August 2010
8 posts
Dear Reader
We are nearing our 100th post. It will be a good one. Thanks for all your support so far. CC is officially on vacation for the next week. We suspect it will be quiet in Canuckland until then. Enjoy the heat.
July 2010
13 posts
4 tags
So Long Tommy...
It was announced today that long time Canuck colour man, Tom Larscheid, will be retiring after the Canucks’ opening game of this season. Some will say this is long overdue. We say not. Yeah, he’s corny. And his school boy giggling makes us cringe. But he has always been damn passionate about this team. Some have called him a homer. John Garrett is a homer. Bob Cole is a homer. ...
2 tags
Gillis' Millions
With the Canucks’ recent signing of Mason Raymond (to a contract that would appear to be under market), they find themselves handsomely over the cap limit for the coming season, having committed more $, cap wise, than any other team. At first blush, it might seem like Mike Gillis has himself hamstrung at this point. But clearly credit is due to old baggy eyes so far. Scanning the salary...
4 tags
The Other Shoe...
Today it was announced that injury prone defender (this is apparently career injury number 40) Sami Salo has an achilles tendon injury that will keep him sidelined for a number of months. Some have reported that this injury, while announced today, occurred over a month ago (playing floor hockey). This would certainly explain the Canucks’ decision to stock pile top 4 defensemen in the last...
2 tags
NHL Approves Hansen Contract
In breaking news, the pinheads at the NHL front office are not taking exception to the one year $825K deal signed by Canuck winger Jannik Hansen.
In related news, those starved for controversy in Canuckville are wondering where Hansen will slot in given the apparent surplus of 3rd and 4th line wingers. Yes, these indeed are the dog days of summer. It’s hardly noteworthy when we’re...
3 tags
Gary Bettman Butting In
So it seems that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not too happy with the New Jersey Devils and their 17 year $102 million contract with star winger Ilya Kovalchuk.
While this contract is certainly the most flagrant attempt at pushing the envelope of the salary cap world, it is by no means the first. Frankly, we’re puzzled why the league is taking exception now, particularly with a team...
2 tags
Pavel Bure - Hall of Famer! (Part 2 of 2)
For those just joining us, in Part 1 we laid out the accomplishments of one Pavel Bure. Since that time we’ve been considering the qualifications of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) with the aim of determining what exactly it takes to gain admittance to the holy shrine. We’d love to dissect the hall and remodel it, rightfully moving some that are “in” out and...
4 tags
Something's Got to Give
Things are all quiet on the Canuck front these days, save the lack of the number one prospect at propects’ camp, which we are assured is no big deal. That is likely fodder for another day. For now, we’d like to speculate on what Mike Gillis might be doing to break the logjam on defense.
The Canucks now sit with 9 defenders under contract for next season; presumably a lesson learned...
3 tags
Pavel Bure - Hall of Famer? (Part 1 of 2)
Trying to get inside the heads of those that determine who gets to enter an athletic hall of fame is an impossible task, no matter the sport. The mechanics of every hall of fame are distinct and the appointments often controversial. The Hockey Hall of Fame (“HHOF”) is no exception. And likely ripe for a proper dissection, but that is clearly beyond the scope of this blog. But you...
4 tags
Naslund Hanging from the Rafters, Bure Hanging out...
Now that it is confirmed that Markus Naslund’s jersey will hang from the rafters - a player with elite skill but questionable leadership ability, it begs the question “why not Pavel”?
Thankfully, Mike Gillis was asked this very question yesterday. And he seemed stumped by it, acknowledging that if Pavel meets the criteria, he will get the honour, but “we have a little...
6 tags
Nazzy's Sweet?
Trust Mike Gillis to give us something else to do on a glorious summer day. In case you missed it, at yesterday’s annual season ticket holder reception, it was announced that the Canucks plan to retire the jersey of Markus Naslund this season as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.
We find this to be a most interesting development.
There is no doubting Naslund’s...
Anonymous asked: Y'all seem very good at writing/educated in hockey, thus very credible experts :D. However, could you tell us something about the people behind this blog...like who you guys are?
The End of the Tail that Wags the Dog?
There have been a handful of fairly recent developments in Canuckville that seem to indicate that Roberto Luongo’s reign as teacher’s pet may be coming to an end.
In the post playoff exit media scrum, Mike Gillis was asked about whether the Canucks would be entertaining stripping Luongo of the captaincy. He could have dismissed the idea completely, but did not.
That was followed by...
2 tags
Mike Gillis At Work
We must give old baggy eyes his due. He promised he would be busy on July 1 and, to our surprise, he was. His efforts of the last week will go a long way to determining his success or failure in this market.
As he commences the third year of his employment here, his successes for the most part have been limited to getting the core players (all acquired under previous regimes) tied up long...
