Vancouver Canucks

We need a spot for off topic, or even random hockey banter. Saturday is a big day for hockey, as the Bruins and Red Wings (hells yes) try to finish off their foes. I hope the Sharks can push a Game 7 on Sunday. It appears that Nucks Misconduct member Nathaniel Perlow came across an attractive celebrity recently. The one pictured at the top of this post. Lucky dog. It got me thinking...how many celebrities have I met? Well, no Hollywood celebrities. I could have met Liam Neeson If I was frequenting the local bars when The Grey was shooting here. But no. I do regret that. The only celebrities I have met are hockey players. They would be: Dave Babych (twice), Bryan Trottier, Ken Morrow, and Pavol Demitra. It was ironic to meet Demo of all people because I always slagged him when he was a Canuck. However, the previous night he did this: Easy pass to KABOOM Salo, but it was a good time. Now that he has passed on, I am glad that I had that brief encounter with Demitra and his son. R.I.P. So let's hear it: What celebrities have you met? Any you want to meet? Of course there is! I hear Salma Hayek has a great personality! Enjoy your weekend, folks!

I've been busy lately, so I haven't had as much time to do these. Since the 1st round is long over, and the 2nd round is about to see its first elimination, it's about time I post these leaderboards before the numbers change! What you will see below is the leaderboards for the end of the 1st round. If you don't remember who you picked, go to the side into the story stream, where all of this year's fantasy competition posts are grouped together. First up is the team brackets competition: Rank Participant 1st round (East) 1st round (West) Current total 1 Sean Larson 8 11 19 2 Passive Voice 7 11 18 3 andrew21nz 7 9 16 4 Zanstorm 8 7 15 4 Bryan Webster 7 8 15 4 jluglue 6 9 15 7 Bearodactyls 4 10 14 8 pheenster 6 7 13 8 Beantown Canuck 7 6 13 8 treved 8 5 13 8 gmonk33 7 6 13 8 notjames116 6 7 13 13 team pinnelli 4 8 12 13 Sareon 4 8 12 13 kudou 10 2 12 13 patrik e 4 8 12 13 mechanixfetch 6 6 12 18 Nathaniel Perlow 5 6 11 18 seedvt 6 5 11 18 ringhio8-20 6 5 11 18 ktownfan 6 5 11 18 007Gab 4 7 11 23 Meat Mayos 7 3 10 23 westy99 5 5 10 23 Vancouverguy 4 6 10 23 Coach Ryan 7 3 10 23 nucksandpucks 4 6 10 23 Tengeresz 4 6 10 29 reggiedunlop 4 5 9 29 missy 2 7 9 31 Twin Terror 3 5 8 31 r32argent 6 2 8 31 Slegna 2 6 8 31 DoubleN148 4 4 8 35 jwolf0 2 5 7 36 Andrew Wade 4 2 6 36 Geordie Nuck 2 4 6 38 BW79 2 0 2 Sean Larson has bragging rights over all of us, since he is the only one to correctly call ALL 8 winning teams in the 1st round. He did miss out on a few of those bonus points, though. Passive Voice got 7 of 8 teams correct, as well as a few more bonus points than Sean to come within a point of the lead. However, PV's next rounds are dependent on LA and the Habs, while Sean has a Hawks-Pens final matchup. BW79 tanked like heck, with only Pittsburgh winning their 1st round matchup in her bracket. She doesn't have them going any further, so she's likely to set competition history here for the lowest ever final point total. Now the players competition: Rank Participant Running total 1 team pinnelli 72 2 Passive Voice 71 3 gmonk33 69 4 ringhio8-20 68 4 jluglue 68 4 seedvt 68 7 Tina Poole 67 8 asapajune 66 8 Beantown Canuck 66 10 Zanstorm 65 11 embracingthehatesince94 64 12 andrew21nz 63 13 kudou 62 14 treved 61 14 patrik e 61 14 nucksandpucks 61 17 Vancouverguy 60 17 jwolf0 60 19 reggiedunlop 59 20 missy 57 20 ctas 57 22 Coach Ryan 56 23 Slegna 55 24 Andrew Wade 53 24 westy99 53 26 DoubleN148 48 27 Nathaniel Perlow 45 28 Geordie Nuck 30 It appears that the majority of you are cashing in on the Crosby-Malkin pairing, with the two of them earning a combined 20 points in the 1st round. Although team pinnelli was one of them, they pulled ahead of the pack with another 15 points between Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Passive Voice also had a Malkin-Datsyuk-Zetterberg grouping, although without Crosby, and pulled into 2nd by having 29 points between Hossa, Sharp, Chara and Lucic. Geordie Nuck is bombing hard, having only 2 players break the 5-point mark in the 1st round. It's a little late for me to say good luck for the 2nd round, so I'll just say I'm "hoping" you're having good luck. (The "hope" is meant more as I am hoping I am beating you.)

Who's this guy? Alexandre Burrows Position: Right Wing Shoots: Left Height: 6'1'' Weight: 188 Born: April 11 in Pincourt, QC, Canada History: Signed as a free agent by Vancouver on November 8, 2005 What'd he do? Burrows turned in a solid season for the Canucks with 13 goals and 11 assists. In a season where the Canucks were plagued with injuries, Burrows managed to stay healthy, appearing in every game except one. Burrows was the top goal scorer for the Canucks, and his 24 points were the fourth most on the team. Burrows spent plenty of time in the sin bin, racking up a team high 54 PIM in 47 games. He was also one of seven players on the team to rack up more than 10 assists. For those of you who enjoy the +/- stat line, Burrows was third on the team with a +/- of +15, ranking 25th in the NHL. Burrows also led the team with 140 shots on goal. Against San Jose in the first round, the Canucks scored just eight goals in the four games, and Burrows had two of those. Ryan Kesler was the only other Canuck to score more than one goal. He was also scored one of Vancouver's two power play goals in the series. So was he any good? This season, Burrows was one of the most dependable players on the roster. He managed to stay healthy, which spoke volumes on this team during the short season. In a year where the Canucks finished in the bottom half of the league in goals per game, Burrows proved reliable to provide scoring. Sure, 13 goals in 48 games isn't elite or anything, and he was one pace for his lowest goal total in five years, but it still ranked him in the top 75 overall in the NHL (out of 895 players according to NHL.com). For staying healthy and generating scoring, Burrows was one of Vancouver's most valuable assets to the team in 2013. What'd we like? Remember that time he scored in six seconds to start the game against the Red Wings? No? You must have blinked. We were all convinced those jerseys had special powers at this moment. And then there was that time where he made us think for a brief time that maybe, just maybe, this team had some life in the playoffs with their backs against the wall. While this whacky shootout move might have backfired, it must've sounded cool on paper. And it was hilarious to watch, so I'll just leave this here for a good chuckle. Did it go in? No. But did it give you a healthy laugh? Yes. We all like to think we'd be a good wingman for our friends. But this goal makes Burrows the wingman of the year, as it made Henrik Sedin the all-time leading scorer in Canucks' history. So what now? Fortunately for the Canucks, Burrows isn't going anywhere. Back in September, the Canucks signed Burrows to a four-year, $18-million contract extension. While the Canucks have a number of issues to address before getting back to the Stanley Cup Final, Burrows isn't one of those issues. He is a core part of this team, and will play a vital role in the years to come. His scoring was a little down from years past, but he still played a key leadership role, something that will be expected of him in the coming future.

When I wrote this a little over a couple weeks ago, it was because I thought that it is an interesting question. The struggle between the two "poles" of hockey at the NHL level is nothing new. There have always been big teams that played big ( and some that played the skill game regardless of their size! ), and teams built more on skill. The big mean team archtype have always kind of smirked at those of us that enjoy an up tempo game. They know what everyone is certainly seeing play out in front of their very eyes during these playoffs when it comes to what is and isn't a penalty in the regular season, as opposed to the playoffs. But, some of us got fooled. Me, Mike Gillis, and fans of the beauty of the game ( don't get me wrong. I love the "brawn" of the game. My favorite thing to do as a youngin' playing the game was to deliver a perfect hit! I just love the beauty of the game a bit more now...) all thought that, coming out of the 2004 lockout, that the new rule changes would make for a certain type of hockey. One exemplified by the Wonder Twins, Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The NHL, in 2004, changes how the game was being called, and rewarded speed and skill. Power plays that were successful, in part because they were getting more than a couple chances at it a game, we're becoming more important. I honestly don't remember the playoffs in the intervening years between then and now being any less entertaining as a result. But, defensemen were getting their brains scrambled at an alarming rate, and something, rightly, had to be done. Instead of still calling the rules of interference, that one change, of allowing defensemen and forwards to slightly hold up the onrushing forechecker at the blue line again, soon became full on, both hands out checks. As each round goes forward in the playoffs, just watch what doesn't get called at the blue lines. The rest is all attitude, size, defensive zeal Skilled size guys are the new "must have players" . Don't get me wrong. Skill is still important. It just seems that instead of highlighting Sedinery, the NHL decided that the hitting and violence should share the spotlight. I get that. I love both. But surely there is a way to call the game where they can actually call interference AND prevent the epidemic of concussions that were happening because of the out of lockout rule changes. You had a great idea NHL. The hockey was spectacular. Don't throw out the baby with the entertaining bath water. As evidenced by our GM's comments on the game,how it is played and called, and the changes that are required, and without trying to pat myself on the back ( and ending up spraining myself somehow anyhow! )... it seems apparent that me and the boss have been thinking similar thoughts. You cannot imagine the excitement that has engendered in this fan moving forward. Why? Because it sure sounds like the Canucks are going to start playing and building with the Big Boy Hockey idea in mind. In light of the recent results, rule changes brought in and then changed, and simply the way the game is called in the second season, if you can't beat em, join em! First up is the coach. Most of the readers here at least know that I was and am a fan of Alain Vigneault. Although I totally agree with the move yesterday, as the time had come, and the message had seemingly grown "stale" ( not to mention two first round exits. In the end, it is a results business ), I do think there might be a coach or two out there that might fit the mold better. As the "process" moves forward, we can get into that, but I imagine they will wait a bit until teams start losing out and consider dumping their own highly regarded coaches. For now, let me just list a few of the current coaches that play "Big Boy Hockey" to some degree. Remember, it does vary. One of the most successful teams this year is the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they definitely play a hybrid of the two solitudes. ( the kind of game

Who's this guy? Jannik Hansen Position: Right Wing Shoots: Right Height: 6'1" Weight: 195 lbs. Born: March 15, 1986 in Herlev, Denmark History: Drafted 287th overall (9th Round) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks What'd he do? Hansen had a good regular season, putting up 10 goals and 17 assists. His 27 points was good for third on the team behind the Sedins. Despite bouncing between lines throughout the season (a testament to his versatility), he logged second line minutes - 17:33/game, placing him behind only the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows, and Derek Roy amongst forwards. With the obvious caveat that the shortened season allows for greater statistical inconsistency, prorating Hansen's PPG over a full season would have given him a career year with 17 goals and 47 points. He also took an impressively low 8 penalty minutes on the season. His +/-, for those of you who put any stock in that statistic, was quite good at +12. Of course, no one remembers the Canucks 2013 regular season. In the playoffs, Hansen disappeared from the score sheet and recorded 0 points in the Sharks' sweep of the Canucks. Some timely secondary scoring in the playoffs from Hansen would have significantly improved the Canucks' chances of moving beyond the first round. So was he any good? Leaving aside the playoffs, Hansen had a strong season for a support player. For part of the season Hansen used his speed to great effect on a line with Mason Raymond and Jordan Schroeder, and throughout the year his secondary scoring helped the Canucks earn valuable points during a season in which offense was often difficult to come by. Hansen plays an up-tempo game and his speed creates opportunities. His versatility was on display throughout the year, as he played in virtually all situations on the ice. If Hansen continues to develop, he will be a key part of the Canucks core for years to come. What'd we like? Remember that Hansen-Schroeder-Raymond line I mentioned? They did some beautiful stuff, such as this Hansen goal against the Minnesota Wild: And check out the speed and nice finish on this breakaway goal: This goal against the San Jose Sharks earned Nucks Misconduct Play of the Week honours: It's not always pretty, but Hansen always brings the effort. Nice to see him get rewarded with an ugly hard-work goal against the Edmonton Oilers: Speaking of effort: I called out Hansen for not producing during the playoffs, but nonetheless you've got to love his banging and crashing to help the Canucks score their only goal of Game 1 (credited to Kevin Bieksa, unassisted): If you enjoyed those clips, want to see every goal scored by Hansen in 201, set to "Ole, Ole!"? Sure you do: Cool. So what did we hate? As mentioned, Hansen did not contribute offensively in the playoffs. He also missed an opportunity to prevent a heartbreaking Game 2 loss to the Sharks, hitting the post on an empty net chance and thus allowing the Sharks their chance to tie the game. While this was a sad moment, the loss (as well as the series) cannot be pinned on Hansen any more than most Canucks players. Still, if the Canucks are to have any chance of playoff success with this core of players, secondary scorers like Hansen will need to contribute more in the postseason. Hansen is not know as a dirty player, but he received a 1-game suspension for an uncharacteristic hit to the head of Marian Hossa. There was debate amongst fans about whether this should have been a suspension, but here is the official take via Sheriff Shanahan: So what now? Hansen is signed through next season at an extremely reasonable $1.35 million cap hit. He will surely be due a raise after that, and if he continues to play at a high level the Canucks would do well to lock him up and, hopefully, induce him to sign a GMMG patented hometown discount. Expect Hansen to continue to provide strong depth scoring and good defensive play, including penalty kill duty, in

UPDATE: LIVE GILLIS PRESS CONFERENCE: TSN is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks have cleaned house, firing Alain Vigneault, along with assistant coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. The firing comes after weeks of speculation following a 2nd straight 1st round playoff exit for the Canucks. Some felt that Vigneault had earned another chance because of the 5 straight Northwest Division titles, but it's apparent that the team, and most likely owner Francesco Aqualini's patience caught up with a good chunk of the fan base and finally run out. Heading into realignment and GM Mike Gillis' statement that he wished to 'hit the reset button', there's a lot of questions surrounding the Canucks, and who is going to lead this team next season is now at the top of the list. We will continue to update you on when the Canucks make this official, and in the meantime, let's see your recommendations as to who you'd like to see at the helm next year. We would like to remind that now that Mike Keenan is signed to coach in Europe, we are waiving the automatic banhammer for suggesting Iron Mike get a shot. ******************** (Mgmt note: since we got so excited at real Canucks news we posted two threads on AV's termination. Here's the copy from the other one) After consecutive seasons with disappointing playoff performances, the axe has finally fallen on Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, as well as his assistants Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. Via TSN: Vigneault served seven years behind the Canucks bench, compiling a regular season record of 313-170-57. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2007 and was voted a finalist on two other occasions. His playoff record, though, was inconsistent. He took the team to the second round on three separate occasions, missed the playoffs once, and most memorably led them to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston in 2011. However, the Canucks were upset in the first round in the last two seasons, sealing his fate. The Canucks also fired associate coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. There will be much more reaction to this news here on Nucks Misconduct, but for now what are your thoughts about the firing of AV? Good move? Knee jerk reaction? Any thoughts on who should replace him? Regardless of your view of AV, this is definitely the end of an era in terms of Canucks coaching. Hopefully the move sparks the team to greater success next season. ******************** 1:31 PM PT Update: Solid take from Ben Kuzma: In the end, the Canucks couldn’t score and their 19th-ranked offence was hampered by the 25th-rated face-off percentage and it was no better against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Canucks were second last in playoff draws and scored but eight goals in the sweep. That’s two wins in the last 14 playoff games and just 20 goals. That’s terrifying. Worse than that, something was missing. The product became stale and predictable, there was a shocking lack of urgency and no real press to play an up-tempo game until the Canucks had their backs against the wall in Game 4 at San Jose. That falls on the players and the coaches, too. On some level there was a tune-out factor that was building for a long time. I called for a Vigneault firing a year ago. I’m old school. I believe if players are ultimately measured by postseason season effectiveness, the same standard should be applied to the coaches. And let’s be clear. This isn’t personal. I got along with Vigneault as well as any member of the media. I appreciated his occasional candour and outright laughter when he couldn’t control himself in Dallas when Vernon Fiddler did his hilarious Kevin Bieksa ‘Angry Face’ impersonation while returning to the bench. But this is business and it’s about winning when it matters most. And there’s nothing funny when it doesn’t occur and the winningest coach in franchise history can’t

After consecutive seasons with disappointing playoff performances, the axe has finally fallen on Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, as well as his assistants Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. Via TSN: Vigneault served seven years behind the Canucks bench, compiling a regular season record of 313-170-57. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2007 and was voted a finalist on two other occasions. His playoff record, though, was inconsistent. He took the team to the second round on three separate occasions, missed the playoffs once, and most memorably led them to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston in 2011. However, the Canucks were upset in the first round in the last two seasons, sealing his fate. The Canucks also fired associate coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. There will be much more reaction to this news here on Nucks Misconduct, but for now what are your thoughts about the firing of AV? Good move? Knee jerk reaction? Any thoughts on who should replace him? Regardless of your view of AV, this is definitely the end of an era in terms of Canucks coaching. Hopefully the move sparks the team to greater success next season.

The Vancouver Canucks have dismissed Vigneault, along with assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, according to NBC Sports: We asked yesterday about the fate of Alain Vigneault, and found out today — the Vancouver Canucks have dismissed Vigneault, along with assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, according to TVA’s Louis Jean. Jean also reports that Canucks GM Mike Gillis met with ownership before breaking the news to the three. The move marks a massive changing of the guard in Vancouver, as nearly the entire coaching staff has been terminated, and there’s still no word on what the club plans to do with assistant coach (video) Daryl Williams and/or goaltending coach Roland Melanson. Vigneault was the 16th head coach in Canucks history and the most successful in franchise history. Since taking over in June 2006, he led the Canucks to two Presidents Trophies, a Stanley Cup finals appearance, multiple Northwest Division titles and six postseason berths. Vigneault may be the winningest coach in Canucks history — with 313 regular season victories — and he may have taken Vancouver to Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals; however, two straight first-round playoff exits were, in the words of Canucks GM Mike Gillis, “unacceptable.” More to come on this story as developments unfold. Click to go to NBC Sports Link The Vancouver Canucks have dismissed Vigneault, along with assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, according to NBC Sports: We asked yesterday about the fate of Alain Vigneault, and found out today — the Vancouver Canucks have dismissed Vigneault, along with assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, according to TVA’s Louis Jean. Jean also reports that Canucks GM Mike Gillis met with ownership before breaking the news to the three. The move marks a massive changing of the guard in Vancouver, as nearly the entire coaching staff has been terminated, and there’s still no word on what the club plans to do with assistant coach (video) Daryl Williams and/or goaltending coach Roland Melanson. Vigneault was the 16th head coach in Canucks history and the most successful in franchise history. Since taking over in June 2006, he led the Canucks to two Presidents Trophies, a Stanley Cup finals appearance, multiple Northwest Division titles and six postseason berths. Vigneault may be the winningest coach in Canucks history — with 313 regular season victories — and he may have taken Vancouver to Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals; however, two straight first-round playoff exits were, in the words of Canucks GM Mike Gillis, “unacceptable.” More to come on this story as developments unfold. Click to go to NBC Sports Link

Who's this guy? Henrik Sedin Position: C Shoots: L Height: 6’2" Weight: 188lbs Born: When "twin brother" Daniel split into two identical beings on his third birthday after ingesting mutated cake icing. History: Failed in grade 10 but rebounded with the help of a tutor to get an A- in grade 12. What'd he do? Hank’s scoring was down marginally this year, putting up "just" 45 points in 48 games (his billionth straight season without missing any action). If you look more deeply at his profile, though, he posted this slight scoring decline in contrast to improving possession numbers against more difficult assignments. Nobody cares given the way the season ended with a whimper, but the main man in the middle is hardly a culprit at even strength. He was noticeably less effective on the power play, an issue that’s difficult to assign blame to a player or the system without a much more thorough analysis than this one. So was he any good? Unequivocally yes, Sedin remains one of the top offensive players in the league. He had the 10th best Corsi in the NHL, increasing his possession indicators for the second year in a row. More importantly, he did so while taking on a much more team-friendly role. After peaking with 78.6% of shifts starting in the offensive zone in 2011-12, that rate fell all the way to 63.7% this year. That’s still a favorable deployment, but his line took on a more balanced role with the depth issues plaguing the middle further down the line-up. Hank also faced a much higher Corsi Rel QOC, an indicator of the quality of competition a player faces. I believe this passes the eye test, as well – the Sedin line just appeared to be in their own zone more, and the fact that their possession indicators rose at even strength despite more difficult assignments shows a versatility and maturity that hasn’t always been there. Now, the power play also struggled, and he’s the captain of a team that limped out of the playoffs. Some blame falls on his shoulders for that, deservedly or not. What'd we like? This penalty shot is absolutely filthy. Of course, the highlight of his season may have been this play, where he assisted on a Burrows goal to become the Canucks’ all time leader in points. Some may not have liked this cheap shot on Couture in the playoffs, but I thought it was hilarious. And finally, #trollsohard: Cool. So what did we hate? Again, the power play needs work. The unit fell to 22nd in the NHL with a league average number of opportunities, leaving the Canucks without what was previously a big competitive advantage (last year, they were fourth in efficacy and eighth in chances). It’s hard to just assign blame to the centreman, though the fact that his faceoff success rate dipped below 50% certainly doesn’t help (I believe studies have shown FO% isn’t a huge factor, but I’d guess it has more of an impact on special teams – somebody correct me if I’m wrong, please). I also hate his face. Not him, but his face. As a "new" Canucks fan (I moved here in August), I was really looking forward to watching the twins more closely, as they’re extremely talented offensive players. However, the fact that they insist on matching haircuts, facial hair and generic clichés drives me nuts. You’re 32 years old, I think you can detach the bunk beds and get your own style - I'd love to see them with contrasting images, it'd be hilarious. So what now? That’s a great question. To get the most offensively out of the Sedins, the key for the Canucks is to improve the second and third lines, allowing them more favorable assignments and more zone starts to create with. Another potential issue, though, is that mid-30s forwards are a risky proposition. Since 1995, there have been 132 player seasons where age 31-32 forwards averaged more than 0.75 points per game. That drops to 106 for age 33-34,

The Sedins waltzed home to Sweden, entered the tournament, and absolutely kicked ass, propelling the Swedes to a gold medal. How dominant were they? Daniel Sedin scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 4 games. When asked post game what type of hockey "Swedish hockey" is, Daniel said: "boring." And then almost laughed. Dank was injured in the 3rd period when he was checked through an open gate by Swiss player Matthias Bieber. Daniel scored no points in the final game. Henrik Sedin finished with an astounding 4 goals and 5 assists in the 4 games he played. Dominating. He scored 2 goals and had one 1 assist in the gold medal game. How sweet is this reaction: (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/HHOF-IIHF Images) Atta boy, Hank! Now bring some of that...