Undefeated Season Still Alive!

Now that the Canucks are on an 164-pt pace with El Capitan Roberto Luongo set to shatter George Hainsworth's 22 shutouts in a season record, let's see what else the opener tells us.

Don Shula might have some tips on undefeated seasons

Who to Boo vs. When to Luuuuu
Finally, the boos start to rain down on Toadtuzzi. The guy, as any sane fan knows, should have been banned for life for that attack on Steve Moore yet somehow he still gets paid well to float around the ice in the NHL. The hockey gods curse every team he lands on--the Canucks post-Moore hit, Team Canada 200, Florida and Anaheim were and now Calgary is doomed, as some fans have figured out.
Then what is with the "Luuuu" cheers that erupt after every routine Luongo save? Could we please stop that? Save it for the great saves. The guy gets paid to stop the puck. Are we going to scream "Ohhh" after every single Mattias Ohlund hit, too?

Not Just Team Speed but Intelligent Puck Play
Not only was it impressive to see the team actually skate well but also jump on loose pucks then make actual intelligent plays. Even fourth liners Ryan Johnson with a brilliant intercept and feed to Alexandre Burrows' on his second goal and Rick Rypien-ing through the D to score the best goal of the night show the Canucks might have finally figured it out. Speed kills!

Rule #1: Do Not Hit Jarome Iginla
For the most part they followed this simple game plan and did not wake up the Canuck killer. Ohlund's hit when it was 3-0 nearly blew it, though, even if it did get Iginla riled up enough to take a dumb penalty.

Hunchbacks Need to Work on Their Skills
I love hunchbacks. Pittsburgh do not win a Cup without Ron Francis and Ulf Samulesson being good luck hunchbacks. But Taylor Pyatt is going to have to work on his skating and shooting or he will not be long for this NHL. It's obvious Pavol Demitra and Mason Raymond are clicking and having a Steve Bernier-like big guy in Pyatt playing with them makes sense, but Taylor, you have to bury those chances.

Hockey Night in Bananada
Mike Milbury is highly entertaining and Marc Crawford won a Stanely Cup (thank you, Patrick Roy), but am I supposed to take anything they say seriously considering how incompetent they were at coaching and managing hockey teams?
Just click here for a grand look at Mad Mike's record on Long Island.
Oh, yeah, and Mark Lee it's not Gee-or-dano (like the frozen pizza) on the Lames' defense, it's "Jor-dano" as in "Jor-gio" Chinaglia or that HK clothing store "Jor-dano."

Is Kipper Done?
The difference in the hockey game really was goaltending. Luongo held the fort when the Canucks took too many penalties in the first and Miikka Kiprusoff did not make the crucial saves. Two-on-ones aside, when you give up six goals on 23 shots, you don't win many hockey games.

The Apocalypse Is Not Nigh...It's Here!

I'm not talking about the latest Wall Street crash as anyone with half a brain who is not retiring tomorrow knows this is the best time to buy in. The apocalypse is here because now we have Canucks' pre-season games being televised.

Let alone the fact all 82 mostly meaningless regular season games are not on TV, be it network, cable or pay, but what fan with the other half of that same brain would watch this dreck. Basically, we are living in a great era of sports information but you're telling me that in the midst of the last week of terrific MLB playoff races, Sportsnet Pacific decides pre-season hockey is a better ratings bonanza.

P.S. If you thought Dan Russell was hopeless at play-by-play, anyone who caught even five seconds of Don Taylor doing one of those games will know it isn't a job just any Joe Sports Journalist can do.

Prattlin' On About Nothing Again

Ah, summer distractions... luckily Dave Pratt (on the TEAM 1040) is there to wake me out of my slumber. Today (Sept. 4) after the announcement that Trevor Linden's number 16 will be retired, they lost it.

First of all, during the "leadership" discussion, there was a mention that when Mark Messier was here he insisted on being on the penalty kill and the Canucks PK stunk. Well, it was below the league average all three seasons Mess was here, but it was also below the season prior and after.

Check it out:
96/7 80.81% (league average: 83.73%) the season prior to Moose's arrival
97/8 82.18% (league average: 84.92%)
98/9 82.89% (league average: 84.19%)
99/00 80.43% (league average: 83.85%)
00/01 80.88% (league average: 83.36%)

So not only did the Nux improve their PK unit during Messier's first two seasons here but % wise they got closer to the league average. Not that it's a big deal nor a mindblowing stat and Messier was a lot of things, but to blame the PK problems on him when it wasn't all that good before he came is just plain vindictive. Knocking the Mooster, doesn't make Linden look better.

OK, before you all nod off, let's get to this "Linden will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder" jag that the Prattster went on about a bit. This has got to based on what "may happen" in his hockey future in management.

So, all this blether must mean that training camp has not yet started, and there is nothing much to talk about. Pretty much sums up my summer absence from blogging.

All I can say is talking about hockey even as dopey as the tangent was today sure beats last week's morning show on the TEAM where one day the poll question was whether anyone would want to see Michael Jackson live. Seriously? This what the coveted sports talk radio 18-to-25 male demographic is interested in? Weren't they more into the hair or metal bands back then? weren't they? No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones rang so true . . . let alone no Clash, Buzzcocks or the Jam.

With that dated New Wave reference, I must bid all adieu until hopefully the Gillisian One pulls of the Sedins for Kovalchuk deal I want...or until some actual hockey "news" happens.