Mike Gillis to be named Vancouver Canuck's GM

Former pro hockey player and player agent Mike Gillis is said to be named the new GM of the Vancouver Canucks later this week.

The Province has confirmed the next general manager of the Vancouver Canucks will be super agent Mike Gillis.

He has been the frontrunner for the job since Dave Nonis was fired last Monday.

The Aquilini brothers are set to unveil him as the next general manager Wednesday morning.

So you may all be wondering... who is Mike Gillis? Well here's some background:

• He's 49, and from Toronto.
• He played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies in the late 70's and early 80's
• He was a former 1st round draft pick
• Had a career ending knee injury
• He then went ahead and got a Law degree from Queens and taught sports law
• Has spent many years as a player agent representing the likes of Geoff Courtnall, Markus Naslund, Pavol Demitra, and Pavel Bure
• Was involved in the negotiation of lucrative contacts for Tony Amonte, Pavel Bure, Bobby Holik.
  
• Was considered for the GM position with the Canucks in '98 when they hired Brian Burke

I wasn't a fan of the Nonis firing, but we can't call it a bad move until we see what Mr. Gillis does. I'm at least glad they filled the post quickly. I was waiting to take it all in before I really sounded off on the whole situation.

So here goes...

So like I said before, I wasn't a fan of the Aquilini decision to fire Nonis but they have their right as the owners to make a decision. Even if it was a bit of a knee jerk reaction. However, we can't dwell on the past. We have a new GM coming in and he's got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.

Mike Gillis is a bit of an "outside the box" candidate. He's never had had any experience as an GM, but that's not to say he can't do the job. In fact, he might just work out really well. Sure people will say there's no experience there and that he doesn't know what he's doing... blah blah blah. Well a good manager needs a good support structure and supporting cast. That'll be his first test and we'll see what he does there. I'd sleep much easier at night if Steve Tambellini stays as his Assistant. But for those that say he doesn't know how to do the job think of this.

He's a former player - so he knows the game and knows what it's like to be a player and how an organization works in that capacity. He was a former first round draft pick - so he knows what the pressure and things like that would be like at an elite level. He's smart and understands the business - he has a degree in law, taught sports law and was a very successful player agent for many years. In fact, he was the man who negotiated the lucrative deals for Bure, Bobby Holik , Markus Naslund and Tony Amonte. So he's no stranger to the business of hockey. In fact, I see this as an edge. He can see the game and business from many angles that other people would not understand. This gives him an edge as he was well known as a shrewd negotiator. Now add in the numerous contacts he has all over the hockey world and league.

If someone say works as a buyer for a retailer they get to really understand the ins and outs of that business. Say they leave the job and work for a vendor instead that now sells product to the retailer. That person would be very well equipped to perform that job because they have been on both sides of the fence and can see the "big picture".

He's got some big decisions to make as far as his coaching staff, and direction this team needs to take. This is a big summer for him as we have a lot of cap space to spend money and we need to improve our offense. Nonis has left many pieces in place that can make him successful as long as he makes smart decisions. I only hope he's not as trigger happy as our owners.

So before we pass too much judgment, I think we have to see what Gillis does and what he potentially can bring to the table.

The Battle for Burke...

The Toronto Star's Paul Hunter had a hilarious tongue-in-cheek article. Which GM vacancy should Brian Burke take?:

Vancouver

Luongo in net
Swedish Twins
Not much sun
Lots of gulls
Great sushi
Loved by millions
Beautiful Stanley Park
Wife works there
Children far away
Annoying pylons on bridges

Toronto

Tlusty on 'net
Muskoka Five
No more Sundin?
Lots of gullible fans
Fishy ticket scandal
Will make millions
Nothing named Stanley here
Richard Peddie works here
Prospects far from ready
Annoying pylons on defence

Burke's probably not coming back here... but it's funny anyway. Until next time... Leafs suck.

The Fabian Brunnstrom Sweepstakes continues...

It seems the Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes are to continue, and that the deal with the Canucks may not be a done deal yet:

Dave Nonis is out in Vancouver, and according to Red Wings GM Ken Holland, that may be his opening in the Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes.

A day after Holland had said the Swedish youngster wanted too many guarantees in order to sign with Detroit, he told the Detroit Free Press today that the shuffling in the Canucks' front office could change things. “We've heard he's reconsidering,” Holland told the paper

That's no good. It could have been one of those big moves that we may now miss out on... Iain Macintyre had this in today's Vancouver Sun:

Owner Francesco Aquilini, unhappy that the Canucks missed the playoffs this spring with a 1-6 finish and apparently unwilling to accept the team's injuries as the cause, fired Nonis during an afternoon meeting at the Aquilini Investment Group headquarters.

If Aquilini has a contingency plan on how the Canucks will operate without a GM - it took him more than a year to hire president Chris Zimmerman, who apparently was powerless to stop Nonis's firing - it should be evident today when the owner explains his surprising decision at a press conference.

And if he has no plan, that will be evident, too.

In the short term, the Canucks can expect to lose prized Swedish free agent Fabian Brunnstrom, whose agent, J.P. Barry, confirmed earlier Monday that Vancouver was his client's first choice but hinted it was contingent on the Nonis remaining in charge.

What if we change the national anthem to the Swedish national anthem before we play every night? Did I mention we've got a really big Ikea too?

Dave Nonis Fired? Canucks Head Office in Turmoil

TSN reports that Dave Nonis has been Fired.

The Vancouver Canucks have fired Dave Nonis after three seasons as the team's general manager. Under Nonis, the Canucks failed to make the playoffs in two of their last three seasons.

Sportsnet.ca had this quote:

“The decision to relieve Dave of his duties was difficult,” said Vancouver Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini in a release. “We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure.

“However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It’s not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn’t in the playoffs.”

This came right out of left field as we've heard rumblings about the Fabian Brunnstrom signing.
I'm sitting here watching the Pens and Senators game and I get a text that rocks my world. Thanks to Joe for the heads up!

I don't really like this decision. I've always been a fan of Nonis for not trading away our assets for quick fixes. He did everything he could to keep us from turning into the Toronto Maple Leafs of the west. It sucks that the failure to make the playoffs was ultimately blamed on him, with all the injuries, and other factors. I would have rather seen the Coach V go instead.

This was to be the summer of Nonis where he could rightfully put a stamp on this team without having to deal with Cap issues and contracts he didn't sign. I'm sad for Dave. Sure, there was criticism for him not making a move during the deadline, but i was glad he didn't make the Brad Richards trade. The best move he could have made there was no move.

I hope that Aquilini knows what he's doing. The question is who replaces Dave? Steve Tambellini is the logical conclusion or do they go test the waters a new GM? Regardless, they better do it quick with the draft right around the corner. Does Vigneault go too?

I wish Dave the best of luck. He was a good GM, and we can never forget that he brought Luongo here. I'm sure Nonis will land on his feet. He'll easily find a job again. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Brian Burke is on the phone offering Nonis a job right now.

Who is Fabian Brunnstrom?

Vancouver fans may come to know this name in the near future. He's now being hyped as a potential Saviour to the stagnant Canuck offense. Hmmm... another Swede eh? Seems to be the only region we know how to draft from.

The Canucks are reportedly close to signing the 23-year-old unrestricted free agent winger to a multi-year contract.

The undrafted Brunnstrom had 37 points [9-28] this season with Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Elite League and the promise of top-six ice time - plus an opportunity to perhaps play alongside countrymen Henrik and Daniel Sedin - helped woo the winger to the West Coast.

Nobody really knows who he is. I did a little bit of digging and this is what I was able to find.

Elite Prospects had the following:

An offensively gifted forward with a decent scoring touch. Brunnström is a speedy skater with soft hands and good technical skills. Combines speed and stickhandling in an impressive way. Hockey sense is pretty good and he is also strong physically with a good attitude.

The Hockey News ran an article on him. Fabian Brunnstrom, the next Daniel Alfredsson?

Brunnstrom, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward, is a classic late bloomer. Last season he was playing First Division in Sweden, which is two steps under the Elite League and was a star at that level, which prompted Farjestad to sign him this season. He skates very well and his three goals and 13 points in 21 games are probably not a clear indication of how good he is offensively.

One scout said it's doubtful Brunnstrom could step in and play on an NHL team's top two lines right now, but he is seen as a good prospect with a lot of upside. And remember, there are a number of hockey executives who still wake up in a cold sweat over not paying more attention to Alfredsson, who was drafted 133rd overall by the Ottawa Senators as a 21-year-old in 1994.

"He's coming pretty much from nowhere," said Farjestad GM Hakan Loob. "Mentally, he has grown strong in the past year, but he has the potential to become mentally stronger. He looks like he has been in the Elite League for a couple of years the way he moves the puck and skates and everything like that."

Oooooohhh... a Hakan Loob quote. Here's a piece of Hockey trivia for you... Loob was the last Swedish player to score 50 goals in the NHL.

So word is he wants to play on as a top-six forward and only on a select few teams. Seems like we have the spot available at top-six and well with half the team being Swedish it might be a good fit. If he's got skill he could play with the Sedin's or maybe even start another scoring line with Mason Raymond and somebody who can play between the two of them.

Well time will tell if this is a diamond in the rough or a flop. At least Nonis is trying. Maybe we'll change the cheer from GO-CANUCKS-GO to LETS GO SWEDEN! Maybe we can get Mats too...

Post Season Depression...

I saw the picture above at the Canucks Hockey Blog and only found it appropriate for this posting.

I'll reluctantly watch the last Canucks game of the season tonight. It'll probably be Linden's last game so I'll watch it out of respect.

Brad Ziemer from the sun had this story about tonight's game:

What the Canuck organization is billing as Fan Appreciation Night could well turn into Trevor Linden Appreciation Night at General Motors Place.

There's really no need to talk about more Canucks stories. But i have to highlight a great analysis by Jame's Mirtle in a recent post on the Canucks.

I always wondered if those guys in the east pay attention to the west. He hit the nail right on on the head.

I was most impressed with this section:

But I think, really, what it comes down to for Vancouver is a lack of leadership from a pretty vanilla group, and it's going to take a major overhaul to right that wrong. Hand the reins to the likes of Ryan Kesler and give ice time to players like Edler, deal some of that so-called defensive depth for someone who can play a first-line role on offence, and by all means either give Markus Naslund a salary befitting his role or part ways with him.

Check out the post it's a good one.

Vancouver Canucks 2007-08 R.I.P.

Well my prediction was way off. After a roller coaster ride of a season, the Vancouver Canucks dug themselves their own grave. It's like the lecture you got from your parents when you really screwed up. You're expecting them to be yelling and hopping mad. But instead, they look solemn and quietly say "I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed in you."

Ouch. It's like a dagger in the heart.

And as a Canucks fan that's how I feel. Disappointed and hurt. I've feel let down.

It's not like the opportunities weren't there. Minnesota had beaten Calgary 3-1 to clinch the division title. All we had to do was win tonight to stay alive, another win on Saturday and we'd sneak into 8th place.

What it all comes down to is that we couldn't get it done. We had a 5 minute power play in the second period, and another 2 minute power play after that. The only players that actually looked like they wanted to win were the Ritchie, Rypien and Cowan line.

The Canucks are like that lost child that has so much potential to be great but just seems to coast by with mediocre results and little flashes of brilliance to keep you believing in them a bit more.

The phonelines will erupt tomorrow and media frenzy will start. Nonis will be on the hot seat as well as Vigneault. Fans will want to call for Nonis to be axed with his inability to do something at the trade deadline. I whole-heartedly disagree. I think Nonis finally has a chance to go and put a major stamp on this team in the off season with the clearing of Naslund and Morrison's salaries.

Vigneault I'm not so sure about.

I think he's gone away from a successful system that he had last year. He fostered a lunch pail carrying hard working team that brought a level of effort every night that fans could be proud of even if they lost. Anybody had a chance to play up on the first line if they were either producing or working hard.

This year it was different. He tried to play the Sedin's and Naslund down the stretch to work them out of their slump but it never happened. Each night he played them over and over again to no avail. The stick gripping got tighter and confidence completely diminished. The lack of confidence seeped into the team and soon turned into apathy. It seems as if last year's Jack Adam's coach wasn't really that great after all. Luongo essentially won that for him last year. If we hadn't won all those OT or shootout games, we would have been in the same position as we are now. On the outside looking in.

I feel most sorry for Luongo and Linden. They continued to carry themselves this year as real professionals, even though it must have been killing them inside. Luongo is the fiercest competitor we have on our team, and Linden is by far one of the heart and soul leaders. Both had some tough times this year, Luongo with stress of his wife's pregnancy, and Linden remained scratched for a vast number of games.

I'm writing this post with a heavy heart. I want my team to succeed but they aren't making the playoffs because they don't deserve to. It didn't seem like they had their hearts in it anymore, and whatever bit the fans had left was broken this evening.

There will be blood...

If there is anytime to label "most important game of the season" it's tonight. Then if we win, and Nashville and Calgary loses tonight, Saturday will then become the "most important game of the season"!

There are many scenarios...

I'm going to this game so I expect an effort. I expect crashing and banging. I want to see what this team really plays like when they are on the verge of elimination. What team will we see tonight?

The oil who have officially been eliminated should play lose and enjoy the role of spoiler. The two teams have quite the rivalry. The best thing is, I don't have to watch another stupid Pay Per View game.

My pre-game prediction... Vancouver wins 3-2

2 Minutes in the Box... for a short blog

Got a few minutes to spare before I head off to my hockey game. That's right, I don't just blog it, I pretend to play as well!

The standings are getting interesting both in the East and West. Nashville won in St. Louis in overtime which sends them into 8th place a point ahead of the Canucks.

Washington beat Carolina 4-1 as well which keeps them in the hunt, 1 point out of 8th behind both Boston and Philadelphia. Ovechkin also potted his 63rd goal this game. However, they're now tied with Carolina for the South East Division lead in points but lose the tie breaker in wins. Keep winning and they could end up in 3rd going into the playoffs.

The Senators are "Free Falling" out of the standings like Tom Petty, as they got shutout by a Koivu-less Canadiens. They're in danger of falling right out of the playoffs.

I'll PVR the rest of this Canucks game and hope for the best...

UPDATE:

A lot can change in a couple hours. I go off to my hockey game, we get blown out. I come home check the score of the Canucks game and... well you can guess the rest.

Canucks lose. Predators win. Go figure.

As we speak I'm fast forwarding through the game to see how it all broke down. Hejduk is still a freakin' Canuck killer.

It'll make the Thursday game against Edmonton I'm going to that much more interesting. Could be the closest thing we see to Canucks playoff hockey this year, and I don't really want to hear my roommate talk about his Calgary Flames.

Also Edmonton is officially out of the playoff race so they'll be extra pissed off on Thursday looking to play the spoiler.

I was trying to think of some witty comment to end this post but... I've got nothing.

Fill in your closing remark here ______________________________.

Canucks Douse Flames 6-2

I've been waiting all day to write this post. I was at the Foo Fighters concert last night, (which was awesome by the way) so I didn't get to watch the game live. However, I did PVR it. Man, am I glad I did. What a great game to watch.

Why can't we see an effort like that every night?

The Canucks Doused the Flames 6-2. Couldn't they have spread around the scoring a little bit? We could use some of those goals in the next few games...

Last night was a solid 40 minute game from every player on our squad. The first period was iffy. We were lucky to get out of it tied, but in the end I got to see some flashes of brilliance from our veteran leaders.

Last night Naslund played like a captain. He lead by example, he threw hits, hustled, and backchecked hard. He showed a level of determination and fire that I didn't think he had anymore. I want to see more. He was like the Naslund of old, but much more defensively responsible. To me, his goal at the end of the first sparked the team. Naslund was hungry for the net and dove to stuff that puck in as everybody crashed the net. That's the kind of goal you want your captain to score. It let them go into the intermission tied and not down. They were allowed to start fresh. My favourite Naslund moment last night was when Lombardi had a break to the net and Naslund backchecked and caught up to him and stripped him of the puck. There's very few people with the wheels to keep up with Lombardi, but Naslund did somehow.

Trevor Linden. Need I say more? He was fabulous. If he had gotten the hat trick the roof would have blown off GM place. The first goal was all patience and poise. Also it all happened because of an unbelievable play made by Ritchie to get him the puck, as he knocked the puck out of the air and laid a sneaky saucer pass right on Linden's stick. His second goal was just good positioning. Linden still and always will be my favourite Canuck.

I could rave on and on but my hat goes off to the entire team. Lou played great. Isbister, Pettinger, Cowan, all the role players played hard and battled like a hungry team. They got under Iginla's skin and capitalized on a Flames team that was down two key centers, Langkow and Conroy.

It's encouraging to see an effort put forth by your home team like that. But can we expect to see this on a regular basis? With Nashville losing to Detroit last night destiny is back in our hands. We need to run the table. Win and we're in.

I swear it's like they read my previous post and decided to prove me wrong. For the record, I'd be okay with that. I'm expecting good things. Hell I'm going to the game on Thursday, I better see good things. A Linden hat trick would make me happy.

In case you missed the game. Which was a hell of game, here are the highlights:

The Downward Spiral that is the Vancouver Canucks

It's been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs this season for the Vancouver Canucks. This stretch run of a four game losing streak could not come at a worse time. How did we get here?

The glaring holes in our defense has been made very apparent recently, as our division rivals are all gunning for the playoffs playing their best hockey of the year.

And why do we have these holes you ask? In Mirtle's blog he once posted about the amount of man games lost to injury, that's a pretty good answer in this case. I don't have the total numbers but I believe within the Northwest Division we have the most injuries on the blue line. We lost Salo and Bieksa early in the season, but we rallied from that and arguably played our best stretch of hockey in November.

Then we got Salo back and lost him again. He came back later and has his flashes of brilliance every so often, but I don't think we've seen a comfortable 100% injury free Salo this season.

Then we lost Krajicek.

Then we lost Mitchell for an extended period.

Then we lost Ohlund for the rest of the season.

I think you see the trend. On the bright side, we've seen the rise of Alex Edler, albeit lately I think the huge minutes are starting to wear on him.

So defensive woes are apparent. We also have offensive woes, rather than offensive "whoas" as well.

We lost Morrison earlier in the season to a wrist injury. Then we got him back, and our offense looked somewhat stabilized.

Then guess what happened? Torn ACL.

Our Iron Man ain't so iron no more.

We saw the rise of a promising young Mason Raymond as well. He's on the shelf too after a knee on knee against a Phoenix Coyotes player.

So to recap injuries have plagued us. But as many hockey teams state that is no excuse, and it really isn't. It's disappointing but as a fan I wouldn't care so much if I saw some more effort.

But lately it's like the Canucks are bipolar. They're as wishy washy as most of the bandwagon jumping fans here in Vancouver.

As Naslund likes to say, "choked". Yup. We're choking down the stretch. A week ago we were in contention for the Division title. Now we're in danger of missing the playoffs. We're tied with Nashville today with 86 points, but by virtue of the tie breaker they're in 8th. So with five games left, we don't even control our own destiny.

If they run the table they're in. If we run the table, we have to hope that someone comes along and plays spoiler.

Even if we make the playoffs we're squeaking in by the skin of our teeth. Then what? Bounced in the first round?

With the effort we've seen lately... absolutely. Remember last year?



I'm a Canucks fan through and through, but I'm also a hockey fan. And as a hockey fan, I don't want to see us make the playoffs because we don't deserve to make the playoffs. There are no more excuses to be made. I see it in the players and it's sad, they look defeated.

My mom once said that GM Place is cursed because it has bad Feng Shui. I think I'm starting to believe her.

But I don't want to end on a downer. So lets look at the positives.

We have a big off season ahead of us. Nonis has a lot of work to do. I'll touch more on this in a future post.

For the most part, I applaud Dave Nonis for the way he's handled the team this year. He couldn't have predicted the injury plague we've been hit with. He really should have addressed some of the secondary scoring issues last year, but his hands were tied a bit with the cap space and he wanted to leave room for the deadline.

I'm also extremely happy we didn't sell the farm for a Brad Richards at the deadline. For those of you who knock Nonis for having no balls, the ballsiest move he made at the deadline was doing nothing.

Where we need to improve is in our scouting. We need to draft better. I can't state this enough.
In the last few years we've found a few gems in the 2nd rounds or later, but we've also passed on some serious talent in our draft history. In this era of the NHL you need youth to chip in at a lower salary range if you want a chance to win a Stanley Cup.

I look forward to the off season for a chance to refresh our team and really prove to Luongo and our other heart and soul players that we are committed to winning. This year had its lowlights but also some highlights as well.

Our youth is on the rise. We finally have some talent in the system which we shouldn't rush. Let them develop properly. Do you want to turn out like the Toronto Maple Leafs?

The rise of the youth on this team is encouraging. Kesler, Burrows, Edler, Raymond and Shannon will start to shift towards the core of the team. Our current core players will add veteran experience.

It's been a doozy of a post. My boss at work told me that the other posts were short. So K, here you go it's a longer one for you.

Baby Goalie on the Way?

Seems that Luongo is expecting a baby goalie soon. Real soon. So soon that he may be missing at least a game down the regular season stretch. An important one at that. The division is deadlocked and it comes back down to these final stretch of games. However, Luongo's wife is due at the beginning of April.

The Canucks have a plan in place when the call comes that Luongo is about to become a father when his wife, Gina, gives birth back in Florida to a girl.

That plan is Curtis Sanford. Should be interesting. Luongo should be with his wife for the birth of his first child, it doesn't matter how much he's getting paid, but what do you think?

Canucks Dismantle Oil in a Textbook Roadgame

It was a real solid effort from the Canucks last night. I was proud to watch the team play with some poise for a change. Here's my laundry list from the game:

• Luongo - enough said. He's back in form and was amazing last night.

• Daniel, Kesler and Burrows are looking mighty dangerous and were by far the best line last night. Nice to see Daniel bump the scoring slump, even if it was a Tom Gilbert own goal.
  

• Mike Weaver had a really strong game doing all the little things well. He's a great depth defensemen for us and I admire how tough he plays for his size.
  

• Matt Pettinger's goal was awesome. He's making a good impact for the short time he's been here. Great wheels, offensive upside and finishes his checks.
  

• The Ryan Shannon/Taylor Pyatt rush was a great goal as well. Nice to see a speedier version of the Canucks with some of these young guys in there. Pyatt's back in the groove and hopefully continues his goal scoring streak tonight against Minnesota

• My favourite part of the night: Trevor Linden's short handed goal. The old man still has a scoring touch. We were in danger of letting the oil back into it but that marker sealed their fate as well as their playoff hopes. Vigneault better play Linden more down the stretch as this is his time of year. I've been pretty upset over Linden's playing time over the course of the season. No wonder he has a little bit of rust he only plays 4-5 minutes a game or sits in the press box while Brad Isbisiter takes his spot. Linden has far more to contribute to the team as a leader, penalty killer and shootout participant. Hmmm... how many times have we gone to a shootout this year? Don't forget what he can bring in the playoffs as well. He has 124 Playoff games and 99 Playoff points. Don't forget he was our leading scorer in the post season last year as well. Don't forget "the speech" as well:

Trevor Linden, who brings experience and wisdom to the Canuck dressing room, was responsible for a pre-game speech that sparked Vancouver and is thought to have led to the explosive first period that was witnessed on Saturday afternoon. Linden reportedly closed the locker room doors before the game, locking himself inside only with his teammates, and spoke to his team. The details of the speech have not, and will, not be shared publicly however the affect it had on every Canuck was, and is, evident.

"One of the reasons Trevor was back this year was his leadership qualities that he brings. He's the type of player that doesn't need a letter on his sweater to lead; he does it by example and sometimes, when he feels the need, he can do it vocally," said Coach Alain Vigneault who was not surprised by Linden's initiative on Saturday.

"We knew we were going to get a good quality person to help out our players, especially our young players as a great example, and he's been that throughout the year whether he has played or not and that's what we knew what we were going to get and obviously he's been giving us that since day one."

Now with that said. Vigneaut play him more we need him.

and if you missed last night's game here's the highlights:

Who's gonna win the Northwest Division title?

With the season only a few weeks away, winning your division is the only way to ensure home ice advantage and a guaranteed playoff spot. The Northwest division is by far the toughest.

Time to see what all of you think:

Nucks vs. Oil a doozy in the making?

I'm seriously looking forward to the upcoming Vancouver Edmonton tilt tonight. Last time these two teams met it was literally the most entertaining game of the season. Lots of fireworks, line brawls, and a playoff-esque level of intensity during that magical game. Even Naslund and Hemsky were throwing hits.

The rivalry should be renewed especially with Edmonton on a tear as of late winning their last 10 of 12 grasping at the hope of the final playoff spot. It should be a doozy. I expect a great game with both teams facing off against each other twice over the next week.

It's a long weekend guys... entertain me.

"The last meeting between the clubs, Feb. 16 on Hockey Night in Canada, was a fight-filled affair with nearly 200 penalty minutes."

As a reminder... here's the end of last game: