Anything is possible!

THE PHILADELPHIA PHILIES WIN THE WORLD SERIES…
THE ARIZONA CARDINALS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL…
AND THE UNITED STATES HAS ELECTED ITS FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT…
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!
SO LASTNIGHT WAS IT TOO MUCH TO BELIEVE THE CANUCKS COULD GO INTO SAN JOSE AND WIN A HOCKEY GAME???
APPARENTLY SO!!!
THEY CAME CLOSE…BUT DEVIN SETOGUCHI TIED WITH 40 SECONDS LEFT IN THE THIRD PERIOD…
AND THEN PATRICK MARLEAU WON IT FOR THE SHARKS IN OVERTIME…
AS A RESULT…THIS MORNING THE CANUCKS WOKE UP IN A THREE WAY TIE FOR 8TH PLACE…IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE…
AND THERE ARE 4 TEAMS NOW WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THAT LAST PLAYOFF SPOT…
ALL OF THEM…HAVE GAMES IN HAND…
ADD TO THAT…THE CANUCKS DO NOT PLAY AGAIN FOR ANOTHER WEEK…
WHICH MEANS…WHEN THE ALL-STAR BREAK IS FINALLY OVER…
THEY’LL FIND THEMSELVES IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE TIGHTEST PLAYOFF RACES IN NHL HISTORY…
LET’S START AT THE BOTTOM AND WORK UP…
RIGHT NOW DALLAS IS IN 12TH PLACE…
BUT THE STARS ARE IN FLORIDA TONIGHT AND AT HOME TO ATLANTA NEXT TUESDAY…
COLORADO IS IN 11TH PLACE…SHOULD THE AVALANCHE WIN THEIR TWO GAMES…THEY CAN CATCH CANUCKS IN THE STANDINGS…
MINNESOTA PLAYS TORONTO ON MONDAY… A WIN ALSO PUTS THE WILD INTO A TIE WITH THE CANUCKS….
COLUMBUS IS IN CALGARY TONIGHT…A WIN GETS THEM TO WITHIN A POINT OF VANCOUVER…
EDMONTON AND ANAHEIM ALSO PLAY NEXT MONDAY…WHICH COULD PUSH BOTH TEAMS 2 POINTS AHEAD OF VANCOUVER…
HERE’S THE MATH…
THERE ARE 8 TEAMS IN THE WEST…FIGHTING FOR THE LAST 4 PLAYOFF SPOTS…
BY NEXT WEDNESDAY ALL 8 OF THOSE TEAMS COULD BE SEPARATED BY A MERE 4 POINTS…
THE CANUCKS HAVE 38 GAMES REMAINING…15 OF THOSE GAMES ARE WITH THOSE OTHER 7 TEAMS…
AS A DISSAPOINTING AS LASTNIGHT WAS FOR CANUCKS FANS…
THE GOOD NEWS IS…THE FATE OF THEIR SEASON IS STILL VERY MUCH IN THEIR OWN HANDS…
REMEMBER…ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE…

Canucks

TO COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS OF THE VANCOUVER THE CANUCKS…ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT ONE STAT…
THE CANUCKS HAVE GIVEN UP 25 GOALS IN THEIR LAST 5 GAMES…
AS A THE RESULT…
THE CANUCKS MANAGED TO EARN JUST 1 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS DURING THEIR 5 GAME HOME STAND…
NOW COMES THE TOUGH PART…
THE ATTACHMENT OF “BLAME”…
RIGHT NOW THERE’S PLENTY TO GO AROUND…
BUT…GET SOME DISTANCE FROM THIS MESS…AND LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE…
THIS SEASON THE CANUCKS HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT TO A MUCH MORE UP TEMPO…OFFENSIVE STYLE…
GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS MADE IT A PRIORITY TO ADD PLAYERS WHO COULD FIT INTO THAT STYLE…
THE LIST INCLUDES…MATS SUNDIN…PAVOL DEMITRA…KYLE WELLWOOD…AND STEVE BERNIER…
NO LONGER ARE THE CANUCKS COMMITTED TO A “DEFENCE FIRST” PHILOSOPHY…
THE QUESTION THAT MUST BE ASKED…HEADING INTO THE ALL-STAR BREAK…IS THIS…
DO THE CANUCKS HAVE “THE FIRE POWER” TO PLAY THIS BRAND OF HOCKEY???
THE CANUCKS HAVE LOST 7 OF THEIR LAST 8…
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY…IT’S WHO THEY’VE LOST TO…
5 OF THOSE 7 LOSSES HAVE COME AT THE HANDS OF TEAMS “BELOW” THEM IN STANDINGS…
THEY’RE ALSO 1 AND 6 IN THE SHOOTOUT…
NOW ALL THIS IS NOT TO SUGGEST…THE CANUCKS SHOULD GO BACK TO THE “DULL AND BORING STYLE” THEY USED IN THE PREVIOUS TWO SEASONS…
NOBODY WANTS THAT…NOBODY!!!
BUT KEEP THIS IN MIND…
TWO YEARS AGO THE CANUCKS WERE THIRD IN THE NHL IN “GOALS AGAINST”…
THEY WON THEIR DIVISION AND KNOCKED OFF DALLAS IN THE FIRST ROUND…
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS…ROBERTO LUONGO WAS A FINALIST FOR 3 LEAGUE AWARDS…INCLUDING THE HART TROPHY…
AND…OF THE 49 WINS THE CANUCKS ENJOYED THAT SEASON…LUONGO WAS IN GOAL FOR 47 OF THEM…
QUITE SIMPLY THE CANUCKS ARE NOT “GOOD ENOUGH” TO OUT SCORE THEIR MISTAKES…
SO MAYBE IT’S TIME…THEY STARTED CONCENTRATING ON MAKING A LOT LESS OF THEM…

Canucks

Canucks and the Media

THE MEDIA IN THIS CITY EATS ITS OWN CHILDREN…
SO THROWING “THE LOCAL HOCKEY TEAM” INTO POT OF BOILING WATER FROM TIME TO TIME…IS PRETTY MUCH ROUTINE…
ALTHOUGH…AFTER THE CANUCKS LOST 4-1 TO PHOENIX LASTNIGHT…
THE HOCKEY WRITERS IN THIS TOWN TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL…
FIRST THEY ADDED CARROTS AND THEN ORDERED A NICE BOTTLE OF RED WINE…
THE APPETTIZERS BEGAN WITH THE HEADLINES…
THIS MORNING “THE PROVINCE” WENT WITH…”HELL FREEZES OVER”…
FOLLOWED BY…”PROBLEMS SO DEEP ONLY SURGERY CAN FIX THEM”…
AND FINALLY…“ANOTHER INEPT AND UNWORTH EFFORT”…
OUCH!!! THAT’S GOTTA HURT!!!
“THE SUN” CHOSE TO GO WITH…”THE LOU-SING CONTINUES”
“THEY’RE PLAYING SCARED”…AND “THE BLEEDING JUST WON’T STOP”
THEN THE WRITERS TOOK AIM…
ED WILES WROTE THIS…ABOUT THE CANUCKS PERFORMANCE LASTNIGHT…”SO OFF THE CHARTS AWFULL…SO INCOMPREHENSIBLY BAD THAT SINGLING OUT ONE ASPECT OF THE CANUCKS GAME IS LIKE BLAMING OUT CURRENT WOES ONN ONE ASPECT OF THE ECONOMY”…
JASON BOTCHFORD WENT FURTHER…”IF THERE IS A HELL…IT INCLUDES WATCHING THE CANUCKS PLAY HOCKEY ON THIS RUN”
OVER AT THE SUN…CAM COLE FOCUSED HIS ATTACK ON HEAD COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT…QUOTE…”THE NATIVES SMELL BLOOD…MAKE NO MISTAKE AND THERE ARE NO GUARENTEES THAT THIS COACH CAN WEATHER THE STORM IF IT LASTS MUCH LONGER”…
IAN MACINTYRE DESCRIBED THE CANUCKS PLAY WITH WORDS SUCH AS…”SLOPPY”…”PANICKY”…AWFULL” AND “HOPELESS”…
AND THEN FIRED OFF THIS SHOT…
“IF LUONGO WERE A GROUND HOG HE’D HAVE SEEN HIS SHADOW IN THE FIRST PERIOD AND DISSAPPEARED FOR ANOTHER 2 MONTHS”…
YIKES!!!
THE PLAYERS WILL OFTEN TELL YOU…THEY DON’T READ THE PAPERS…WATCH TV…OR LISTEN TO THE TALK SHOWS…
DO NOT BELIEVE IT….
IT’S WHY EVERY SO OFTEN…A PLAYER…COACH…OR GENERAL MANAGER BLOWS UP IN THE FACE OF A MEDIA TYPE…
AND IT’S ALSO WHY MARKUS NASLUND IS NOW IN NEW YORK CITY…