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."