Bleacher Report - Articles by Joel Lefevre

Canucks Have the Cash Needed To Sign a Big Name

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:54:17 -0400

On a day when most Canadians will be celebrating our national holiday, Mike Gillis and his management team will be looking to celebrate in another way, in the form of hopefully a top end player. Jul. 1 marks the opening day in the free agent market and following last season's unexpected success anticipation is high for Vancouver to make a splash in the free agent waters.

Vancouver typically has been quiet when the free agency opened; however, this time they have 23 million reasons to make a lot of noise.

There are currently 13 players under contract with the Canucks for next season. This does not necessarily mean they will be with the Canucks next season. The Canucks have a lot of trade value out there with Roberto Luongo, among other hotly discussed as a possible trade option.

I expect to see Luongo in a Canucks uniform at the start of this season. If the right deal is out there, don't be surprised to see Mike Gillis pull the trigger. Mason Raymond, who was widely regarded as a future star with the Canucks, had a dismal season this year and, though he has great wheels, his scoring is a cause for concern and he could very well be packaged off in a deal for a top end forward.

Speaking of top end forward, the Sedin twins have yet to re-sign and there is hot speculation that they may not be in a Canucks uniform come tomorrow. Gillis has supposedly left a deal on the table for them, but don't be surprised to see them resurface with the man who brought them to Vancouver, Brian Burke. Should the Sedins re-sign, they will likely be reunited with Alex Burrows, who had a career year with the two last seasons.

The Canucks were hotly pursuing Jay Bowmeester, but their plans have changed now with Bowmeester signing with the Calgary Flames. The Canucks are solid on defence but will want to add a strong puck-moving defensemen to help their power play, which had an up and down year.

Don't be surprised to see a Thomas Kaberle come to Vancouver, whether it be in a deal with the Sedins or in a free agent signing. The Canucks could use his skill and hands. It is almost a sure bet that Mattias Ohlund will not be a Canucks come tomorrow and defensemen like Kaberle could help log a lot of the minutes the Ohlund did while on the back end.

Expect the Canucks to take a run at every skilled high priced forward there is to help bolster their scoring for next season.

The fourth line is set with Rypien, Hordichuk, and Johnson providing some much needed energy. Kyle Wellwood's strong playoff performance should get him a spot for next season along with linemate Steve Bernier, who was inked to a deal earlier in the offseason.

Should the Sedins re-sign, that will leave the Canucks with a second line to help improve. It is unlikely Sundin will resurface in Vancouver next season, and though Demitra is under contract, that will not stop Gillis from going after a big name.

Team MVP Ryan Kesler has shown to be a great shut down forward and a wonderful offensive spark, and will be counted upon to do the same next season. That leaves Gillis with a lot of decisions for next season, but he has a lot of options.

Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Alex Kovalev, Martin Havlat, Alex Tanguay, and Mike Cammalleri would all be great options for Mike Gillis to help address his issues of adding a top six forward.

Gaborik is a proven goal scorer and leader, but with his string of injuries is he worth the risk?

Hossa would be a great fit; he has made it clear he wants a cup and may want to stick with Detroit to make that happen. Kovalev, Havlat, Tanguay, or Cammalleri would all make great additions, but whether the Canucks can sway these players enough will be key.

Danny Heatley is another outside possibility, though it seems he will likely resurface somewhere else.

Then again, with outstanding prospect like Cody Hodgson and Michael Grabner ready for the big time, Gillis might very well just be content with the team he has right now, though he has already shown to be very determined as GM.

For the goaltender position, Roberto Luongo was a hotly debated topic since he let in seven goals in their exit from the playoffs against the Blackhawks. It has been known for years that he is among the best in the world, but is he capable of taking this team to the next level?

Corey Schneider certainly looks ready to at least get some game action in the NHL, is Schneider ready for prime time? Luongo become an unrestricted free agent next season and the talk is that they need to get some value for him now before it's too late; whether or not the Canucks see it that way is anybody's guess.

If there is one thing we have learned from Mike Gillis is his short time as GM, it is that he is very patient and persistent when it comes to free agents. If there is a deal out there to be made, he will pursue it but he will proceed with caution. Expect some moves to be made tomorrow. Which moves and how many will be very much up in the air.

How I Became a Jacksonvile Jaguars Fan

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:54:54 -0400

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL back in 1995, they've shown they are here to compete and ready to win.

Despite a tough opening season record of 4-12, Tom Coughlin's men showed they would only get better from there. And get better was exactly what they did, as they went on to stun the NFL by making the playoffs in their second year of existence, thanks to a brilliant stretch drive that saw them win six of their final seven games.

What was to come in the postseason in 1996 is something that all die-hard Jaguars fans will never forget.

Following a dramatic win over the Atlanta Falcons to clinch a playoff spot, the Jags opened the postseason on the road against the vaunted Buffalo Bills. Having made four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1990-93, the Bills were heavily favored and hungry to finally win a Super Bowl.

The Jaguars were young, inexperienced and expected to get taught a serious lesson. However, in this memorable encounter, the young Jags would show how quickly they could catch on and make some noise in the postseason.

Trailing the Bills on four separate occasions, the Jaguars showed how resilient they were and found a way to pull it out thanks to a game-winning 45-yard field goal by Mike Hollis.

That day, the Jaguars showed how much character they had and showed no matter what the conditions that they were ready. Coming into a blustery Ralph Wilson Stadium in late December, few thought the Jaguars could adjust to the snowy conditions in a hostile environment in Buffalo. Not only did they adjust, but they showed that rain or shine, they were here to win.

That dramatic upset was just the beginning of what the Jaguars had in store for the AFC.

Their next victims would be John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Once again the Jags were underdogs and expected to go down to the vastly experienced Broncos, who had some unfinished business. Their business would remain unfinished, as the Jaguars showed once again they were for real.

Trailing early on thanks to two Denver touchdowns, the Jaguars stormed back to take the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. Jimmy Smith put it out of reach in the fourth quarter with a 16-yard touchdown catch to put the Jags up by 10. Ed McCaffrey's late touchdown ultimately was in vain, as the Jaguars upset the Broncos 30-27 to advance to the AFC Championship.

Who would have guessed it? Only its second season in the league and Jacksonville was on the verge of a berth in the Super Bowl.

While the Jags' Cinderella run came to an end against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, Coughlin's men sent a message to the rest of the league that they were serious contenders who deserved some respect.

More than halfway through the 1996 season, the Jaguars were a dismal 3-6 and virtually out of the playoff picture. They were down but they were far from out, winning their final five games (many in dramatic fashion) to make the playoffs for the first time in team history.

It was that season when I, along with many people in Jacksonville, became a huge fan of the Jaguars. They showed a resiliency and a fight that I have never seen before in the NFL.

Their determination and never-say-die attitude was something that drew me to the team and has made me excited to watch this team succeed. The Jaguars showed they came here to win and that they were never out of a ball game.

They would go on to make the playoffs the following three seasons, proving 1996 was no fluke.

While the team in 1999 would again make the AFC Championship, it was 1996 that was really special for the Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville.

Their march on the brink of a Super Bowl was something of a Cinderella story that the Jags couldn't have scripted any better. That season made you want to stand up and cheer as they were without a doubt the feel-good story of the NFL in 1996.

From that moment on, the Jaguars have shown they can be entertaining and that they are never out of ball game.

As a sports fan, that's all you can ask for is a chance, a chance to dream and a chance to believe that you can always win no matter the circumstances.

The Jaguars have given me and the rest of their fans a reason to dream and believe that they can and will triumph some day.

NHL Officiating at All-Time Low

Joel Lefevre — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:03:42 -0400

Once again, bad officiating has reared it's ugly head in the NHL.

This past Friday in Chicago, as the Hawks defeated the Red Wings 4-3 in overtime, an absolute bogus call by Dave Jackson and Dan O'Halloran put the Red Wings shorthanded for the entirety of the game.

Late in the first period with the Hawks up 2-0, the Wings needed a spark. Nicolas Kronwall set out to do just that, flattening Martin Havlat with a perfectly timed hit that sent the Hawks bench into a tizzy.

Well, it's a good thing the Hawks were as incensed as they were as it helped influence the referees to call a mysterious five minute major and a game misconduct. The Wings would have to play the remainder of the game short one defencemen.

This was just the first of many awful calls that have overshadowed what is supposed to be the most exciting time for hockey fans, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The refs have been incredibly inconsistent all playoffs long as the new NHL and their rules have ruined some great games. Evidently the new NHL is more interested in getting rid of clutching and grabbing, rather than preventing serious injuries.

Last year, Sean Avery got a rule changed in the playoffs and now apparently a new rule has been put in place without anyone knowing: staying down and being hurt. Now let me say that I do not believe Havlat was diving or making a meal of his hit, but nonetheless I was not aware it was a penalty for staying down and being hurt.

Or maybe the new rule is if the home crowd and the players go crazy on the bench than you have to call something to satisfy the majority? Whatever the reason, Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman should be ashamed of how bad the officiating has become.

Who would have thought there could be officials more incompetent than the ones that worked the 72 Summit series? Heck, it looks as though we may have some.

So you are not allowed to clutch or grab or take your hand off your stick ever, but you can high stick almost anytime you want? The goalie is also fair game, a new rule Luongo found out about when Byfuglien jammed his stick halfway up Luongo's mask.

No longer off limit, these days the man in front can push guys into the goalie and basically do whatever they want.

Oh, and a late hit when the puck is long gone and the player is blindsided is fine. However, don't even think of hitting a man cleanly with your shoulder and time the hit perfectly.

Once again, the new NHL is proving what a joke it can be. I just want to know how much these officials make for their bogus jobs? Maybe the new NHL with all the new rules give the refs a bigger salary as well. Or maybe there is a bonus for officials who blow calls?

Whatever the reason, the league ought to be ashamed of the product it has put on the ice.

Who'd have thought we'd see the day when referee's rule the ice.

Beating the Odds: Canucks Season Gives Vancouver Fans Reason for Optimism

Joel Lefevre — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:56:58 -0400

Another season in the books in Vancouver and once again not the way anyone wanted it to end.

Yes, it's disappointing when you look at all the leads they had against Chicago and everything they had going for them but all in all there is a lot to be proud of with the Canucks this season. The Canucks obviously overachieved bigtime and will have much more expectation going into next season.

While we will have to wait another long year to possibly see Lord Stanley you can't help but be proud of the Canucks and what they were able to accomplish this season.

Going back to the end of the 2007-08 campaign, the Canucks were a sinking ship, missing the playoffs for the second time in three years and a busy off-season to come. The disappointing season cost Dave Nonis his job as general manager but that was just the first of many changes as the core of the Canucks was to be completely dismantled.

There were the significant losses of captain Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison to free agency and the retirement of Canucks favourite son Trevor Linden. New GM Mike Gillis was bringing in a new look and looking for a new attitude to get this team back on track.

However, Gillis could not imagine how terrible things would be at the start of his tenure as Canucks GM. Shortly after he was brought in, the Canucks family was hit hard by the tragic death of top prospect Luc Bourdon. His death not only severely depleted the teams depth on the blue line but his presence and passion for the game was something that you couldn't help but be inspired about.

Going into the regular season with all the key losses over the offseason and no significant moves, everyone expected this Vancouver team was a recipe for disaster. A 6-0 win in an emotional opening game did little to silence the critics who believed it was just a matter of time before Luongo and company crumbled.

Then came Nov. 22 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Roberto Luongo injured his groin. There was no way they could overcome Luongo being out longterm, not even with the early Christmas present of Mats Sundin, right?

Well, if you watched this team in January, you would have thought for sure the Canucks had hit a brick wall. While newcomer Jason LaBarbera performed admirably in Luongo's relief the team could not get the victories they needed to stay in the race for the Northwest. Even the return of Luongo did nothing as the team suffered through a dreadful January that saw them lose eight games in a row and nine on home ice.

Then, out of nowhere, came a sudden resurgence that has not been seen with the Canucks since perhaps the team of '94. Alex Burrows' short-handed winner against Carolina turned the season completely around, as the Canucks quickly went from bottom feeders to world beaters.

After suffering through a dreadful home losing streak the Canucks would go on to set a new team record with 11 straight on the road to get right back in the thick of things in the West.

Still, late in the season people were still writing them off. Having been over a dozen points behind division leaders Calgary in January, it was somewhat of a miracle that, going into April, Vancouver managed to get itself in the hunt for the Northwest title. The Canucks earned the right to win the Northwest, going 23-of-32 from February to the end of the season, a winning percentage of .719.

All of this came on the heels of another tragic loss, as Taylor Pyatt lost his fiancee in a car crash mere weeks before the end of the season. Nonetheless, the Canucks carried on and were able to find another gear and come back to win the Northwest division for the second time in three years.

Then the playoffs came around, and still people were doubting the lack of Stanley Cup experience and whether the Canucks could stay with the red hot St. Louis Blues. Despite the skepticism from critics, the Canucks were fully deserving of their four-game sweep against the Blues, as they swept a seven-game series for the first time in club history.

While things went sour against the Chicago Blackhawks, no one can say that the Canucks were not without their chances. Having the lead in every game in the series, they have only themselves to blame. However, looking back on this disappointing playoff loss, Canuck fans can look back and realize that with all the team went through maybe in the end it was just too much to overcome.

As disappointing as it was to see the Canucks go out, when you look at where they were and what they had to go through you have to have a little bit of pride in the Canucks.

No team in the league had to go through as much adversity, mentally, physically, and emotionally, as the Vancouver Canucks did all season. Right from the summer of 2008, the Canucks had the deck stacked against them but refused to die.

Now the question will be can the Canucks respond next season with much more expectation for the '09-10 campaign. With a lot of changes on the horizon, it will be tough to see the Canucks duplicate what they did this season.

But for now, be proud of the Canucks; they had their backs up against the wall all season and refused to say "uncle," and no team can take that away from them. A team that without question had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at them this season can be proud of how well they responded.

Everything aside, fans in Vancouver still have a lot to look forward to next season.

Bombers Extend Smith's Contract, Sign Kicker Pierson

Joel Lefevre — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:18:59 -0400

The Bombers continued their offseason makeover with two new signings on Friday.

First, they resigned running back Joe Smith, who was acquired midway through last season in exchange for Charles Roberts. It was also announced that the team had signed kicker Bradley Pierson from the University of North Carolina State. Mike Kelly continues to put his stamp on this team, as there are likely to be a lot of battles for starting positions at training camp.

Pierson spent last season handling the punting and kicking duties at North Carolina State and went on to earn all-conference, all-area, and all-state honours. The 22-year-old will be fighting for a starting job against Alexis Serna and Dan Giancola.

Smith gives the Bombers another dimension at running back, as his power and up-the-middle style should compliment the flashiness of Fred Reid.

In eight games last season, Smith rushed 69 times for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Back in '07, Smith led the league in rushing with 281 carries for 1,510 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also helped the BC Lions capture the Grey cup in 2006.

With Smith and Reid in the mix on offence, expect the Bombers to present a formidable duo that could resemble the days of Roberts and Sellers in the backfield in Winnipeg.

Coach Mike Kelly was thrilled to have Smith back for another season. "Joe has proven his worth in the Canadian Football League," said Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly. "His production speaks for itself, and we're excited to witness his continual progression and production as member of our football club."

The '99 Jaguars - A Look Back At My All-Time Favourite Team

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:38:31 -0400

The 1999 season was a very memorable one for the city of Jacksonville as the Jags were a force to be reckoned with and captured the imagination of the city. The team was so exciting and seemed destined to win the Super Bowl. Entering their fifth season as an NFL franchise, Tom Coughlin's team looked poised and ready to go where no Jaguars team had gone before, the Super Bowl.

How They Stacked Up

After three straight seasons of playoff appearances the Jaguars made it clear to the rest of the league that they were for real. On paper they now boasted a solid team of pro-bowlers and all around strong players in all three facets of the game. Look up and down that lineup and try to find a weak spot.

At quarterback Mark Brunell was in the prime of his career having thrown a career high 20 touchdowns in '98 and had been selected to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons. Should Brunell not be healthy they could count on backup Jay Fiedler who in relief of Brunell in '99 was very effective completing over 64 percent of his passes. Two soon-to-be starting quarterbacks on the same team—not bad for an expansion team that was supposed to be weak.

In the backfield they boasted two explosive running back in youngster Fred Taylor and the big horse in James Stewart. Together they rushed for a combined 1,663 yards that season.

At receiver they could count on three very sure-handed and impressive receivers in the league. Starting with probably the greatest Jag receiver of all-time, Jimmy Smith came into the '99 season after two straight Pro Bowl appearances and his expectation was high. Smith did not disappoint as he caught 116 passes for 1,636 yards a career best.

The Jags could also count on veteran Keenan McCardell who that season caught 78 passes for 891 yards and 5 touchdowns. Then completing the trio there was tight end Kyle Brady who was extremely durable and dependable missing only nine games his whole career and catching 32 passes that season for 346 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively they could count on future franchise player Tony Brackens who made 12 sacks in '99 and forced two interceptions. His partners, Kevin Hardy and Gary Walker, made them a formidable front four as they each had 10 quarterback sacks that season. In the secondary, cornerback Aaron Beasley and safety Donovan Darius made them an aggressive and tough team to pass against.

Flying out of the Gate

The Jaguars came out blazing in 1999 opening the season with a very impressive 41-3 victory over the San Fransisco 49ers. That was a sign of things to come as they dominated halfway through the season with their only blemish coming in week three with a narrow one point loss to the Tennessee Titans. They continued to dominate late into the season finding a way to win the nail biters, and also finding a way to blow teams out.

When the season was complete the Jaguars had the NFL's best record at 14-2 and for the first time had home field advantage throughout the playoffs. It was clear midway through the '99 campaign that the Jaguars were the team to beat as they boasted a potent offence that could burn you in so many ways. But more than that they had a formidable defence that rarely gave up the big play and could also create alot of turnovers.

In total the Jaguars had a point differential of plus 162 in terms of points scored and points allowed all season. The Jaguars team looked destined to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history.

Super Bowl Dreamin'

For the first time in team history the Jaguars could enjoy the luxury of a first round bye and some much needed rest going into the postseason. First up was the Dan Marino and their state rivals, the Miami Dolphins.

Marino, the future hall of famer, was expected to come out with a purpose desperate to finally win a Super Bowl and to go out on top. This game however was no contest from start to finish as less than four and a half minutes into the game the Jaguars were ahead when Mark Brunell found Jimmy Smith for an eight yard touchdown.

Things would get alot worse for the Dolphins as just over 11 minutes into the quarter Fred Taylor broke away for a 90 yard touchdown run, still the longest in NFL playoff history. By halftime it was 41-7 in favour of the Jaguars. Even in the second half with most of Jacksonville's backups in the game the Dolphins still had no answer.

Jay Fiedler, (who would become the heir to Dan Marino in Miami) came in and picked up where Brunell left off, hitting Jimmy Smith for a 70 yard touchdown pass and later findind Alvis Witted for a 38 yard score. This was a dominating a performance as any the Jags had all season as they racked up 257 combined rushing yards in a 62-7 drubbing of the Miami Dolphins.

This was sadly the last game of Dolphin great Dan Marino who definitely did not envision his career to end on such a note as this. The Jags were moving on to the AFC Championship for the second time in team history and appeared to have everything going for them in the quest for a Super Bowl.

Remembering the Titans

Going into Jacksonville for the AFC Championship game, the team and the fans were jacked up expecting nothing less than a berth in the Super Bowl in Atlanta in a weeks time. Their opponents, the Tennessee Titans—the only team to beat them all season and a team riding high after an improbable last second touchdown against the Bills to open the playoffs. Surely this was the Jags year and they could not lose three times to these Titans.

Well early on the Jags appeared to be clicking as less than four minutes into the game Brunell found tight end Kyle Brady for a seven yard touchdown catch. Jeff Fisher and the Titans though were more resilient than the Dolphins and answered back with a nine yard pass from McNair to Yancey Thigpen.

The Jaguars did not looked rattled though and regained the lead in the second quarter when James Stewart broke away for a 30 yard touchdown run. Al Del Greco hit a field goal late in the half to cut the deficit to 14-10 Jaguars at halftime.

What was to come in the second half is something all Jaguar fans would rather forget. The Titans lit up the Jaguars in the third quarter for 16 points with the dagger coming off a Derrick Mason 80 yard punt return touchdown. Steve McNair put the icing on the cake in the fourth with his second touchdown of the game to crush the Jaguars dream of a first Super Bowl appearance. McNair was probably the deciding factor as he ran at will on the Jags defence totalling 91 yards on only nine carries.

The final was 33-14 and the Jaguars were left to wonder what might have been. This Jaguars team would never be the same as salary cap issues would put them into a tailspin for a number of years.

A Memorable Year with Hopes of More to Come

The Jaguars may have come up short in '99, but the way they captured the imagination of the fans and the league that year was truly special. They gave fans like myself and others a reason to hope and believe that it could be done, and though what was to follow was not pretty, there are a lot of great things to take out of that year.

Looking at the team now there is no reason to believe that this team cannot do what the '99 team did and maybe even out-do them. They have the potential to make history and win the Super Bowl like this team nearly did. What a year—something that will always stay with me and many players and fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Questions for Maurice Jones-Drew: What I Would Ask the Jags' Running Back

Joel Lefevre — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:15:37 -0400

•Maurice, growing up in California where football was so prominent, at what point did you know you wanted to be a professional football player?

•Who did you aspire to be like growing up?

•Playing high school football at De La Salle, how much pressure did you feel, having such a prominent role on a team with such a football distinction?

•In high school you were a linebacker, a kick returner, and a running back. Which position did you prefer to play?

•When did you first start playing football and who are the people that are most responsible for your development?

•Growing up you were raised by your grandparents for much of your childhood. Tell us how special they were to you that you added their name (Jones) to your last name?

•You played had an impressive college career at UCLA setting school records in career all purpose yards and a single game rushing record, but what for you was your proudest achievement in college football?

•You are second in NCAA all-time career return yards and were a first team All-American all-purpose back. Were you at all surprised that it took until the second round of the '06 NFL draft for you to get picked?

•Coming into training camp in 2006, what were your realistic expectations in your first season in Jacksonville?

•With the loss of Greg Jones in your first season you became much more featured early on in your career. Were you at all nervous about the responsibility of taking some pressure off Fred Taylor?

•You've always been praised for your explosive speed, both in the backfield and returning kicks. How do you find the stamina and energy to do that so effectively year in and year out?

•Early on teammates gave you the nickname "The Bowling Ball" because of your ability to run over tacklers. How are you able to be, at 5'7", 208 pounds, so elusive and yet so punishing to oncoming tacklers?

•You set a franchise record in all-purpose yards with 2,250 in 2006 and were five times named rookie of the week. Were you at all disappointed by not winning rookie of the year despite your remarkable season?

•How surreal was it for you as a rookie coming to the Jaguars and lining up behind a legend like Fred Taylor?

•You and Taylor were the featured parts of the offence in Jacksonville the past three seasons. How is it that your guys' running styles were able to be so effective for the Jags offence?

•How difficult will it be lining up in the backfield this season and not seeing No. 28 Fred Taylor alongside you?

•Coming off a disappointing 5-11 season in '08, what do you feel the Jaguars need to improve on the most in order to be successful?

•How will the approach offensively change with the likes of Taylor and Williams no longer here and the singing of big play receiver Torrey Holt?

•You've struggled against your own division, going 6-12 in the past three seasons. How crucial will your record in your own division impact your playoff chances this season?

•How valuable has it been having Russ Purnell as new special teams coach?

•What is your favourite thing to do outside of football?

•What is your favourite food/movie/sports team growing up?

•What is one thing about you that people would surprised to know?

Canucks-Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg's Celebration Was Uncalled For and Inexcusable

Joel Lefevre — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:08:07 -0400

So the Hawks are moving on—but I have to address an absolutely ridiculous play by Kris Versteeg when scoring the Hawks second goal of the game.

The goal came on a ridiculous call of Rick Rypien, which was one of many bad calls by the refs.

Yes, the refs stunk—but that is not the point.

Yes, the Hawks had an answer for the Canucks all series and were the superior team—but that is not the point of this article neither.

I hope to god I was not the only one who saw the way Versteeg celebrated his power-play goal—the Game Six clincher.

After Versteeg celebrated with his bow and arrow celebration, similar to one that Luc Bourdon used to do, I felt like throwing up. I don't know exactly what the meaning behind it was, but it seemed to be a mockery of either Alex Burrows—who did that to salute his best friend Bourdon who lost his life last summer—or a mockery of Bourdon himself.

In any event, the celebration came out of absolutely nowhere. Maybe I am jumping to conclusions, but it sure looked like a mockery in some way.

It is one thing to win, but you should be able to do it with class. Yes, the Hawks were the better team and the term a sore loser is often used in these circumstances. Whatever the reason for some of the childish behavior, on the other side there is such thing as a sore winner. And Versteeg's celebration looked ridiculous in every way to me.

And he was not the only one! Patrick Kane was shoving it in the face of Willie Mitchell with his post-game comments about his five-on-five play, which were not at all in the spirit of fair play. And what to say about Dustin Byfuglien, who was laughing at Luongo at every chance he got and finally got caught for a cheap shot he threw in the third period.

It's very difficult to lose with grace and dignity, but I never thought it would be as hard to win with grace and dignity. However, the Chicago Blackhawks are proving otherwise. If I were Quenneville or Scotty Bowman, I'd sit down Versteeg and have a long hard talk with him, warning him to never do something like that again.

Congrats to Chicago for playing a whale of a series, you were the better team. But to pull a move like Versteeg did on his goal has no business in the game of hockey—and I hope he is aware of that.

Expect a New Look But Hungrier Jacksonville Jaguars Team in 2009

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:13:39 -0400

Coming off a season of disappointment there is no doubt that some changes were in the works this off-season for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While coach Del Rio's approach and smash mouth style will likely be utilized quite a bit some changes in player and coaching personnel will give the Jaguars a bit of a different look in all three facets of the game. As expected the Jaguars did make some major moves that will impact this team and how they move ahead for 2009.

The most significant move from a player standpoint is without question the release of running back Fred Taylor. After a decade in Jacksonville the club released him in the off-season citing his 6 million dollar cap hit and wanting to get younger as the prime reason for letting the long-time running back go.

The loss of Taylor means Maurice Jones-Drew is now the unquestioned go to guy in the backfield, so expect him to see between 20-30 touches of the ball in the game. Offensively that means they will likely line up more in a single back formation with Jones-Drew slotted in the backfield behind Garrard.

With Jones-Drew as the main man you may see them line up alot less in the I formation or the dual HB formation than you saw in previous years when Taylor and Jones-Drew were so effective for years.

Expect the Jaguars to go down field a little more than they usually do however with the major signing of Torrey Holt from the Rams. The loss of Matt Jones and Reggie Williams means they may not go as much to a short or medium range passing game that they have been able to do so effectively.

There may also be alot of shotgun formations this season with Holt a legitimate deep ball threat that they have not had in a long time in Jacksonville. The shotgun formation could be a very deceptive and effective play for the Jags this season as Garrard has shown to be very effective running the ball and another consistent year for Troy Williamson could see the Jaguars trying more to stretch the defence vertically.

With Mike Tice still in the mix as an assistant and Tight ends coach expect the likes of Mercedes Lewis and Richard Angulo to see lots of passes thrown their way with some more TE swap and slot formations.

In short yardage goal line formations expect to see Maurice Jones-Drew mostly working to keep drives alive but also look to Greg Jones to get some more carries to help take some pressure off Jones-Drew.

David Garrard will make them that more dangerous in short yardage situation with his running ability and expect Del Rio to gamble alot in fourth down and short situations as the Jags in 07 were among the best in fourth down conversions.

On Special Teams Russ Purnell an old colleague of Del Rio in Baltimore should improve the Jaguars particularly in the return game. Dennis Northcutt is back once again looking to improve his stats from last season and Jones-Drew is as explosive a kick returner as any Jacksonville kick returner past or present.

Purnell brings a winning attitude as he is only 1 of 21 active NFL coaches to win a Super Bowl with two different teams accomplishing the feat in 06 with the Colts and in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens. In that time period he has coached six players who have earned Pro Bowl selections.

His experience will be invaluable to the likes of kicker Josh Scobee who has shown he can make the crucial field goal to win a game. Expect a more aggressive approach to the Jags in both the return game and the coverage game on special teams.

On defense the Jaguars got rid of Coordinator Greg Williams who is widely considered one of the best defensive minds in the game. The new man in charge is Mel Tucker who spent the past three season in Cleveland under Romeo Crenell.

Tucker will likely bring some very different defensive schemes in Jacksonville than former coordinator Greg Williams put in last season. Williams was known for being a wonderful defensive lines man, frequently going with a 4-3 scheme and several blitz packages to try and force some quarterback sacks and hurries.

Mel Tucker couldn't be more different in his thinking as he was renowned in Cleveland for having a very aggressive secondary that could disguise coverage brilliantly and shift momentum of a game very quickly.

This could bode well for the likes of Rashean Mathis and Reggie Nelson who are as in your face as they get for secondary players.

The release of Paul Spicer and Mike Peterson would indicate a different defensive approach focused more on confusing the quarterback with blanket and disguised coverages rather than pressure from the front four in causing a fumble or a sack.

Last season Tucker's defense in Cleveland was third in the league with 31 takeaways, something that should drastically help the secondary of Jacksonville that has been really burned badly in the pass game.

Look for some solid 3-4 formations as John Henderson and Reggie Hayward will be counted on to continue Jacksonville track record of outstanding play against the run.

However there should be alot more nickel and dime formations than in previous years for the Jags as they should be much tougher to defend on the deep pass and will hope to create alot more turnovers next season.

A much different look to the Jaguars this season will be interesting to see how they show up and play. With some new faces both on an off the field they appear to be improved in many of their areas of struggle last season but their are still many question marks on this team as they embark on the 2009 season.

Can this offence recover from a dreadful running game last season and still be effective playing their smash mouth football? How will the losses of Spicer and Peterson affect their blitz schemes and their great run defense? How will Torrey Holt fit in to a team that has been known more for their running and short to medium ranger passing?

Will the defence be able to buy in and adjust to the new schemes Mel Tucker brings with him? And how will the team gel with all the new faces on the team and new coaches? These are just some of the questions that will be facing the Jaguars as the look to return to their winning ways in 2009.

Canucks-Blackhawks: Vancouver Still Has Some Fight Left

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 11 May 2009 03:30:01 -0400

The Canucks may be down 3-2 and facing elimination Monday night in Chicago—but for those who think the Canucks are dead and buried, think again.

While the Canucks have clearly missed some opportunities to really put the Hawks in hot water, they should not be written off, despite their predicament.

I look for a determined effort Monday, and a hard-fought game from the Canucks to force a Game Seven. Call me crazy for still believing in the Canucks, but I think this series is still far from over.

Here is why I think the series will go the distance. First of all, the Canucks have been dynamite on the road this playoffs, with their only blemish a two-minute lapse in Game Four that cost them a huge amount of momentum.

That may have been a crucial mistake, but they can take solace in the fact that they have been successful in a very hostile environment in Chicago.

Second, despite being out-shot in every game in this series, when they have gotten shots through they have often resulted in goals or great chances. A big reason is the play of Nikolai Khabibulin—who, though he has played well, has not been very convincing, and has let in some weak goals.

Khabibulin, despite his winning record, has a very unimpressive save percentage of .900—the worst of the remaining starting goaltenders left—and his GAA of 2.56 is not much better. He has also had a tendency to give up several big, juicy rebounds that could have resulted in more goals for the Canucks had they been more opportunistic.

If they can fire more shots toward Khabibulin and pounce on the rebounds, the puck will start going in.

Vancouver has faced so much adversity all season, and knows this is just another obstacle for them to overcome. An encouraging sign was the play of Mats Sundin, who was flying all night Saturday, racking up a goal and an assist. Kesler and Henrik have done their end of the bargain too, and Wellwood, Pyatt, and Bernier have been unlucky not to find the net more than they have.

Defensively, Vancouver has shut down the Hawks' top two guns.

Patrick Kane, after scoring three goals in the first two games, has gone goalless and only has a point in the last three games.

Jonathan Toews has been invisible on the scoresheet. He's improved and helped in the faceoff circle, but he has given the Canucks one less player to worry about offensively thus far.

Martin Havlat may have come alive of late, but the Canucks have shown they can shut him down and frustrate him too.

Vancouver's power play has been great, clicking at over 30 percent on the road, and they have the best penalty kill of the teams left in the postseason. Of the teams left in the playoffs, only Detroit has a worse penalty kill than the Blackhawks. If the Canucks can force the Hawks into taking penalties which they have done a good job of doing on the road they have more than a fighting chance.

What has killed the Canucks on the penalty kill is not clearing the puck when given the chance. Clear the puck, and the Hawks all of a sudden look more human than ever.

Another encouraging sign for Canuck fans is that the Canucks, when facing elimination on the road, have been very successful. More specifically, when facing a must-win on the road in a Game Six of a series, the Canucks have been great for a long time.

In 2004, they were able to defeat the Flames on the road in a must-win Game Six, and a year prior they did the same on the road in St. Louis. In fact, the Canucks have not lost a Game Six on the road since 1993, when Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings upset the Canucks at the Great Western Forum.

No doubt Vancouver will take that into account when facing the hostile crowd in the Windy City.

Last but not least, the Canucks are a different team than in previous years. This is a new leadership corps, and there is much more character in that locker room than there has ever been. It may be 3-2 in the series for the Hawks—but like Willie Mitchell said, they have not beaten them four times yet.

And all due respect to Calgary, but this is a much more determined team, and will make the Hawks work a lot harder than the Flames did.

The Canucks have not lost three straight since early April; however, one of those was a shootout loss to the Ducks. They have not lost three straight in regulation since their record losing streak in the month of January.

They still have fight left in them. So Canuck nation, continue to believe—Vancouver is far from finished.

Canucks-Blackhawks: Vancouver Forced Into Must-Win Situation

Joel Lefevre — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:36:40 -0400

How quickly momentum can change.

In Game Four on Thursday, the Canucks were less than three minutes away from taking a stranglehold on this series that would have put the Hawks on the brink of elimination.

But the reality is that is it the Canucks who are now on the brink of elimination, following a 4-2 defeat at GM Place on Saturday.

For the first time in the series, it was the Hawks who got out of the gates quicker and got the opening goal, when Dustin Byfuglien shovelled a rebound past Luongo.

The Canucks looked unfazed and evened the score shortly after. Kyle Wellwood fooled the Hawks into thinking he was gonna throw a pass to the point, and instead threw it in front. The bouncing puck was tipped by Kesler, and found a hole through Khabibulin.

The momentum was carried into the second, as the Canucks looked to feed off the home crowd. Alain Vigneault's line-juggling appeared to be working when Mats Sundin took a Henrik Sedin pass and wired a shot past Khabibulin for his second of the playoffs and first of the series.

There was suddenly life in the building and energy among the players. Rick Rypien looked possessed, as he hammered every Blackhawk in sight on Saturday.

However a big skirmish in the Canucks' corner later on appeared to give the Hawks a spark. From that play—a scrap with Matt Walker and Shane O'Brien—came a Hawks power play.

The refs clearly blew this call, giving O'Brien an extra two minutes despite Walker dropping his gloves first. The Hawks took advantage of the blown call, when Byfuglien's wrist shot found a hole through Luongo after Kesler failed to clear the puck late in the penalty.

In the third, the Canucks had a chance to regain the lead, but Kyle Wellwood hit the post on a great rush from Steve Bernier.

Late in the game, the Canucks took some undisciplined penalties. Firstm Kevin Bieksa took a high-sticking minor. Another failed attempt to clear—this time by Ryan Johnson—led to Willie Mitchell breaking his stick and allowing Dave Bolland to score into an open net off an easy play from Patrick Kane.

Minutes later, Kesler took a holding penalty that put the Canucks down again. The Canucks would not come close to tying it again, as Martin Havlat scored into an empty net to put the game on ice.

The Canucks now really have their backs up against the wall, as they must somehow regain momentum and win Monday in hostile environment in Chicago.

While the Canucks may be down they appear far from out, "this is far from done," as Mitchell said. "We have a 60-minute game there to keep this thing going. It takes four wins. We'll get there."

The Canucks were outshot once again 30-21 by the Blackhawks, who will look to wrap it up at home Monday night. The Canucks must bring their best effort Monday if they want to hope to prolong this series.

Vancouver has not won a Game Five since 2003 when they erased a 3-1 deficit against St. Louis to win the series.

This is by far the biggest adversity the Canucks have faced all season, from the loss of Bourdon to the dreadful January to the sad loss for Taylor Pyatt.

This team must bring it on Monday. They have responded so well all season when faced with a challenge and will need to approach it in the same manner come Monday.

Canucks -Blackhawks: Vancouver Lets Game Four Slip Away as Chicago Evens Series

Joel Lefevre — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:40:57 -0400

Just when you think you have this series figured out, there is another twist.

Things appeared to be going smoothly for the Canucks throughout Game Four Thursday, as the Blackhawks were clearly on their heels and frustrated throughout this contest.

A seemingly perfect road game for the Canucks, who through almost 58 minutes of hockey looked unstoppable.

Unfortunately the game of hockey is 60 minutes—and the Canucks learned that the hard way on Thursday, as the Blackhawks stormed back to eventually win Game Four in overtime.

The first period played right into Vancouver's hands as the Hawks came out looking to blow the roof off the United Centre—but the Canucks once again weathered the storm and kept the game tight. It was a carbon copy of Game Three, as the Canucks took the lead in the second after two enormous saves by Roberto Luongo.

A blocked shot by Ryan Johnson turned into a rush for Rick Rypien, who made a beautiful spin move to feed Darcy Hordichuk, who fired a shot through Khabibulin to put the Canucks up 1-0 through 40 minutes.

The Canucks had never lost a game all playoff when leading after two periods. It didn't look like anything could affect the outcome of this one—not the speed of Toews and Kane or even the presence of Dustin Byfuglien. Though the Canucks were clearly sitting back in the third, the Hawks never really looked threatening as the young Blackhawks looked lost and unable to find an answer for Luongo—who was outstanding.

That is, until the final two minutes of the game—when Willie Mitchell of all people made a costly mistake. He had a chance to flip the puck up the middle, but instead chose to slap it off the boards to the waiting Hawks—who gladly intercepted the pass and fed in front to Havlat.

Havlat fired a shot that went off the stick of Mitchell and through Luongo for the tying goal.

Mitchell made an uncharacteristic mistake, putting his stick out on the weak Havlat wrist shot that Luongo would have probably smothered easily had it not been for the tip.

All of a sudden, the building was alive—and the energetic Hawks out of nowhere were back in the game. In the dying seconds, the Blackhawks almost won it when Dave Bolland was in all alone. But thanks to some great back checking by Alex Edler, he was able to get enough of Bolland without taking a penalty, and the Canucks were able to get the game to overtime.

In overtime, Khabibulin would make up for an earlier error as he stoned the likes of Henrik and Burrows point-blank to keep the Hawks alive. Those saves proved to be huge, as on the rush up the ice Bolland took a wild shot off the side boards that was tipped in by Andrew Ladd in front to give the Hawks a 2-1 victory.

So the series is now even going back to Vancouver for a critical Game Five.

No doubt Vancouver let this game slip away—but it's one that they will have to erase from their memory bank very quickly, as it is imperative they win Game Five.

A very noticeable statistic this evening was the faceoff-win percentage, as Ryan Johnson was the only Canuck who won more than 50 percent of his draws. Dave Bolland, perhaps the best Hawk on this night, was 11 of 13 in the circle and a real presence all night on a Hawks team that, despite the win, did not look that impressive.

Something else very noticeable tonight was the play of the Sedins, who—along with Sundin and his linemates—were almost invisible offensively in this one. Though they never looked in danger throughout this game, Vancouver is going to need more from the Sedins and Sundin if they want to regain the momentum Saturday.

Pavol Demitra missed his second straight game through injury and is unlikely to see any more action in this series. Sami Salo, despite skating with the team in Chicago, did not play Thursday, and his status remains up in the air for Game Five at GM Place.

Afterwards, Vigneault, while disappointed, said it was time to move on.

"We were a couple of minutes away from winning this game," Vigneault said. "It happened. We've got to deal with it and get ready for the next game."

Game Five is Saturday evening at GM Place, as it has now come down to a best-of-three showdown.

United They Stand: Canucks Win 3-1, Reclaim Home Ice Advantage

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:41:57 -0400

An electric United Centre, no Sami Salo or Pavol Demitra, and a Hawks team clicking on all cylinders were all the ingredients that could have spelled disaster for the Canucks. An absolutely breathtaking national anthem only sparked the Hawks cause more as they had everything going their way before puck drop Tuesday night.

However this is a resilient group of Canucks, and they showed their character in this one as they had an answer all night for everything the Blackhawks threw at them.

Early on, the Hawks appeared to really feed off the energy at the United Centre, forcing the Canucks into an early penalty as they looked to blow the roof off the building. The Canucks hung in there and weathered an early storm. Once they did, they got into the groove we have been used to seeing from these Canucks during the 2009 calendar year.

With Demitra out that meant Mason Raymond moved up to add some much needed speed with Ryan Kesler, and Sundin bringing his size. This new combination seemed to spark the team, as Raymond and Kesler's speed appeared to really put the Hawks D-men on their heels.

Less than five minutes to go in the frame they were rewarded on a good pinch by Bieksa who got the puck to Kesler, who quickly fed it to Mason Raymond who did well to wait out Khabibulin and fire it upstairs for his first NHL playoff goal. The Canucks carried that momentum into the second period, as a minute into the period they grabbed a dreaded two-goal lead as Steve Bernier fired a rebound shot past Khabibulin for his second of the post season.

Just before the midway point of the game Henrik Sedin scored his fourth of the playoffs to give the Canucks a three goal lead. No doubt most Canucks fans were clenching their teeth and saying "Oh God not again." It appeared their fears would be realized, as Brian Campbell fired home a point shot on the power play past Luongo to make it 3-1. This is a storyline the Canucks know all too well: great start, early lead, but letting it slip away.

However, there would be no third time lucky this time, as the Canucks and Luongo shut the door, stopping 23 shots and getting a little luck from the bar in the third as the Canucks hung on.

Vancouver's defence, who took the brunt of the criticism Saturday, was air tight tonight as they did a marvellous job clearing Byfuglien from Luongo's crease for most of the game, and were outstanding in their lanes taking away the Hawks cross ice passes and fast breakouts.

Willie Mitchell and Kesler were perhaps the two best on the ice as Mitchell and that long stick were invaluable on the penalty kill, and Kesler had alot of jump all night on both ends of the ice.

Taylor Pyatt, playing his first game back in over a month, had a great game. He blocked three shots and really added some size and grit to the third line. He appeared to give the team a huge lift which was much needed after the debacle of game two.

"Without a doubt it was a very emotional moment for us as a group," Vigneault said. "He played a really good game for somebody who has been out for some time. It is a great thing he did tonight."

This was much more of a Canucks style game: low scoring and very opportunistic from a Vancouver stand point.

"One thing we don't want to do against this team is play chance-for-chance," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said.

"There is too much skill and speed. We're going to keep it high percentage. I think if we do that and play a good puck possession game, we give ourselves a better chance to win."

Vancouver with the win remains perfect this season when holding a lead after 40 minutes. Demitra, who did not play, may be out awhile as it was announced he will be re-evaluated in a week.

Sami Salo reportedly flew into Chicago late and should be with the team for either game four or five.

So the Canucks remain perfect on the road as the Hawks lose for the first time on home ice. Vancouver will look to grab a stranglehold on the series Thursday for game four at the United Centre

Unravelled-Canucks Blow Two Goal Lead As Hawks Even Series

Joel Lefevre — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:52:48 -0400

Another good start and a two goal lead in the second period you would have thought would have been enough for the Canucks, after all they learned from Thursday's mistakes right? Well if Saturday is any indication then the Canucks haven't learned a single thing. Two first period goals on the power play from Sami Salo and Alex Edler got the Canucks off and running early on at GM Place.

That however was as good as it would get for Vancouver Saturday as the young Blackhawks for the sixth time in the postseason came from behind and were able to complete the comeback this time.

Halfway through the second Patrick Sharp got Chicago on the board on a scramble in front that Luongo had trouble finding. Shortly after that the Hawks got a huge break on a ridiculous hooking call on Kevin Bieksa when it should have been goalie interference on Dustin Bfyuglien.

Mitchell shortly after took a delay of the game penalty and it was suddenly game on. Patrick Sharp tied it late in the two man advantage after Kesler had broke his stick. From there the floodgates opened, Dave Bolland scored shorthanded at the end of the second on a very close offside call to put the Canucks behind the eight ball going into the third.

Chicago kept it going in the third early as Ben Eager got one early in the frame and the rout was on. Patrick Kane scored his third of the series to make it 5-2 as GM Place was dead silent and the Canucks were completely snake bit. Henrik Sedin made it respectable late on late two man advantage did nothing but make the score more respectable. Dave Bolland iced the game into the empty net for the 6-3 win.

The bad blood was really felt in the third with Dustin Bfyuglien drawing a roughing penalty and a game misconduct, Rick Rypien was also tossed on the same play. Jonathan Toews and Alex Burrows were also tossed earlier for a fight as things really got ugly in the third.

Some cheap play by Martin Havlat may have only fuelled the fire as the series goes along now as Kesler was none too pleased with Havlat taking a swipe at him late in the contest. The series now shifts to the windy city for game 3 Tuesday as the intensity has reached a fever pitch.

At last Khabibulin broke the curse of the Canucks as he picked up his first win over Vancouver since 1998. The Canucks lose for the first time in the playoffs and the first time on home ice. Of major concern Sami Salo left the game after his goal with a likely groin injury and did not return.

Luongo has now allowed nine goals in two games, he only allowed five in the first round against St. Louis. They go to Chicago where the Hawks have not lost in this postseason but on the other side the Canucks are also unbeaten on the road thus far.

Canucks-Blackhawks: Vancouver Escapes Game One by the Skin of Their Teeth

Joel Lefevre — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:41:12 -0400

The Canucks remain perfect in the playoffs, but really had to sweat this one.

Vancouver escaped Game one at GM Place with a 5-3 victory over the young Chicago Blackhawks.

As expected, the Hawks came out flying. On the other side, the Canucks appeared to be shaking the rust of nine days rest.

Luongo had to be sharp early on. Chicago, however, shot themselves in the foot early, with eight minutes of penalties taken in the first period.

This allowed Vancouver to get their legs back following a long layoff. Pavol Demitra made them pay late in the first, as he took a wonderful feed from Mats Sundin to put the Canucks ahead at the end of the first.

The Canucks appeared to draw momentum from this, as they came out very strong in the second—and the Blackhawks' inexperience appeared to be showing. The Sedins increased the lead five minutes into the second, when Henrik Sedin took a great feed from brother Daniel to bury it through the legs of Khabibulin, who appeared to fighting the puck through the first forty minutes of this game.

Vancouver looked to be home and cool when Ryan Kesler got his first of the playoffs late in the frame. A three-goal lead with the best goalie in the world after all is nothing to be worried about.

Right?

Well, perhaps last round that may have been the case—but the Hawks showed in the third that they are a far tougher and more resilient team that people give them credit for.

Quickly in the third, the Canucks looked to be reeling when Patrick Kane fired home a loose puck in front upstairs on Luongo. From there, the comeback was on, as Chicago showed that their comebacks over Calgary were no fluke.

The Blackhawks quickly regained momentum—and the Canucks didn't help themselves with undisciplined play, as Darcy Hordichuk took a stupid boarding penalty 200 feet from his goal to give the Hawks a chance to get back into the game. The young Hawks wasted no time, as Patrick Kane scored his second of the game on the power play to really put the Canucks back on their heels.

You could really feel a huge letdown at GM Place, as the young Hawks were really putting the pressure on, and the veteran Canucks appeared to have lost their legs in the third. Maybe the long delay finally caught up to the Canucks, because before you knew it, Chicago was even at three when Dave Bolland fired a rebound home past Luongo.

The wheels had fallen off, the building was dead, and Chicago appeared to have everything going their way. But out of nowhere, just when the game appeared certain to be headed to overtime, the Hawks' inexperience showed.

Chicago had four guys caught pinching in on the Vancouver end, and the Canucks came back with a four-on-one. Sami Salo did well to follow up a brilliant Khabibulin save to put the Canucks back on top 4-3 with just over a minute to go. Seconds later, Ryan Johnson iced the game into an empty net for the 5-3 victory.

Whether it was inexperience or overconfidence, the Blackhawks blew a huge chance in the third—not only to take home-ice advantage from Vancouver, but to really deflate the spirits of the Canucks, who had everything going their way through 40 minutes.

Vancouver really sat back in the third and looked more tentative then they've looked perhaps since their extended loosing streak in January. They will take the win—but without a doubt the Hawks showed in the third that they are no pushover, and that they will be a far tougher team to handle than the Blues.

Kyle Wellwood was perhaps the best player on the ice. He had two assists, was 7-0 in the faceoff circle in the third, drew eight minutes in penalties, and lost a pint of blood for the cause—all in 18 minutes' work. Not bad for a guy that nobody wanted at the start of the year.

Luongo was relatively quiet, given the activity he saw in Round One. He stopped 28 shots in the Game One win. Khabibulin stopped 22 shots—many key ones on the two four-minute penalties, when the Canucks appeared to be overzealous and very impatient.

Khabibulin has not won against Vancouver since January 26, 1998, while playing with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Sami Salo was far and away the best defenceman for the Canucks. He was rock solid, standing up his men time and again, and got his second game-winning goal of the playoffs for his fifth point in five games.

In spite of the poor third period, Vancouver remains the only team this season to be unbeaten when going into the third with the lead.

So first blood goes to to Vancouver. They will hope to learn their lesson from the third going into Game Two Saturday, as they aim to keep home-ice advantage before heading to Chicago.

Cody Hodgson Named Most Outstanding Player in the OHL

Joel Lefevre — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:06:23 -0400

In the midst of an exciting playoff run, fans in Vancouver now have more to be excited about as it was announced Tuesday that Canucks top prospect Cody Hodgson was named Most Outstanding Player in the OHL for stellar play and intelligent leadership.

The 19-year-old forward of the Brampton Battalions scored 43 goals while putting up 49 assists in 53 games for Brampton.

The youngster was even more impressive in the postseason, as in 16 playoff games he notched nine goals and 18 assists to help lead his club to their first ever OHL Championship final.

"Cody's the type of guy will score the big goal on the power play for you, but will also win the big faceoff on the penalty kill," Battalion head coach and general manager Stan Butler said from Toronto during a conference call.

"He thrives on playing against the best players. There's no challenge that's too big for him."

Hodgson, however, still has work to do, as the Battalions will meet the Windsor Spitfires beginning Wednesday in a best-of-seven series with a spot in the Memorial Cup on the line.

Hodgson received 161 votes from the media for the award, edging out his Canadian teammate and future NHL Draft pick John Tavares of the London Knights. The Canucks' first-round draft pick joins some elite company by winning the award such as Frank Mahovolich, Stan Mikita, Doug Gilmour, Jason Allison, Mike Foligno. and Brad Boyes, among others.

"It's a real honour, and something I didn't really expect coming in, bt looking at past things that I've won this will always be something I remember," Hodgson said.

"Hopefully I can represent the OHL like some of the guys who have come before me."

The youngster has had a banner year, beginning with an extended period at Canucks training camp where he was extremely close to making the big club. The disappointment of that has only fuelled his fire even more this season, as he helped Canada win their fifth straight Junior title leading all scorers in the tournament.

Hodgson has demonstrated great skill and leadership that has drawn comparison to Canucks' legend Trevor Linden.

"There's a reason I didn't make it in Vancouver and there's things in my games I could work on," Hodgson said.

"I really didn't see it as a setback. I feel I really improved this year and I had a lot of fun with the guys."

Despite all the accolades that have come his way Hodgson remains humble with his accomplishments.

"It's been a real whirlwind," Hodgson said. "Looking back on it, it's been an unbelievable year."

The Battalions will be hoping the year continues and gets even better as they aim to earn a berth in the memorial cup for the first time in their history. Earlier this season, Hodgson won the Award for the league's most sportsmanlike player.

This season will hopefully be the beginning of more to come in the NHL with the Canucks, as the city of Vancouver has alot to look forward to both in the present and the future.

Bring on the Blackhawks: Vancouver to Face Chicago in Round Two

Joel Lefevre — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:14:19 -0400

After seemingly an eternity of waiting the Canucks now know their second round opponent—the Chicago Blackhawks.

Thanks to a 4-1 Ducks win, which eliminated the Sharks, Vancouver will begin the Conference semifinals on home ice.

Here is a breakdown of how the Canucks match up against the very young and talented Chicago Blackhawks:

Goaltending

Chicago may have lacked some playoff experience going into the postseason, but they certainly do not lack any in goal. Nikolai Khabibulin has something every player on the Canucks is after—a Stanley Cup ring.

While he split duties with Huet for the first half of the season, the Bulin Wall is unquestionably the number-one guy for the Hawks right now. He was very good in the opening round against the Flames, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .914 save percentage.

Vancouver comes into the second round with Roberto Luongo red-hot as he posted a playoff-leading 1.15 Goalsgagainst average and a .962 save percentage in a four-game sweep of the Blues.

Luongo is in the zone for sure. Nothing appears to rattle the Canucks captain, who gives Vancouver a fighting chance every time he is out there. Will the rest put some rust in his game, or will he come out fresh and even better than last series?

Advantage: Canucks

Defence

The Blackhawks' blueline has a lot of jump on offence. And despite a concern for a lack of experience, they did a good job in the opening round of shutting down the likes of Daymond Langkow, Todd Bertuzzi, and Olli Jokinen of the Calgary Flames.

Offensively, though, is where they really shined, as the D-men combined for 18 points in six games in the opening round of the playoffs. Leading the way was Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker with six points each, with big offseason signing Brian Campbell tallying a respectable four points.

The Canucks' blueline combined for 11 points in their opening-round sweep of St. Louis, with Sami Salo leading the way with four points.

Though the Hawks have the advantage in terms of offence, the Canucks more than make up for it in their own zone. They were rock solid, with a plus-six combined among all their defencemen.

Advantage: Even

Forwards

On the front end, Chicago boasts two of the most gifted forwards in the league in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. But neither led the team in points in the opening round, which shows how offensively gifted they are.

Kris Versteeg led all Hawks with seven points in the first round. Throw in Patrick Sharp and Martin Havlat in the mix, and you have a Hawks team that can score in bunches. And let's not forget the likes of Sami Pahlsson and Andrew Ladd, who along with a good, tight checking game also bring Stanley Cup experience to the team.

For Vancouver, as it was all season, it starts with the Sedin twins. Despite their lack of offence in previous playoffs, they were much improved in the first round. Daniel had five points to lead the Canucks, and Henrik was right behind with four.

Alex Burrows—or Mr. Everything, as he is known—was all that and then some against the Blues. He led the team with three goals—including the game winner in overtime of Game Four. He has become an unbelievable player in clutch situations.

Despite missing Mats Sundin for two games, the Canucks were still able to find enough to win, with impressive performances by Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier on the third line and outstanding fourth-line work by Ryan Johnson.

Taylor Pyatt is back with the Canucks. Whether he plays or not is very much up in the air, but he is a big body, and has shown when he's on he can throw big hits and be a good shutdown player.

Ryan Kesler will be looked upon to do more in this series, as the Canucks will need everyone going to shut down the high-flying Hawks.

Advantage: Hawks

Special Teams

Not much to choose between these two on special teams, as both were mightily impressive in the opening round. The Hawks were second in the league on the power play, clicking at 38.5 percent—and they really made the Flames pay for their over aggressive play. Not much worse on the penalty kill, Chicago was were ranked fifth, killing off 85.7 percent of their penalties.

The Canucks are virtually a carbon copy of the Hawks, as they were fifth on the power play at a 22.2-percent efficiency. The penalty kill was vastly improved as well. They shut down the high-octane Blues offence, allowing only one power play goal in 24 penalties taken. Most impressive, they killed off two two-man advantages, and look like the penalty kill of two years ago.

Advantage: Even

This is a matchup of size versus skill. The Hawks will look to make this into a track meet, whereas the Canucks will no doubt try to use their size to their advantage and knock around the young Hawks.

Look for goaltending to be key as both goalies were impressive in the opening round.

Can Khabibulin keep up with Luongo in a long extended series? Can Sundin and Kesler put points on the board and stay with the high-flying Hawks?

And what about the unsung players? Will Dustin Bfuglien and Dave Bolland be able to provide some energy for the Hawks, or will the Canucks' Ryan Johnson and Rick Rypien continue to provide Vancouver with a spark on the fourth line?

Prediction: Canucks in six games.

Taylor Pyatt Rejoins Canucks

Joel Lefevre — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:45:10 -0400

A familiar face was back for Canucks practice Friday at GM Place. It was winger Taylor Pyatt, who had been on leave following the tragic loss of his fiancee Carly Bragnalo. It was Pyatt's first time on the ice since early April, though his return into the lineup is just as uncertain as the Canucks second round opponent.

His friends and teammates were more than happy to see him back: "It’s great just having his presence around this morning," forward Ryan Johnson said. "I know it’s great for us as a team to have him around and see his face, and I know for him, too, I’m sure it’s nice to have some of the guys around and some of the guys to talk to."

Friday was also the first time Vancouver hit the ice since completing a four game sweep of the Blues Tuesday in St. Louis. Mats Sundin, who missed games three and four of the opening round with a lower body injury practiced and said he is feeling fine. Sami Salo and Willie Mitchell on the other hand were still sore from the tough first round and did not practice, opting for an extra day of rest.

The Canucks will have a short practice Saturday and should have Sunday off before resuming full intense practices on Monday. By then, the Canucks opponent should be alot clearer. "We’re going to work on our game as far as getting it to where it needs to be for the second series,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “Practice really hard Monday and Tuesday, and maybe we’ll know [who we play] by then.”

Sweeping Into History- Canucks Complete Series Win Over Blues

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:55:45 -0400

For the first time in their history, the Vancouver Canucks have swept a seven game series thanks to a 3-2 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Once again, Roberto Luongo was spectacular. Not only did he make 47 saves, but once again the captain led by example, particularly in overtime when they needed it most.

The Canucks appeared to be well on their way to sweeping the series when Kyle Wellwood opened the scoring in the first on a beautiful breakaway move for his first playoff goal. There appeared to be nothing that could stop them when Alex Burrows scored on a beautiful tip in in the second to put the Canucks up by two.

To the Blues credit, they did not roll over and die. St. Louis showed the same resiliency they have all season, coming back to score two goals in a little over three minutes to tie the game at two, with goals from Brad Boyes and David Perron.

They were unlucky late in the second, as Jay McClement shovelled a scramble in front and past Luongo. The goal was called off after a lengthy review because the referee had intended to whistle the play down. The call was a big moment in the game, as the Canucks were able to escape the period tied at two.

That was unfortunate for St. Louis, as they threw everything but the kitchen sink at Luongo in the third and then in overtime, but Luongo was having none of it. They had huge opportunities in OT but their power play once again let them down, as they failed to score on six minutes of power play time in the extra session.

Once again, the Blues were made to pay for their missed chances as late in the first overtime Alex Burrows found a hole threw Chris Mason, and the Canucks were able to sweep the Blues 4-0, and will now wait for their second round opponent.

This was perhaps the weakest game the Canucks had in the entire series, but nonetheless you cannot take this away from Vancouver as they deserve full marks for the four game sweep. They showed they were a superior team that needs to be watched.

The sweep is huge for Vancouver who can now rest up the likes of Mats Sundin, Sami Salo, and company, which will help the Canucks down the line as they prepare to move on in the Western Conference playoffs.

Mats Sundin missed his second straight game with a lower body injury, while Sami Salo was out to injury and was replaced by Ossin Vaananen, who saw limited action on the blue line. Paul Kariya who was expected to play, was in the end too banged up did not suit up once again.

The Canucks have made a serious statement with this sweep, showing they are ready to win and will accept nothing less. Western Conference beware: the Canucks are for real and eager to win.

In The Drivers Seat- Canucks Take Commanding 3-0 Series Lead

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:08:06 -0400

Before the series, the Blues said they wanted to make it a special teams game with the Canucks. With St. Louis among the best in penalty kill and power play, and the Canucks in the middle of the pack in both categories, this strategy made a lot of sense. However, those are statistics and stats are for losers. Vancouver is proving that in the playoffs you can throw all the stats out the window; they mean little in post-season action.

Special teams was the difference in game three as the Canucks scored all three of their goals on the power play with Ohlund, Daniel Sedin, and Bernier being the goalscorers. On the other side, the Blues missed several great power play opportunities, notably two five-on-three power plays that they failed to capitalize on. The Blues are now really behind the eight ball as they trail the series 3-0.

The Blues came out firing in this one, banging around the Canucks' blue-liners in the first. They were rewarded with an early goal just over three minutes into the game, as David Backes took a great feed from Brad Boyes to beat Luongo, giving the Blues their first lead in this series.

The Blues were all over Vancouver in the first, out-shooting them 12-5 and really sending a message. However, despite the domination, they failed on a golden opportunity on a lengthy five-on-three that carried over afterwards with a four minute high sticking penalty to Willie Mitchell.

In the second, Vancouver made them pay for the missed chances as they gave St. Louis a lesson in special teams, starting with Mattias Ohlund who scored on a one timer that Chris Mason would like to have back. A few minutes later they were suddenly up 2-1 when Daniel Sedin, on a five-on-three, found a loose puck in the crease for his second goal of the playoffs.

The Blues remained calm, tying the game late in the frame when Andy McDonald finally got on the score sheet as he fired a centering pass upstairs on Luongo. McDonald was by far the best Blue on the ice yet again, as he was all over the ice and buzzing in front of Luongo all night.

Once again it wasn't enough, as in the third on another man advantage Steve Bernier converted a feed from Henrik Sedin for a 3-2 lead. That was all the Canucks would need as Luongo shut the door once again the rest of the way.

Mats Sundin missed the game due to a lower body injury, and Jannik Hansen took his spot in the lineup. Sundin is listed as day-to-day and should be back Tuesday as the Canucks look to sweep the Blues in four straight.

After the game, Luongo had nothing but praise for his penalty killers who were the big stars in this game. "It was a huge difference," Luongo said. "We got some big goals and we killed some big ones off." Despite being up 3-0, Luongo warns that this series is far from over,

"It's 3-0 and I think we still have to get to four," Luongo said. "So we've got a big one left to win and by no means are we going to think it's over.

"Those guys are not going to quit and we've got to make sure we bear down."

This is a game Blues youngster BJ Crombeen will want to get out of his memory, as he took three undisciplined penalties including a silly one at the end of the second that led to Steve Bernier's game winner. The Canucks, despite a slow start, were able to adjust well in the second and third periods as they out-shot St. Louis 21-14 in the final two periods.

Andy Murray and the Blues were left to wonder what would have been as they had only themselves to blame for their missed opportunities. "We look tight and nervous on the power play," coach Andy Murray said. "We've had over five minutes of 5-on-3 in this series and really have not been the threat that we want to be. We probably had four or five good chances on the 5-on-3, but that's not good enough against this goaltender."

The Blues have now gone one for 17 on the power play in the series, not what they expected going into the series. On the other side, Alain Vigneault was really pleased with how his team responded to the Blues hits. "Our guys have been taking a lot of cheap shots so far during this series," Vigneault said. "To respond with three goals on the power play is pretty satisfying."

History is not on the side of the Blues, as in NHL history only two teams have ever come back from 3-0 deficits: the '75 Islanders and the '42 Maple Leafs. Paul Kariya, who was expected to play, was still ruled out and should he return it may be too little too late for the Blues' hopes this season.

The Canucks can wrap up the series Tuesday in St. Louis.

Blues-Canucks: Luongo Brilliant in Exciting Game Two

Joel Lefevre — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:24:29 -0400

Weather it was nerves, officiating, or just lacklustre play that was that cause for such a sub-par game one, it was anything but that Friday in game two at GM Place. From the start, this game had all the makings of a heavyweight fight, with both teams going to the body.

There were over 30 hits alone in the first period from both teams, as the Blues were desperate to get a split and the Canucks equally as desperate to keep home ice advantage. Any nerves that may have come from game one were quickly evaporated as both teams went for the jugular.

A big reason for the torrid pace and intense playoff action was great officiating by Chris Rooney and Brad Watson. They both did a great job of letting the players play, and giving the game the flow it lacked in game one. In total there were only seven penalties for each team, a big improvement from Wednesday's flurry of penalties.

The game got off to a blistering start. Just 24 seconds into the game, Brad Winchester took a great feed that Luongo was able to stop point blank. That unfortunately was a sign of things to come for the Blues, as Luongo was called upon all night to keep the young St. Louis team at bay.

Chris Mason himself had to be just as sharp for St. Louis. He was able to stymie the Canucks dominant power play, and proved to be equal to the task for much of the game as well.

The way these goaltenders were playing, it looked as though we would be in for a long night. Relief came for Vancouver with less than two minutes left in the second, when veteran Mats Sundin tipped a Pavol Demitra shot that just trickled by Mason. The score stood up until the intermission.

In the third period, Mason made perhaps his best save of the night, stoning Henrik Sedin point blank on a great feed from brother Daniel. A pivotal point in the game came almost half way through the third, when Roberto Luongo robbed Andy Macdonald point blank, and stopped a blast from TJ Oshie.

On the ensuing rush, Alex Burrows squeezed a wraparound past Mason who had trouble tracking it. That goal was plenty for Luongo who was lights out in this one with 30 saves in a 3-0 win. Henrik Sedin added an empty netter for the icing on the cake.

Game two more than lived up to expectations, as all night you could feel the bad blood and intensity brewing from both teams. Chris Mason was brilliant, stopping 27 shots in a losing effort. Andy Macdonald was outstanding as well. He was the only player to beat Luongo, unfortunately though he hit the iron three times.

For Luongo, it was his first career playoff shutout, and he has now stopped 141 of his last 143 shots. Sundin, playing in only his second playoff game since 2004, scored his first goal in 15 games, and now has eight career game winning goals in the postseason.

The Canucks have a 2-0 lead as the series now shifts to St. Louis for games three and four. A good sign for the Canucks is that statistically in the playoffs, 87% of the time the team with a 2-0 series lead has gone on to win the series.

The Canucks will try to take a stranglehold on the series this Sunday at 4 p.m.

Special Win for Vancouver: Canucks Edge Blues in Penalty Filled Game

Joel Lefevre — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:40:53 -0400

An electric atmosphere at GM Place appeared to get the better of both teams in a game filled with penalties on both sides. However with the game called so tightly by the officials that was supposed to be the edge St. Louis needed as they finished the season third in the league in penalty killing and in the top ten also on the power play.

But this is the playoffs and it's the time of the year where stats are meaningless. No better proof of that then Wednesday's opener at GM Place in the Canucks 2-1 victory over the Blues in game one of their Western Conference Quarterfinal.

Vancouver came in fired up thanks to a delirious crowd at GM Place. Halfway through the first period the fans were rewarded when Daniel Sedin deflected a slap pass from Pavol Demitra on a delayed penalty to put the Canucks ahead 1-0.

Roberto Luongo took over the rest of the way in the period as he was terrific on a Blues lengthy five on three later in the first, making an incredible stop on Andy McDonald on the doorstep, along with Ryan Kesler sacrificing himself on a point blank shot the Canucks escaped the period with the one goal lead.

The great kill appeared to give them a big spark, as they finished the period with alot of intensity in their game.

The Canucks built off that in the second and converted a beautiful power play goal as Henirk put his soccer skills on display after losing his stick he kicked the puck to brother Daniel who made a backhanded pass to Sami Salo who wired a one timer top shelf to put the Canucks up 2-0.

Late in the period St. Louis finally converted after six unsuccessful power play Brad Boyes scored on an open net to put St. Louis close going into the third. However the Canucks did not appear to be flustered as they entered the third still comfortable and never really looked in danger of giving up the tying goal until the final few seconds of the game.

The Canucks who you thought would have bottled things up in the third came out firing as they out-shot the Blues 15-6 in the third to take a 1-0 series lead.

Daniel Sedin who vowed to be better in the playoffs was satisfied afterwards with his opening game performance, "That's the way we have to play," said Daniel Sedin, who had a goal and an assist.

"We learned at the end of the regular season how to play in close games."

Roberto Luongo was outstanding stopping 25 shots as he has only allowed one goal in his last nine periods of action. "I just try to make every save, that's my job," said Luongo. "When I can make those saves it's nice and sometimes momentum swings for us."

At the other end Chris Mason who has been red hot down the stretch was just as good as his counterpart in this one stopping 29 shots in total, many in the third to keep the Blues in the game. "They defended the lead pretty good by putting pressure on us," said Mason, who made 29 saves. "We didn't get the result but it's going to be a war."

Head Coach Alain Vigneault was pleased with the teams performance but believes there has to be improvements,

"We took quite a few penalties in the first period but I don't think we were undisciplined," said coach Alain Vigneault. "The penalties gave them quite a few qualify chances. Our goaltender kept us in.

"Five-on-five, I thought we got better as the game went on. We played a really strong third period. We are going to need to get better because that team has a lot of speed and skill."

So game one in the books and the Canucks hold serve for the time being, with game two set for Friday at GM Place as the Canucks look to keep home ice advantage.

Something to watch could be a possible return for Paul Kariya, the Blues winger has been out most of the year but has been skating and could potentially draw into the lineup later in the series.

If the game is any indication fans better fasten their seat belts as it could be quite a nail biter the rest of the way.

Bring on the Blues: Vancouver Canucks Open Against Old Rival St. Louis

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:29:59 -0400

The matchup is now set, the Canucks will open the post-season at GM Place Wednesday against the St.Louis Blues. If their is anything to their past playoff history fans should be in for one hell of a series.

The last two times they met in post season action were both seven game affairs with the Canucks outlasting St.Louis in '95 and coming back from 3-1 down to win again in 2003. The Blues and Canucks surprised many people by making the playoffs but they have both shown to be very deserving of their position.

Here is a breakdown of what you should expect to see with these two clubs, with every matchup and key players and outlook for the series.

Goaltending: both teams have goalies that come into the post-season red hot, Chris Mason has finally found a home as a number one goalie with the Blues and posted a career high 27 wins this season and a 916 save percentage to help the Blues make a late charge to surge into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

On the other end Roberto Luongo is back to his usual self despite a slow start following his injury, the Canucks captain still won 15 of his final 21 games and posted a 917 save percentage, and was named to the all-star team for a third straight year.

Edge: Canucks

Defence: The Blues were devastated with injuries this season none more significant than their captain Eric Brewer who will be missed, offensively they do not provide much of a threat with their leading scorer being Carlo Colaiacovo with a mere three goals.

In their own zone they are not much better as only they only had three defence-man (Mckee,Woywitka,and Strachan) who had a plus rating this season. They will no doubt be counting on the experience of Jay Mckee to help them tighten up defensively.

The Canucks when healthy possess one of the six most solid d-men in the league, leading the way is Willie Mitchell with an outstanding plus 29 rating this season and extremely valuable on the back end.

Bieksa and Edler had decent numbers offensively scoring 11 and 10 goals respectively but they still appear to lack a strong puck moving defenceman which may hurt them should they be able to outlast the Blues. Mattias Ohlund will need to be better on the power play for the Canucks to make a serious run at the cup this post season.

Edge: Canucks

Forwards: the experience and toughness of Keith Tkachuk will be invaluable to this young Blues team as will will be a go to guy up front without Paul Kariya. Andy McDonald will also be counted upon as he is one of the few players on the team with a cup ring.

Brad Boyes and TJ Oshie proved to develop faster than expected and will provide some much needed grit ans toughness to an undermanned Blues squad.

Vancouver finally got some balanced scoring this season with five players scoring 20 or more goals, it's now time for them to prove it in the playoffs.

Henrik and Daniel have been sub par in the playoffs for Vancouver and must be better to help the team succeed, Mats Sundin's experience will be looked upon and he will hope to improve his play in the playoffs.

The fourth line could be the real x factor in this series for Vancouver as Rick Rypien and Darcy Hordichuk are built for playoff hockey and don't be surprised to see them chip in with a few points.

Edge: Canucks

Special teams- St.Louis was greatly improved on the power play this season as they finished with a rating of 20.5 percent good for eighth place in the league, the penalty kill was even better as they were third ranked killing 87.3 percent of their penalties this season.

Vancouver on the other hand was sub par and up and down in both department's this season, the penalty kill though it improved late in the year still finished a dismal 16th—a far cry from the team that led the league in penalty killing two years ago.

Though Alex Burrows and company still have the potential to get a shorthander, on the power play was about the same clicking at 18.8 percent good for 17th in the league.

Edge: Blues

Final Assessment: Both teams are looking to rebound from tough season last year and out to prove they are for real. In terms of experience the Canucks may have more all-together but have no one with a cup ring and the Blues do, not sure experience will be a great factor in the series but it will no doubt be talked about on both sides.

The Canucks appear to have the edge in most categories on paper but they have to prove they are hungry, the Blues have nothing to lose in this series and not much is expected out of them, a strong first round performance will show us weather this Canucks team is for real or not.

Prediction: Canucks in five

The Vancouver Canucks Final Grades

Joel Lefevre — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:44:10 -0400

A season of huge over achievements has ended with the Canucks winning the Northwest Division for the fifth time in history. But before we look ahead to a hopeful long playoff run, it's time to assess this team and how each player fared in the final grades.

Here are the final grades for this 2008-09 edition of the Vancouver Canucks in the regular season.

A+

Ryan Kesler—The team MVP was outstanding for the Canucks all year round, from his role as a shutdown centre at the start of the year, to his move on the wing with Sundin and Demitra. He was everything and more for the Canucks this season, scoring a career-high 26 goals to help take pressure off the Sedins to provide.

Alex Burrows—Nicknamed Mr. Everything this season by many Canuck pundits, Alex was exactly that, as he scored five shorthanded goals, and had a knack for scoring in the clutch. A career-high 28 goals while playing with the Sedins helped his stock rise dramatically, and makes him a real bargain of a signing at around $2 million per season for the next four years

Roberto Luongo—The Canucks netminder took a lot of heat for his play during Vancouver's slump in January, but down the stretch he was very impressive, picking up nine shutouts in a little over half a season's work. After winning 30 games yet again, he looks poised for a very nice playoff run.

Canucks coaching staff—People who were calling for Alain Vigneault's head in January need to check their heads. Vigneault, along with his staff of Rick Bowness, Ryan Walter and company, have done an outstanding job. Let's face it, on paper, the Canucks do not look spectacular, but in three years as head coach, Vigeneault has guided them to two Nothwest titles and two 100 point seasons.

How many Canucks coaches can boast that? Once again an oustanding job by Vigneault and the entire coaching staff to find good chemistry and scoring and all four lines and getting the team to buy into his system.

A-

Willie Mitchell—The defenceman of the year as voted by the fans, Port McNeil's Mitchell was a model of consistency this season. He was not great offensively, but by far was the best defeceman for the Canucks this season, posting an impressive +29 rating in all 82 games.

B+

Daniel Sedin—Once again, he led the Canucks in goals with 31, cooled off in stretches this season, but all-in-all, he was a point per game player once again. The playoffs will be a real test for him to answer the bell.

Henrik Sedin—No surprise here. Like twin brother Daniel, Henrik was also a point per game player with 82 points, just like Daniel. Henrik was also able to add some more goals to his stats with 22, but still is the provider for Daniel and Burrows.

Kevin Bieksa— He cooled off in the scoring departement as the season wore on, but still managed to lead all Canucks defenceman in goals with 11, and had a career high in points with 43.

Alex Edler—A good powerplay guy if he just shot the puck more, Edler was surprisingly good in his own zone. When he stepped into his one-times, good things happened for him.

B-

Jason Labarbera—He didn't win a lot of games while in goal, but was able to provide the Canucks with solid goaltending in Luongo's absence. He helped the Canucks at least stay afloat during their miserable times in January.

Canucks Management—Mike Gillis came in as GM with much controversy following the shocking firing of Dave Nonis in the offseason. Forget the fact that he had a lot of pressure and controversy over him. You can not argue with the job he and his staff have done in turning this team around.

He was patient in eventually getting Mats Sundin into the fold. While he made no major moves, he has done everything he promised when he took over. The team is dramatically changed from last year. It is a tougher, grittier team, with much more balanced scoring as is seen with five Canucks scoring 20 goals or more this season.

C+

Steve Bernier—He was brought into the squad in hopes of getting 20-plus goals and to play with the Sedins. It didn't quite work out that way for him, but over the second half of the season, he showed some much needed grit and toughness that could be invaluable in the playoffs. He led all Canucks in hits this season.

Sami Salo—He managed to stay healthy for much of the season, which was nice given his salary. Though he didn't have as much of an offensive spark, he was solid on the back end, and was a plus five in 60 games this season

Mattias Ohlund—The long-time Canuck blue-liner had more than an off-year. He struggled throughout the year with his play in his own zone and on the blue line on the powerplay. He still scored two big goals in their 4-1 win in Calgary that paved the way for the division title, became the all-time leading Canuck scorer among defeceman.

Pavol Demitra—He had stretched where he was very impressive, and stretches where he was really squeezing the stick. He still scored 20 goals for the 10th time in his NHL career, but really needs to pick it up in the playoffs if he wants to help the Canucks.

Darcy Hordichuk—Was brought to Vancouver to help give the team more grit and toughness, and that's exactly what he's done. With 109 penalty minutes along with Rick Rypien's return to the lineup, they have been a real handful for their opponents.

Mason Raymond—The Canuck speedster had an off-year, but has been better of late, and added some unexpected toghness and hitting to his game, which could help him stay in the lineup in the postseason.

Mats Sundin—He was the big league sigining who had the weight of Vancouver on his shoulders. It's no secret Sundin started poorly with the Canucks and was clearly out of shape when he started out, but once he found his legs, he helped bolster the powerplay and was strong in the faceoff circle, winning allmost 60 percent of his draws. He should be very determined come playoff time, as this could very well be his last shot at a Cup, and will no doubt want to answer the critics who believe he just came here for the money.

C -

Janik Hansen—The speedy Dane was in and out of the lineup late in the season, and was inconsistent a lot, which may have put him out of favour with the coaching staff. He still has some playoff experience, and is capable of providing a spark when he wants to.

Shane O'Brien—The big Canucks defenceman has provided the team with some toughness and grit, and has cut down the dumb penalties a lot, but still needs to be more responsible defensively. His imposing presence could be what the team needs in the playoffs.

Taylor Pyatt—He has maybe had a little more of a complete game, but still struggled a lot this year, and has not showed any signs of his career high 22 goals a couple years ago. His head is no doubt not in the right place right now, following the tragic death of his fiancee. A good guy despite everything...my heart goes out to him.

Kyle Wellwood—He led the team in powerplay goals and was good in the faceoff dot, but besides that, he was very inconsistent and didn't really get into much of a rhythm throughout the year, despite a good first quarter of the season.

Ryan Johnson—If you asked the fourth-line centre, he would probably agree he hasn't been at his best this season, with only two goals in limited action. But he has been better since Rick Rypien returned to the lineup, which may be a good sign going into the playoffs.

The Champs are Here: Vancouver Canucks Claim Northwest Division Title

Joel Lefevre — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:01:57 -0400

An improbable season that seemed destined for failure has ended in great success so far for the 2008-09 Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks who were 13 points out of first place in January and riding a franchise long losing streak have done the impossible and come back from the dead and won the Northwest division.

Saturday's 1-0 victory over the Avalanche insures the Canucks will begin the post season on home ice at GM Place.

A game that was for the most part sloppy on both sides and very boring alot of the time was nonetheless more than enough for Vancouver, who have now won two Northwest division titles in Alain Vigneault's three year tenure as head coach.

The Canucks came out determined early peppering Peter Budaj with shots but the Avs net-minder was solid as ever. The second period and third periods were somewhat forgettableas bothteams were tentative and Vancouver was very conservative and hoping to lock up the single point that would clinch the division.

Whatever the tactic it was successful and Luongo when called upon was outstanding once again stopping 22 shots for his ninth shutout of the season, and tying him for fourthall-time amongst active goaltenders with Evegeni Nabokov at 47.

Henrik Sedin won the game in the first minute of overtime on a fluke bank shot from behind the Avs net that deflected of Scott Hannan and in for the game winner.

Afterwards the Canucks mr everything reflected on the Canucks season turnaround, "A lot of people thought we wouldn't be able to accomplish this," Canucks forward Alex Burrowssaid. "We were 14 or 15 points behind Calgary in January, and nobody probably thought it was possible. But we kept working and got better."

"You're always trying to play smart in a 0-0 hockey game," defence-man Willie Mitchell said. "With a division title on the line, you're a little more aware of it. This is a really good feeling."

Of note for Colorado, Ian Laperierre played in his 1000th NHL game, and was rock solid as ever for the Avs and tough as nails as he has been throughout his career.

Also the Canucks were missing Taylor Pyattfor the fifth straight game as Pyattis still coping with the tragic loss of his fiancee Carly Bragnalo who was killed in a car crash while vacationing in Jamaica.

"The situation has been on our minds," Luongo said. "It has been tough."

With the win Vancouver has hit 100 points for the second time and three seasons and only the fifth time in franchise history. They will now await their opponent next week at home at GM Place, it will be either the Blue Jackets,Ducks,or Blues.

For now the Canucks return home full of confidence and ready to start a playoff push.

Canucks-Wild: Vancouver Vaults Into First in Northwest with OT Win

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:15:16 -0400

With just over a week to go in the regular season, the Canucks have done the unthinkable.

They made up an incredible amount of ground and vaulted into first place in the Northwest.

Last night was not the prettiest win by any stretch, but nonetheless Henrik Sedin's 19th goal of the season was enough to propel the Canucks to a 2-1 OT win.

It was Vancouver's fourth win in their last five games and has moved them into third place in the West at 93 points.

Roberto Luongo was a huge factor in the Canucks win as he stopped 33 shots, many of them huge to record his 30th win of the season. The Canucks' netminder is now only one of four active NHL goalies to win at least 30 games in four straight seasons. He was especially strong in the third when the Canucks were unable to even muster a single shot on goal.

The game itself was a little expected given the Minnesota style of play. Very much a low intensity game that lacked so much emotion. Not a lot of intensity on both sides—especially from the Canucks in the third, who were thoroughly dominated. If not for Luongo, they may very well have come away with nothing. Pavol Demitra and Henrik Sedin both scored their 19th goals for the win.

With six games to go in the regular season, the Canucks now go home for a tilt against the Ducks. Although a playoff berth is all but secure, their should be plenty to play for the rest of the way with the Flames and Blackhawks nipping at their heels for home-ice advantage.

Rick Rypien also returned to the lineup for the first time since late October.

The Canucks are in first place in the Northwest—who'd have thought?

Home Sweet Home: Vancouver Canucks Set Club Record with 10th Straight Home Win

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:34:24 -0400

What a difference a month or two can make. Just a couple of month's ago the Canucks couldn't buy a win at home but now with a seeming miracle flick of the switch the Canucks can't lose at home it seems. On a special Saint Patrick's Day the Canucks gave their fans reason to drink with their 10th consecutive win on home ice.

Vancouver as they've done so often of late came flying out of the gate when 6:33 into the game Daniel Sedin got his team leading 26th goal of the season.

The Canucks continued to press throughout the period but Marty Turco who has owned the Canucks in his career kept the Stars in it. Late in the period the Stars helped their goalie out by tieing the game on the power play on a goal by Stephan Robidas.

This setback didn't appear to frazzle Vancouver in the least as they came out in the second very determined and looking to keep their win streak going. The Canucks second line took over in the second when Ryan Kessler got his 21st goal of the season which ties his career high from last season.

A few minutes later Mats Sundin continued his recent hot streak as he got his eighth goal of the season on the power on a great play by Kyle Wellwood. Despite a slow start Sundin has really found his game of late and has found real chemistry with Kessler and Demitra.

Things got interesting momentarily in the third when Steve Ott continued his great season as he converted a two on one to cut the lead to 3-2 halfway through the third.

The Canucks however put the game on ice late in the third when Steve Bernier took a great feed from the struggling Mason Raymond to put the Canucks up 4-2 which was the final. Raymond got only his 21st point of the year but looked alot better tonight.

Of note the Canucks who have looked much better on special teams. The power play was a perfect 2 for 2 and the penalty kill though it gave up one goal has now killed off 25 of their last 26 penalties including a two man advantage for 48 seconds Tuesday.

The Canucks win was very important as Chicago lost to New Jersey earlier in the evening which means the Canucks are now tied with Chicago for fourth place in the West at 83 points.

That spot could mean alot especially with how well they have looked at GM Place of late and it will no doubt give the team alot to play for with them virtually having a playoff spot secured by now. Vancouver will close out their road trip Thursday against the red hot St. Louis Blues before embarking on a six game road trip.

Vancouver Canucks Peaking at Right Time

Joel Lefevre — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:55:20 -0400

Mike Gillis raised a lot of eyebrows for his lack of activity on trade deadline day, leading many fans and media people to believe he did not want to make a run this year for the cup.

However, the Canucks continue to win and made a huge statement Saturday in a very strong effort en route to a 3-1 win over the first-place San Jose Sharks.

Vancouver has now won 12 of their last 14 games and are without a doubt the hottest team in the NHL.

In their recent hot streak it is very hard to find too many faults in their game. Certainly the 24th-ranked penalty kill unit still needs improvement, as they've given up power play goals in the last two games. But before that, they have shown a lot more effort in the penalty kill.

Roberto Luongo has really improved his play since coming back from his lower-body injury, posting a .917 save percentage and not allowing more than two goals in his last four games.

Alex Burrows has shown real chemistry with two unlikely players the Sedin twins and the three have helped show consistency and been able to give the Canucks two lines that are red hot and can put points on the board.

Mats Sundin after a slow start has really been great of late and got his first goal in in 12 games Saturday, as he and Kessler and Demitra have really improved the power play.

On the back end they are once again healthy—and they are contributing in a big way. Bieksa is leading the way with 11 goals and Edler is making a big difference with his blast from the point that has produced eight goals thus far this season. On the blue line the Canucks are as strong and solid as any unit in the league when they are all together and healthy.

Could the Canucks have made some moves to improve this team and make a run? Sure—but that is not to say they will not be able to do anything with the team they have now. They have a hot goaltender who has proven himself in the playoff and they have a team that has shown they can come from behind and that they can beat the best teams in the league.

Right now, they are the team no one wants to face in the West because they have a hot goalie, two great scoring lines and are tougher and grittier than perhaps they've been since the mid '90s. There were a lot more reasons for Gillis to keep this team together than there was to make a big acquisition and risk breaking up this recent hot streak.

Whether they did the right thing by staying put, we will find out soon. But there is no reason to believe that this team cannot cause several upsets and make a run at the Cup right here and now.

Canucks Beat Blue Jackets: Increasing Lead in Tight Playoff Race

Joel Lefevre — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:44 -0500

In a tight playoff race in the West, the Vancouver Canucks have not only been able to stay above the cut. But with their hot streak of late, they have been able to put a little distance with the teams chasing them in the conference.

Sunday's win over a much improved Blue Jackets team was the club's 10th in their last 12 games, and their fifth straight on home ice. Goals from Sami Salo, Ryan Kessler, and an insurance marker from money in the bank by Alex Burrows were enough to beat the Columbus 3-1.

Salo got the ball rolling late in the first as the Canucks made the most of a two man advantage when he fired a one-timer past Steve Mason with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Vancouver kept the pressure on in the second and continued to dominate when Kessler tipped in a Mats Sundin shot for his 19th of the year to make it 2-0.

The Blue Jackets though did not quit and came out strong to start the third. They were rewarded when Nash scored to cut the lead in half. The Jackets pressed hard, but Luongo was very sharp and determined to keep the advantage.

Alex Burrows, who has been incredible in the clutch, put the game out of reach when he converted a three-on-one to put the Canucks up 3-1, which was the final score.

The Canucks have picked up where they left off in March and continue to sit in fifth place now four points clear of the Blue Jackets, who are just behind them.

Sunday's game was perhaps the teams most complete 60 minute effort since the team's 7-3 shellacking of the Chicago Blackhawks. The game that could be remembered as the one that changed the Canucks fortunes.

With two assists on Sunday, Sundin ties Mike Gartner for 27th in all-time points with 1,335 points.

Mattias Ohlund, the subject of many trade rumours, got his 320th career point, which puts him one back of Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns for the all-time lead among Canuck defense men.

Barca Salavages a Draw Against Lyon

Joel Lefevre — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:17:56 -0500

Olympique Lyonnais was supposed to be just a small hick-up for a Barcelona team that was expected to go all the way this year. Weather that will happen remains to be seen but they were given a dose of reality Tuesday as Lyon showed throughout that they are here to play.

While a victory would have done wonders for them at the Stade Gerland a draw given what was expected going into this contest has to be somewhat of a moral victory.

Fact is on paper Barcelona should mop the floor with Lyon but soccer is not played on paper. Case in point Tuesday's first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Lyon looked very determined and un concerned about how the media viewed this match.

Early on Lyon got the home crowd into it with Juninho dominating the midfield and Fabio Grosso solid as ever at the back. The breakthrough came very early as Juninho fired home a free kick in the seventh minute that caught goalkeeper Valdes napping as his shot sailed over his head and into the net.

Their confidence grew from there as striker Karim Benzema nearly made it 2-0 a minute later just missing his shot from inside the area. Minutes later Lyon was reminded of how good this Barca team is when Samuel Eto hit the post hit the post off a thunderous drive on 14 minutes.

13 minutes later it was Benzema's turn to be unlucky as he curled a brilliant shot onto the left post. The first half belonged to Lyon as they appeared to catch Barca on several counter attacks and Barcelona appeared to still be reeling from their defeat to lowly Espanyol last weekend.

Barcelona was desperate to do anything to change momentum even resorting to diving as star striker Lionel Messi did quite disgustingly when he fell holding as head after a Fabio Grosso challenge.

Whatever Guardiola told his team at half time seemed to work as Barca came out a completely different team to start the second half and had it not been for outstanding goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris, they may well have equalized alot sooner. Lloris twice thwarted Barcelona early on in the second half.

Barcelona appeared to take control of the game in the second half and were rewarded for their efforts when Lionel Messi's corner was flicked on by Marquez which found the head of Thierry Henry who finshed it off to tie the game 1-1 aftr 67 minutes.

Lyon did still create a few opportunities late in the contest but were unable to come up with anything as it ended 1-1.

The draw now means that Lyon must go to the Nou Camp in two weeks time and must get some sort of result that includes them scoring a goal, due to Barca's away goal Lyon needs at least score in Barcelona something they have never been able to do against the Spanish giants.

After the match Lyon coach Claude Puel shared his frustrations on the teams missed chances but still remained upbeat, “I regret that we didn’t profit from our period of dominance in the first half,” Lyon coach Claude Puel told reporters. “In those moments of strength, you have to be able to score a second or third goal. After all our (early) efforts we stood back…But it’s a long way from being over.”

On the other side Barca boss Pep Guardiola showed little panic despite his side being clearly surprised by Lyon's power, “After the break, we took control of the game and it was much better. We now need to draw the conclusions from this match in order to be ready for the return leg.”

The stage is now set for Lyon to pull off the upset of the tournament and they will need to make the most of their opportunities in Spain in two weeks time. In the past Lyon has floundered in these oppotunities in the Champions League and it will be on them to show this edition is different than the past.