Monthly Archives: December 2018

Vancouver Canucks: Adios 2018!

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This post goes out to all Canucks fans as we say good-bye to 2018 and hello 2019!

Can you believe that we’re already half way through the 2018-19 season?! How the heck did that happen? Feels like just yesterday when we all wondered if Elias Pettersson could possibly live up to the hype after his incredible season last year in Sweden. End of December and we can all agree that Elias has more than lived up to the hype. As we edge ever closer to the beginning of the second half of the season, I thought that it’d be fun to take a look back at some of the highlights from the first half; so here we go!

OCTOBER: October was an entertaining month of highlights. Have I mentioned that first NHL goal from Pettersson? Being in Rogers Arena for that moment was truly something spectacular, the roar from the crowd was thunderous. And his reaction to the crowd was priceless.

Easily one of my favourite moments from October will be taking my grandpa to his first ever Canucks game and seeing them get an OT win versus the Boston Bruins. Taking in the atmosphere from the anthems to puck drop to that final buzzer was something that’ll long stay with me.

Or how about Jake Virtanen having his first 2-goal game against long-time rival Chicago? It’s been a season highlight to see him having success and on track to hit career highs (*already has a new high in goals), with half the season still to be played.

One last highlight was finally seeing the team beat Las Vegas for the first time. It took awhile but it was so great to see!

NOVEMBER: Yes, this was the month where simply getting a win felt impossible most nights BUT there were also still some incredible moments in there. The first being that 9-point night from Pettersson and Boeser, what a game THAT was!

The next being that 8-goal outburst in Boston! It’s been a LONG time since the team last put up 8-goals in a game.

Or how about Adam Gaudette scoring his first ever career goal as the Canucks ended a an extended losing streak?

DECEMBER: December has seen a bit of a turnaround for the team after a tough November. They have gone 8-3-1 in their last 12 games and 8-5-1 overall the month of December to close out 2018.

December also saw us all mesmerized by a SECOND 5-point outing from Elias Pettersson and a SECOND hat trick for Boeser. Can we take a minute to really appreciate the chemistry they have developed over the first half of the season?

Or can we take a moment to appreciate the brilliance that was Pettersson’s first ever penalty shot turned goal? It looked impossible but was perfectly timed and met with a thunderous roar from the Rogers Arena crowd.

Or should we talk about their come from behind regulation victory against Columbus? Down 2-1 with less than 5 minutes left, it didn’t seem possible and then the ever determined and never one to give up, Pettersson made sure the Canucks tied the game; paving the way for Virtanen to score the go ahead goal.

Or how about we talk about Boeser hitting his stride with 8 goals and Pettersson continuing to take the league by storm with 17 points in 14 games over the course of December. Their developing on ice chemistry is all kinds of awesome for Canucks fans to see come to fruition.

Pettersson’s 39 points in 36 games is putting him on track to crush, Pavel Bure’s 60 point rookie campaign and the early favourite in the Calder trophy race.

Sure, the season hasn’t been perfect and has even featured some tough stretches BUT they’ve also been more competitive and entertaining than they’ve been in recent years. Stay tuned in 2019, as I’ll be starting a CANUCKS ROUND TABLE featuring fellow Canucks fans! Is there something else you’d like to see discussed on the blog in 2019? Leave a comment below or send me an email (nucksaid@gmail.com).

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.

Vancouver Canucks: A Look Towards the Bright Side

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The 2018-2019 season is well under way, so let’s take a closer look at some Vancouver Canucks season so far. If you were just to look solely at their overall standings, you would think the season was not so great, especially if you only saw their recent stretch of hockey BUT you would also be missing out on a lot of good things actually occurring within that tough stretch. I could write about those stats and the ‘negative’ results but there’s enough of those pieces already written, and you know me, I love to take a look at the bright side, always.

The kids are getting time to play and scoring goals. The younger players are getting a chance to play bigger minutes and bigger roles, something that Canucks fans have really wanted to see the team embrace that last few seasons.

The talk of the town through the first quarter has been the electric play of Elias Pettersson for good reason, he’s been an absolute sensation every time he’s on the ice. He brings the arena to their feet and gets the fans buzzing all over social media.

It’s not just his shot which is insanely accurate, it’s his creativity with and without the puck.He’s always ready for the next play, and always anticipating not just his own spot on the ice, but anticipating where his line mates will be. He gives fans goosebumps with his moves on the ice and echoes plays made by the Sedins all the while paving his own path.

There’s are a few other Vancouver Canuck that have been quietly having an incredible start to the season, and one of them is Bo Horvat. The Sedins leaving left a leadership void and a scoring void. Bo has been leading the way behind the scenes and on the ice. While many eyes have been poised on the impressive debut of Pettersson, Horvat has been quietly putting up some impressive and consistent numbers (12 goals, 13 assists). He said he wanted to be a leader and appears to be the natural choice as the next Vancouver Canucks captain when the time comes as he leads the way on and off of the ice.

Jake Virtanen, the 2014 draft pick that MANY said was a bust before he even played a game and then wrote him off when he struggled his first two years. Last season, under Travis Green after having spent part of the 2016-17 season in Utica, he began to show glimpses of the player that the Canucks hoped he could be. This season, Jake is off to his best start as a Canuck, giving fans a glimpse of the player they all hope he can be.

Adam Gaudette fresh off scoring his first ever NHL goal is getting better and better with the every game that he plays. As the season has gone on, he’s adapting more and more to the NHL style and in all areas of his game.

Ben Hutton. It’s no secret that he struggled to find his footing and consistency all of last season. So far, this season he’s been one of the Canucks most solid blue liners. He’s come a long way from his constant days of being scratched last season, to his days of now being reliable.

Troy Stecher has also been establishing himself on the blue line a little bit more this season and endearing himself to Canucks fans.

Sure the season hasn’t been anywhere near perfect and the team has struggled of late BUT there’s been a lot of good mixed in. Each loss, and every win is a learning curve for this group, they can take a lesson from every situation as the season moves along.

And Canucks fans, prepare yourselves for many more Bo, Brock and Petey moments still to come as the season continues!

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.