bigchief

I would love for the Flames to get back their identity of being tough, physical grinders but do you think we can stack up like the old days? We do have a few like Jackman, Moss, TKO and Sarich to name a few, you can throw Iggy into that mix but I'd rather he stay out of that type of play. Then there is Tanguay, Backlund, Langkow, Stajan, Morrison....I'm not sure where Bourque fits anymore, gritty but injury prone? Hardworking disciplined play with solid goaltending could get us into the playoffs this year but there are many other teams and only so many playoff spots. Here's hoping for a solid effort and some entertaining hockey.

Batman vs Spiderman= Spiderman wins (Due to his superhuman strength)

I'm surprised at your unwavering confidence in Luongo but good for you. I don't agree that he vindicated jack about being an elite playoff goalie. He played some really good games and some really weak games too with no apparent reasons other than possibly being weak mentally. I don't doubt his elite ability but his reliability does not justify anywhere near his cap hit and with a competent alternative on the sidelines, I was wondering if not just you DL, but the word on the street in Vancouver and within the team about the confidence in Luongo was waning. You can win the cup without a performance like Tim Thomas put but what are the Canucks paying him for? I also believe that there was a general lack of focus and the attempt at executing their game plan in the end seemed to lack proper motivation and grit which is where i surmised there to be a leadership deficit. Whether it was AV, Henrick, Kesler or whoever else is looked at as leaders on that team and failed to rally the boys is what I was asking. Who do you think was leading the charge at the end? Was anyone leading anything? I disagree that Kesler would make a poor choice for C because of his emotional nature. In fact, I feel that the lack of emotion shown when Marchant was playing punching bag with Daniel in game 6 may have had a profound affect on the team's confidence in their leadership and in their team's identity. Kesler would have wigged out a little at least, taken a penalty for sure and the team would have rallied behind him. Not only did Daniel do nothing (but complain to the ref), no one else did anything to stick up for him either and I think that is bad for any team. Do you recall Hansen taking that cheap-shot penalty in the third (on Ference I think), as a retaliation for a high stick or something and then defiantly taking his time on his own bench before making a big show to the refs by showing his bloody lip pointing and beaking about a missed call that happened several plays ago. That to me was a show of mentally giving up on the disciplined execution of the game plan and at the time, the game was potentially within reach for a high octane offence like the Canucks have. I don't think that Hansen steps out of rank like that if the leadership is loud and strong keeping the team focused. Nobody stepped up to snap them out of their funk and push to the end. It looked like they gave up with several minutes left and in fact never really looked that good the whole game.

So let's get down to brass tacks then. In regards to Luongo, what do the Canucks do with him now? Can the blame be placed on him for this post season failure? He is the 10 million dollar man and he proved that he could not be counted on when the chips were down. What do you do with a goalie like Lou? You can't keep going back to that well in the search for the cup and expect him to keep it all together next time. You simply can't rely on him to perform at a high level when it really counts. There are only so many next times before you will fade into oblivion for a few more years. What do the fans think. What do you think the management/coaching thinks about his future? Also, how much blame will AV shoulder for the final series loss? Will Kesler take the C away from Henrik next year? He probably should. Between Henrick, AV and Lou, it seemed to be leadership issues on the backstretch that cost them.

Yeah, congrats! *barfs*

without?

Hamhius suffers his second concussion of the year. Although players have been returning, Injuries continue to loom as a factor for the Nucks as the playoffs approach. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=557449

Ian Laperriere you mean?

I never knew that. Didn't Willie O'Ree play with one eye or one blind eye?

Looks nasty, sounds serious. I wonder what kind of surgery they would have to perform?

I have zero interest in kicking ideas back and forth amongst internet posters regarding what may be wrong with his life (other than his obvious association with the Canucks) but you yourself are speculating without official statements from those in the know about what you think it is, that's my point. Why doesn't he just say what it is, it will eventually be revealed anyway and it would just prevent a lot of gossip. It would be different if the fact that there was some kind of a situation was not revealed but it is presently, "a very difficult situation of a personal nature", that has caused him to miss quite a significant number of his prime playing days in the NHL. I will say it's not booze or drugs, I'm not telling you what it is, thank you for coming out to my press conference. Either say something or say nothing is my point, it's not like whatever it is has not been heard of before. Making public statements like that are just sowing seeds of drama and gossip.