Marc Crawford says buh bye

Marc Crawford was fired as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. No replacement has been named. Though everyone knew that this was coming, including him most likely, it was pretty emotional at the press conference. Listen to him end off with confidence in the players.
What a classy guy.

And now for something completely different

I was watching Some Kinda Monster, the Metallica documentary and learned that the bus crash that Cliff Burton died in was in Sweden.

I always wondered at the hook 'em horns sign that everyone does at metal concerts and finally did a bit of searching.


1. Hook 'em horns - fist with index and pinky extended. Originated from the Texas A&M University to show sports team pride... which is not to be confused with
2. Corna - same gesture but has different connotations: a) vulgar meaning in the mediterranean b) reference to Satan(ism) c) Rock On at metal concerts d) gesture to ward off the evil eye...
which is not to be confused with

3. I Love You in American Sign Language (I always mixed these up) Pinky and index finger extended from a fist but the thumb is also extended...
which could also be confused with

4. Hang Loose or "Shaka" sign A greeting in Hawaii/California surfer culture, the fist with thumb and pinky extended.
If you watch closely, Neo does this in the subway fight with the "agent" in the Matrix. Goes back to Keanu's Hawaiian roots me thinks. (By the way, the pic is of Jackie Chan, not Keanu Reeves) lol.

IIHF article on Canucks

http://www.iihf.com/news/iihfpr1706.htm
April 15 -- VANCOUVER, Canada -- The Vancouver Canucks won't compete for the Stanley Cup this year, and not many of their best-known players will compete for an IIHF World Championship in Latvia either. "I've been there a couple of times and it's been a great experience," said Canadian center Brendan Morrison, who won gold in 2004 and silver in 2005. "But I have to deal with some personal things first to see if it's a possibility." Captain Markus Naslund, who missed the Turin Olympics with a groin injury, won't suit up for Sweden. "I'm looking to have a chance now to heal and feel fresh again, so I'm not going there," said the 32-year-old winger from Ornskoldsvik.
Daniel Sedin told IIHF.com that he and his twin brother Henrik have declined an invitation from the Swedish federation. Anson Carter, who scored Canada's overtime gold medal winner in 2003, is also out. "I've been playing the last month with a slight left shoulder separation," said Carter. "I'm going to rest it up for about a month here so I can get back to training and get ready for a big year next year." Defensemen Mattias Ohlund (Sweden) and Ed Jovanovski (Canada) are unlikely to participate after returning to NHL action at less than 100 percent, and the shoulder injury fellow blueliner Sami Salo (Finland) suffered in Turin is weeks away from healing.

GASP, made it onto DMOZ!

Blimey, Mattias Ohlund Appreciation Page made it onto DMOZ. Proof..

Now to try and build up ranking for my work website. SEO Specialist/e-marketer/webmaster, here I come! *roll eyes*

Ohlund, Naslund and Sedins say No Thanks

VANCOUVER/MOJO(AM730) - MOJO Sports Radio has learned that Vancouver Canucks Markus Naslund, Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Mattias Ohlund have all said no to playing for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Hockey Championships.

On the yes side is Canucks goaltender Alex Auld, who has been named to Team Canada.

The World Hockey Championships get under way on May 5th, in Riga, Lativa.

Hmm.. what to say... GO AULDY! *grin*

In response to the jab at Ohlund..

A letter was published on Sunday, April 16, 2006 which said in part,

Has Ohlund ever dived to block a shot (or to chip a puck wide, instead of allowing an easy goal like Thursday night)?
Todd Tanasichuk, St. Paul, Alta.

How quickly people forget that he's still got a rib injury and had come back early for the team..

Unrelated fan musing

Haha.. so I caught a part of Angel wherein some fan is obsessed with a prima donna ballerina and keeps her suspended in time to dance for him forever. Angel busts the power source allowing this to happen and the guy laments, "But I love her!" Angel retorts with, "Go start a website."

I laughed at that.

"Right now it's just more of an empty feeling.."

Some last snippets of interviews at the locker room while the Canucks were cleaning out their lockers.

Naslund, "Probably best to do it in a week or two. Right now it's just more of an empty feeling.."
Bertuzzi, "A lot of us kinda grew up together here, playing on this team: Jovo, Nazzy, Olly, even the Twinkies. So, yeah, it's tough but we'll just see what happens, deal with it and move on."

Linden's interview was equally sad.

I got a jersey yesterday. Succumbed to the marketing lure of Orca Bay and the attractive sign reading SALE. Hahaha.

There is just so much disappointment in everyone. Probably best to just let it all go, recuperate a little and then deal with what has to be dealt with in due course.

Canucks win final game against Avs

4-3 OT Canucks.

Boy, were there a lot of empty premium seats. Glad Noronen got to play. Kinda wanted Trevor Linden to score his 300th goal since his future with the franchise seems grey according to the media. I want Linden to carry the Stanley Cup! Next year.. next year..

Snippet of Grant Kerr's article in the Globe and Mail:

Before the game, Auld was named Vancouver's most valuable player this season in voting by fans. He appeared in 67 games, most of them after Dan Cloutier suffered a knee injury early in the schedule. Auld posted 33 wins, with a 2.94 goals-against average and save percentage of .902.

Mattias Ohlund was selected the Canucks top defenceman for a fourth time, while right-winger Anson Carter was named the most exciting player. The unsung hero award went to left-winger Jarkko Ruutu, who didn't score a goal in regulation time over the last 29 games.

Tidbit: Trevor Linden and Mattias Ohlund are roomies. Trevor had the option of getting his own room but he turned it down cause he'd have missed his buddy Mattias. Aww.. (don't even think about it!)

Crushing Blow to Ohlund.. and the Canucks' season

EDIT: May 28, 2006 - the pic I had linked to is gone now so I've removed it. It was some Shark putting Ohlund to the boards... (end edit)

I'm not sure whether this was the hit that left Mattias Ohlund wheezing on all fours behind his net but some shark didn't bother to think twice about Mattias' rib injury. 8o| Ass!

What a sad end for all Canucks and their fans. I doubt anyone wants to play/watch the last game with Colorado. Sigh. We've never won the Stanley Cup! Isn't it time for Vancouver to see the glory?

Iain MacIntyre's article in the Sun today:

"...Still, there was a sense of disbelief in the Canuck dressing room, where the funereal pall could be felt like a chill and seemed to settle coldest in the area occupied by Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi, who were terrific in what should be their final meaningful game together.

It's difficult to imagine Nonis possibly bringing back Bertuzzi, a lightning rod for anything that went wrong for the Canucks and whose baggage long ago reached a critical mass.

Naslund, who wore the captain's C like an anvil this season, said it was his least enjoyable season in the NHL, but not so awful that he wants to stop playing in Vancouver. He has two years remaining on his contract.

"There's been way too much negativity," Naslund said. "It's been hard. I'm sure it's been hard on everyone. You've got to get some distance and take a look at the big picture and see what went wrong."

Could the changes include the captaincy?

"You get questioned lots," Naslund said. "It's a legitimate question. If they want me as captain, I still feel proud to be chosen. But there are a lot of things that come with it. I don't think people know everything -- the pressure that comes with that responsibility."

Naslund has served honorably as captain for six years. It's time for someone else -- Ed Jovanovski, if he's re-signed? -- to burdened with the responsibility that even Naslund would admit has at times affected his performance.

He needs to be free to just play again.

"It's a matter of pride," Naslund said when asked if he could remain a Canuck if his C were changed to an A. "You're put in a lot of situations on the team. If you want to be part of the team, then you do whatever it takes to be successful."

That was the problem. One of the big ones, anyway. Whether it be preparation, execution, discipline or physical sacrifice, there weren't enough Canucks willing to do whatever was necessary to be successful.

They earned ninth place."

Canucks out. Man.

5 Stages of Grief:
1. Denial
2. Anger/Resentment
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

I think I'm at anger. I couldn't stop screaming at the tv. Where's the defence?? No one's checking their man!! Damn trap!! Why are Linden and Burrows the only ones falling to block shots?? I'm glad they didn't interview any Canuck because nothing anyone would have said would have been welcomed. Grr!

Mattias scores!

Mattias Ohlund scored a goal in our disappointing loss in OT against the San Jose sharks. I forgot to mention that with his last goal, he became the second highest scoring Vancouver Canuck defenseman with 66 (now 67) goals as a Canuck.

Hasn't every game been crucial?

The high stress and emotion has been looming over the team for the entire last half of the season it seems. I'll bet that no matter what the outcome, we'll ALL be relieved to see the end of it.

Here's a link for Mattias' latest goals on video through nhl.com.

Can the Canucks catch the playoffs?

I would rather take out any other team than Edmonton but if it came down to Edmonton or us, I'll sacrifice them. I was hoping that San Jose would fail at winning more than 4 games but considering that they've not lost even 1 so far, I'm now looking to Edmonton as the next target. (Quite frankly I don't think we deserve to be in the playoffs if Edmonton isn't there also but that doesn't mean I won't stick it to them)
I guess even our vintage jerseys (my favourite ones) couldn't help us out last night.

ANA - LA -win, Dallas - Loss, LA -win, Van -win, Cal, Edm, SJ, Cal
-96 points 4 games remaining
-96, 98, 100, 102, 104

COL - SJ -loss, ST. L -win, Minn -loss, Pho -win, Cal, Van, Edm
-94 4 games
-94, 96, 98, 100, 102

SJ - Col-win, LA - win, Dal -win, Pho -win, Van, Van, Ana, LA
-92 4 games
-92, 94, 96, 98, 100

EDM - Min -loss (1point), Chic - win, St. L -loss, Det -loss, Ana, Col
-91 2 games
-91, 93, 95

VAN - Cal -win, Ana-loss, SJ, SJ, Col
-89 3 games
-89, 91, 93, 95

LA - Ana -loss, SJ -loss, Ana -loss, Pho, Cal, SJ
-85 3 games
-85, 87, 89, 91

Mattias Ohlund punching a Duck

Here's a shot of Mattias Ohlund socking one offensive Duck behind Auldy. Ooo.. Mattias getting physical.

Vancouver 89 points and 4 games to go

ANA - LA -win, Dallas - Loss, LA -win, Van, Cal, Edm, SJ, Cal
-94 points 5 games remaining
-94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104

COL - SJ -loss, ST. L -win, Minn -loss, Pho, Cal, Van, Edm
-92 5 games
-92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102

SJ - Col-win, LA - win, Dal -win, Pho, Van, Van, Ana, LA
-91 5 games
-91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101

EDM - Min -loss (1point), Chic - win, St. L -loss, Det, Ana, Col
-91 3 games
-91, 93, 95, 97

VAN - Cal -win, Ana, SJ, SJ, Col
-89 4 games
-89, 91, 93, 95, 97

LA - Ana -loss, SJ -loss, Ana -loss, Pho, Cal, SJ
-85 3 games
-85, 87, 89, 91

Edmonton and Calgary get two points..

The Sharks are doing quite well. They seem to be our main contenders for a playoff position. They need to lose one more game than us to tie us in points. Out of our remaining games, I'm most comfortable with losing the Saturday game against Calgary.

ANA - LA -win, Dallas - Loss, LA, Van, Cal, Edm, SJ, Cal
-92 points 6 games remaining
-92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104

EDM - Min -loss (1point), Chic - win, St. L, Det, Ana, Col
-91 4 games
-91, 93, 95, 97, 99

COL - SJ -loss, ST. L, Minn, Pho, Cal, Van, Edm
-90 6 games
-90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102

SJ - Col-win, LA - win, Dal, Pho, Van, Van, Ana, LA
-89 6 games
-89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101

VAN - Cal, Ana, SJ, SJ, Col
-87 5 games
-87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97

LA - Ana -loss, SJ -loss, Ana, Pho, Cal, SJ
-85 4 games
-85, 87, 89, 91, 93

So sleepy but had to update NHL points

ANA - LA -win, Dallas - Loss, LA, Van, Cal, Edm, SJ, Cal
-92 points 6 games remaining
-92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104

COL - SJ -loss, ST. L, Minn, Pho, Cal, Van, Edm
-90 6 games
-90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102

EDM - Min -loss (1point), Chic, St. L, Det, Ana, Col
-89 5 games
-89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99

VAN - Cal, Ana, SJ, SJ, Col
-87 5 games
-87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97

SJ - Col-win, LA - win, Dal, Pho, Van, Van, Ana, LA
-89 6 games
-89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101

LA - Ana -loss, SJ -loss, Ana, Pho, Cal, SJ
-85 4 games
-85, 87, 89, 91, 93

San Jose Sharks take two points...

San Jose is now in the 8th playoff spot with their win over Colorado. 87 points (tied with Canucks) but with 2 games in hand.

In today's Sun article by Elliott Papp:

To illustrate his point, Livich said lower bowl corporate seats that might sell for $250 in a frenzied market can be had for $99 if purchased in bulk.

"That's ridiculous," he added. "It's below cost."

The Canucks have sold out 123 consecutive regular-season and playoff games since Nov. 12, 2002, but Livich predicts that streak will come to a crashing halt in 2006-07 if the team misses the playoffs.

Quite frankly, it pleases me greatly to hear that profits won't be spectacular. Out of all of the people that anyone should blame for Canuck problems, it's the shareholders of Orca Bay.

Playoff Math for Canucks

So I did up a little figuring today at work.. Most likely the Canucks will lose a couple of games in the next stretch. IF they win 3 and get 6 points, then the LA Kings or San Jose Sharks will need to win at least 4 games of their 6 and 8 games left respectively to tie Vancouver.

ANA - LA, Dallas, LA, Van, Cal, Edm, SJ, Cal
-90 points 8 games remaining
-90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106

COL - SJ, ST. L, Minn, Pho, Cal, Van, Edm
-90 7 games
-90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106

EDM - Min, Chic, St. L, Det, Ana, Col
-88 6 games
-88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100

VAN - Cal, Ana, SJ, SJ, Col
-87 5 games
-87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97

SJ - Col, LA, Dal, Pho, Van, Van, Ana, LA
-85 8 games
-85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101

LA - Ana, SJ, Ana, Pho, Cal, SJ
-85 6 games
-85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97

Teams Below Us with low potential to overtake
Pho - Cal, Dal, SJ, Col, LA, Nash, St. L
-76 7 games
-76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90

Minn - definitely out of playoffs
-75 7 games
-75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87
-St. L, Edm, Cal, Col, Chi, Nash, Dal

Canuck Wins
0 - 87 Definitely out
1 - 89 Edm 1T, SJ 2W or LA 2W
2 - 91 Edm 1W 1T, Col 1T, Ana 1T, SJ 3W/8 games or LA 3W
3 - 93 Edm 2W/6 1T, Col 1W/7 1T, Ana 1W/8 1T, SJ 4W/8 or LA 4W/6,
4 - 95 Edm 3W/6 1T, Col 2W/7 1T, Ana 2W/8 1T, SJ 5W/8 or LA 5W/6

Canucks lose to Kings Monday night

...

Another loss. Wow. I would've thought that we'd be seeing an entirely reformed team right now and we're not.

Salo's injury: torn chest and back muscles. He's still out. Jovo and Cloutier, however, are skating drills. It's possible they'll be in for the playoffs.

I think I really like this quote from Ohlund:

"Clearly, there's been an issue for this team, not just this year but for the past few, that after playing well and winning, for some reason we get away from our game plan," defenceman Mattias Ohlund said. "You can't win in this league like that. I don't know what to say. You never want to lose, but it's easier to accept if you feel you did your absolute best.

"And, obviously, that's not the case today."

Linden had another good one:

"This team has a bit of a habit of getting comfortable and everyone wants to revert to the easy way to play," Vancouver forward Trevor Linden said. "That's not good enough, especially this time of the year against a team like that."

Canucks at Anaheim - frustrated moan

The Bad: We lost.
The Good: We haven't sunk lower in the conference standings. Still 7th for the moment.

The Bad: Ruutu's triple minor, lack of defensive coverage, high goals against.
The Good: Mattias Ohlund shot one past Giguere, tying Doug Lidster for 2nd highest goals scored by a defenseman in the Canuck franchise (his 65 goals are second only to Jyrki Lumme's 83).

Lumme was an awesome defenseman. Here he is beside Ohlund at the 2005 MPS Tournament (back left).

Canuck preskate

Another Canuck related musing...
So are the Canucks who skate without their helmets on during preskate ordered to do so or is it of their own volition?
Seems like those that are helmet-less are the more popular ones and most likely to be photographed.. Trevor Linden, Todd Bertuzzi, Mattias Ohlund, Markus Naslund and Anson Carter. I think Anson made a special request just for his hair.

Canucks v. Blues March 5, 2005
Originally uploaded by t_professionelle.

Some Interesting Trivia on Mattias Ohlund

Mattias Ohlund is not particularly known for fighting but he has gotten into some scraps..

Nov 27, 1998 - Mattias Ohlund & Slava Kozlov (Detroit)
Dec 14, 2002 - Mattias Ohlund & Daniel Cleary (Edmonton)
Oct 31, 2003 - Mattias Ohlund & Chris Gratton (Phoenix)
Dec 27, 2003 - Mattias Ohlund & Jason Smith (Edmonton)
Apr 11, 2004 - Mattias Ohlund & Jarome Iginla (Calgary)

Ohlund in 2004 Article in Straight

Found an article in the Georgia Straight in 2004 by Jeff Paterson. Here's a snippet.

DEFENCE: Better play in their own zone was one of the Canucks' goals heading into the season, and here at the midway mark they've been true to their word. Much of that has been a renewed commitment to their play without the puck, particularly from the forwards helping out the defence. On the blue line, there can be no doubt that Mattias Ohlund is the leader of the group. He is not only the best defensive defenceman on the team, but he has now reached a point where he can be mentioned among the top stay-at-home guys in the league. Ohlund faces the other teams' best players each and every night, and more often than not he wins those battles. If anyone on the Canucks deserves Norris Trophy consideration, it's Ohlund, not Ed Jovanovski, who earlier in the year was getting mentioned as a contender for the league's top defenceman award. Jovanovski has struggled mightily since mid-November to the point where on many nights he's hurting the team more than he's helping. Bryan Allen and Sami Salo have both brought their games along in the first half of the season, while Marek Malik and Brent Sopel could use a little more consistency and Jiri Slegr could simply use more ice time. GRADE: B+

MIDTERM MVP: Markus Naslund, who scored his 20th goal of the year last Saturday in Calgary, continues to prove he's the leader of this team and is among the best players in hockey. Honourable mention goes to Cloutier, who is a big reason why the Canucks are where they are in the standings, and Ohlund doesn't get enough credit for the job he's done this season.