5th
Disappointing
The Canucks failed to impress me or the NHL and now we will not be having any playoff hockey during the 2008 season. they really dug their own graves, playing inconsistently for the last month and a half. even having a game at hand against nashville could not help the canucks. the pettinger trade turned out to be much better than i anticipated, but the team itself is still realatively the same that it has been for the past few season. they have failed to make the playoffs this year and in prior post season have not had a huge impact during the post-season, usually getting expelled in the 1st or 2nd round. Bertuzzi is a goon and his actions on Steve Moore was a black-eye for the NHL that will never heal, but his presence on the team has never been filled. Naslund and Morrison have not been able to produce anywhere close to their prior levels with Bertuzzi on their line. i was expecting them to make a few big moves last summer with their team, but they did not and choose to make the 2007/2008 season virtually a complete waste. large changes MUST happen this off season and i believe they will and the canucks will be back in the playoffs this time next year. its just a shame their management decided not to do shit last summer so that we wouldnt be in the position we are in now. oh well.
the sharks are cruising and thats just fine. they are by far my #1 hockey club so its great to see them doing so well. picking up shelley and campell were brilliant moves by wilson. also signing roenick during the off season turned out to be the best move the club made over the summer. the team has an impressive amount of depth. all their lines, 1-4, are capable of stepping up and providing a big goal at the right time. Grier, Rissmiller, and Mitchell is a great checking/defencive 3rd line. the 4th liners have really stepped it up over the last month, as Goc, Roenick, and Shelley have scored some huge goals and play some crucial minutes for the team, providing the teams physical edge and intimidation. the 2nd line, consisting of Marleau, Pavelski, and Setoguchi, provides a good complement to the 1st line. Thornton is having a career year this season and is the leader. his success is largely due to Michalek stepping his play up and leading the team in goals, as well as Cheechoo finally settling into a grove ever since late January. Ryan Clowe is back with the team too, as he missed most the season due to knee surgery. it will be interesting to see the Sharks line-up for their post season games. the defence is top notch too, and just as deep as the forwards. Rivet, Murray, Campell, Erhoff, Vlasic, McLaren, Semenov, Carle, Ozolinsh. truly an impressive list. the Sharks are guaranteed to have 6 NHL-level players on the blue line for every single game. Nabakov has really emerged as an all-star goalie this season. Im not a huge fan of his, i think his style of play leaves a lot to be desired, but the man knows how to win and how to be a workhorse too. picking up Boucher at the deadline was smart, considering the significant question mark in goal if Nabakov went down. Boucher has good playoff experience and will provide leadership and knowlegde for the young team.
also, it appears that tonight was Trevor Linden’s last game as a Canuck and in the NHL. i watched the highlights of what happened after the Flames-Canucks game and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Linden’s team and also the Flames were class acts as they paid tribute to the future hall-of-famer. Linden had 19 fabulous seasons in the NHL, starting and ending his career in Vancouver. he is an excellent player, and an even better person in general. his presence on the ice and in the locker room will be severly missed by his teammates, the Canucks management, and the Canuck fan-base. Great career Trevor! Thanks for everything and you will be missed dearly.
