It's all about Trevor Linden baby

Last night's 6-2 game against the Flames was such a relief. I don't think there's a Canucks player that everybody loves more than Trevor Linden. So when it comes down to it, who cares about the Canucks, it's TREVOR LINDEN that we want to win the Stanley Cup!

I cry for Brendan Morrison, Lukas Krajicek and Aaron Miller who all look out like they're out for the season. The only ones that we can maybe look forward to getting back are Mattias Ohlund and Mason Raymond. Last heard, the earliest Mason could be back is the 2nd playoff round. Mattias Ohlund's recovery is going better than anticipated. (Doesn't it always with Mattias) He's been skating and is aiming to be back as soon as the first game of the post season.

This is not the way to motivate people

I feel badly for the Canucks players. Despite their million dollar salaries, it sure doesn't lead to very much job satisfaction when you have the weight of tens of thousands of expectations on your back. Where the mind and the heart is willing, the body just sometimes cannot.

Let's make it to playoffs and it's a brand new slate. A lot still can happen! I wonder if there could be a players prize that people could donate to if the Canucks would win the Stanley Cup. Then there would be a financial goal as well as the prestige of winning the Cup to motivate the players rather than the negative energy of the fans.

Aside: Here's a 6 minute vid on promoting yourself as a brand. Good again, for overall impressions and interviews. Just something to share.. We interviewed this one straight A student, who brought in writing samples, dressed professionally and didn't do anything 'wrong' but we dismissed her as a candidate right off the bat. "Too wide eyed and naive" and "Won't like the lack of mental stimulation of real work" were the comments. Anyway, it's just an example of how being good in school and acting too 'pie in the sky' would hurt your chances of landing employment.

So let's recap, shall we?

- Injured list: Brendan Morrison, Mattias Ohlund, Lukas Krajicek, Aaron Miller, Mason Raymond
- Ninth place (out of playoffs)
- potentially the last season with the Canucks for Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden

You know, I was at a Canucks fan low after the 2005-06 season but if we miss the playoffs and this was the last year with Matt Cooke, Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden, then it'll be equally devastating.

Morrison out with torn ACL

Snippet from MacIntyre's article yesterday:

t's also devastating, personally, for Morrison, who was the reigning NHL "ironman" until his streak of 542 consecutive games ended with his wrist injury in December. The recovery period for reconstructive knee surgery is four to six months, which means Morrison's value as a free agent will be diminished.

"To go so long with not having anything too major [happen] ... to basically missing a big portion [of the season] because of my wrist and now, at a critical time, when we're battling and you want to be in the lineup, it's tough," he said.

"These are the games you want to be in. Games that have a lot of meaning. Games where you can actually go out and help yourself. You want to be part of the team, want to go out and battle with the guy beside you. And when you can't do that, you feel like something has been taken away from you."

Asked how his injury could affect his value and future with the Canucks, Morrison said: "It's an issue. I'm sure everyone's going to be saying 'his healthy days are behind him and he's brittle now.' The hit I got last night was really not a hard hit at all. It was a play done 1,000 times before. I was hit on the side of my knee. As far as my future? I don't know. We'll sort things out here at the end of the year."

Yuck. Well it's no wonder that we're deflated, lacking drive and losing. You have no players, the players you do have are playing injured to begin with and there's no hope for any return of the players who are out. We've been playing playoff hockey since the start of the friggin season for crying out loud. Anyway, a big virtual hug to everyone on the team! You guys can do it! Do it for Trevor friggin Linden!!

Canucks drop to 8th place

Well for the first time this season, the Canucks have lost 3 games straight in regulation. Tonight's 6-3 loss against Colorado was a bit disheartening but not completely unexpected. Morrison's out with a knee injury. I guess he goes back on the injury list with Aaron Miller, Mason Raymond, Mattias Ohlund & Lukas Krajicek.. The loss puts more hope into Nashville fans.

Wild ON!

All the rest of the games are against divisional rivals so our playoff spot won't be secured until the very end. Tonight the Canucks are battling the Wild at home on a back to back night. Oooo.. I love this time of the year! Dust off those Canucks flags everyone!!!

Whew! Canucks still in there with a 3-1 win against Phoenix

Some interesting snippets from recent articles:

MacIntyre & Pap:

SMART, OR WAS IT?: Dallas goalie Marty Turco, who relieved Holmqvist after the first period Saturday, made a heads-up play in bolting to the bench for an extra attacker after Canuck Jeff Cowan knocked the Stars' net off one of its moorings. As is the rule, Dallas was allowed to continue with the puck until a change of possession.

But what if Cowan, who was slow to get up, decided to take five seconds and reset the post on its peg? There would be no automatic whistle if the Canucks got possession and Turco would be stuck on the bench if Vancouver attacked the open net.

Pap on Ohlund:

"It's tough," he said Monday, meeting with reporters for the first time since the operation. "You're pissed off for one day or two and then you move on and accept it and try to do what you can to get back in the lineup as fast as you can."

Here is a CDC interview Re: Alexander Edler:

Canucks win 4-3 against Dallas

Oiy, I have a headache now. I get really stressed out watching Canucks games. Tonight's win keeps us 8th in the Western conference.

Poor Holmqvist for letting 3 in a period during his first game with Dallas during a home game in the playoff race. But.. Marty Turco.. as much as he is frustrating to play against, he is still a damn good goalie. Confident, aggressive, smart with the puck. However, it was Louie who took it tonight. *grin*

Props to Willie Mitchell who had a hell of a night tonight.. 30 minutes of ice time.. a puck shot in the face.. a puck blocked by an ankle.. all while still playing through vertebrae pain!

Welcome back to Trevor Linen who was in the lineup tonight and let's hope we keep seeing him!!!

So apparently we didn't do so well last night..?

I've missed the last two games but heard they were painful to watch..

Re: Ohlund.. Iain McIntyre's article on Ohlund does give a bit more information...
Nonis:

"It wasn't the pain; Ohlie's a pretty tough guy and he never complains about that. It was the fact the swelling wasn't going down. It was getting worse and it was affecting his ability to play. We thought with rest and icing, playing every second day was a possibility. But the swelling was getting worse and it was looking like he might play only every third or fourth or fifth game. And that didn't make any sense."

Ohlund:

"It's not a big deal. There are a lot of guys who go through this. There are probably guys [on the Canucks] who have, maybe not exactly the same thing, but go through similar stuff with injuries. It's part of the game and I think every team is the same."

Surprise! Ohlund's OUT for the season after all

Don't you love it when you get bad news, then good news, and then bad news again?

Anyway, Mattias Ohlund flew back to Vancouver yesterday and is undergoing knee surgery today to remove the bone chips in his knee. Dave Nonis made the announcement today and said that it was in the best interest of the longevity of Ohlund with the team. Hmm, ok, good decision then.

So both Krajicek and Ohlund are out for the season then! Boo hoo!

Miscellaneous things.. dad quotes

Miscellaneous things:
1. Trevor Linden is the Canucks' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy - for the player who best exemplifies the ideals of dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship.

2. Some quotes

Lane Linden, Trevor's dad: "When we left Vancouver, I got on the plane and there was all kinds of food for us.. So I ate it. Then after we took off they brought out the actual meal. If I didn't eat the rest of the trip, I think I'd have been okay."

Markus Naslund's dad, Sture, "The NHL should stand for "Not Hungry League."

Hey Mattias, did you know you're on Jim Robson's LIST??

Josh Plummer's interview of Jim Robson had some interesting tidbits:

Jim: I don't think there is a set criteria for retiring a player's number. Look at all the players the great Montreal Canadiens have honoured. I think the next Canuck number to be retired should be Trevor Linden's #16. I don't think a player has to play his whole career with one team but longtime service should count for a lot. The Canucks have yet to have a Hall of Famer, so I don't expect many retired numbers.

Jim: I was afraid you would ask for my "All-time Canucks" (laughs) The list has changed somewhat over the years and I always have a problem with it. It’s difficult to compare eras. But here goes.

GOAL: Roberto Luongo gave the Canucks the finest single season in team history and he'll probably become the Canuck's all-time best but considering longtime service, I would currently go with Kirk McLean.

DEFENCE: I think Mattias Ohlund is the best defenceman the Canucks have ever had. My second defenceman is tougher to pick. As much as I admire Harold Snepsts and Doug Lidster, I think I would go with Jyrki Lumme.

CENTER: Much like defence, the Canucks have never had a dominant offensive player at this position.(Discounting Mark Messier, who only had three years in Vancouver near the end of his great career) I would still pick Thomas Gradin as the Canuck's best all-time center.

LEFT WING: No question here; it's Markus Naslund, who will soon own most, if not all, of Vancouver's scoring records.

RIGHT WING: The Canucks have been blessed with some very good right wingers, including all-time favourite character players like Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden but my choice still has to be Pavel Bure. For my money, he’s the best player the Canucks have ever had. The fans who booed him when he left town forgot what great thrills, skills & excitement he provided.

Video of Ohlund interview - knee

Wow, having all of those microphones in your face seems quite claustrophobic..

The injuries are now as follows: Bieksa - wrist (from fighting last night), Miller - shoulder (hit from last night), Ohlund - knee, Kesler - foot (shot block last night), Salo - flu. Salo will play tomorrow, while Bieksa and Kesler (who both went for x-rays) are still "status - unknown" for tomorrow. Ohlund and Miller are definitely out for tomorrow and are on the indefinite list.

So torn... we WON but we've lost Ohlund! ..and likely Miller

What a goal filled 1st period! 44 shots on goal combined on Ellis and Mason and 6 goals for the night for the Vancouver Canucks. The fighting and instigating majors and misconducts with a minute left in play were interesting.. The hit on Aaron Miller looked really bad though. I think the shoulder will take him out of the lineup again. Here's a photo of Bieksa wanting to get into the fray again..

On Ohlund.... When Scott Rintoul said that Ohlund had bone chips in his knee and may be out for 4-6 days or for the season, my stomach sank.

Snippet from Jason Botchford's article:

"It [only] impacted me the last two minutes of the last game when I felt sore," Ohlund said. "I have been feeling more sore after the games but when I've been playing I've felt 100 per cent, except the last few minutes of the last game.

"It's mostly rest and we'll see how it goes ... I felt pretty good [Thursday], a lot better than I felt [Wednesday]. Hopefully that's a good sign."

The Canucks will wait four to six days for the swelling to go down and the pain to subside before making a decision on a possible knee scope.

"Nobody knows the exact time frame [if I have it scoped]," Ohlund said. "But if I have it done, obviously I hope to be back playing at the end of the regular season or the playoffs.

"We're not sure how good the chances are."

Knee takes Ohlund out for Nashville game

Mattias Ohlund suffered a knee injury in last night's game against Colorado. He went for an MRI but the extent of the injury is as yet undisclosed.

I'll bet the players don't even want to be there..

Ok, it's not as bad as the 2004-2005 season, but I'm sure none of the players are enjoying this little run of losing.. We sure as hell aren't. We're hungry for the Stanley Cup and for some stupid reason, we have to play good hockey in order to win it. I liked Ed Willes' way of putting it: "Watching this team trying to score goals is like watching someone trying to pass a kidney stone."

I think that Alain is like every good middle manager - wanting young, impressionable employees that are willing to sacrifice their time and bodies to contribute to the organization's profitability. That's probably the reason why his method worked so well in Manitoba. The thing with having older players, however, is you have to deal with people who know better. Anyway, I have no idea what the situation is but it's still fun to speculate. Hell, there's nothing better to do since I sure don't want to talk about another loss.

Welcome back Peter Forsberg! And hope the shoulder is on the mend Lukas Krajicek! Put this time off to good use.. like finding a girlfriend.. *giggle* Maybe even online like Ovechkin did!

So, are we happy Canucks?

I like it when the guys are happy and smiling. Unfortunately I don't think they were after today's game against Chicago. =S