Canucks Ducks Recap

Okay my lovely Verizon Wireless phone roams on Telus in Canada – for some reason this means I have absolutely ZERO reception in Rogers Arena (Rogers Arena, Telus roaming... Coincidence? Doubt it) So I couldn’t tweet everything I wanted to about the Anaheim-Vancouver game I attended.

Without further adieu here are my thoughts.

We Need Alberts
Alberts is not afraid to hit. In fact he seems to like it and he’s definitely good at it. Vancouver doesn’t have a lot of people who finish checks and we need someone. Alberts is our man. He was checking like a rockstar out there.

Hodgson Is Afraid
The kid has a lot of potential and he makes some smart plays but as I watched him it became very clear that he’s afraid to hit and be hit. He’s always looking over his shoulder and he never ever finishes a check. Maybe it’s his long list of injuries that makes him nervous or the fact that he’s just getting his NHL feet wet. Whatever it is, I hope he grows out of it or gets over it. He’s never going to live up to his hype or potential if he doesn’t.

The Refs Sucked Donkey’s Balls
The Ducks were hooking and tripping machines out there tonight and somehow the refs just couldn’t find their whistles. I shouldn’t be complaining about this because sucktastic reffage is what had us beat Chicago so maybe this is karma. Who knows?

I Know He’s Cute But I Wanna Bitchslap Raymond
The kid is making me mental. He just can’t do anything right. Even after he scores and you think the slump would be over – he somehow returns to the land of Suck the very next game. I keep telling myself it’s okay right now. That if he has to suck at some point now is better than April. But if he still sucks in April… we’re in trouble.

Ducks Net Was Wrapped in Saran Right?
Like in anything luck plays a part. We just didn’t have it tonight. There were so many shots that should have gone in and just completely did not. Daniel’s fan on the final shot with a second left – that was the perfectly unlucky end to the perfectly luckless night. It happens. It’s not the end of the world. We’ll bounce back from this.

Top Shelf! TOP Freaking SHELF!

McWhatsHisFace, the Ducks goalie, spent the entire game on his knees. And if you watch him in every game he plays that's what he does. he goes down - always down on his knees/pads. He lives on his knees. If he was a girl in high school he'd have been very popular. If the Canucks had taken more top shelf shots the score would have been very different.

Hamhuis
I didn’t see it happen. I just saw him lying there seemingly unconscious and I started screaming like I was auditioning for a horror movie. I only saw it at home on replay. Getzlaf was interviewed and gave his best innocent eyes. His coach acted like it was no big deal. But yeah. It’s a BIG fucking deal. Getzlaf left his feet. And yes, Hamhuis turned away but that means that Getzlaf also hit him from behind – and Hamhuis no longer had the puck. The hit needs to be reviewed. I think Getzlaf should be suspended a game or at least fined. It was a dirty hit. Unintentional or not the damage was done and Getzlaf should pay. End of story.

Luongo’s Own a Magic Eight Ball & He’s Not Afraid to Use It
We lost. Luongo wasn’t in net which means his streak – not having lost in regulation since Dec. 5 – is still intact. This can only mean Lu has a Magic Eight Ball and he knows how to use it. When it says “It is not to be” Luongo “gets the flu”. I believe it.

Victoria’s 3 Stars of the Game
1 – Kesler for his 32nd goal in the dying seconds.
2- Burrows for getting us in the game.
3 – Bieksa for that lovely, frustration-filled after-the-whistle-hit. God he’s pretty when he’s angry.

The Sami Salo Cloud

The Canucks just wrapped up a 5-game road trip with 3 losses and 2 of them were shutouts. Sole ownership of the number 1 spot in the league is gone for the moment. And if we’re being honest, Luongo let in some weak ones in the 4-3 loss to the Avs.

So is the streak over? Are we sliding into a slump? No and no.

As of today the Canucks are tied with the Flyers in points but sit #2 in the league standings. And that Avalanche loss was in OT which means Bobby Lu has not lost in regulation since December 5, 2010. He’s also improved in shootouts and has stopped the two penalty shots he’s faced this season. All that is happening here is that a white-hot team is currently only red-hot.

But that doesn’t mean we Canucks fans have nothing to worry about.

There is a dark, ominous cloud that hangs over the Vancouver franchise and its name is Sami Salo.

If Sami “Made of Glass” Salo steps on the ice for a game the Canucks are in salary cap hell. Keeping the Fin means gambling with the emotional and physical dynamics of a winning team. It also means betting on a guy who can’t seem to sneeze without pulling his groin or tie a skate without breaking a finger.

In a perfect world, Salo would waive his No Trade Clause and we’d dump him on someone else. When Salo is healthy he is great so someone could get a solid game or two out of him, I’m sure. But you can’t trade a player who is not on the active roster and to get him on that roster we have to make salary room. It’s a really nasty dilemma.

It seems like the only option is to mess with the roster of a team that San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan recently called “Complete”.

If we have no other option, who goes?

Juice
For the last couple of years no matter the situation, if a trade seemed necessary every Vancouverite, journalist, analyst screamed “Bieksa!” I’m beginning to think it’s because it’s just such a fun name to say. And honestly, I don’t know a girl who wouldn't want to be screaming his name (but maybe not for trade reasons).

Now though, Bieksa has adequately pulled himself out of a point/performance slump and his name seems to be off the trade table. This is a good thing because I would also argue that he’s a solid member of the emotional core of the team and probably contributes off-ice in ways we are unaware of no matter his plus/minus. And on behalf of the female fan contingent I must also point out he is currently the best-looking Canuck. Every team needs a hottie for female fan morale purposes.

Romtorsson
Haven’t heard of him? That’s because I Bennifered the names of Rome, Torres and Samuelsson – one or more of them may have to be dumped in order to get one old, under-conditioned, injury-prone defensemen back on the bench.

Now there are arguments that Torres is under performing, Samuelsson is past his prime and Rome sucks. But we need to remember that while Torres might be slumping right now, the man has made it to a Stanley Cup final so he knows what’s required. If he lets Kesler and the Sedins perform now and he picks it up in March, when the twins have repeatedly fallen asleep, I’m okay with that.

Samuelsson is definitely under performing at the moment, however last year Samuelsson didn’t heat up until the latter part of the year and he was stronger in the playoffs than Kesler and Burrows combined.

Rome. Well, my only argument for Rome is that he is able to stay healthy longer than Salo. Why trade someone who stays relatively healthy for someone who completely does not?

The Expensive Hip Check
Ballard is really not living up to his hype or his paycheck. Yeah, the hip checks are entertaining but not that entertaining. Then again, Ballard, like Rome, is currently healthy and likely to stay that way longer than Salo. And for a team that hollered about being plagued with injuries when they went down yet again to the Hawks in the playoffs…. They might live to regret trading him.

Last Year’s Whipping Boy
I can’t believe I’m saying this but trading Alberts would be a bad idea. The defensemen, who was the well-deserved butt of fan jokes everywhere last year, has really picked up his game. He’s hitting, he’s grinding and he’s generally – finally – making more positive plays than negative. Yes, he still skates as fast as geriatric, bloated Big Bird, but as Mason Raymond’s performance lately has shown, speed isn’t everything.

And then there was “E”
Ehrhoff could be seen as a logical trade on paper because his contract is up next year and the Canucks will likely not have the financial means to hold onto him. But that’s exactly why we should keep him. Because he’s brilliant and worth way more than we’re paying. And he’s been a key, integral part of the core players that have worked hard over the last couple of years and gotten the Canucks where they are right now.

It feels like a lose-lose situation. If Salo doesn’t sneeze and rupture his last good ball, or hang a picture in his house and put a nail through his hand, we’re pretty much up the salary cap creek without a paddle.

The team that got us to the top of the league may not be the team that enters the playoff race. And that worries me much more than a 2-2-1 road trip.

Winter Classic was a Wash

I appreciate the idea of the Winter Classic. On paper it’s a beautiful concept. 2 National Hockey League teams bringing the game back to its simplest form. A wholesome tribute to the roots of the sport. So why do I feel ripped off, cheapened and frustrated after watching it?

After a long sleepless night these are the top three reasons I could come up with.

I’m Just a Hockey Commissioner Standing in Front of a Country Asking It to Love Us
Gary Bettman and the NHL make it glaringly clear that they don’t care about the roots of the sport. They aren’t trying to display the beauty of hockey in its simplest form. What they are trying to do is make America watch more hockey. The Winter Classic isn’t for the fans. It’s for the non-fans. Because Gary Bettman wants Hockey to be America’s Game, not Canada’s because Americans mean more money. This is why you will never see a Canadian team in the Classic – Canadians already watch hockey and NBC isn’t going to buy the rights to a Canadian dust up.

I fully understand that money needs to be made to keep the league going but I also think that good authentic hockey is enjoyable and viewable and can make the NHL that money, no matter which teams are playing. The Commissioner of the National Hockey League clearly doesn’t have that kind of faith in hockey. He obviously believes that the only way to attract new American fans is to highlight “American” teams and sensationalize and dramatize the crap out of it with slick advertising and an HBO documentary. (Have to give him props on the HBO thing because 24/7 is amazing. He, inadvertently I’m sure, made true hockey fans very happy with that).

Maybe what Bettman and the NHL spin doctors should be working on is educating Americans to the fact that just because a team is based in the USA doesn’t mean the players on that team are American.

When Canada won Men's Hockey Gold I had an American friend from California say “Yeah well you did it with our players. Most of your team is from San Jose and Doughty is from LA.” Clearly the NHL should teach future US fans that you can watch a Canadian team and still find an American to root for.

Is it impossible to think that if Bettman let a Classic between the Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadians happen that NBC wouldn’t be able to twist out some American Dream story about Ryan Kesler or Brian Gionta? By the way the Canadiens have more Americans (6) on their roster than the Washington Capitals (5) and only 1 less than the Penguins (7).

Yes, Ovie and Crosby are a rivalry and I get making them a Winter Classic once, but the Pens have been in this New Year’s Day game twice. And a Canadian team has never been in it.

A Winter Classic between Montreal and Boston could beautifully highlight the history of the NHL, the roots of the game, and bring the emotion and conviction of a true, honest, lifelong rivalry into the homes of Americans.

Never Dumb It Down For Your Audience, Even If they Voted For Bush - Twice
I have American relatives and American friends and I know that there’s a pretty large amount of US citizens that are not as dumb as a puck. After watching NBC’s coverage of the Classic, I am insulted for them. Well, to be completely honest, I only watched about 7 minutes of the NBC broadcast. I changed the channel from NBC to CBC right after the NBC announcer said “Sidney Crosby… from Nova Scotia. You’ll notice a C on his jersey. That means Captain.”

Even if I could let that go – which I really, really can’t – the constant tweets about the craptastic camera angles NBC was showing would have had me switch feeds. The Top Tweet when you click on the WinterClassic hashtag is this from HockeyBacon: “I’ll admit the Winter Classic is great for hockey because it attracts the non-fan. For instance, the guy who is directing the NBC cameras.”

I mean seriously, did NBC want to air this or did they lose a bet? Cuz they clearly dialed it in.

Americans are a sports-loving nation. They understand what a penalty is, a team Captain, a goalie and they know the guys in black and white are called referees. Hockey is unique in a lot of ways but the basics of the game isn’t much different than lots of other sports. Give them some credit. They didn’t need a colorful circle around the puck and they don’t need blimp-views with ant-sized players.

America Wants You to Hug It Out, Bitch
By hyping it to no end and making the Winter Classic into this dramatic, sensationalized monstrosity the new, and the old and stupid, fans of hockey believed that this was more than just a regular season NHL game. But it wasn’t. It’s not the playoffs or the Stanley Cup Final. It’s just a game that happened to be played in a different location than the usual arena. It still counts in the season’s standings.

I bring this up because people were losing their minds on the Penguins for not shaking hands at the end of the game. But NO ONE shakes hands at the end of a regular season game. If you’ve read my blog it’s fairly clear I am a Sidney Crosby fan. But even if the Pens had won I wouldn’t expect anyone to shake hands.

Repeat after me folks “It’s a regular season game”

If it was exhibition, or All-Star or Playoffs shake hands, high five, hug it out, whatevs. But the Penguins just lost 2 points at home, affecting their standing and ultimately possibly their playoff ranking. If Ovechkin and his Capitals had shook hands with every team that beat them – or even one team that beat them – during their 8-game losing streak then you’d have a case. But you don’t.

Repeat after me, “It’s a regular season game.”

And for all those incredibly mature grown men out there who spent last night calling him Cindy Crosby and screaming that “He” didn’t shakes hands, media outlets around the world – even Washington – acknowledge that NEITHER team attempted to shake hands. Crosby doesn’t control the universe, you just think he does.

The teams that played the 2011 Winter Classic were the first to have a true, strong established rivalry and the game ended in a very tense state. If there had been a bench brawl I wouldn’t have been surprised. No one wants to shake hands after that. If you're that traumatized by it, see a therapist.

In the end the only thing I’ll miss about the Winter Classic is the HBO 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic show. The rest of it from- the hype, the game, the handshake and most definitely the ice - was a wash.

Bandwagoner? Realist? Delusional? What fan are you?

This could be a blog that applies to many different NHL teams – maybe other sports as well. But it is most definitely a topic that hits hard in the city of Vancouver because the true fans of the Canucks are very big on labelling and critising Bandwagon fans. My problem is that I don't think the majority of them actually understand what a bandwagoner is.

Bandwagoners sprout up during the spring when Canucks, more often than not, screech into the playoffs in some sort of dramatic fashion. They either slide in ass backwards by the skin of their teeth or they conquer everything in their path. Either way all of a sudden every car in Vancouver has a Canucks flag waving from its window. Every pedestrian is wearing a team jerseys and every dog is in a Canucks shirt (or is that just my dog?!)

I love the Canucks. I watch every game I am able to. Last year I spent roughly $1700 on tickets to games. I bought pay per view games. I tweet games (concretefluff), all Canucks news and write this blog. But when we re-signed the Twins my tweet was: “Canucks re-signed the Sedin twins. I hope they also bought stock in Red Bull to keep them awake during the playoffs.”

Some “fans” labeled me a bandwagoner.

When I tweeted recently that I was skipping the Phoenix-Vancouver game because I was going to a movie and would rather be disappointed by Bruce Willis than Roberto Luongo, I was again labeled a bandwagoner.

Guess what, that’s not Bandwagonning, that’s called REALISM.

I grew up in Montreal. Raised a Habs fan. Bandwagoners do not exist there. In Montreal there are only 2 types of fans - Canadiens fans and Habs fans. End of story.

A lot of bloggers and tweeters were really ticked off when Montreal Fans at the Bell center booed Carey Price the first couple of games this season. But that's what realistic fans do! If Habs fans are pissed at the team, or one or all of its members, they let the world know. But they never ever jump ship. (Even when we say we will, like I did when they traded Halak. I didn’t. But I did boo Price and I’ll do it again when he completely melts down in the spring).

Bandwagoners don’t even get on the ship until they can see the destination from the portside window. You never hear a hockey word come out of their mouths until the snow melts and the Cherry blossoms bloom. They try to participate in playoff conversations by saying stuff like “Number fourteen scored a sweet hat trick last night.” Number 14?! FYI his name is BURROWS, he was born in Pincourt, Quebec and spends the off-season in Kirkland and his wife's name is Nancy - got it, Bandwagoner?

Just because a fan can fully and freely admit that the Sedins fall asleep in the playoffs, Kesler is the Queen of near missed shots and Bieksa spends a great deal of the season coasting on his good looks and sparkling personality does NOT make them a bandwagoner. A bandwagoner wouldn’t know any of that.

I soldier through the season – the whole season – with the team. Celebrating their wins and commiserating their loses. But I’m a realist. As much as I want, pray, wish and dream of the Vancouver Canucks winning the Stanley Cup, I can also understand that it’s probably not going to happen with Alain Vigneault at the helm.

The fans who plan the parade route after 2 consecutive wins in October, who swear every August that “This is our year” and are shocked, truly shocked and devastated, every April when we inevitably shit the bed, those may be true fans as well but they are also delusional fans. Not Shockingly they're the first ones to point their foam fingers and label people who don't drink their team coloured Kool-Aid "bandwagoners".

In the end, I honestly don’t care what you call me. I am what I am. I’ll be there when the Vancouver Canucks finally win the Stanley Cup and I’ll be there every single time they fail miserably too.

Sticks & Stones & Sidney Crosby

This post is about Sidney Crosby. I’m not a Penguins fan. I’m just a fan of good hockey and good looking men. Sidney Crosby happens to deliver both. He’s also Canadian. Therefore, I am a Sidney Crosby fan.

I have come to realize that, as a woman, I am not alone. But as a hockey fan, I’m one of the few that really truly loves Sid. This perplexes me.

Sidney is hands-down the best hockey player in the National Hockey League today. I know there are those that want to argue that it’s a toss up between Ovechkin and Crosby. That’s like arguing a glass of water and a picture of a glass of water are the same thing. Sure they look the same but if you’re stuck in a desert, only one of those things is gonna be useful. Ovechkin has managed to turtle/choke/tank in mostly every major moment in his career. Last year alone, he tanked in the Olympics, he turtled in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and he choked in the battle for the Art Ross and the Rocket Richard. Just couldn’t make the goals happen when they needed to. On top of that – and this is a personal opinion thing, I know - but Ovehckin has been suspend twice for cheap shots. I will always, always argue that a dirty player isn’t a great player.

Now let’s forget the dirty Russian and get back to Sidney Crosby.

Mmm…. Sidney Crosby……. Ahmen.

Yes, well Sidney’s record looks like this (in cliffnotes) Crosby broke Mario LeMieux rookie assist record by scoring 63 (over Mario’s 57) in his first year in the NHL. He represented Team Canada in 2006 and was the youngest player ever to win a World Championship scoring title. In Crosby’s second NHL season he became the first teenager – since Wayne Gretzky – to lead the league in scoring. He won the Art Ross in 2007. In his sophomore season, despite an ankle injury that limited him to 53 games he scored 72 points. He led his team to the Stanely Cup Final that season. The next season (2008-2009) at the age of 21 years old, Sidney Crosby won his first Stanley Cup. In 2010 he scored 51 goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy (tied with Stamkos). Sidney also scored the gold medal game-winning goal in the 2010 Olympic Men’s Hockey final.

Did I mention he’s only 23 years old?

So why do people hate him? Mostly it’s because he has been known to whine. People call him Crosbaby because he acted like a baby when he started in the NHL. When he started in the NHL he WAS a baby. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins about a week short of his 18th birthday.

He did take dives and complain to Refs in his first season – I can’t deny that. He earned the title of being the first rookie to score 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in the same season. But my question to those who bitched and moaned about his bitching and moaning is this – what part of HE WAS ONLY 18 – are you not getting?!

Have you met the average 18 year old male? They are hot messes. On average they have zero responsible tendancies but major entitlement issues. So Sidney Crosby was acting more or less like a typical teenager, he was just doing it with the world watching.

On top of which, now I know I was super young when The Great One played his prime years but he was JUST as big a whiner as Crosby. Is that what most people remember about him? Nope. Nor should they. He earned his spot in hockey history whether people called him Whine Greatly or Wayne Gretzky.

What sparked this blog right now was 2 things. 1) Sidney's fight a few weeks ago in which he kicked ass. (something Wayne gretzky would never do). And also 2) European Soccer.

I started watching European Soccer when I was in Spain for the World Cup. I have kept watching because my fiance is an Arsenal fan and I'm a Real Madrid fan (well, I'm a David Villa fan... so whatever). But here is the thing about European Soccer - it's the most popular sport in the world, it's got (arguably) the most passionate fans (they kill each other) and it's also got the whiniest athletes I have ever seen.

A call is never made by a ref that doesn't go by without a player bitching and moaning. I mentioned this to my fiance and he said "Oh yeah and the best players are usually the biggest whiners."

So why is it okay in one sport and not the other? His response was "Hockey players are supposed to be tough."

Sidney Crosby is tough, he's proven that - the fight a few weeks ago is an example. Unlike Wayne he doesn't need any teammates to do double duty as bodyguards. Crosby isn’t a baby. If you still insist on calling him one, you're the true whiney bitch.
Frankly if Sid the Kid whines or expects to be treated with extra care, he should. He’s better than you.

2010-2011 Playoff Predictions

Okay, this is it. I’ve consulted my tarot cards, my magic eight ball, my lucky Chihuahua foot and sacrificed a goat (don’t worry San Fermin friends, it’s not the goat from Pamplona).

And here it is. My predictions for the 2010-2011 NHL Season.

EASTERN DIVISION FINAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Atlanta Thrashers
New York Islanders
Carolina Hurricanes

RATIONALE:
I know, I love to watch them fail too, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are actually going to see the benefits of Brian Burke’s hard, smart work this year. A full season with JS Giguere will help as will the addition of Phaneuf and Versteeg. The Rangers will make the cut this year, as long as Gaborik isn’t sidelined by injuries. The Pens will continue rely on the Russian Frankenstein, Evgeni Malkin and the Canada’s Golden Child (and my not-so secret crush) Sidney Crosby. The Devils will be the only surprise here. They’ll not only do well (they always do well) but this year they’ll take top honours with the help of Kovalchuk, Jason Arnott, Patrick Elias and Olympic Silver medallist Zach Parise. In not surprising news, Pierre Gauthier’s gamble on Price won’t payoff. Despite the best efforts of Gionta, Gomez and the gang, the Canadiens won’t come close to the playoffs this year.


WESTERN DIVISION FINAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Chicago Blackhawks
San Jose Sharks
Los Angeles Kings
St. Louis Blues
Phoenix Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Anaheim Ducks
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
Dallas Stars

RATIONALE:
Shocked? I know a lot of people think the Bad News Bears story of the Phoenix Coyotes last year was a One Hit Wonder thing but I disagree. Maybe the limbo state of their club gives them a chance to focus more on hockey and less on hockey politics. Whatever the reason they work harder than most and it will pay off again. Vancouver’s acquisition of Malholtra will be a key in their success and I see Torres also making a big positive impact. The Flames are angry about last season and that’ll be enough to push them into playoff ranks. The Kings young, fresh line up will only be made stronger by vetran Willie Mitchell, if he stays healthy, and they have 2 solid goaltenders in Joanathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier.

ROUND ONE EAST:
Devils over Leafs – this will be easy.
Capitals over Rangers – not as easy but still not hard
Penguins over Bruins – quick and easy.
Panthers over Sabres – the upset.

ROUND ONE WEST:
Wings over Flames – but Calgary puts up a fight.
Canucks over Coyotes – I see this being easy.
Hawks over Blues – Halak won’t be able to do it all himself this year.
Kings over Sharks – the biggest surprise and longest fight of the round.

SEMI FINALS EAST:
Devils over Panthers – not a hard series.
Penguins over Capitals – It’s a simple case of good over evil. Superman over Lex Luthor. Hot over Ugly. Crosby over Ovehckin.

SEMI FINALS WEST:
Wings over Kings – It won’t be easy though.
Canucks over Hawks - FINALLY! With the C off Luongo’s back – and Dustin Byfuglien out of his playoff crease he’s bound to finally live up to his hype – and paycheck.

EAST CON FINALS:
Devils over Penguins – I heart you Sid, but this isn’t going to be your year (again).

WEST CON FINALS:
Canucks over Wings – 7 nailbiting games but Vancouver will prevail.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS:
Canucks over Devils.

Canuck’s goalie bailed out Team Canada when the Devil’s goalie melted down. Brodeur is on his last legs. With the “C” off Luongo’s back, he’s bound to finally fully live up to his hype – and paycheck. And after 40 years of failure…. Vancouver will finally do it.

Please keep in mind that I’m a Canucks-Habs fan so for me to predict anyone else would be ridiculous. The Habs made moves so stupid even I can’t pretend they’ll succeed this year, but Vancouver – even with the GM from Hell, Mike Gillis – are making smarter moves. They’ve kept a core of solid performers together and added Torres, Malholtra and Schneider is ready to be a solid back-up goalie. If we don’t have it this year, it’ll be another 40 years.

The "C" word

So Vancouver's beloved LUUUUUUU gave up the big "C". If your shocked by this, you're an idiot. The media was buzzing after last season that it should be removed but Gillis - the General Manager from hell - had always said the decision would be Luongo's. And Monday before training camp Luongo gave up the "C". He told reporters; "I enjoyed the experience. It was fun. I took a lot of pride in it, and that was one of the main reasons it was tough for me to come to this decision."

Mike Gillis, GM from H, of course said that Bobby Lou made the right decision and Luongo can now solely focus on winning instead of dealing with heightened pressure and expectations.

Yipee.

I'm not hopeful that this'll improve the Vancouver Canucks chances at winning a Stanley Cup but that's because I don't blame the goalie for the perpetual Playoff meltdowns. I think it has more to do with Vingeault's coaching style, Gillis bad decisions off the ice (I'm looking at you Andrew Alberts) and the coma nap that the Canucks defense and the Sedin twins take every year.

All this really does - IMO - is give the future Captain a chance to blame the goalie.

And who is that future Captain of the Vancouver Canucks? Nobody knows yet.

Other teams tend to let the players vote on the Captain position. When Roberto Luongo was given the "C" it was the sole decision of Coach Vingeault and GM (from Hell) Gillis. No one has explained how the new Captain will be chosen. Personally I think it should be voted on by the players but knowing Gillis he'll make the decision himself, and screw it up again.

Since he can't make his decisions, I will make mine. Let's talk about the players who are rumored to be in the running.

First off we have newbie Canucks Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malholtra. Their names are running around in the rumor mill because they're "league veterans". But they aren't Canuck veterans. If they haven't proven themselves with the team or with the fans of that team they shouldn't have the "C". End of story.

Other potentials include Ryan Kesler. Seriously?! Gillis is going to make a 25 year old hot-head, with a reputation of being a diva and a baby Captain? Why not give it to Burrows then? Or Shane O'Brien? Princess Kesler makes about as much sense. Forget it.

Think I'm wrong? Put it this way, just before the Olympic gold medal hockey game a reporter asked a bunch of the Canucks which of their teammates they wanted to see grab the gold. Kevin Bieksa's told the reporter he wanted to see Luongo win and not just because he was Canadian, but because Kesler was his roommate on the road and he would be INTOLERABLE with a gold medal.

I'm betting that applies to a "C" on his jersey too.

Another rumor - the twins.

Personally I think Henrik or Daniel Sedin are solid choices. I lean more towards Henrik because I think he's come out of his shell more in the last few years. Especially with the goal streak. He's learned to be articulate and he's handled the spotlight just fine. And I know people moan that the Swedish are too quiet to be Captain, (Marcus Naslund blah, blah, blah) But do we really need a loud mouth? If Gillis and Vingeault get their act together then the Canucks' actions on the ice won't need so much explaining/apologizing off the ice.

My other choices, that the rumor mill is ignoring, are Kevin Bieksa and Mikael Samuelsson.

Bieksa is comfortable speaking publicly and I personally think he's a good player and hello, eye candy. If the Canucks are going to turtle again this season at least give me something pretty to look at. I know that he's rumored to be traded - like every 5 minutes - but keep him and give him the "C" trade someone ugly instead.

Samuelsson doesn't have any issue speaking his mind - just ask the Swedish Olympic hockey team he was left off of. He's blunt, to the point and honest. We need that. Nothing annoys me more than Captains that pussyfoots around stuff. Also, he's been a pretty strong, solid force on the Canucks. He's got grit. He's got a voice. What's the problem here?

And last but not least, they could always give it to Sammi Salo since he's always injured he'll have lots of time to address any questions the world might have! And then at least we'd be paying him to do something other than hobble around on crutches.

If you're uncertain why I think Mike Gillis is the GM from Hell, because our tanking and his bad decisions (like Alberts, giving Luongo the C, etc) aren't enough. Here is further proof: At the press conference, Gillis hinted that the Canucks could start the season without a Captain.

It's that hard a decision for the idiot? Really? Again, just leave it up to the players.

My prediction is if we start a season without a Captain, we won't even MAKE the playoffs. The Canucks are a very emotional team and they need a centre from the get-go.

I also predict if Gillis doesn't pick a Captain before the season starts then he's waiting so that Hamhuis and Malholtra can play a few - so they can appear to earn the "C" he'll give one of them.

If he picks a Captain before the start of the season, I'm betting it's Kesler. Because it would be the wrong choice and I don't see Gillis ever making a right one.

Who should it be? Henrik Sedin or Samuelson.

Guess we can do nothing but wait.

(If I'm right about any of my predictions then I'll be setting up a 1-900 Psychic Hotline. Feel free to ask me anything... for a $1.99 a minute, of course.)