Rene Rancourt... Worst Pro Anthem Singer Ever!

It seems the Boston Bruins have a long time classic anthem singer. His name is Rene Rancourt. Needless to say, he's the worst "Professional Anthem Singer" I've ever seen and heard. I'm watching Game 5 of the Boston Montreal series and I'll now never have those beginning 5 minutes of my life back. 

I couldn't find a good Youtube video as evidence, but think really bad elongated Opera singing anthem accompanied by an organ. Usually anthem singers stretch it out a bit, but this guy takes it to the extreme. So much so that the organ has to slow down with him so he doesn't get too far ahead. 

Rene Rancourt. YOU SUCK! Maybe you and Ozzy Osborne can do a "take me out to the ballgame" duet. 

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...