Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd In January, the Vancouver Canucks looked like they were about to freeze to death. In February, the club has begun to smell as sweet as springtime flowers. After an overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 31, the Canucks had truly hit rock bottom, […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd When Roberto Luongo strained his groin while making a routine save on Pittsburgh defenseman Philippe Boucher on November 22, Vancouver Canucks fans had genuine reason for concern. Their superstar captain has amassed 11 wins, five losses, and two ties for his team so far this […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Leaving Vancouver wasn’t easy for Brendan Morrison. Not only did the smart 33-year-old centerman spend eight productive seasons with the Canucks, but he’s also a native Vancouver son. So when he returned to GM Place for the first time as a member of the Anaheim […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Are the Vancouver Canucks a Stanley Cup contender? You might think so, simply due to the presence of superstar goalie Roberto Luongo. In addition, recent rumors claim Vancouver GM Dave Nonis could be looking to acquire Toronto captain Mats Sundin to ramp up his club’s […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Caring host families make a huge difference for young WHLers When New York Rangers forward Scott Gomez was interviewed between periods on a recent Hockey Night in Canada telecast, the former Tri-City American made a point of saying hi to his billet family from his […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Early in the NHL careers of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the twin Swedish forwards were derisively dubbed the “Sedin sisters.” Despite their obvious finesse skills and chemistry together, they lacked upper body strength and footspeed. And despite the similarity between their surname and that of […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd When Dave Nonis was fired as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks on April 14, the timing of his dismissal came as a surprise. Even though owner Francesco Aquilini expressed bitterness over the club’s narrow failure to make the playoffs, most observers thought Nonis, a […]

Interesting article by the Vancouver Sun’s Iain MacIntyre today, focusing on Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell and his concern for the environment. Apparently 16 members of the Canucks purchase carbon offsets against the extensive air travel the team undertakes. Here, you can find one Kukla’s Corner commenter’s estimate of the distances travelled by each NHL club […]

January 8, 2008. GM Place. Final score: Vancouver Canucks 3, New York Islanders 2 by shootout. Vancouver outshoots the Islanders 45-28. This might have been the sloppiest game I’ve seen all year at GM Place. The Islanders’ game notes trumpeted: “CHRISTIE BRINKLEY SUPPORTS HER HOME TEAM.” That’s great for the 53-year-old supermodel, but can you […]

Big NHLers with surnames starting with “B” have been dishing out verbal punishment as well as fisticuffs recently. First, it was Toronto’s Wade Belak commenting on New York Rangers forward Sean Avery and the pre-game melee the latter instigated last Saturday: “If he keeps this up, someone is going to kill him. One day he’s […]