Hockey Season

ROLL DOWN YOUR WINDOW…TAKE A DEEP BREATH…
YOU CAN JUST FEEL IT???
AND DO NOT LET THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE AND THE CROWDED BEACHES FOOL YOU…
THIS IS HOCKEY SEASON!!!
AS WE SPEAK…THE PROSPECTS ARE ON THE ICE AT THE NEWLY NAMED ROGERS ARENA…
AND TONIGHT AT 7 O’CLOCK…GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS WILL HOST THE ANNUAL “CANUCKS SUMMER SUMMIT”…
AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN TO THE SEASON TICKET HOLDERS…WHAT THE FRANCHISE HAS PLANNED FOR ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY…
THOSE CELEBRATIONS MAY INCLUDE A NEW JERSEY…
AND TODAY E.J RADEK FROM ESPN OFFICIALLY PICKED “THE CANUCKS” AS “THE” TEAM TO BEAT IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FOR NEXT SEASON…
WHAT A DIFFERENCE 2 YEARS CAN MAKE…
IN 2008…WHEN GILLIS ARRIVED IN THIS TOWN…THE CANUCKS WERE A TEAM THAT HAD MISSED THE PLAYOFFS 2 OF THE LAST 3 SEASONS…
AT HIS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE GILLIS MADE IT CLEAR…CHANGES WERE COMING…
IN HIS WORDS…”I DON’T THINK THIS TEAM IS CLOSE”…
THEN GILLIS WENT TO WORK AND BEGAN TO BACK UP HIS WORDS…
HEADING INTO NEXT SEASON…THERE COULD BE A FEW AS 8 PLAYERS LEFT…FROM THE ROSTER MIKE GILLIS INHERITED…
7 OF THOSE 8…INCLUDING THE SEDINS…ARE LOCKED UP TO LONG TERM CONTRACTS…
AND MASON RAYMOND COULD BE SIGNED…BY AS EARLY AS THE END OF THE MONTH…
GILLIS ALSO PROMISED “BOLD MOVES”…
WHICH HE DELIVERED…STARTING WITH MATS SUNDIN…
FOR EVERY PAVOL DEMITRA…THERE HAS BEEN A MIKAEL SAMUELSSON…
AND FOR EVERY MATHIEU SCHNEIDER…THERE HAS BEEN A CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF…
THE CANUCKS ARE ALSO ABOUT TO BENEFIT FROM 2 SOLID DRAFT YEARS…
CODY HODGSON IS NOW A LOCK TO MAKE THIS TEAM…
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHERS THAT ARE CLOSE…
INCLUDING…JORDAN SCHROEDER…YANN SAUVE AND ANTON RODIN…
WHILE ALL THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON…THANKS TO THE SALARY CAP…
THE ELITE OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE…SUCH AS CHICAGO…SAN JOSE AND DETROIT…
HAVE ALL TAKEN A SERIOUS STEP BACK…
AS A RESULT…THE EXCITEMENT AND THE ANTICIPATION IS EVERY WHERE!!!
AND THERE’S JUST “94” DAYS TO GO…
AIN’T HOCKEY SEASON GREAT???