MVN: Most Valuable Network

In Memory of Off-Season ‘08

By | September 2, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

With the news today that the Vancouver Canucks will honour Luc Bourdon's memory via a tribute on opening night and through decals and lapels over the course of the upcoming season, the unofficial off-season from Hell looks to drag well on into the immediate future.

This is not to suggest that a tribute to Luc is not in order, it is, in fact, a wonderful and necessary touch - perhaps the closest thing to a silver lining as can be gleaned from such a terrible tragedy. It is, in no uncertain terms, the most awful occurrence in Vancouver Canucks history, overshadowing each and every other "dark moment" left in this haphazard organizations 38 year wake. As such, it cannot be compared, on equal footing, to any of the other bits of news this off-season.

The death of Luc Bourdon does, however, offer a resounding exclamation point to a period of months which now stand unparalleled in franchise history.

The march of bad news after bad news after bad news has yet to end, and one has to wonder if it will ever reach a firm stop-date, or simply fizzle onward and meld into the uncertainty of a rocky rebuilding phase, with no clear predictable end date or place looming on the horizon.

As if missing the playoffs was not nearly enough misery for fans of this team, the termination of Dave Nonis was equally if not more upsetting. In the week long soap opera which ensued, fans were treated to the reality that the teams owner, Franscesco Acquilini appears to know not what he is doing. In hiring new General Manager Mike Gillis, further questions were raised as to the direction of this team, chief among them being a lack of NHL managerial experience and leadership, from the top on down. The stated reasons Dave Nonis was fired sounded eerily similar to the reasons Mike Gillis was hired, with the only explanation being that the teams owners were committed to styles and systems of hockey that induce "winning." An insightful and profound stance.

Confounding matters, and putting fewer hearts at ease, was the decision to retain Alain Vigneault - one of the few aspects of the team and organization that a majority of Canuck fans were on the same page about, or at the very least indifferent to. The termination of Alain Vigneault would have raised few eyebrows, and irked relatively no one outside the Vigneault household.

Then comes the departures of Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and franchise anchor Trevor Linden, the latter to retirement. The fanscape has been divided and splintered with regards to each player for years now, but there is no denying that had the team lost even just one of them for the upcoming season, the Canucks would have exuded a distinctly unfamiliar flavour. Over the course of a few weeks, all three have disappeared, never to don and play in Canuck colours again.

In similar vein goes Steve Tambellini - onward, to greener pastures. Unlike Morrison and Naslund, whose moves to get out of dodge were lateral, Tambellini got out of town on a rocket ship, straight up to the next level of management, with many left wondering why he was not given the keys to GM'sville right here in Vancouver.

Factor in the mis-handling of assets at the draft (ie the rapidly leaked "the Canucks are shopping the Sedin twins" story) and the fact few (if any, depending on your criteria) high profile players have been lured to play in one of the nicest cities in the world (even for 20 million dollars) and you have serious cause for melodrama - of the "woe is me" variety.

The team is left hinging hope on exactly that: Hope. Hopefully Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood have breakout years. Hopefully Mason Raymond blossoms into the top-6 forward he has promised to be. Hopefully Mats Sundin decides to come. Or if he doesn't, hopefully a player or players of equal value will come in via trade. Hopefully Pavol Demitra, tragically now the teams best player, stays healthy, and hopefully he's up to leading a team - both in points and intangibles.

Missing the playoffs when you were expected to contend for the Cup, firing your General Manager and replacing him with an agent, losing your longest serving Captain in franchise history, losing your former iron-man and longtime top center, losing the face of the entire franchise, and then enduring the death of a top prospect finally rounding into NHL form. Which is to say nothing of the underwhelment of player acquisition since Free Agency opened, and the overall failure of management to remold this team into something even arguably improved.

It has been, without a doubt, the most depressing off-season in Vancouver Canucks history, and it looks to continue well on into the coming months.

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No New News

By | August 17, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

The official Canucks website is holding it's annual fan blogger contest for the second straight year, thus earning for itself liberal use of the word annual.

Sadly that might be about the most significant thing that has transpired in Canuck land the past week or so.

Unless you count the fan design Curtis Sanford's mask contest, also on the official website, though I'd venture not likely to gain the lustre of ever being an annual occurrence.

The team also continued it's series of "bold" and "aggressive" moves by hiring a video coach.

Yep.

Other than that, all's quiet.

The fans and the team and the Russians and the Georgians and the Canadian Olympic Organizing Committee and the Pope and the Bigfeet and the FBI all continue to wait on Mats Sundin for what better be a decision and performance that is in equal parts monumental and spectacular. God bless that man if he has a sub-par season.

Anywhere.

But that's it, nothing more to say see here. Go back to fearing the prospect of a team led by "prize catch" Pavol Demitra.

Just over five weeks until training camp.

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The Completely Meaningless Vancouver Medal Count Game, Part II

By | August 9, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

Continuing with what began yesterday, we now turn to players recently acquired by the Canucks, and award them medals for performances not yet given.

Rest assured, this is all quite technical.

Steve Bernier, Wing

He comes to Vancouver with all the promise of a brand new puppy, one everyone is waiting and wanting to see turn into that Big Mean Dog. He's already played on a line with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, as well as with a brilliant mix of talented young forwards in Buffalo. Now he's being asked to save the Vancouver-based careers of the Sedin Twins and potentially combine to overcome the offensive void left by Mats Sundin should Mats Sundin not play - here. So if you're one of those people who likes to "put things into perspective," the perspective for Steve is "Welcome to a situation you're destined to fail in, enjoy the media microscope of Vancouver kid." He should be a lock for 60 points, which in this book is good enough for a Gold Medal, but in the Rabid Vancouver Fanbase Book, will amount to a less than enthusiastic response. By those standards... Medal: Bronze.

 Kyle Wellwood, Center/Wing

The shifty, dizzying, dastardly, Kyle Wellwood! The diminutive stature with monster talent! Or something. He has skill dripping from every pore of his body and last year was a write off due to injury and rehab. There's no reason to think he can't have another breakout season like his first, but there's also no reason to think he couldn't have another broken season like his second. The jury is out, hinting only that he's a gamble worth taking, especially with a price tag of a cool one meeeeallion dollars. With a lineup destined to be juggled to degrees not yet fathomable it's a safe bet that Kyle, along with a few other bubble players, will find consistency difficult to maintain. Medal: Bronze, Silver, AND Gold! He's destined to nail all three over the course of a full season.

Pavol Demitra, Center/Wing, Bald

The new and not-even-close-to-improved Markus Naslund! Ladies and Gentlemen! Sporting the ever popular Andre Agassi look, Pavol can satisfy most of your needs most of the time. When he's not nursing injuries or failing to finish his checks he's flying up and down the ice, shooting the puck, and demonstrating his defensive awareness! His quiet style of "leadership by example" matches perfectly with the Man you just ran out of town for that very reason, so he should fit nicely into your pseudo-masochistic desires for perpetual disgruntlement. Because remember, if success is too much to ask, you should at least have things to complain about! Medal: Chocolate wrapped in Gold tin-foil.

The rest of the off season acquisitions are decidedly more minor, though not necessarily any less important. Even still, I'm going to slight them all by putting decidedly less effort into my arbitrary reasoning for their arbitrary medals.

Ryan Johnson, Center

He looks scary, will be expected to fill a role as a hard-nosed checker. Shouldn't disappoint. Medal: Gold!

 Darcy Hordichuk, Wing

Actually is scary. His fists will see more action than Chuck Norris. Medal: Gold!

Jason Krog, Center

Last years AHL Player of the Year! This years.... AHL Player of the Year! Medal: Bronze.

Rob Davison, Defence

He's not Brent Sopel. So... Medal: Gold!

Nolan Baumgartner, Defence

Back for his thirty-seventh tour of duty with the Canucks means that, if he brings more of the same, Baumer's good for a Gold! If only for nostalgias sake.

 

Yes, as this post would indicate, training camp simply can't come soon enough.

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The Completely Meaningless Vancouver Medal Count Game

By | August 8, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

In honor of the Olympics and in lieu of the utter dearth of Canuck related news and notes I thought we'd try something completely meaningless, pointless, and altogether shallow-minded: Grading the upcoming seasons of newly acquired and freshly departed players, before they've ever even set foot on the ice for their new teams.

It might seem completely cheap and totally unfair but, like I said, "In honor of the Olympics..."

 

The Departed

First up, the players who've used the off-season as best they could to get the heck out of town as fast as they could.

 

Markus Naslund, New York Rangers

The phrase "And now, from your New York Rangers, Marrrrrrkus Naslund!" is going to take some serious getting used to. What won't take any getting used to, however, is his uncanny ability to play hockey in semi-robotic fashion, a fashion in desperate need of an upgrade, overhaul or grisly scene of destruction a la Office Space. Never one for an obvious show of purpose, drive or emotion, the addition of a steady and annual drop-off in skillset has made him an unpopular commodity in Vancouver; a town in which he sits as the longest reigning Captain in franchise history, the man with the most points in franchise history, most goals in franchise history, and most hat-tricks in franchise history. It's a good thing New York sports teams are known for the lack of pressure they and their fans place on their players. Medal: Bronze!

 

Brendan Morrison, Anaheim Ducks

It's hard to be upset that Brendan has moved on to play for Brian Burkes mighty Ducks. As the guy who everyone seemed to like, even when he was mired in a slump, it's nice to see him now, finally, associating with a real live professional ice hockey team. It was high time he took his talents to the National Hockey League, and Anaheim couldn't be a better fit. He joins a team loaded with shooters and brings with him a long and successful career of dishing the puck to players more talented than himself. Medal: Gold!

 

Mike Weaver, St Louis Blues

What can you say about the impact Mike Weaver had during his storied 55 game playing career in Vancouver? There are so few words it's hard to pick just one or two. Destined to be a depth defenceman and the butt of many height jokes, Mike Weaver brings with him to St. Louis a bloodthirsty penchant for finishing his checks. Which is awesome. He keeps it simple and can step up his game when necessary. In no uncertain terms, he is the Forrest Gump of the National Hockey League. Medal: Silver!

 

Brad Isbister (UFA)

The only medal to be had for Brad Isbister is Gold... to the team(s) that pass on his "services."

Note the hilarious use of quotation marks!

 

Aaron Miller (UFA)

It's a shame the slogan It's Miller Time! never caught on with regards to Aaron, because last season truly was "Miller Time" in Vancouver. The single most underrated defenceman on the Canucks last season, Miller was rock solid and the thread that held the entire corps together when each and every member of that corps went down with injury and spent significant time on Injured Reserve. There's no place for a player of his calibre on the Canucks this coming season, but he'll be a valuable addition to any team seeking dependable depth on defence. Medal: Silver! To be yours for the low low price of around a million bucks (unless you're the Toronto Maple Leafs).

 

Byron Ritchie, Geneva

Byron Ritchie signing in Europe means only one thing to the Vancouver Canucks: The number 15 is "Now available." Medal: Did not qualify.

 

Trevor Linden, retired.

Still too painful to talk about. Medal: Go to hell.

 

For Part II, and the continued arbitrary awarding of medals - this time to players the Canucks have recently acquired - tune in tomorrow!

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Steve Tambellini Leaves Canucks

By | July 31, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

It was bound to happen sooner or later; but there goes the past. The Patt Quinn regime in Vancouver is officially over.

The Edmonton Oilers have named Steve Tambellini as their new general manager, moving Kevin Lowe into the role of President of Hockey Operations for Rexall sports. Tambellini, 50, has been part of the Vancouver Canucks hockey operations staff for the past 17 seasons and was most recently the Assistant General Manager and Vice-President of Hockey Operations.

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Mats or No Mats: Next Seasons Inevitable Talking Points

By | July 30, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

It’s regrettable how inescapable the allure of Mats Sundin has become for spaces such as this one, or this one... or this one... this one, this one, this one, etc. And so on. And so forth.

Tellingly the impact (or lack thereof), should he sign with the Canucks (or not), would send ripples of change throughout the organization. He's the hinge upon which success or failure...well, hinges. Thus, season projections become virtually impossible. Depth-charts a total waste of time. Line-combinations flimsy and pointless. In a sense, the courtship of Mats Sundin, while intriguing (and strangely erotic), handcuffs nearly every other talking point there is.

But with only a few days left to go in the speculation extravaganza-saga (we can only hope) it’s time to get a grapple on some of the other things which will dominate the Canuck landscape this fall and next spring. Try and forget the fact that August 1st has recently become a “soft-deadline” and that the list of potential suitors has actually grown over the last week... it’s time to begin shifting gears, because Mats or No Mats, at least five things are going to fuel the beer banter in Vancouver this upcoming season.

Alain Vigneault’s job security.

The coach has a brand new bag of toys to play with this year and the only thing that remains to be seen is whether or not he’ll be zipped up inside it mid-way through the season.

Criticized over the last two campaigns for bringing to Vancouver a boring, defense-first style of hockey, the warts began to show this last year when that style not only failed to entertain, but also failed to make the playoffs entirely. Bizarrely enough, Vigneault was retained while then-GM Dave Nonis took the fall. New GM Mike Gillis has already made a commitment to ice an up-tempo, offensively minded hockey team, and the execution of that commitment is clearly up to the coach. The hopes of a new GM and the desires of an entire fanbase depend upon his successful conversion to the wonderful world of puck-possession. He’s not skating on thin ice, he’s already treading in ice water.

He’s been promised a crop of players suited to the task and has been given a thorough inspection turned vote of confidence from the new GM. But that crop is meager and that GM is a rookie. Is Mike Gillis keeping a few more bullets in the gun to insulate himself from an immediate tailspin or nosedive? Or does he have sound reason to believe that the coach who’s only coached Defense - and to mild success - can suddenly preach Offense?

Regardless, if the team stumbles, Alain will be the first casualty.

The Replacements.

Compounding matters for the coach are Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison stand-ins Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood. Upgrade? Downgrade? A wash?

Anyone who thinks the stats of the two new guys won’t be routinely stacked up against the current and former stats of the two old guys is in a land of delusion. Think mid-way point of the season when Markus Naslund is, as usual, healthy and has a fifteen point lead on Pavol Demitra - who’s sitting on injured reserve, as usual, with something which will surely be “nagging,” as usual.

It’s less clear what role Kyle Wellwood will have on this team, even without the addition of Mats Sundin. And it's fair to assume that should Mats sign, Wellwood quickly sheds the title of "Brendan Morrison replacement." As it stands currently, he could claim a top-6 role or wind up being bought-out altogether. A moderate prediction sees him in and out of the lineup playing spot-duty.

A cruel and outlandish prediction has him playing with the TimBits.

Either way, the possibility for underwhelm-ment, on both fronts, is massive.

Equally massive, and ironic, is the impact both are expected to have on the team - either directly (in the case of Demitra) or through a trickle-down effect (in the case of Wellwood). Toss that massive expectation into a system unfamiliar to even the coach, one who doesn’t know the antics, merits, strengths and/or weaknesses of at least two of his newest impact players... and the potential for early chaos looms large. And early chaos only means one thing.

Right.

The coach being shown the door.

Something which should round out the instability of the entire franchise nicely.

The pressure is more squarely on Demitra to produce than Wellwood, and if he slumps early, it’s hard to imagine that he has the same robotic fortitude of Markus Naslund to help him shoulder the weight of an entire, angry fanbase. Say what you will about the former captain, he was always a magnet for criticism and he handled it in spectacular fashion, diffusing it time and time again.

History dictates that even a decent season by Demitra won’t be good enough for the fans of this team. And they’ll vilify him for that.

Just how large an impact that has on the rest of the team remains to be seen.

The "Nubbin."

In similar vein follows Steve Bernier, another new face and yet a category all himself.

Already billed as this years Third Nipple Sedin, in what has been a constantly revolving door of nipples linemates, Bernier has a bit of a strange adventure ahead of him. He has the size, skillset and potential to succeed in probably any top-6 that the National Hockey League has to offer. Playing with the Sedins is no cruel fate either. (Just ask the last two guys who had career years flying on their wing. Or Jeff Cowan. What was it again? Three shifts - two goals - seventeen bras?)

However, Steve arrives at a pivotal time. The lustre of watching Swedish Twins swap puck night in and night out is starting to wear thin in Vancouver. They are, without a doubt, on an extremely short leash. (Yep, Swedish twins on a leash swapping puck...google it if you must). Gillis may do everything in his power to sign the duo to a contract extension, but there's still no guarantee that they're in the long term plans of this club. So by all means, take it away Steve!

He also gets to enjoy the fact that he's already been penciled in to the most contentious spot the Vancouver Canucks lineup has to offer... before even meeting either of his linemates. It's his job to lose, but they're also his expectations to fail to live up to. Should Mats not sign, the Sedin line once again reverts to its previous position as the central cog in the Vancouver offensive machine. If that's the case, the pressure is on Bernier to vault the Twins to heights not yet reached, which for a duo that's averaged between 140-160 points a season for the last 3 seasons is saying something.

Again, should he struggle coming out of the gate (which is entirely, and unfairly, possible) fans in this town will quickly call for a change - see "Put Wellwood with the Twins!"

Which brings me to my next point.

"Put Wellwood with the Twins!"

Along with Demitra, Wellwood and Bernier sit the new kids on the block: Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Michael Grabner and Cody Hodgson. The order they appear in that last sentence is most likely the order they will appear in the Canucks lineup next season and beyond.

With the uncertainty of line combinations and the certainty of key injuries it's a safe bet that some of the youngsters will see significant minutes on the top lines. Raymond is undoubtedly already a lock to receive more than just a passing glance come training camp. He earned his shot last season and he'll get one again come September and October.

Add to this mix Alain Vigneault's erratic penchant for line juggling and the picture of chaos gets even more garbled. Expect, at some point, cries for any of the above to be placed into roles far above their pay-grades.

Expect, at some point, for those cries to be heard - at least until all hope is lost or shattered along the way.

Basically, expect weeks - if not months - of true, honest-to-God line juggling. Line juggling like you've never seen it before. It was Vigneault's saving grace two seasons ago, when he had the pulse of a new team and every combination and curveball he sent out onto the ice worked like magic.

It came crashing to a halt last season, but that's probably only because of our next, and final issue to look out for next season...

Roberto Luongo's wife hates Vancouver.

And she want's him out. Don't you know?

This one is truly with us to the end, and not just of the season, but quite possibly his entire career-in-Vancouver, however long that lasts.

The quack that conjured up this ridiculous rumour must still be laughing in his little white cell, but all the funnier is the sheer torrent of people who run with it - no questions asked.

Without a whisper of reason to believe it as true, a large percentage of the fans in this town are driven by the fear that either Roberto, his wife, or both, want out of Vancouver at the earliest possible convenience.

Here's to the fans and media continuing their quest to set the forest on fire because they thought it was burning anyway.

So there you have it. No matter what happens with bald headed 37 year old Swedes in the coming days, we'll still have other things to talk about.

Rejoice.

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All Mats on the Western Front

By | July 25, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

First, a few objects of note. The Vancouver Canucks have signed a six-pack of players and the annual State of the Franchise event appears to have gone off without a hitch. Organizational depth is assured and, more importantly, defense-first hockey joins the GVO, Indy and Grizzlies on the "List of Sports No Longer Allowed in Vancouver."

Supposedly.

For the sake of remaining positive, let’s ignore the following twist in logic: “Coach’s coach the players they’re given, that’s why Alain Vigneault shouldn’t be held responsible for the lack of offense last season. Which is why I, Mike Gillis, General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, have decided to retain him. But by the way, before I’ve finished assembling next year’s squad, I’m already demanding that he coach offense-first hockey... I see no reason why this will hinder my quest to steal highly offensive players away from other teams. Yes, I realize that I look like a walking-talking mug-shot. Next question.”

Let’s put a pin in that one for now, because the off-season still remains well underway which, and since we’re being unnecessarily positive, means the glass is still half full. Or something.

Bobbing back and forth atop the surface of that glass is, of course, Mats Sundin, his shiny head and stealy grin competing for glint and glory in the Lapland sun. (Lapland is a province in northern Finland. Lap Land is something else entirely.)

In equal measure the smoke signals coming from that corner of the world tell us he will sign in any one of three places: Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. One’s got the money, one’s got the competitive edge, and one’s got the Sundinstrings firmly by the Matsballs. The allure of a Cup run and a strong loyalty to the old ball and chain are understandable reasons to balk at the West Coast. But there’s something to be said for a guy who doesn’t even blink at an offer of 20 million dollars to get out of Toronto, and into Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Clearly those in the Sundin sweepstakes are not dealing with your average bear.

Which makes this all the more terrifying for anyone who has thrust all his eggs into number-13's rapidly aging pic-a-nic basket.

Enter Mike Gillis.

In the upper-forward ranks (because who the hell knows what constitutes a top-6 on this team, least year or this year) he’s lost Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden. (Trevor was clutch! Don’t be haters!)

He’s added Steve Bernier, Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood. Two have upside, all three have scoring prowess, one is a lock to miss 20 games due to injury, and two have less than impressive fitness levels.

We could add up goals lost and gained and predicted and conjured through witchcraft, but this practice does little more than to boil the chaos of an entire NHL season down into a fine, imperfect sludge - one nowhere near the result intended.

Instead, through modest observation, we can come to a few conclusions. The players lost and added are probably a wash, with perhaps a slight edge to be given to this years crop, that is if untapped potential is fulfilled and injuries stay minimal. The most promising aspect in this regard is the predicted health and stability of the defensive corps next season. Only by some cruel twist of fate will the Vancouver blueline face the same rash of injuries they did last season, when the entire top-6 was out for prolonged periods of time. A healthy, stable backend will do much to spark, drive and provide offense, both even strength and, more importantly, with the man advantage. There’s also much to be said towards the added grit and size to the bottom-6, which will no doubt have a positive effect on the top-6.

But all this is bananas.

Because at best it’s mediocrity. Again.

Unless we’re banking on miracles, or being that team which no one expected to be so damn good and whose success, on paper, remains unfathomable.

Or, unless, we’re banking on one player joining a what-is-now-decent team and making it fantastically-spectacular.

When you get right down to it those seem to be the two strategies at work here in Vancouver. The only two.

Brilliance knows no bounds.

Thank God we got rid of that Dave Nonis character.

Right now, all we can do is hope, see The Dark Knight three or four more times, and wait until August the 1st rolls around, when Mats announces his decision to play with the Vancouver Canucks through the 2008-2009 season and, shortly after that announcement - which I envision will be hand delivered to me by 5 scantly clad women of my choice - Mike Gillis also announces that he has swung a deal to acquire Marian Gaborik from the Minnesota Wild, through some clever combination of magic, mysticism and bribery.

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Out With the Old…

By | July 11, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

The speculation here runs rampant: Mats Sundin is all but a lock to join the Canucks.

In the meantime, the team has lost Brendan Morrison, Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden - and has filled that leadership void with Pavol Demitra - who signed here in Vancouver for the exact same money and term that Markus signed with the Rangers for.

The common line of thinking in these parts is that "a change was needed" anyway, and it was time for Brendan, Markus, and reluctantly, Trevor, to all move on to greener pastures. A change of culture, it is often stated, was needed.

Which is all fine and dandy.

But if Mats Sundin is not the saviour so many expect him to be, then this team has improved little upon the heap of useless withered crap it was the last time it hit the ice and splattered everywhere. Destiny for this squad currently hinges upon Steve Bernier and his "untapped potential" with the Sedin Twins - which, honestly, comforts me little.

After that teeter-totter of a top line you take quite a few significantly large steps down to the second one, with prize pickup Pavol Demitra flying - effectively - solo, with Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond.

Tantalizing.

Who would have thought that, three months ago, when Mike Gillis was talking about bold moves to a grittier, faster, more competitive team he was talking about Darcy Hordichuk.

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Fear and Loathing in Vancouver

By | July 6, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

First the rosy:

If the Canucks can't get the players they want to start the season, they'll go with youth and find out just how good Dave Nonis's farm system really was, while waiting for the players they want in their lineup. It's a different approach, but after all these years of watching what has been taking place here, who's to say it's the wrong way to go?

Then the not-so-much:

Of course, there's another way to look at everything that's transpired for the Canucks and it isn't quite as sunny or optimistic. It is, in fact, the opposite of sunny and optimistic.

It seems only fitting that we begin this blog with the same sense of general misdirection that currently propels the entire Vancouver Canucks organization forward through the realms of space, time, and the Universe-at-large. After all, this is the same organization that has delivered you Halloween on Ice, the spaghetti-plate Skate, virtually no Hall of Famers to speak of, and the only black-hole in the truly storied career of one Mark Messier.

But what a black-hole it was.

The pattern of hilarity continues, of course, right on into the present era and, as we all know, this summer has been one for the books. Recently, fans of this team have been treated to a cacophony of comical brilliance from an organization that is seemingly hell-bent upon bringing the same haphazard system of graceless inefficiency most recently mastered by the Maple Leafs, to a Vancouver near you.

And the fans in this town could not be more excited!

Over the course of the last three months the team has seen to the dismissal of one respected general manager, his replacement with another, wholly inexperienced player-agent, and the retirement of the only real franchise player in history. This on top of the tragic death of a promising young prospect (as well as promising young man), and the total disintegration of any and all supposed draft-day grand-plans.

For a city which defines itself largely through the trials and tribulations of its favourite hockey club the past three months have been suffocating, and a strong fear of the unknown coupled with an anxiousness to get things moving in a positive way has culminated in a full-blown, city-wide case of collective-angst with regards to the days ahead.

This sad rudderless journey staggers ever onward with the recent departure of team Captain Markus Naslund and the impending departure of longtime Canuck Brendan Morrison. Despite heavy criticism of each over the years, the loss of both leaves stewardship of the top-6 to the Sedin twins, Taylor Pyatt, and some random concoction of "promising youngsters" - which at this point now includes excellent addition Steve Bernier.

Which is where things really get revealing for the followers of this team. Despite shedding the so called anchor of Markus Naslund's soft leadership, the fans are restless, because "now what will we do without him? Who will Mats Sundin play with when he signs with us which, by the way, will never happen in a million years but that's besides the point..."

This is all points to the curious place the Vancouver Canucks find themselves in now, where the recent past seems to have converged upon the present, folding itself neatly into the back pocket of this teams miserable historical record of disappointing failure. The result is a massive inferiority complex and an insatiable thirst for continual signs of improvement. Like the Nazi's and their need for perpetual, unceasing political victory, fans of this team, in this town, require relentless reasons to stay positive.

Yes (and no) I did (and did not) compare Canucks fans to Nazi's. Read carefully. I beg of you.

Going forward, fans of the team can expect a new captain, most likely a new core, and imperatively, a new top-6. But beyond that, few know what to expect or even what to realistically desire.

No one knows exactly where the team is going or where it even wants to go - let alone how they will ever get there. And that, all by itself, speaks volumes about the direction this organization appears to be headed.

Of course, if Mats Sundin decides to sign, this will change everything.

Right.

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Mats Sundin or, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By | July 2, 2008 | Gateway to the Garage

When it comes to the shocking news that isn't news yet still outweighs all of the other news a 2 year 20 million dollar slow-pitch offer to land Mats Sundin has to rank right up there on the giant sliding scale of absurdity, registering far to the right, towards that of the grossest degree.

In Vancouver, reaction to the "news" has been mixed. Listening to local radio call-in shows one gets the distinct impression that the image of Mats Sundin donning a Canucks sweater might actually render Western Canadian democracy null and void completely, and throwing the largest city in that region into total anarchy - with brother pit against brother, wife against husband, and, somehow, dog against cat.

At this point, it wouldn't be totally out of line to predict an outbreak of city-wide epileptic seizures - boiled in the brains of those unable to cope with the madness of Mats Sundin's contract or, on the flip-side, to the unbridled greatness of Mats Sundin himself.

There is no grey fence to sit on with this one.

The detractors have their arsenal of loud and obvious reasons as to why this is all a truly terrible idea. And few can really blame them. Clearly the thought of pledging half of Vancouver's current salary cap space this off-season to a single aging veteran who still loves the Ex, warts and all, is unnerving. To say the least. As is the eery resemblance to previous and equally big-named and bald free agent signings of a distant and painfully suppressed past.

But, and while the concerns about Mats being paid too much or how he may or may not be Mark Messier in disguise are legitimate, one can't help but wonder how much excitement his presence on this team, in this town, would generate - especially given the sparse and difficult-to-imagine/stomach alternative options. (See Pavol Demitra and only Pavol Demitra).

If Mats Sundin in Vancouver turns out to be the same Mats Sundin from Toronto then it's difficult to throw this possibility completely out on its head simply because of what is an astronomically disproportionate amount of money. If this particular off-season has taught us anything it is that over-paying for players, of any ilk, is not only necessary, but critical. And as such this particular offer shouldn't be looked at solely through the glasses of "fiscal responsibility."

Likewise, if the last few off-seasons have taught us anything, it's that less and less credence should be paid to the label of "highest paid player in the league," since that pattern seems only to reflect that the highest paid player in the league will be "whoever was the most sought after UFA last summer."

When you get right down to it, the concerns are thus: Too much money tied up in one player, One who might start to wane, and One who is not a saviour so don't pay him as such.

Fair enough.

But who else are you going to spend the money on? Who else brings you what he does? How fair is it to judge one player for the failure of another, in Mark Messier?

Or, perhaps most importantly, how confident are you that Roberto Luongo likes what he's seeing here in this town right now? How much would he like to see a player of Mats consummate professionalism enter the fold? How much would his arrival effect the destinations of other unrestricted free agents?

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