Tag Archives: Henrik Sedin

Birthday= Canuck’d Tradition

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Hello faithful readers & possible spring breakers! Yesterday the Canucks did not get the win, and currently sit two points out of the NW Divisional lead. Stop rushing to push that panic button, there are still 20 games left in which a lot will inevitably happen and it will be a fun battle to watch down the stretch. It does not matter where in the top 8 a team finishes, just that they are in the top 8 prior to the start of playoffs. Be excited, the end of the season picture is still to be determined.

Today’s post however shall take us back to the Canucks match with the Predators.

Picture it, it was Thursday March 14th 2013, a day like any other except for the fact that it was my birthday. If you have followed blog from the beginning than perhaps you remember me mentioning, it has become my special tradition to go the Canucks game every year on my birthday. This year however that tradition was put in jeopardy because of the lockout and the uncertainty of what the shortened schedule would look like. So first, thank-you to those lovely people charged with the complicated NHL scheduling task for making this tradition once more!  The day started as any other game day would, checking the stats of all teams heading into all the day’s action. I like to know what’s going in the league to get myself into game day mode. Next up is getting Canucked up in team colours and making predictions for the game. I made 3 predictions that morning: Luongo would start, Kevin Bieksa would return & the Canucks would win by 3, [and if you watched the game then you know that all three of these became the end results]. The hours winded down and everyone returned from work to also get themselves ready for the game. In the end, all six of us were in Jerseys ready for puck drop.

Heading on the train to the game blue and green was every which you looked as many other fans were also decked out head to toe in Canuck apparel en route to the arena. Ticket and bag checks were mandatory heading through the doors prior to finding our seats in the lower bowl. We had seats just behind Luongo’s net, the view was excellent. We got to see the pre-game warmups up close:

Warmups ended and then before we knew it was time for the ceremonial face-off and both anthems to be sung. No one expected there to be any type of quick pace to this game, let alone 11 goals. Games between Vancouver and Nashville tend to be snooze fests and extremely tight defensively, that cannot be said for this goal fest. In their previous match up this season it was a 1-0 victory for the Canucks and most people expected a similar type of game heading into the match. That is not what happened. Two minutes in the Canucks took a quick 1-0 lead,

The entire arena was up on their feet cheering loudly for the home side. It only took a few minutes for Nashville to respond back with their own goal tying it 1-1. For a while it seemed as though that’s how the game would stay, until an Alex Edler point shot found its way behind Pekka Rinne making it 2-1 Canucks. Nashville had some late pressure but the arena erupted in #LOUUUS as Luongo stood tall keeping Nashville at bay. The final minutes of the first period saw some incredible Sedinesque passing from Bieksa to Ebbett to Hansen to Raymond who unleashed a highlight reel wrist shot to beat Pekka Rinne giving the home side a 3-1 edge heading into the 2nd period and the crowd was on their feet once more. There was a palpable sense of ease at the end of the first period. Cue the second period when the refs beginning to hand out penalties much to the fans chagrin. Nashville had some dangerous zone time but the Canucks were able to keep the door closed and the momentum on their side. On their final clear down the ice, the puck found Lapierre just as he exited the penalty box  and he made no mistake on his breakaway putting the home side up 4-1. The crowd was ecstatic and not afraid to make their cheers heard. Cue Nashville pulling Pekka Rinne for the for 3rd consecutive outing at Rogers Arena. It seemed as though the game was decided, that is until Nashville was quick to come back within two, making it 4-2. The crowd was slightly apprehensive at the quick turn around, but each time the Canucks had the puck their cheering became louder. Jannik Hansen would ensure that the Canucks 3 goal lead was re-instated before the end of the 2nd period giving the Canucks the 5-2 edge heading into the third period. Sounds pretty good, right?

The Canucks began and ended the third period with a three goal lead. The lead nearly disappeared when Nashville launched their comeback, making it 5-3 with lots of time left on the clock, and just like that Nashville scored again making it 5-4 seemingly taking all the momentum to their side[or so they thought!]. The goal only made the fans in the stand cheer louder for the home team with just over 4 minutes left in regulation, NO ONE wanted overtime or a dreaded shootout. Heading into the final minutes of the game, Nashville had cut lead to just one and you could suddenly hear a pin drop as 18,860 fans sat in silence collectively holding their breath. Cue another shift in the game as the Canucks instead of collapsing started a charge into the Nashville zone with Henrik leading the way. It looked like he was about to score before he got taken down and much to Nashville’s dislike, the Canuck Captain was awarded a penalty shot. Coach V wanted a powerplay but was not given one and Hank had to take the shot. As Henrik skated to centre ice, the entire arena stood in silence hoping to see the goal light come on. When he pulled that move and gently slid the puck in the net, the entire arena was jumping, cheering and high 5’s all around!!!!

Henrik’s penalty shot goal seemed to calm the crowd with just over 2 minutes left. Nashville did indeed pull their goal-tender for one last chance to tie the game or pull within one. However what occurred is what seems to happen more than not when a team pulls their goalie, the team that was ahead added to their lead. After many close calls, Booth finally got his first goal of the year[thanks in large to Lapierre who could have taken the shot himself instead of passing the puck to Booth]! The home was now ahead 7-4 with the entire crowd still on their feet. As the final buzzer sounded the team jumped from the bench to celebrate the WIN at home with a salute to the fans. It was great to be there in the stands, especially for that Henrik penalty shot goal[that was insane! the guy should seriously be in shootouts more often!!!]. I am so very ecstatic that my birthday tradition is one that got to continue despite the lockout. Thank-you to the Canucks for getting the win and helping to make it a very memorable outing!

Back to business for the Canucks as they are right back at it tonight. Heading into tonight’s game the Canucks will be looking to get back into the win column when they face off against the St.Louis Blues. Puck drop is just after 7:00 PM[pacific time]. David Booth is out with an injury he suffered in the Detroit game and Zack Kassian will return in the line up. It will be interesting to see how it goes! #GoCanucksGo!

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.

March Madness, here we come!

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So it begins, the phenomenon we call March Madness[and no, sorry but it has nothing to with NCAA basketball].  Let the madness begin. Usually March is synonymous with NHL teams solidifying their rosters and making their playoff push as the season winds down. This year while it is true that EVERY game in March is extremely important to the playoff drive, this week is merely the halfway mark. This year it will truly be March Madness as the halfway mark will be even more significant in a shortened season. Teams have until [3 PM Eastern] April 3rd to make any roster changes to their teams in their quest for the cup. April usually marks the beginning of playoffs, but this year it marks desperation month as teams will try and squeeze as points as possible out the 12-15 games they will play. First all 30 teams [minus Chicago] will battle through March Madness before Absolutely ‘Must Win’ April begins.

March Madness will be a test. Every team will use Chicago’s ridiculously brilliant first half of the season as a measuring stick[seriously…their first half was nearly perfect going 21-0-3!]. By the end of March the frame work of the playoff picture will begin to become clear as desperation teams will look to steal points and momentum from teams that seem locked in. The playoff picture will change a lot between now and the beginning of April.

What better way to begin the madness then to take a look at a revealing statistic? Fun fact: Did you know that no player in the NHL has more points than Henrik Sedin since 2008? True story. That is an incredibly impressive feat considering the offensive talent that has been in the NHL the last 5 years.

Since the beginning of the 2008/2009 season:

Henrik Sedin (Vancouver) –391 points [personal best 112 points in 2009/2010]

Alex Ovechkin (Washington) –386 points [personal best 112 points in 2007/2008]

Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) –360 points [personal best 104 points in 2010/2011]

Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) –359 points [personal best 113 points in 2008/2009]

Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) –351 points [personal best 120 points in 2006/2007]

Jarome Iginla (Calgary) –327 points [personal best 98 points in 2007/2008]

Corey Perry (Anaheim) –326 points [personal best 98 points in 2010/2011]

Patrick Kane (Chicago)–324 points [personal best 88 points in 2009/2010]

Patrick Marleau (San Jose)–309 points [personal best 86 points in 2005/2006]

Marian Hossa (Chicago) –274 points [personal best 100 points in 2006/2007]

Jonathan Toews (Chicago) –290 points [personal best 76 points in 2010/2011]

Teemu Selanne (Anaheim) — 265 points [personal best 132 points in 1992/1993 ***rookie season]

Ryan Kesler (Vancouver) — 261 points [personal best 75 points in 2009/2010]

Alex Burrows (Vancouver) — 232 points [This was the beginning of Mr.Clutch goal scorer. Prior to 2008/2009 season Burrows only had 52 points total in the previous 3 seasons!]

March has only just begun, we’ve still got three weeks left for the real madness to ensue. After March Madness will come Absolutely Must Win April. The shortened season has set up lots of home and home series within the mandated conference play leading to many playoff type atmospheres. Are you prepared? Let the madness and desperation begin!

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.

P.S. Congratulations to Jannik Hansen and his wife who welcomed twin boys[Daniel & Lucas] into the world March 3rd. Congratulations also go out to Alex Burrows, whose wife Nancy gave birth to their 2nd daughter[Lexie] March 4th.

[t]HANK-you very much #33

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Henrik Sedin has officially cemented himself further into Canuck history with his 757 points & counting. It seems very fitting that his 757th point came a on a pass to Burrows, further cementing Hank’s dominance as a premier play maker. By surpassing former Captain Markus Naslund’s 756 points as a Canuck on Feb.15th, Henrik is now the all-time franchise points leader.  Congratulations Henrik!! It is quite an accomplishment to with any team. It is impressive that he passed people he previously played with and called his friends [Trevor Linden’s 730 points and Markus Naslund’s 756].

Let’s start this story at the beginning. Henrik and his twin brother Daniel grew up playing hockey in their native Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. Their careers have always been inextricably intertwined beginning with their 3 year tenure with Modo in the Swedish Elite League. Cue the 1999 NHL Draft day and eyes around the world eager to see what order the twins would be drafted in and if they would for the first time in their lives playing separately for different teams.  Cue former Canucks GM Brian Burke to make shrewd draft day deals to ensure the Canucks would have both the 2nd and 3rd picks [Daniel 2nd and Henrik 3rd overall]. Up until that day, that twins had prepared themselves to be drafted by separate teams, but in the end were drafted together by the Vancouver Canucks. Although they were considered talented young prospects I do not think that anyone could have guessed how successful they were going to be in the future.

In August 1999, the Sedins opted to play with Modo for one more season before joining the Canucks in the 2000-2001 NHL season. Henrik’s career points total began with him making a play to his brother for Danny’s first NHL goal which would tie the game[he has been a play maker since the very beginning!] forcing overtime. From the 2000-2001 season through the 2003-2004 season both Henrik and Daniel struggled at times to become the players everyone expected them to be but at times there were flashes of the brilliance that seemed to be brimming under the surface[such as when they had Jason King on their line..and fans called them the ‘mattress line:two twins & a king’]. Then the 2004-2005 lockout happened forcing players to play elsewhere leading the Sedins to join their teammate Markus Naslund to play once more for Modo in Sweden. Henrik finished third in team scoring for Modo that year, 36 points in 44 games.

When the NHL picked back up in the 2005-2006 season, the twins came back with a new determination to prove themselves in this league. Henrik and Daniel were put on a line with Anson Carter and the trio would establish themselves as an exciting line to watch. Henrik finished the year with 75 points, second only to Markus Naslund. It was only the beginning of his top line potential. In 2006 Henrik and his brother Daniel joined fellow Canuck Mattias Ohlund in Turin, Italy to represent Sweden in hockey at the Winter Olympics. As you will remember, that was the year that the Sweden team won the gold meda The Canucks would make some changes in the 2006 off-season, most notably trading Todd Bertuzzi and acquiring Goalie Roberto Luongo, and also another player by the name of Taylor Pyatt who would find himself playing the majority of the season with the twins[and greatly benefited from it, posting his best numbers that season]. The Canucks posted their first 100+ point regular season prior to the 2007 post season. One of the most notable performances from the 2007 playoffs was game 1 of the first round vs. the Dallas Stars, Henrik scored the game winner in quadruple overtime. The 2007-2008 season, Henrik posted a personal best 81 points following that up with 82 points in the 2008-2009 season[coincidentally his brother also posted 82 points that season!]. I feel I must also mention that this was the season that the Canucks had a horrendous losing streak somewhere around January and did not turn it around until February 10th[when Burrows broke the streak with a beautiful shorty!…but more on that at a later date!]. During that horrendous streak no one thought it possible the Canucks could make the playoffs let alone win their division which they did. Shortly after that losing streak was broken, Coach Vigneault made an interesting move to put Alex Burrows on the top line with the twins much to most people’s surprise. Needless to say those who doubted even the possibility of that occurring, quickly had their doubts quieted when that line became a permanent fixture and what we now call #thetriplets.  Each game those three play together is pure magic and no one has ever fit as seamlessly with the twins like Burrows. The Canucks got on a roll in February and once again posted a 100+ points regular season catapulting them to a playoff match up against St.Louis. It marked the first time in franchise history that the Canucks ever swept a series. Cue the first year of playing the dreaded Chicago Blackhawks….well we all know how this one ended. In the off-season the twins were set to become free agents on July 1st 2009, and many teams were chomping at the bit toying with the idea that the twins would be available. July 1st came with the announcement that they had signed identical 5 year deals with the Canucks worth $30.5 million.

The 2009-2010 season saw Henrik reach even high levels, and solidifying his place on the all-time Canucks list. Daniel missed 18 games early that season forcing Hank to play without his brother and leading many to question if it was even possible….well lets see he posted 18 points in those 18 games[including his first ever hat trick!!!!]. Henrik did more than answer his critics that season, he lead the Canucks and league wide scoring with 112 points that season[topping Pavel Bure’s 110 record]. Henrik won the Art Ross trophy[beating BOTH Crosby & Ovechkin] as well the Hart trophy, marking the first time either trophy has been won by a Canuck player[did I mention that despite missing 19 games, Daniel posted 85 points in 63 games & their triplet Burrows scored 35 goals!]. The twins and Burrows were playing better than anyone thought possible. The Canucks again won the division, and earned a spot in the playoffs, this time they would meet the LA Kings in the first round. The stand out moments in this one from Henrik was game 5 when he scored the go-ahead goal which would eventually be the winner late in the third period…and catapulted the Canucks to their game 6 series clinching victory. Cue a second straight year of facing the Chicago Blackhawks in round 2. We all know how this one ended….the same as the year before a loss in game 6.

The 2010-2011 season was full of magic and surprises. It was the 40th anniversary of the Canucks joining the league, and opening night saw Henrik named as the 13th captain in team history. Henrik’s incredible year before challenged both himself and his brother to play even better. This time it was his brother that won the Art Ross with 104 points [Henrik posted a very respectable 94 points that season]. The Canucks absolutely dominated every aspect of the game that season :powerplay, faceoffs, penalty kill, and posted the lowest goals against average. The Canucks won the Western Conference and the Presidents Trophy as the top team in the league for the regular season. Playoffs arrived with higher expectations than ever before. Cue the dramatics…the Canucks were facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks for the THIRD straight year[albeit in the 1st round]! This time the team vowed the outcome would be different…and all signs pointed to yes when they put themselves up 3-0, however Chicago was not going to walk away quietly….they matched the Canucks tying the series 3-3 forcing a most dramatic game 7. You could not script this game any better…game 7 between two bitter rivals and an entire city on the edge of their seats. Cue overtime and increased adrenaline….a penalty to the home team….and HUGE kill and then my favourite part….the GOAL to send the Blackhawks packing. It was an epic game 7. The Canucks survived, moving on the play Nashville in round 2. Impeccable goal-tending was present on both sides, and all the games were a huge defensive battle. This series was not the same intensity level as the one before but when the Canucks won game 6 the excitement level was higher as it was a HUGE step for the franchise[not to mention this series was the one that ignited #Beastmode in Kesler] ! Bring on the San Jose Sharks and Big Joe[Thornton] and Niemi. Cue a 3-1 series lead with a chance to finish out the series in front of the home crowd. Down 2-1 with and less than 20 seconds on the clock….some ingenious passing and refusing to giveup Kesler to tie the game….and bring on double overtime…CANUCKS won. Cue the confetti. The Sedins and special teams dominated this series against the Sharks. It was an incredible moment for the franchise. Cue the Stanley Cup final vs. the Boston Bruins. The series had its ups and downs, there were some great moments [games 1, 2 &5]. Ultimately we all know how close the Sedins and the team came to capturing their first championship. One game away. Sometimes it happens that way, but the key is to never give up. Every team will get its chance to win the prize.

2011-2012 was not quite as dominant  of year by the Canucks or Henrik and Daniel, but they still captured the President’s trophy. The playoffs were marred by the loss of Daniel 10 games prior to the end of the year due to dirty hit by Duncan Keith that left him concussed. Henrik led the Canucks streaking through those last 10 games to solidify their playoff positioning, but the loss of Daniel was too great at the start of playoffs. The Canucks ultimately lost the first round.

2012-2013 was a delayed start due to Bettman’s third lockout but that has not stopped Henrik and Daniel from playing with the same style that saw them capture back to back Art Ross Trophies. The twins recently were reunited with Alex Burrows and have not lost a beat since being put back together. Feb.15th 2013 Henrik reached his latest milestone as a Canuck [one which Daniel will be quick to follow him to if history has anything to say!] becoming the all time franchise points leader.

Upon achieving this milestone, Henrik simply said: “To be a part of something like that and getting a chance to get the record on home ice in front of your home fans, it was an honor and a great feeling out there. It means a lot to me.” Henrik Sedin is the epitome of a class act and it is an honour to have him wearing the blue and green. Henrik has not missed a game since March 2004. I look forward to seeing what #sedinery Hank & Danny will surprise us with the rest of the season. I have absolutely no doubt that BOTH him and his brother Daniel’s numbers will be added to the rafters as well that they will BOTH be added to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

#hankyouverymuch33 #sedinery

Next up, the Canucks [8-3-3] will take on the red hot Blackhawks[12-0-3] and attempt to be the first team to break their undefeated in regulation streak. I think the Canucks just might be up to the challenge. What say you?

Rumor has it that David Booth is going to be making his season debut in the line-up tomorrow night in Chicago.

As always until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.

From panic to cheer & Henrik nears record

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Remember how I told you all to relax after all that ridiculous early panic after the first games? The Canucks went 2-2-2- in their first games and have now improved to 7-2-2 in 11 games following a 5 game win streak! Solid goal-tending was responsible for the first three wins of that streak and finally balanced offense won the most recent two games. In the last five games the Canucks have out scored their opponents 20-5! Both Luongo and Schneider have been incredibly solid in the last 5 games. Not too mention the rest of the team has finally found their offensive stride.

Games 9,10 and 11 were all about finding balance. Game nine saw the Canucks begin a road trip last week facing Edmonton’s young guns. The game began with Edmonton all over the Canucks for the first half of the game. The Oilers had gained a 2-0 lead with a powerplay goal and a shorthanded goal! It looked like Edmonton had the game under control…[much like the Canucks when they had the 2-0 lead back in the game January 20th]. The Canucks found their legs midway through the second period with a goal by Jannik Hansen. It looked like Edmonton had control of the game and that they would be skating away with the two points. The game was winding down with less than three minutes on the clock before a Kevin Bieksa goal beat Devan Dubnyk. We had a tied game with time winding down. Cue overtime.  Chances go back and forth. Taylor Hall on a breakaway was taken down by Daniel Sedin[yes Daniel Sedin] leading the refs to call reward Hall with a penalty shot….which if it went in, meant the game would be over. Taylor Hall went in all alone and was stopped by LUONGO with just under two minutes to go into the overtime period. Time on the clock was winding down….inching closer and closer towards what would have been their 5th shootout in 9 games. Ridiculous. Cue some #sedinery no look passes followed by a perfect tape to tape pass to Chris Tanev who made no mistake in scoring his first NHL goal. Did I mention that there was only 20 sconds left? Needless to say he will not soon be forgetting that goal. Has it really been nearly 70 games since he made his debut? It may have been his first NHL goal [finally!] but the guy has been extremely solid defensively in all his games before this one. Canucks did not have the start that they wanted but they did get the two points that they came for.

Game 10 saw the Canucks face off against the Minnesota Wild. The Canucks were up against the newly acquired Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Expectations were risen to a whole new level in Minnesota with their big contract players arrival. Both teams have high expectations from their fans this year. Landing the free agency sweepstakes and having so-called goal-tending controversy will do that to you. Needless to say there were endless headlines heading into this game. Parise and Suter were suited up and Cory Schneider was between the pipes. The Canucks were much better prepared for this game. They wasted no time in getting on the scored board, by the end of the second period they had a 4-0 lead! The Wild would eventually get one goal, but that is where their offense ended. The Canucks went on to win this one 4-1 and the Wild were left wondering where their offense went as they dropped yet another game. Rumor has that the Minnesota Wild could be looking to replace their head coach following a disappointing finish last year and start to this season.

Game 11 would bring the Canucks back home to face another division rival, the Calgary Flames. Like any other Canuck fan, I love watching the team in blue beat the Flames[and yes I know its the reverse for fans of the Flames]. Calgary was looking to build on their 2 game win streak. Cory Schneider was again given the nod[see! I told you that he would get some starts..relax….we have 2 great goalies…let’s enjoy it while it lasts!]. The first period was pretty even and many times it looked like the Canucks would get on the scoreboard early, but they did not. It was the Flames who got a buzzer beater to take a 1-0 lead into the second period. Not exactly what the Canucks were looking to do. If the Canucks wanted to turn the tide, they would need some serious #sedinery and that is exactly what happened. The #triplets[Sedins & Burrows] got the game all squared at 1 and just 27 seconds later on the powerplay, rookie Jordan Schroeder scored his 1st NHL goal to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead. The offense did not end there…the Canucks would add 3 more goals including Jordan Schroeder’s second NHL goal!! The Canucks were sloppy in the opening 20 minutes of this game but came out all cylinders on fire in the final 40 minutes to skate away with a 5-1 victory. It was their 5th WIN in a row which improves the Canucks to 7-2-2 over 11 games.

Have you heard? Ryan Kesler and David Booth have officially returned to practiced. Kesler even traveled with the team on their mini road trip to Edmonton and Minnesota. Next up is a home game the Minnesota Wild tomorrow at 7PM where the Canucks look to extend their win streak to 6 games. Luongo won the coin toss and will start in tomorrow’s game. [Has anyone seen this coin of Vigneault’s?] The Canucks will have to be prepared as Minnesota will not make it easy on them to take the two points as both are fighting for playoff positioning.

Rumor has it that #17 could be back in the line up as soon as this weekend. What better game for him to return to than in his home state of Michigan when the Canucks take on the Detroit Red Wings? He always plays some of his best hockey at the Joe.  #fingerscrossed

In other news headlines, Canucks Captain Henrik Sedin is on the brink of setting franchise history. Henrik sits just one point behind former Captain Markus Naslund with 755 points[Nazzy scored 756 points in his 12 years as a Canuck] . Tomorrow night he will have a chance to tie and to surpass the record. The question is not if he can tie the record, it is merely when will he tie and surpass the record? Henrik will tie the record and possibly surpass it tomorrow becoming to the franchise leader in points scored for the Canucks. From #Sedinery to #recordbreaker #GoodLuckHank

We shall see what tomorrow brings at puck drop. As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.

 

Guess who’s back? + Players & Owners meet + Behind the Green

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Guess who’s back? Yes, its me. I’m sorry for disappearing! I’m still here! A crazy work schedule of multiple 6 day work weeks has kept me from having time to work on my blog! Even though I was absent from the world of blogging I have been quietly keeping up with the CBA meetings as they have continued. So without further ado, lets get right down to business.

Let’s review the last few weeks. Bettman and company[well mostly Bettman] wanted to take a long break from CBA talks but alas meetings were resumed a few short days later. Just as progress seemed to be around the corner, talks stopped abruptly and once again all progress was put on hold. Then came Black Friday. Black Friday, indeed as Bettman cancelled the All-Star game and all the activities that come with it, as well as all games prior to and on December 14th. So to recap…Bettman announced the lockout as official midnight of September 15th and has cancelled the 2012 pre-season, all regular season games between October 11th and December 14th, the 2013 Winter Classic and the 2013 All-Star Game. In response to each cancellation more and more players have gone overseas to seek playing opportunities as the season has slowly faded away. Along with more players leaving following each announcement, more and more players are speaking out in regards to the lockout. At first the players seemed cautious to speak their minds publicly, but as time wears on, more are willing to publicly voice their frustration. Teemu Selanne called out Bettman shortly after the lockout began, Bobby Ryan called out the players who have opted to play elsewhere[until he too decided to play overseas!], a healthy Sidney Crosby though frustrated at the longer the lockout keeps him off the ice has been a steadfast part of the ongoing negotiations, and the ever calm Canucks Captain Henrik Sedin has added his voice of frustration in the direction of the owners.

On December 1st, there was a new approach to the more than 80 day lockout problem. The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to an owners + players only meeting. The meeting involved 6 owners, 18 players, Bill Daly[Bettman’s right hand] and Steve Fehr[Donald’s brother]. Among those players is said to be captains, Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. That meeting took place YESTERDAY and lasted for more than 8 hours with BOTH sides stating that the day was constructive…..only to resume again this morning following the Board of Governor’s meeting. It is also expected that following the meetings, Bettman will address the media [it was announced this evening that BOTH Bettman & Fehr would keep quiet on the outside as the two sides exchanged proposals]. It is being speculated that THIS round of meetings will massively impact the future potential of the season being re-instated. The speculation is that should these meetings and Bettman’s media address result in a new deal than there could be potentially 56-60 regular season games on the schedule. That is merely speculation at this point as the meetings are still in progress and we will not know one way or another until they address the media this afternoon. Perhaps this different approach will the key to solving the CBA problem, only time will tell but it is interesting to know that both sides have called these owners/players meeting constructive and having traction in the right direction. How does one solve the 2012 CBA conundrum? Perhaps yesterday and today’s meetings will hold part of the answer…but it is going to take movement on both sides to bridge that gap that has always remained.

Some fans have given up on the NHL and say that they will not return to the game should it return this season or not until next. All I know…all I want for Christmas is to see my Canucks and 29 other teams back on the ice. Regardless of when the NHL returns…I will be still be a fan of the game and my team.  #EndTheLockout #Hockey4ChristmasPLEASE #TimetoBringHockeyBack #56isthenew82

In other news Canucks fans….those pesky Green Men are at it again[come on you know you love them…okay so maybe some of you can’t stand them…but I think they are great fans!] They have released “Behind the Green” Part 1…and you just know that it will be hilarious. Don Taylor does the introduction. The book is released just in time for the holidays and will make a great gift for any Canucks fan your Christmas lists!…just follow the link below!

http://behind-the-green.myshopify.com/

In regards to the owner and players continued meeting, this afternoon’s media conference with Bettman will be more revealing in regards to the potential of hockey returning this season or not. Fingers crossed that this time REAL progress can made and not just a proposal.Is 56 the new 82? Can both sides meet in the middle and together create a CHRISTMAKKUH miracle…starting a season by Christmas? We shall see! As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.