Comments from the Vancouver Canucks About Goaltending Situation

On Thursday and Friday, the Vancouver Canucks spoke candidly about two topics: Cory Schneider is the starting goalie right now, and they are preparing to win Game 5 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

I will let you hear from associate coach Rick Bowness, head coach Alain Vigneault, goalie Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider and general manager Mike Gillis of the Canucks.

Bowness spoke Thursday about the coaching staff's decision to give Schneider the tap on the shoulder for Game 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.

“That’s probably the most difficult decision Alain’s had to make in our tenure here,” Bowness said. “Anyways, that’s what it was.”

Bowness also commented about the team needing to do a better job limiting the unnecessary time in their own zone. He gave L.A. credit by saying they have one of the best forechecking teams in the league.

Following a practice at UBC on Friday, head coach Alain Vigneault met with the Vancouver media, and he also chimed in on the heated topic. He talked about his decision to go with Cory Schneider in Game 4, when the Canucks were in survival mode trying to extend the series beyond the minimum four games.

"Obviously, it’s not cut-and-dried decision, and I don’t want to get into the reasons why I made that call, but at the end of the day, we’ve got two great goaltenders, two quality individuals, two guys that obviously want to play. One that has all the records that a Canucks goaltender can have. He has been here a real long time, real solid individual, but as a coach, you got to do what you feel is best for the team, and that’s what I felt was the best in the last game."

The goalies also met up with the media on Friday, and it marked the first time since the Canucks decided to play Schneider in Game 4 that Luongo had spoken to the media. To be honest, Luongo has gone from a young adult to a man, a developing goalie into an NHL veteran during his time in Vancouver. He had this to say:

“Right now the focus is on Game 5. We need to have a big game as a team. I’m just getting ready in case I’m needed.”

“Cory has worked extremely hard since he has been up. I think he deserves what he’s getting. He’s going to be a top-notch goalie in this league for a long time, and I’m happy for him, hopefully we can get the job done here.”

A reporter asked him what he feels about becoming the backup goalie in the playoffs, he replied, “I think I’m a competitor, and it’s tough, but at the same time, this is about the team, and I’m not going to put myself ahead of the team. We are in this together. We worked hard to be in this position, and right now, I’m going to do my best to be ready in case needed. I’m 100% behind Cory and my teammates.”

Has Luongo been following the rumours and reports about him being moved later this summer?

Luongo said, "To be honest with you, I don’t really read or listen, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I don’t think right now is really the time to be thinking about that stuff. We want to be playing hockey for a little while here, and that’s what my focus needs to be on."

Cory Schneider was also interviewed on Friday. He had this to say:

“I don’t have any thoughts."

“I’m not going to speculate on the next summer or the next season. Still have a season to play right now, so I’m not really going to talk about any of that. We still have next game to play, so I don’t know what everyone is talking about. I think the focus should be on Game 5, not on what happens after the season.”

When asked about whether or not Luongo is supportive of him, Cory said, “Yeah, of course. He’s always been great, he’s been great to me, he’s been great to the team and he has handled this extremely well. He hasn’t said a word, and he’s been nothing but a true professional and a great guy that he is. I don’t think anyone was worried about it, and he’s been fantastic about everything.”

Lastly, Mike Gillis joined Blake Price and Matt Sekeres on the Sports Radio Team 1040 Friday morning.

Price and Sekeres asked Mike who made the decision to go with Cory Schneider for Games 3 and 4. Does management have a role in the decision process?

Gillis answered, “I encourage all the senior executives to have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion and the decision. But at the end of the day, Alain coaches the team. It’s his decision on who plays defense, just like it is his decision on who plays in goal, and it is his decision on who plays on the scoring lines. Notwithstanding the fact that I encourage input, but at the end of the day, he is responsible for the lineup, and he made the decision.”

Has Mike Gillis spoken to Roberto Luongo about the goaltender change in the first-round playoff series?

Gillis admitted, “I haven’t talked to him, but Alain has. Roberto handled this like we expected him to handle as a teammate. He understands that we needed a momentum change, and Cory has played really well, and Roberto has played really well. Sometimes you just need a change when you face the circumstance we faced, you have to have the guts to make difficult decisions and try to upend the momentum, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Finally, with respect to the change in the goalie situation, is there any direction that Canucks management is headed as to decide who plays goalie in September next season?

Gillis replied, “I’m not sure yet. I think we will try and win this series and move on. If we do that, lots of things can continue to change. So a decision about one game is not the be all end all. It certainly does not formulate the complete opinion from me, so we are totally focused on Sunday. Once we get beyond that, we’ll get focused on the next game.”

Thanks for closely following your Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Cory Schneider gets his third straight start in goal.

This is Joseph Trenton reporting from the heart of the action, Vancouver, BC.