Exciting game tonight!

Got treated out to the preseason game against the Calgary Flames tonight and whoa, was the ending ever exciting! People started leaving with 2 minutes to the end of the third. The Canucks were down 3-4 (after being up 3-0). Amazingly enough, there was a Canucks goal at the 10 second mark. (People started coming back). After that one was disallowed (it was after the whistle), people started leaving again but then there was ANOTHER Canucks goal with TWO seconds left on the clock, tying the game and bringing it to OT! .. then to shootout.. then to sudden death shootout.. then to a Canucks WIN thanks to Daniel Sedin. OH my god. Awesome game for the entertainment factor.

ASIDE: Mattias Ohlund has a minor hip injury and is wearing #5. I guess he and Lukas Krajicek have switched numbers from when they were both in Vancouver. Ha ha. Here's a link to the Lightning Round with Mattias Ohlund. I enjoyed these answers:

LR: If you had to pick someone to play you in a movie who would it be?
MO: That’s a good question. Wow. How about Brad Pitt?

LR: If you could be in a band, which one would you be in and which instrument would you play?
MO: I would be the lead singer for U2.

LR: What is something fans may not know about you?
MO: I’m not that exciting.

I would like to be a cameraman

I just happened to be close to the media area of the rink and overheard a few people being interviewed. "So what do you think of the team's chances this year?" The couple of girls in front of me answered something non-committal and optimistic and all I could think of was, you better damn well not come and ask me that question b/c I'm not going to lie. Thankfully they didn't. I talked mainly about the venue instead of the Canucks.

I took pictures of the cameramen for some reason. It looks like a fascinating profession, as does reporting (saw Shorthouse and Dan Murphy there). Media is another one of those guys club only areas. Maybe that's part of the appeal.. This one tsn cameraman caught my eye.. I'm not sure if he caught me drooling. Haha!

Canucks Training Camp/Day

So my friend and I joined the 300 some people who came out to watch the two groups of Canucks practice at Thunderbird at UBC yesterday. We parked beside Totem res and then bladed up Thunderbird and then oooed and ahhhhed over the cute rink that's going to be used primarily for Women's Olympic Hockey. Definitely more Olympic worthy than the old ice rink. The rink has great/harsh lighting which made for excellent photo taking but the lights needed to be off in order to let the ice refreeze well in between practice.
Here's Ryan Johnson in action. I didn't stick around for autographs or else I would have asked about how his finger is healing after the surgery. It sure was nice to see hockey and be around hockey fans again.

Happy Belated Birthday Mattias!

I missed Ohlie's birthday yesterday! Hope it was a good one!

What is Mattias Ohlund's new number?

Is is 2 or 12? And if he's taking 2, then what number does Lukas Krajicek take?

EDIT: Found this photo of 3 jerseys with the number 12: Ohlund, Meszaros and Jablonsk. I guess they haven't quite decided on numbers yet then.

Shots on Ohlund from Tampa's Fan fest

celebrity coach
Originally uploaded by Sagrei.

Thanks Indi on the links and for posting them! I have to admit that it's very strange seeing him in a non-Canucks jersey. I hope that they're treating him ok there. I'm glad that they've got Walker to be the physical defenseman so Ohlie can concentrate on shooting and defending instead of laying down the law. Ohlund's birthday is coming up September 9!

bench interview
Originally uploaded by Sagrei.

Luongo for 12 years and Pyatt now a Coyote

This week was a bit hectic. In real life as well as Canucks news. So it looks like Gillis has signed Roberto Luongo to a 12 year contract (front loaded) and Taylor Pyatt accepted a 1 year deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. I'd completely forgotten about his unfortunate turn of events last year...

Excerpt from Gord McIntyre's piece from the Province sept 1:

Ryan Johnson saw a lot of Taylor Pyatt this summer and said his fellow Thunder Bay, Ont., native is coping as best he can.

The quiet giant was supposed to marry his fiancee Carly Bragnalo in July, but she died in a car accident in Jamaica in April.

And he's unemployed after the Canucks declined to re-sign him.

"Obviously it was a tough summer for him, but he's picked himself up," Johnson said. "Not moved on, but you carry on in the right manner — the way she would have wanted him to."