[Hyack]

N_Fiddledog N_Fiddledog:

Anybody been following the Prospects?

I watched bits and pieces, and am encouraged. The Calgary game doesn't matter. It was a back to back game after beating the Sharks the night before.

Last year I was thinking, "Oh dear, after the Sedins and Kesler go, we got nothing. I don't know though. It's different now. I'm starting to have hope for the future.

Not much at all, I'll wait and see what happens to them if they can or can't make it to the Canucks roster. If they were based a little bit closer to the West coast and it was possible to get to some of their games it would be a different matter, but with them being based in Utica, New York I don't think that's going to happen.

[martin14]

N_Fiddledog N_Fiddledog:

It's different now. I'm starting to have hope for the future.

Don't worry, it won't last.

[Hyack]

The Canucks training camp started today, anyone with 11/2 hours to spare can watch the video below....
The guys first exhibition game against San Jose goes Monday night at Rogers Arena, with Edmonton coming in on Wednesday, all preseason games will be televised this year...




As usual the Canucks have men missing from the training camp, hopefully it doesn't drag long into the season......as in Kesler last year.


David Booth sidelined as Canucks begin training camp

$1:

High-priced winger David Booth is not ready to hit the ice at the Vancouver Canucks' training camp.

As the Canucks opened camp with off-ice physical testing Wednesday, the veteran forward remained out with an ankle injury suffered last season. General manager Mike Gillis and coach John Tortorella described Booth's status as day to day.

Gillis said he has an idea of when Booth will return, but declined to divulge any details.

"It's just like any other player who has suffered that kind of injury," said Gillis. "It's training camp, and with a player of his stature and his experience you don't need to push him into a situation he is not going to be ready for and risk something else.

"So it's just regular maintenance of a player who has been injured, and I'm sure you will see him soon."

Booth, one of Vancouver's highest-paid players at $4.2 million US per season, has not lived up to expectations since being acquired in a trade from Florida early in the 2011-12 season.

A former 30-goal scorer with the Panthers, he had just one — an empty netter — and two assists in 12 games in the NHL's lockout-shortened campaign because of injuries.

"He is a big part of this team moving forward and we have to protect our team," said Gillis, explaining why he would not say when the 28-year-old Detroit native might return.

Booth's future with the Canucks was in question at the end of last season, with many observers speculating that the club might use one of two compliance buyouts available under the new collective bargaining agreement. But because he was on long-term injured reserve at the end of the lockout-shortened campaign, that was not an option.

Vancouver used only one of its buyouts, parting ways with defenceman Keith Ballard, who subsequently signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Minnesota Wild.

Booth also got off to an injury-marred start last season as he suffered a groin injury during on-ice testing at training camp. After coming back, he hurt his ankle March 16 against the Detroit Red Wings when he crashed into the boards on an icing call.

Although the ankle injury was initially not thought to be serious, Booth underwent surgery on March 22 and hasn't played since

Link

[Hyack]

Laying down Torts' law

$1:

It may be just over a week since John Tortorella began his gig as the new head coach of the Canucks in earnest, but the attitude adjustment on the team is already apparent.

The 55-year-old Boston-native, who is known as much for his fiery persona as he is for his past successes in the NHL, has garnered a reputation over the years for being tough on his players and “tough” has certainly been a buzz word through the opening few days of the 2013 Training Camp.

“Definitely a lot more yelling from him, but it’s positive right now,” said Canucks’ forward Chris Higgins, comparing and contrasting the styles between Tortorella and former head coach Alain Vigneault.

Tortorella’s previous teams – namely the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers – never had the reputation for being the most stylish teams or the most entertaining teams. With the exception of perhaps the 2004 Lightning squad that won the Stanley Cup, it’s tough to say if any of his former teams were in the conversation of being considered the best either.

But the one thing that Torts’ teams were always known for were being tough to play against each and every night. They might not manage to win on every occasion, but if you were going to beat one of Torts’ teams, you’d have to pay a price doing so.

It’s that very same team toughness that the Canucks bench boss has been trying to ingrain into his new club even in the early stages of training camp.

It began on Thursday when the team’s opening day of training camp involved challenging skating drills without a puck to be seen, not to mention a two-mile run that was designed to be completed in under 12 minutes.

The pace hasn’t slowed down since.

“I’ve been to two training camps before this and the pace is definitely a little bit higher this year,” says netminder Eddie Lack. “It’s been a couple of tough days here for sure, but I think that once we get over this we’re going to be a lot better from it.”

Anytime a team undergoes a coaching change, there is always incentive among the players to want to make a good first impression. But that desire seems to be even more intense in this year’s camp and it applies not only for those players sitting on the bubble as far as a roster spot is concerned, but even among the veterans who are assured of their spot on opening night.

Higgins would be one of those veteran players who knows, barring the unforeseen, he’ll be in the opening night line-up. He’s also more familiar than anyone else on the team with Tortorella having played under him with the Rangers for a good part of the 2009-10 season.

But even though his new coach knows just what he’s capable of, even Higgins admits there’s pressure to demonstrate that he, just like everyone else at Canucks camp, is buying into Torts’ vision.

“He knows everyone’s hurting right now and we’re getting a little tight and everything like that but just wants us to push through it and show you’re committed to being on the team,” Higgins added.

On the flip side, Tortorella knows more about Higgins at this moment than he does any other member of the Canucks roster and he’s not shy to point out all the things he likes about the winger he coached for 55 games in New York.

“I like the little thing he does – his strength on the walls, his ability to understand when to protect the puck and his willingness to do it,” said Tortorella. “He did them for us [with the Rangers] and he forechecked well and he was a good penalty killer.”


Tortorella may have been talking specifically about Higgins, but he might as well be describing what it is he expects out of every player under his watch – players who are willing to do all those little things that lead to success and not just rely on skill and ability alone to carry them to victory.

As much success the Canucks have enjoyed under the previous regime – which includes a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, two Presidents’ Trophy victories and six division titles – there was a sense, particularly over the last couple of seasons, that they had become a team that was no longer tough to play against.

They were talented and skilled and could beat any team in the league on any given night, but that toughness and willingness to do whatever it took to win just didn’t seem to be present.

That’s precisely what Tortorella plans to change for a team that has proven they have the ingredients to be successful, but hasn’t always utilized their abilities to their potential.

“He just wants your commitment there every day, every drill,” said Higgins. “I think guys know that and they’re responding to it.”

If all goes according to plan for Torts, they’ll be responding just as well come May and June as they are right now.

link

Sure hope he manages to pull this off, I don't think losing the first 2 games of the preseason will make him too happy, even if they are mean nothing games. It was like watching 2 other teams playing for the most part as most of the players were total unknowns in the Canucks' roster.....

[Unsound]

So, Kassian... suspension? Or does he just have to watch out for hit-and-run drivers every time he's in Edmonton for the rest of his career?

[N_Fiddledog]

Unsound Unsound:

So, Kassian... suspension? Or does he just have to watch out for hit-and-run drivers every time he's in Edmonton for the rest of his career?

I don't know. Reckless on Zack's part maybe, but not purposeful, I don't think.



I get why Edmonton would be pissed though. Losing their second line center, with Nugent-Hopkins already on the shelf to start the season. Rough luck.

[Unsound]

Reckless at the very very least. And reckless with the stick like that should get a suspension regardless of intent.

[N_Fiddledog]

Maybe a game or two suspension just for appeasement, but not because he deserves it. I'm sure he said "Oops".

[Hyack]

Canucks' Zack Kassian suspended 5 regular-season games

$1:

Vancouver Canucks forward Zack Kassian likely wishes he had kept his stick on the ice on Saturday night.

Kassian was suspended Monday for the rest of the pre-season and the first five games of the regular season for a high-sticking incident against Edmonton that left Oilers centre Sam Gagner with a broken jaw.

The NHL's department of players safety announced the move in a press release.

The infraction occurred at 18:33 of the second period of the Oilers' 5-2 win on Saturday night. Gagner is expected to be out indefinitely, according to the team. Kassian, 22, received a double-minor on the play, which knocked several of Gagner's teeth out when the pair collided.

"As he nears the boards Kassian comes to a spinning stop, recklessly swinging his stick and striking Gagner in the face and breaking his jaw," NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan said in a video explanation. "While we accept Kassian's assertion that he did not intend to strike Gagner in the face, he is however responsible for the consequences of swinging his stick in this instance. In summary, this was high sticking."
Under the terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the six-foot-three, 214-pound native of Windsor, Ont., will forfeit $22,500 US in salary, all of which will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Also suspended was Canucks forward Dale Weise, who was banned for the rest of the pre-season for a hit to the head of Edmonton's Taylor Hall at 6:52 of the first period of the same game. Weise received a minor penalty on the play.

"As Hall comes out of the corner with the puck Weise comes down and delivers a shoulder check directly to the head of Hall," said Shanahan. "Weise does not hit Hall squarely through the body and the head is the main point of contact."

Hall remained in the game and showed no apparent injury.

Vancouver has three pre-season tilts left and begins its 2013-14 campaign on Oct. 3 against the San Jose Sharks. Kassian will be eligible to return Oct. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 10 p.m. ET).

link

[Alta_redneck]

Unsound Unsound:

So, Kassian... suspension? Or does he just have to watch out for hit-and-run drivers every time he's in Edmonton for the rest of his career?

Looks like he'll have to at least face Smackintyre 6 times. Hell that might be the only games the big guy plays.

[Hyack]

Guide to 2013-14 NHL realignment

$1:

The NHL and NHL Players' Association each had input into the plan to realign the League into a more geographically appropriate two-conference, four-division format that has 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 teams in the Western Conference.

Under realignment, the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets moved to the Eastern Conference to provide them the ability to play the majority of their games against teams in the same time zone. The Winnipeg Jets moved to the Western Conference for the same reason. Similarly, the Dallas Stars stayed in the Western Conference but moved into a division that includes five other teams from the Central time zone.

The new alignment also ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once per season.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will still consist of 16 teams, eight in each conference, but it will be division-based and a wild-card system has been added.

The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season points and regardless of division. It will be possible, then, for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.

Seeding of the wild-card teams within each divisional playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the fewest points; the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second-fewest points.

The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. The winners of each opening-round series will play for berths in the conference championship series.

The winners of the conference championships advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Western Conference consists of the Pacific and Central Divisions (each a seven-team division), while the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions consist of eight teams each and make up the Eastern Conference.

The Central Division features the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. Colorado is the only Mountain time zone team in the division; the rest are from the Central time zone.

The Atlantic Division has four Original Six franchises: the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are also in the division.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will join the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division.

Here is a breakdown of the schedule matrix created for the new alignment plan:

WESTERN CONFERENCE (7-TEAM DIVISIONS)

Within Conference (Division): 29 games

* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams are rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 5 =25 games

* 1 X 4 = 4 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams). Teams are rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 7 = 21 games

Non-Conference: 32 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 16 = 32 games

(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)

EASTERN CONFERENCE (8-TEAM DIVISIONS)

Within Conference (Division): 30 games

* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams are rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 2 =10 games

* 4 X 5 = 20 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams). Teams are rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 8 = 24 games

Non-Conference: 28 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 14 = 28 games

link

It would seem the Canucks will no longer be their divisional winners without some very hard work. They are now matched up with the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks, the 2 teams to end the Canucks' playoff hopes the last 2 years, the Kings in 5 games and the Sharks in 4. It's definitely going to be interesting to see how the new coach Torts is going to make the guys into Stanley Cup contenders this year!

[sandorski]

Going to be a real challenge to be #1 in this setup. A good thing, IMO.

[Hyack]

Vancouver at San Jose

There isn't much being put out by the Canucks considering today sees the season opener against the Sharks in San Jose, hopefully they will sooner or later get their shit together and put out a pregame report.

Canucks:Not a lot of names were changed, but this team will look different this season. For example, new coach John Tortorella expects Henrik and Daniel Sedin to kill penalties and block shots in addition to maximizing their scoring chances.

"We always wanted to kill penalties and do all those kind of things," Daniel said to NHL.com. "So it will be interesting to see what happens, but we're open to anything. We want to help this team win, and whatever he wants us to do, we'll do."

Injury report: Canucks forward David Booth has spent the preseason rebounding from left ankle surgery but should be ready. Forward Zach Kassian still has five regular season games to go in his suspension for high-sticking Edmomton's Sam Gagner in the preseason.

Tonight's game wil be shown on TSN starting at 7:00pm PT.

[sandorski]

woot ppg garrison

[Hyack]

Ho hum....5 straight losses to the Sharks.....

....5th straight loss in a row for their season opener.....2 were in the SO...

It was an interesting game, although the only really good thing to see was their PK, killing off all 8 penalties including a full 2 minutes of 5-3. They do need some work on the PP though, going only 1-6. Seeing Torts behind the bench was ......strange....but I have a feeling once the team returns from their 7 game road trip late this month we will have a team ready to do what has to be done to keep both Torts and the fans happy a lot longer than they have the last couple seasons. It may only be the start of the season, but once again I'm looking forward to another great season.....