notch for win and tradition
October 26th, 2008 by thewordbirdThe Vancouver Canucks brought a little tradition to the garage before the Hockey Night in Canada contest against the Edmonton Oilers yesterday. The ‘7th Canuck’ #7 jersey will be presented to a fan ( I believe a longtime ticket holder) to begin each home game. I thought the presentation was a bit of a buzzkill at the onset and I’ll be interested in watching how it continues in the future. We have to. This ranks as less of a tradition than the recent initiatives of Columbus (cannon shot after each goal, etc.) or the outdoor game on January 1st. I do however applaude all directions toward tradition and recognition in hockey. The NHL has shown some due diligence in that regard, with another example being the December 30 or 31st games between Philly and the Canucks. These things count to the diehards and I believe that the casual NHL fans can sense the excitement and gauge those moves as well. It was a nice touch by the Canucks to go with Cliff Ronning (most noteable #7 in history and recent inductee into the BC Sports Hall of Fame) as the presenter of the first ‘7th Canuck’ jersey to Jim Watt, a season ticket holder since 1970.
Far more noteworthy was the fact that General Motors Place had a new glass/boards system installed, making impact into them absorbed to a greater deal and allowing less ‘crazy’ bounces taking place than in the past. The glass was noted to move as much as two feet at the top of the stanchons and I will be really interested to glean information from player’s comments in the future and watch it for myself on 6 November 2008, when I take in the Coyotes and Canucks.
The Oilers and Canucks certainly tested the boards out in a game that featured many good solid checks and up and down play for the most part. The Canucks ran with a second period lead and dominated the rest of the way for a 6-3 win. Erik Cole fighting Mattias Ohlund was the turning point. Cole meant to clobber Ohlund with an offensive bodycheck and Ohlund took exception, going after him. Great I thought, I love both these guys and the energy was palpable. Then Cole got thrown out for his tie-down not being in place and Vancouver had a clear edge after that. Especially with Jason Strudwick leaving the game and the Oil down to five defensemen.
Mason Raymond was superb in the game with multiple chances, scoring twice (as did Hansen) (Ronning’s assessment of Raymond here). Ryan Kesler was outstanding again and aside from leading the team in points (9 though 8 games), his strong game ‘at the dot’ has Vancouver playing with the puck more than chasing it. Kesler sports a 56.9% average and won 16 out of 22 Saturday night. Kyle Wellwood has won 10 of his 14 in limited action with the Canucks so far for an average over 70%. Wellwood’s play against the Oil has fans excited in other ways as well, as his power play time was especially significant. Poised with the puck and showing a touch around the net, management likes what it sees and fans are endeared by his honesty. The Canucks rank 15th in the NHL in faceoffs at 50.2% which is an upgrade from last year’s 48.8% (24th rank).
Posted in Canucks, honoured, prospects
2 Responses to “notch for win and tradition”
By Jason Chen on Oct 27, 2008
Both Wellwood and Krog looked great in limited action, but Wellwood, especially on the powerplay, was caught hot-dogging it a little too much. I know he’s trying to show AV what he can do but he needs to keep his game simple, it’s the way coaches like it.
Mason Raymond is fast becoming one of the best young players in the league. I don’t think it’s out of the question to see him net 30 this year. I actually think him along with the Kesler line and Ohlund have been the best Canucks so far this year. Much ado was made of Raymond’s spinerama at the end of the game but I didn’t really mind it.
The face-off edge is also in large part due to Ryan Johnson’s efforts.
By thewordbird on Oct 27, 2008
While Johnson performed at the dot last season for the Blues, his winning percentage of ~46% this year must get better to provide the Canucks with some solid puck possession to start plays. RJ has been a bit better as of late, winning 3 of 4 in the loss to the Jackets and 4 of 8 versus the Oil.