CANUCKS Eliminate Blackhawks with OT goal in thrilling game seven

VANCOUVER - "Its a wonderful day for an exorcism!!"
Those were the words of CBC announcer Jim Hughson after the Vancouver Canucks avoided a playoff collapse of epic proportions and beat their nemesis Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime of game seven.
Hollywood could not have scripted a better finish to conclude the rivalry between Chicago and Vancouver. The Canucks led more than 90 percent in game seven, when Alex Burrows scored in the first three minutes of the game, but Chicago silenced the crowd when captain Johnathan Toews scored his first goal of the series shorthanded with only 1:30 left in the third period. Luongo lost the shutout at the worst possible time.
Vancouver's aggressive pursuit of the puck showed they wanted to win this game more than any other they have played to this point. Despite winning the physical battle and out shooting the Blackhawks, the game had to be decided in overtime. The pressure on the Canucks was felt in the arena as well as all over Canada. I was literally on the end of my seat watching this dramatic action packed overtime period. Luongo surrendered a goal in overtime in game six, a game he came into cold off the bench. It was hard to feel confident in a do or die situation against a Blackhawk team that has had Luongo's number and knocked the Canucks out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
Vancouver was dealt a blow early in overtime when Burrows was called for a hooking penalty, but the Canucks killed the penalty and Burrows would redeem himself. Then came the play that will be replayed in Canucks history. Back in Vancouver's offensive zone Burrows jumped up to knock down the puck off a turnover from Blackhawk defender John Campoli, stakes in alone and blasts a rocket slap shot over the shoulder of goalie Cory Crawford for the game-winning goal. As soon as I saw that puck hit the net, I jumped in jubilation celebrating a remarkable series win. Canucks bounce back and wins game seven 2-1 in overtime, eliminating their nemesis, defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. Burrows scored both goals for the Canucks in a game defined by stellar goal tending by both teams.
Vancouver's second line forwards controlled the offense with Burrows moving to play with center Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond on the left side. The Kesler and Burrows connection worked early and both played tough defensively to limit Chicago's attacks.
Burrows has a chance early in the third period to put the game out of reach when he was pulled down on a breakaway to the net. On the play, he smashed into the goal as the referee raised his hand signaling a penalty shot. With fans screaming and waving their white towels, Burrows skated up and took his shot, directly into Crawford to keep it a one goal game.
Then things looked bad when Chicago tied it late. As a fan, it is gut-wrenching for your team to be so close to overcoming their dragon and once again face elimination. Finally, the puck dropped right for Vancouver and now they can move in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Next up, Nashville Predators.  As the playoffs continue, goal-tending and defense is what the difference will be between victory and defeat.

Blackhawks force game seven after three straight wins to tie series

Nooooooo! Not again! Oh the dramatics between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks continue for a third straight year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Vancouver looked like the President's Trophy winner, winning the first three games of the series. The Canucks are deeper on offense and defense and have experience in goal. But this is the Blackhawks they are playing, the defending Stanley Cup Champions who have knocked the Canucks out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
Chicago started the comeback in game four in Chicago, winning 7-2. In game five, the Blackhawks crushed the Canucks 5-0, while getting into Luongo's head as he was pulled in back to back games.
Game six Vancouver surprised the Blackhawks by starting Cory Schneider in goal instead of Luongo in the put away game. While Vancouver looked like the better team in Chicago outshooting the Blackhawks, Chicago tied the game on a penalty shot after Hamhuis tripped Frolik on a breakaway. Flolik scored on the shot and in the process Schneider pulled his groin attempting to make the save. Schneider laid on the ice unable to get up. Oh the drama, Vancouver's star goalie, benched against his nemisis in the biggest game of the season, was called into action.
 Luongo only saw one shot in the final few minutes of regulation and the game went to overtime. Vancouver led a furious attack early, but unable to get the puck past rookie Cory Crawford. Then rookie Brad Smith shot a rebound past Luongo who was down on the ice after making the initial save. Chicago won and take the series down to one game, do or die game 7 in Vancouver.

Canucks take game one, shut out champs

VANCOUVER-- Roberto Luongo was at the top of his game for the Canucks, shutting out the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2-0 win in game one of the divisional NHL playoffs Wednesday night. The atmosphere was electric inside Rogers arena with 19,000 screaming fans waving white towels and wearing the colors of the President Trophy winners. Chris Higgins and Janick Hansen scored in the first period and Luongo shut the door from there.
From the start, Vancouver enforced their will on Chicago, looking very much like the best team in the league. They set the tone with big hits to shake the Blackhawks and were solid defensively. Hansen scored on a break-away beating rookie goaltender Corey Crawford.
The Blackhawks have once again pinned there playoff hopes on a rookie netminder. Last season, Anti Neimi won the cup with Chicago, and now he is goalie for the San Jose Sharks. Crawford has started the last 30 + games and will play his first playoff series against the best team in the league.
Here is the link to ESPN's recap of the series.ESPN Chicago vs. Vancouver

My Vancouver Canucks experience

*Authors note: The following opinion was published in the Ferndale Record April 6 issue. It has seen been edited with more current information.Check out the Ferndale Record here:Ferndale Record
I am a hardcore Vancouver Canucks fan. Being born in Vancouver Canada, hockey runs through my blood as thick as maple syrup. In their 40th anniversary season in the National Hockey League, the Canucks are in the midst of their best season ever. After beating the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, the Canucks clinched the President’s Trophy, awarded to the best team in the league. With four games left in April before the playoffs start, I wanted to make sure I made it to one game before they embark on a memorable run for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

            In Vancouver the Canucks are kings. Saturday’s game was the 347th consecutive home sellout dating back to 2002. Every Saturday night is Hockey Night in Canada, comparable in popularity to Monday Night Football in the United States. Every game day, downtown Vancouver is a party with fans walking around wearing blue and green Canuck jerseys. Bars are packed with locals watching the game. The passion for hockey in Vancouver is second to none.

            On Saturday, my girlfriend and I made a weekend trip to Vancouver to watch the Canucks play the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. It was my first trip to a game this year. The excitement of a live hockey game cannot be matched by any other sporting event. That is, as long as the home team has something to play for.

            With 113 points and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs secured, the game was meaningless for Vancouver. Edmonton is the worst team in the league, full of young, unproven players. The Canucks lacked effort and the result was a 4-1 Oilers victory. The headline in The Province newspaper the next day said it all, “Canucks take a rare night off.”

            The Oilers snapped both an 11-game losing streak and Vancouver’s five game winning streak. From the beginning the Canucks started out slow and could not recover. Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two power-play goals before Alex Burrows scored for Vancouver midway through the second period. When that red goal light flashed, fans erupted in celebration. Watching the finesse passing and rocket slap shot fire the puck in the back of the net is a thing of beauty. Just before the end of the second period, Oilers center Teemu Hartikainen missed wide on a penalty shot, giving Canucks fans hope of a comeback in the final period.

            It was not to be as the Oilers scored the only goal in the third period despite being outshot by the Canucks 41 to 34. The highlight of the night for Vancouver came from two physical hits by defenseman Aaron Rome. In the first period he smashed one player against the boards and later delivered a hip check to an Oilers player, flipping him over onto the ice. A good ole hockey fight broke out in the second period as Canucks forward Tanner Glass dropped the gloves with Oilers forward Jean-Franois Jacques. Fights serve a good purpose for renewing energy to the crowd and home team. While it got the fans rocking, the players could not make it happen.

            I sat next to an Oilers fan and even he was shocked by the outcome. A Canucks fan in front of me yelled that this was the worst game he has ever seen Vancouver play. The fans go to cheer for success but now and again these games will happen. It may have been disappointing for the nearly 19,000 in attendance, but in the grand scheme of things the loss means nothing.  Even though I was disappointed, it did not damper my spirit as they playoffs near.
While it may have not been the most exciting game, I was excited to find out it was 1972 Summit Series night at Rogers Arena. The Summit Series was one of the greatest moments in Canadian history when Team Canada came back to win three straight games in Russia. The hero of the series, Paul Henderson was interviewed on the ice during the intermission. Henderson scored two game-winning goals in the eight-game series, including the last goal to win the series.

            The number 1 seed Vancouver Canucks will face the defending Stanley Cup Champions the Chicago Blackhawks, who narrowly beat out the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. As Canucks fans know all too well, Chicago is the defending Stanley Cup Champions and have eliminated Vancouver from the playoffs the last two seasons.

            This Vancouver team is different and no doubt hungry for payback. In the newspaper, players say they have learned from past post season failure and the goal this season is to win the Stanley Cup. I believe that this is the year Vancouver finally wins it all. The significance of the Cup is monumental to all Canadians. A Canadian hockey team has not won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadians beat the Kings in 1993. It would be icing on the cake for Vancouver if they can win the Stanley Cup just one year removed from Team Canada winning Gold over Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics in the very same arena.

            The Canucks roster is solid top to bottom. They lead the league in scoring and have one of the best goalies in the league in Roberto Luongo. Luongo was goalie for Team Canada when they won gold. Forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin, twin brothers from Sweden have emerged as superstars. Last season Henrik won the MVP and this year, his brother Daniel leads the NHL with 100 points and looks to be the favorite to be MVP this year. Add Burrows, who led the team in goals last season and Ryan Kesler who is having a career year and the Canucks have serious firepower.

            Vancouver has also successfully overcome injuries to their defenseman. At one point in the season, six defensemen were out with injuries. For the first time since the start of the season, all six starters are healthy and ready for the playoffs. Like the old saying goes, “Defense wins championships.”

The city of Vancouver has a pivotal place in the series because the last game played in Canada was in Vancouver. Team Canada lost that game and the fans booed them off the ice. Team Canada captain Phil Esposito gave a memorable speech to the fans that rallied the country behind the team. Seeing Henderson at the game was awesome and it shows how far hockey has come in Vancouver.

            I am so pumped for the playoffs now underway. I got my Canucks jersey on and my Canucks flag on my car. Make sure to watch the NHL playoffs there is no better action packed game then playoff hockey.
Go Nucks GO!!

Back from March Madness Vacation

After taking the month of March off to focus on finishing school, I neglected to blog about the NCAA Tournament, which both Washington and Gonzaga participated in. Here is my tournament bracket: ESPN 2011 NCAA Tournament Challenge
 I picked both the Huskies and Bulldogs to win their first match-up and was correct. Washington, the winners of the Pac-10 Tournament over Arizona, beat Georgia 68-65. Gonzaga, winners of the WCC Tournament over St. Mary's, took St. John's to school 86-71. It was considered an upset only by the rankings. Gonzaga, a tournament experienced program, was 11 seed and beat 6 seed St. John's, who have not played in the tournament in nearly a decade.
In the second round, I correctly picked Gonzaga's demise to BYU, a battle between Catholic and Mormon schools. Led by Jimmer Fredettes' 30 points, the Cougars crushed the Bulldogs 89-67.
As for Washington, I was bold, picking them to upset 2 seed North Carolina and reach the elite eight. It was an incredible game coming down to the wire, but the Tar Heels held on to win 86-83. Isiah Thomas was sensational in the tournament, leading the team in scoring and assists.It looks like Thomas could be playing in the NBA next season.
Now that basketball is over, my attention will turn to NHL playoff hockey, featuring a huge first round match-up in the Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks. Also, the MLS season has gotten under way with two new Northwest clubs to join the league. (Portland and Vancouver) The Seattle Sounders have some new key players as they attempt to take another step forward as league favorites. I will also check in on the Seattle Mariners every so often. For now, make sure to watch the NHL playoffs on CBS or VS.
GO CANUCKS GO!!!