my prediction, let’s take a look at how I did in in my Round 3 predictions.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks. Ducks win in 6 games.

I went against the grain, and picked the Red Wings to take this series. It seemed pretty much everyone was going with the Ducks, but I took a chance with Detroit. It was a close series, but the Ducks ended up winning. I had picked Detroit in 6, but it was the Ducks who were able to finish it in six games.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators. Senators in 5 games.

Once again, I went against the favorites and picked the Sens to win, in 6 games. They managed to do even better, and take the series in five games, nearly sweeping the NHL’s top regular season team. At the start of the Playoffs, I picked the Sabres to win the Cup. Ottawa came on so strong, and looked like such a well-rounded, hard working team with a lot of talent, and I just couldn’t bet against them.

I ended up with a 1-1 record for round 3, making my Playoff record 11-3, with all three of my incorrect choices coming from betting against the Ducks.

If you’re a Ducks’ fan, you should be excited by my prediction for the Finals…

Stanley Cup Final: Anaheim Ducks vs. Ottawa Senators

For the fourth straight round in this year’s playoffs, I am going to bet against the Ducks. The Senators have been such an impressive team the entire playoffs, and it seems they really have everything put together. They are solid in nearly every area.

In goal, the two teams are practically even. Both Ray Emery and J-S Giguere are capable of incredible performances, but also can have a weak game here and there. I don’t expect either goalie to be the cause of either team winning or losing, besides a major break-down, which I don’t see happening. Giguere has been here before, and ended up winning the Conn Smythe trophy, but didn’t win the Cup.

This is Ottawa’s first trip to the finals, despite continually being a favorite that bows out early. Ottawa has a very superior offensive lineup up-front, and their defense is much, much more complete than Anaheim’s. They don’t have the star power of a Pronger-Niedermayer tandem, but they are very good from 1-6 on D.

I am going to pick Ottawa in six games, to win the Stanley Cup.

Hockey starts up again (for me)

Last night, I played the first game of our Summer Hockey League. It’s weird playing hockey when it’s Summer weather outside, but seeing as I’m completely obsessed with hockey, I’m happy about it. I was really starting to miss it.

Last night’s game was a blast. We have a pretty decent team for a bunch of men’s league (or beer league) players. We played our first game against a team comprised of local WHL and Junior A players. Not often, as a men’s league player, do you get the chance to play against a group of such talented players. Among them was this year’s WHL rookie of the year.

The game turned out pretty good, considering I was pretty rusty after not playing for about 6 weeks. Plus, we were playing against a bunch of players who play every day of the week and against the best caliber players of their age in the world. Their first goal against me was on a penalty shot that I was oh-so close to saving. The second was a deflection and the third was put into the net by a player on my own team. Overall, I ended up with around 45 shots against.

We ended up going to a shootout, and unfortunately lost. To be honest, we weren’t upset at all, as considering the talent level we were up against, just getting to a shootout was impressive.

I’m looking forward to our next game. Apparantly one of the teams that entered the league is made up entirely of our local Junior A team. I find it so funny that our little men’s league team is playing, and competing against such high-level players.

Steve Carell: The Next Superstar Goalie?

Steve Carell, from an interview in Playboy magazine:

“Yeah. A few years back I joined a men’s league in Burbank. We’re the Sharks. We’re very bad, but we have a good time with it. What I lack in physical ability I make up for in poor coordination. Surprisingly, for an amateur hockey league, people get hurt all the time. It’s a combination of the pure lack of skill and all those sharp skates and sticks. It’s a bunch of middle-aged guys of varying degrees of being out of shape trying to recapture their youth. It’s a recipe for disaster. I’ve chipped my two front teeth and dislocated and broken and strained and pulled all sorts of things. And that’s playing just once a week. You can pack a lot of pain into a one-hour hockey game.”

Thanks to NHL Fanblog (and Jes Golbez) for the link.

NHL Playoffs – Round 3 Predictions

Western Conference Finals

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks

This should be a pretty good series. I’ve only been wrong about two series’ this playoffs, and both times it was the Ducks I bet against. I didn’t think they had a deep enough team to make it through. I’m not sure if I want to go against them again, but I have a really good feeling about Detroit this year. They have a very solid team, and their young superstars (Datsyuk and Zetterberg) have been great this playoffs. Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the world, and with him on D, I don’t want to go against them. I’m going to say Detroit in 6 games. Anaheim looked beatable against Vancouver, and I think Detroit is a much better, experienced team and will be make it to the Finals.

Eastern Conference Finals

Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators

This is going to be a tough series to call. I’m also unsure who I want to cheer for. My two favorite non-Canuck teams are these two. Buffalo has a great team, but Ottawa seems to have it together this year. They are solid on all fronts, and they might be able to out-battle the Sabres. At the start of the playoffs, Buffalo was my pick to win the Cup, but after seeing the way things have gone so far, I think Ottawa is the better team at this point. I’m going to take Ottawa in 6 games.

Based on my predictions, it will be Ottawa vs. Detroit in the finals. That would be a pretty good series, and I know who I’d take to win it all.

NHL Round 2 Predictions. How did I do?

I was 7-1 in my round #1 predictions. Let’s see how I did in round #2…

Detroit vs. San Jose. Detroit wins in six games.

My prediction: Detroit in 6. Dead on, not too bad. Most people picked San Jose to win this series, and I went out on a limb and chose Detroit. They have a good solid team, and deserved to win that series. The Sharks were brutal, and couldn’t even score in their elimination game.

Vancouver vs. Anaheim. Anaheim wins in 5 games.

My prediction: Well, seeing as I am a huge, huge Canucks fan, I couldn’t pick against my team. If I wasn’t a Canucks fan, I would have said Ducks in 6 games. Instead, I went with Vancouver in 7 games. Not even close.

Buffalo vs. New York. Buffalo wins in 6 games.

My prediction: Buffalo in 6, which is right on the mark. I knew the Rangers would give the Sabres a hard time, and did they ever. The series could have gone a completely different way if Chris Drury doesn’t get that game-tying goal with 7 seconds left in Game 5.

New Jersey vs. Ottawa. Ottawa win in 5 games.

My prediction: Ottawa in 6. I was right, and pretty close on the amount of games as well. I didn’t think Ottawa would win this easily, but I was sure they would end up taking the series either way.

Well, my playoff record is looking pretty good so far. I went 3-1 in this round, which gives me a total record of 10-2. Better than I would have expected… I usually suck at predictions.

My Round 3 Predictions are coming soon…

> Read my ‘Round 2 Predictions” post

My Top 10 All-Time Favorite NHL Goalies

As any of you know from reading my blog, I am a huge hockey fan. Being a goalie myself, has always made me follow the goalies of the NHL the closest. My favorite players are almost always the guys in all that colorful equipment and cool helmets.

I’ve put together a list of my top 10 all-time favorite goalies. Some I liked because of the team they played on, or their netminding talents or even because I liked the equipment they wore. Here’s the list…

10. Miikka Kiprusoff

Miikka Kiprusoff’s spot on this list really says something towards how much I like the guy. I absolutely despise the Calgary Flames, but I have nothing but respect for “Kipper”. He is currently one of the top three goalies in the world, and some of the saves he make just blow me away. The guy is a highlight reel package all on his own. He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy this past season, as well. Even though he plays for a team I hate so much, he still makes my list.

9. Blaine Lacher

Most people will respond to this choice as “who?”. If you weren’t watching hockey during the 1995 season, you probably have no idea who he is. Blaine Lacher came out of nowhere (well, Lake Superior State actually) to become the Boston Bruins’ number one goalie, and get himself nominated for the rookie of the year award. He was out of the NHL soon after, and even retired from hockey a mere three years later. However, in his short time he made an obvious impression on me. I haven’t forgotten about you, Blaine.

8. Mike Vernon

Another Calgary Flame? What am I thinking? Well, back in the early, early 90’s, I was actually a Calgary fan. Well, more-so I liked Mike Vernon, and that’s about as far as it got. He was a tiny little guy, and played such an interesting style that he really grew on me. He was no more than 5’9, and it was so cool to watch such a small guy make the kind of saves he made.

7. Andy Moog

During the mid to late 80’s I loved the Edmonton Oilers. Who didn’t enjoy such a talented team. Andy Moog was one of their key players, even though he was the backup goalie. He then went on to star for the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars. It was his time with Boston that won me over, and as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I ended up painting my own goalie mask to match his.

6. Dominik Hasek

I can still remember the first time I ever saw Dominik Hasek play. It was during the highlights of one of his first games in the NHL. He made some incredible flopping saves, and I looked over to my Dad and said, “this guy is going to be a star!”. My Dad laughed and said “oh, no he wont”, obviously figuring such a weird-styled goalie could never make it in the NHL. Well, Hasek continued on to become one of the best goalies in the history of hockey, and won the Vezina Trophy six times in an eight year span.

5. Corey Hirsch

Along with my 9th selection, Corey Hirsch probably stands out as a “what the heck?” kind of choice to most people. Well, he played for my Canucks, which is a big reason why he’s on the list. He also came along during a time when Vancouver was getting horrible goaltending, and no matter how good Hirsch played, he never seemed to get a chance to be the number one. He had a great junior career (winning CHL goalie of the year, and Memorial Cup top goaltender). He then went on to win AHL Rookie of the year as well. He’s now playing over in Europe.

4. Grant Fuhr

Grant Fuhr was another member of the great Oilers Dynasty of the 80’s. He was a huge part of their success and then went on to have continued success with Buffalo, St. Louis, and to a lesser extent, Calgary. I was a huge Fuhr fan, and he was easily my favorite goalie up until Kirk McLean in the early 90’s. Grant Fuhr was a big reason of why I became a hockey fan in the first place.

3. Bill Ranford

Bill Ranford was one of the main reasons I became a goalie in the first place. It was his flamboyant style that caught my attention at first. He was the king of “windmill glove saves”, and had the ability to make the easiest save look like the most difficult. That probably isn’t the most efficient way to make the save, but it’s definitely the most entertaining. I also chose Ranford as one of my Top 10 Childhood Heroes.

2. Roberto Luongo

My favorite team’s current goaltender. Not only is he their current goalie, he’s also one of, if not the, best goalie in the world. His play during the 2006-07 season cemented him as one of the world’s best, and the only question anyone had about him was, “can he play in the playoffs?”. Well, he answered those, putting up a tremendous performance that single-handedly carried Vancouver into the second round this year. He was nominated for three prestigious awards, and his play this season has absolutely amazed me. I’ve never witnessed such an incredible and talented goaltender. If I re-do this list in a few years time, I have no doubt he’ll be ranked #1.

1. Kirk McLean

Kirk McLean was my first true favorite player. He came along just as I was old enough to really understand and follow hockey, and he played for my favorite team. The greatest year I ever had watching hockey was in 1994 when Kirk took Vancouver to Game #7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He was simply incredible, and for years when I would play road hockey as a kid, I was always Kirk McLean. I’ve met Kirk a few times, and he’s been nothing but a great guy, and I’ll never forget the great childhood memories he gave me over the years. To this day, I still wear his #1 jersey while watching the Canucks.

> Read my Top 10 Goalie Masks list

> Check out my other Top 10 Lists

Canucks eliminated

Well, a great season has come to an end.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Canucks 2-1 in double overtime to take the series 4-1. What a weird game it was. The Canucks played absolutely terrible the entire game, and looked like they wanted nothing more than to finish the game and be done with it. It was shockingly terrible. Thankfully, they had the incredible Roberto Luongo to bail them out time and time again. Luongo played one of the most incredible games of hockey I’ve ever seen by a goaltender.

The thing that upsets me the most is the way the game ended. Luongo played so amazing all game, and unfortunetly the game ended on what you could consider a pretty terrible goal. Jannick Hansen was hit really hard near the blue line, and Luongo glanced to his left to see if the ref was going to call a penalty. Then, at that exact moment, Scott Niedermayer wristed a shot in towards the net that Luongo simply didn’t see.

I feel horrible for him, as he played so amazing and is the one and only reason the Canucks even made it into the playoffs in the first place, let alone to the second round. I can only hope the media doesn’t try to start shit like they often do, by saying Luongo is the reason we lost and that he isn’t a playoff goalie, and so on. That would be complete bullshit, and I hope they have more sense than that.

All in all, it was an excellent season. At the beginning of the year, no one even predicted the Canucks to make the playoffs. They ended up winning their division and breaking a team record for most points in a season.

Henrik Sedin broke the team record for most assists in a season. Roberto Luongo broke the record for most games played, saves, wins and other records, as well I’m sure.

Alain Vigneault was nominated for Coach of the Year, and has a good chance at winning the award.

Roberto Luongo was nominated for three of the NHL’s most prestigious awards; The Hart, Pearson and Vezina Trophy’s.

The Sedins proved they are capable of being go-to guys and had incredible seasons. Kevin Bieksa went from being a potential 5th or 6th defenseman to becoming the league’s best bargain at only 500k a year, and becoming one of the Canucks’ most important players.

Alex Burrows, Trevor Linden, Josh Green, Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund all stepped up and improved this season. This was above-all, a very successful season for the Vancouver Canucks. We can look toward next year with excitement and hope.

I had a great year watching the Canucks. One of the best I’ve had as a fan. Although I have this strange empty feeling inside- as after filling the past seven months by watching my team play- I still cannot help but be proud and happy with what they’ve accomplished.

I want to thank everyone in the Canucks organization for a wonderful season, and I can’t wait for October!

The craziest fight in hockey history

This is probably one of the craziest bench-clearing brawls in hockey history.

Wikipedia recalls the event: In an infamous incident at Madison Square Garden, on December 26, 1979, a New York Rangers fan stole Stan Jonathan’s stick, hitting him with it during a post-game scrum. When other fans got involved, Terry O’Reilly charged into the stands followed by his teammates. The game’s TV commentator remarked that ‘they’re going to pull that guy apart’. O’Reilly, a future team captain, received an eight-game suspension for the brawl.

Source: The NHL FanBlog

Canucks lose game #4, face elimination

Well, that was depressing. For the second game in a row, the Canucks lost a game they deserved to win. The last two games have been so disheartening and so frustrating. Not often do you get a chance to outplay the Ducks, and the Canucks did… but still lost.

They came on very strong over the first two periods, and although the play was relatively equal, the Canucks had a two goal lead going into the third period. Instead of talking about losing the series, it seemed the Canucks could easily take it. I was already starting to look forward to Round 3.

Then boom, the Ducks come out flying in the third, and score two goals forcing the game into Overtime. They had the Canucks running around in their own end, and controlled almost the entire period.

Some notes from the game:

– Josh Green has tons of hockey sense. The guy makes a lot of great, smart plays.

– Markus Naslund actually did something for once. He had a great first two periods, then just disappeared in the third.

– Luongo had a pretty good game, but the defense were incredible in (once again), the first two periods. They were blocking everything, and doing a great job at allowing Luongo to see the puck.

– The Sedins have been really ineffective in this series. They haven’t played bad, but the Anaheim checking line has been incredible in shutting them down. It was weird to see them split up on two lines for a few shifts there. I believe that was the first time all season.

– Anaheim has a solid team, but aren’t nearly as good as their press. However, they have the ability to turn it on big time when they have to. They were an absolute force in that third period.

I know I’m talking like it’s already over. I know it isn’t, but I just cannot see the Canucks winning three straight games against Anaheim. It would probably be the biggest comeback in NHL history. I know there have been teams to come back from a 3-1 deficit, but I’m not sure if it’s ever happened against a team as good as the Ducks.

I think Thursday’s game in Anaheim will be a close one. The Ducks will probably win that one, but I think the Canucks still have a chance. If they win the next game, and then lose the 6th game back in Vancouver, I won’t be upset. I’d like to see them finish the season at home, so the fans can thank them for the great season they’ve had.

But who knows? All season long, the Canucks have had the ability to come back when they have had to. They’ve done it before (come back from behind 3-1), and here’s to hoping they can do it again.

Jason just said to me, “well, there’s always next year”.

I’m really tired of saying that, though. Can’t it just once be “this year”?

Shea Weber destroys a German

Check out this insanely huge elbow that Shea Weber threw on German player Yannick Seidenberg (he ended up getting a three game suspension for the hit).

NHL Award Nominees Announced

The finalists for the NHL awards were announced today. Below are a list of the awards and nominees, along with who I believe the winners should be.

Hart Trophy (MVP of the Season)

Nominees: Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Roberto Luongo

My Pick: This is a hard one, as my favorite player on my favorite team is one of the nominees. Still, as much of a close race as it is, I think you have to go with Roberto Luongo in this one. The award is for the player most valuable to his own team. Crosby may be the best player in the NHL, but nobody is more valuable to his team than Luongo.

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Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender)

Nominees: Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist, Miikka Kiprusoff

My Pick: For the first time in NHL history, there was a tie in the voting, so for this year’s Vezina there are four nominees. This is 100% between Brodeur and Luongo, and as good of a season as Brodeur had (and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he won), you have to give the award to Roberto Luongo. He played on a weaker team, faced more shots, and he deserves this award.

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Calder Trophy (Top rookie of the year)

Nominees: Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Peter Stastny

My Pick: Evgeni Malkin was supposed to be the shoo-in for this award at the beginning of the season, but he faced some solid competition throughout the season. However, he still managed to come out as the best rookie of the year, so Evgeni Malkin gets my vote.

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James Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman)

Nominees: Niklas Lidstrom, Scott Neidermayer, Chris Pronger

My Pick: If he had played the entire season, Chris Pronger would win this award. But he didn’t, so I’m going to say Niklas Lidstrom should win the Norris. He had a great season all year long, and helped the Red Wings take 1st overall in the Western Conference.

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Jack Adams Award (Top Coach)

Nominees: Lindy Ruff (Buffalo), Alain Vigneault (Vancouver), Michel Therrien (Pittsburgh)

My Pick: I don’t think I’m being biased, but I’m going to say Alain Vigneault deserves this award. Lindy Ruff did an amazing job with Buffalo, but he also had a lot better players to work with. Vigneault took a team that nobody thought would make the playoffs, to a 105 point finish, and 1st in their division.

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Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive forward)

Nominees: Rod Brind’Amour, Samuel Pahlsson, Jay Pandolfo

My Pick: I’m going with Samuel Pahlsson for best defensive forward. He is one of the most unheralded players in the league, and a major reason why Anaheim had such a great season.

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Lester B. Pearson Award (Most outstanding player, as voted on by the players)

Nominees: Vincent Lecavalier, Roberto Luongo, Sidney Crosby

My Pick: It’s basically the same award as the Hart Trophy, except a different group of people are voting. If you take it literally and choose “the most outstanding player” from this past season, Sidney Crosby is the winner.

The Taylor Pyatt Superfan

This is Vancouver Canuck, Taylor Pyatt:

And this is Taylor Pyatt’s biggest fan:

Go Canucks Go!

This past Saturday, we had a few friends over to watch Game #2 of the Vancouver/Anaheim series. We had a great time, and without really planning it, everyone wore a Canucks jersey.

The Canucks won in overtime, so it was obviously our incredibly loud cheering (I feel bad for our neighbors) that helped them get the win.

Check out this great picture we took (click to see a larger image)…

Notice the incredibly ridiculous hat I’m wearing? It’s a hat in the shape of a Kirk McLean goalie mask. Just classic.

Great times.

Update: I’ve uploaded the rest of the pictures, and you can see them all here.