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Toppy Vann
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TheLionKing wrote:Phil Weasel is grossly overpaid. Leads the team in scoring with 54 points, also leads the team in plus minus with a -35. You're never going to win without playing defence.
They are uncoachable. They need to change the mix. and Phil talking like that should be the first out of town.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
TheLionKing
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Big win by the Canucks over the defending champions Kings. LA is going to have a tough time making the playoffs. Who would have thought that when the season began.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/why-l ... e-canucks/

This kid is gold.
Why locking up Chris Tanev was a no-brainer for the Canucks

Jared Clinton

By: Jared Clinton on March 25, 2015

When you’ve got the future of your blueline nearing free agency, you do just about anything you can to secure him long-term. That’s exactly what the Vancouver Canucks did Tuesday when they inked Chris Tanev to a five-year, $22.5 million extension.

Tanev, 25, signed the five-year deal just months before his current one-year contract is set to expire. In five seasons, Tanev has gone from promising prospect to top-pairing defenseman for the Canucks, and his new deal signifies Vancouver has high hopes for what his future holds. The signing was an all-around no brainer.

“He’s what we call a transition defensive defenceman,” Canucks GM Jim Benning said in a statement to announce the signing. “He’s a real good skater and has high hockey IQ. He takes away time and space from the forwards and he’s smart in his position defensively, but when he gets the puck, he can skate it up the ice and he makes good plays getting it up to the forwards.”

It’s his defensive play that has made him such a gem for Vancouver. While some will look at two goals and 16 points as a player not worth $4.5 million per season, Tanev’s ability to thwart the opposition attack is what makes him so valuable.

There are 89 defensemen in the NHL this season who have played at least 1,000 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey. Tanev is one of them, and he has only been on the ice for 28 goals against at 5-on-5, tied with Pittsburgh’s Paul Martin and Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison for fewest in the league. While teammate Alex Edler ranks fifth, on ice for 30 goals against at 5-on-5, last season, Tanev ranked 10th, on ice for 34 goals against at 5-on-5, and was the only Canuck in the top 40.

He’s also tied for 23rd of those 89 defensemen in shot attempts for percentage at 52.8 percent. That’s a great total considering when you exclude rearguards who start fewer than 30 percent of their shifts in the defensive zone, he jumps to into a tie for 12th.

And when you compare Tanev’s deal – $4.45 million per year for five years – it looks better than many of the contracts of his statistical counterparts. Martin, 34, makes $5 million per season, Garrison, 30, has an annual salary of $4.6 million, and Tanev’s teammates Kevin Bieksa, 33, and Dan Hamhuis, 32, make $4.6 and $4.5 million respectively. It’s not gigantic savings, but while the others making comparable money are entering the tail end of their careers, Tanev hasn’t yet entered his prime.

What Tanev also brings is the ability to play a shutdown role. In the release from the Canucks, on top of praising Tanev’s ability to move the puck up ice, Benning said Tanev has shown he can play against the other team’s top competition.

“He’s played in our matchup pair all year and has played against the other team’s top lines,” Benning said. “He’s a competitive guy and he’s played really well.”

And it’s hard to understate the importance of being able to play big minutes as a shutdown defender, something Tanev has done this year to near perfection. While 28 goals against at 5-on-5 is impressive, it’s an even greater feat considering of the 89 1,000-minute blueliners, Tanev is in the top 25 percent when it comes to quality of competition. He’s not just facing other team’s top lines, he’s doing it every single time out.

While it would be nice if he had more offensive upside, not every defenseman in the Canucks stable is going to be Edler – a player equipped with a bomb of a slapshot that plays huge power play minutes. Tanev fits in the other category. He’s a shutdown defender whose game isn’t going to show up on the score sheet night in and night out, but the kind of defenseman you need to win in this league.

Heading into Wednesday night’s games, the Canucks have a four-point lead on the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division. Vancouver has won three straight and appear playoff bound. There’s no one believing the Canucks will go all the way this season, but they’re looking further ahead than one post-season.

If the Canucks lost Tanev, their blueline would be missing a key piece to future success. With him in the lineup, however, maybe it won’t be long before the Canucks are challenging for top spot in the division again.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/recip ... ro-camera/

I am no fan of the Blackhawks. Except for Toews, and certainly not Kane.

But this video of stickhandling skills is amazing.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
TheLionKing
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Five most overpaid players in the NHL

TheLionKing
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Five most underpaid players in the NHL

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KnowItAll
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Having trouble getting on the canucks bandwagon.

For me, the 94 team was the most exciting and entertaining, if not the best. I find it hard to cheer for a more bland version of the team to finally get the cup.

What a conundrum

I do like Lack though.
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
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WestCoastJoe
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http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/27 ... -practice/

Booth and Kessel "fight" at practice. OK. Pushing, not fighting. LOL

Sad, sad Leafs.

Blow it up. Start over.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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KnowItAll
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I am sensing a Lack of Canuck fevor here
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
TheLionKing
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What about the Ottawa Senators, trailing 3 goals they responded with 4 consecutive goals including the winner in overtime to beat Pittsburgh. The win ties them with Boston for the final playoff spot.
TheLionKing
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KnowItAll wrote:I am sensing a Lack of Canuck fevor here
Canucks officially clinch a playoff spot with the Kings' loss to Edmonton.
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WestCoastJoe
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Quote of the Day

Winning the Presidents' Trophy is not an easy thing to do; just look at the teams right now fighting to get into the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs. It's a challenging thing, and I think for our group it's just one step in the direction that we're looking to get to. I'm very proud of our group, but we all know that we're going to be judged by what we do in the playoffs, so this is a first step.

— Rangers coach Alain Vigneault after win against Devils on Wednesday clinched New York's third Presidents' Trophy
All the man has done is win. With the Canucks, and with the Rangers.

After he was fired by the Canadiens he decided that if he ever got another chance, he would enjoy the ride. It certainly seems that he has done that. Always a smile. Never with hair on fire. LOL. Seems to have the stress level under control. Gets the max from his team. :thup:
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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sj-roc
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KnowItAll wrote:I am sensing a Lack of Canuck fevor here
Pun notwithstanding, listen to Bro Jake; you'll quickly get your fill.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
TheLionKing
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sj-roc wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:I am sensing a Lack of Canuck fevor here
Pun notwithstanding, listen to Bro Jake; you'll quickly get your fill.
You got that right. Him and the Know it All David Pratt.
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sj-roc
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TheLionKing wrote:
sj-roc wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:I am sensing a Lack of Canuck fevor here
Pun notwithstanding, listen to Bro Jake; you'll quickly get your fill.
You got that right. Him and the Know it All David Pratt.
Bro stands out worse to me, makes me cringe to hear him say "we" like he's just a fan. This morning he was cheerleading Edm having beaten LA to help the Canucks' playoff positioning. I don't notice this sort of stuff from DP, for whatever faults DP might have. His anti-TO rhetoric has gotten a bit played, whether or not you agree with it — there just comes a point where you can't be bothered hearing about TO stuff, even for purposes of bashing it, when there's plenty of local goings-on to cover.

Also: "fevor", KIA? Do you mean fever or fervo(u)r? Or are you trying to invent a new word that captures both?
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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