Hockey Canada

TEAM CANADA HAS BEEN GIVEN SOME VERY BAD NEWS…
WAYNE GRETZKY WILL NOT BE THE GENERAL MANAGER IN 2010…
PRESIDENT OF HOCKEY CANADA BOB NICKOLSON MET WITH GRETZKY IN TORONTO OVER THE WEEKEND…
GRETZKY HAS DECIDED THAT HIS PRIORITY MUST BE THE PHOENIX COYOTES…
ALTHOUGH HE DID THE LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN TO ACT AS A CONSULTANT TO HELP CHOOSE THE PLAYERS AND COACHES THAT WILL FORM TEAM CANADA…
GRETZKY WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED AS A COACH…
HOWEVER WE SHOULD NOT BE ALL THAT SURPRISED THAT GRETZKY DOES NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH ALL THE PRESSURE THAT GOES WITH RUNNING THE TEAM…
TO SAY THE LEAST…HIS EXPERIENCE IN TORINO WAS A NIGHTMARE…
IT BEGAN WITH THE GAMBLING SCANDAL INVOLVING HIS ASSISTANT COACH IN PHOENIX RICK TOCCHET AND HIS WIFE JANET…
GRETZKY WAS ALSO OPENLY CRITIZED FOR HIS LOYALTY TO PLAYERS WHO CLEARLY WERE NOT THE BEST THIS COUNTRY HAD TO OFFER…
TODD BERTUZZI MADE THE TEAM…ERIC STAAL AND SIDNEY CROSBY DID NOT…
TEAM CANADA WAS SHUTOUT 2-0 BY BOTH FINLAND AND SWITZERLAND…
FINALLY WHEN THE RUSSIANS ELIMINATED CANADA…GRETZKY TOOK ALL THE BLAME…
QUOTE…”I’LL TAKE ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT WINNING…IT’S NOBODY ELSE’S FAULT”
HE ALSO SAID AT THE TIME…”I’M GOING TO RE-ASSESS WHERE I FIT”…
18 MONTHS LATER…WE KNOW…
STARTING NEXT MONTH NICHOLSON WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF FINDING A NEW GM…
THE GOOD NEWS IS…HE’LL HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF CANDIDATES…
ON THE TOP WOULD HAVE TO BE KEN HOLLAND IN DETROIT…
AS FOR A HEAD COACH…MIKE BABCOCK WOULD HAVE TO BE THE FRONT RUNNER…
ALTHOUGH BOTH KEN HITCHCOCK AND BRENT SUTTER WILL BE CONSIDERED…
WHOEVER TAKES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PUTTING THIS TEAM TOGETHER…
IT’S CLEAR THE PRIORITY WILL BE TO PUT TOGETHER THE BEST TEAM POSSIBLE…
FORGET ALL THE MISPLACED LOYALTIES AND POLITICS…
WHEN IT COMES TO PRESSURE…VANCOUVER IN 2010 WILL MAKE TORINO LOOK LIKE TOFINO…
ANYTHING LESS THAN GOLD…WILL BE CONSIDERED A COMPLETE FAILURE…
IF NOTHING ELSE…IT DOES HELP EXPLAIN WHY GRETZKY NO LONGER WANTS THE JOB…

The Canucks

THE LAST TIME THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS PLAYED A GAME THAT MATTERED WAS APRIL THE 5TH…
THAT’S 5 MONTHS AGO…
THE SEASON ENDED WITH A WHIMPER…NOT A BANG…7-1 TO CALGARY…
IT COST GENERAL MANAGER DAVE NONIS HIS JOB…
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER STEVE TAMBELINI IS NOW THE GENERAL MANAGER IN EDMONTON…
MARKUS NASLUND IS IN NEW YORK…
BRENDAN MORRISON IS IN ANAHEIM…
TREVOR LINDEN HAS RETIRED…AND THE ORGANIZATION SUFFERED THE LOSS OF LUC BOURDON…
NEVER IN CANUCK HISTORY HAVE HOCKEY FANS IN CITY HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH SO MUCH DRAMATIC CHANGE…
SO IT SHOULD NOT COME AS ANY SURPRISE THAT THESE FANS HAVE REAL CONCERN ABOUT WHAT LIES AHEAD THIS SEASON…
TO MANY THE NEW CANUCKS LOOK PRETTY MUCH LIKE THE ODD CANUCKS…
NASLUND AND MORRISON HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY…PAVOL DEMITRA AND STEVE BERNIER…
80 POINTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH 87 POINTS…
ALL THE EXCITEMENT THAT SURROUNDED THE $20 MILLION OFFER TO MATS SUNDIN ON JULY THE 1ST…TURNED OUT TO BE AN ENDLESS SOAP OPERA THAT IS NOW USED BY DOCTORS TO HELP CURE INSOMNIA…
TOMORROW THE CANUCKS WILL OPEN THEIR PROSPECTS CAMP…
IT WILL BE THE FIRST REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR FANS TO SEE THE TEAMS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK CODY HODGSON…
AND CERTAINLY THERE WILL SOME ATTENTION SPENT ON MICHAEL GRABNER…WHO HAS SO FAR BEEN ANOTHER SWING AND A MISS FOR THE SCOUTING STAFF…
NOW COMPARE THIS TO WHAT THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PULLED OFF YESTERDAY…
SIDNEY CROSBY AND 8 OTHER PLAYERS HAND DELIVERED SEASON TICKETS TO 35 CUSTOMERS…
THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WENT TO THE STANLEY CUP FINAL…
QUITE SIMPLY THE PENGUINS ARE NOT TAKING THEIR FANS FOR GRANTED…
IT’S A MISTAKE THE CANUCKS CAN NOT AFFORD TO MAKE…
YES…THE TEAM HAS SOLD OUT 215 STRAIGHT GAMES…
AND YES…THERE ARE 8 THOUSAND NAMES ON THE WAITING LIST FOR SEASON’S TICKETS…
BUT…AS GREAT AS THE HOCKEY FANS ARE IN THIS CITY…THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT THEY’LL PUT UP WITH…
IT’S EASY TO FORGET THAT JUST 10 YEARS AGO THE CANUCKS AVERAGED A MERE 14 THOUSAND FANS A GAME…
THAT’S 5 THOUSAND EMPTY SEATS PER GAME…
WHAT THESE FANS NEED NOW IS A REASON TO BELIEVE…
THE SOONER THEY GET IT THE BETTER…