Wednesday, 21 September 2011
The Romer Award: Alain Vigneault
Two blog posts in two days!? I know, it's a little odd. However this is a very important blog post as its is the first time I am going to be introducing the Romer Award. The Romer Award is dedicated to Aaron Rome and is awarded to those every once in a while I deem to have exhibited enough stupidy and overall plug-ness to win this award. The award this time is going to Alain Vigneault who will probably be win this award again. Now those who know me know I am not a very big Vigneault supporter however I will admit he is a competent coach (barely). however I am here today to rip him for what he did to Cody Hodgson in the first pre-season game. Now the Canucks and Flames split their pre-season squads, each team keeping half their teams at home and sending half of them on the road. Cody Hodgson was sent to Calgary which isn't that big of a deal, but it was who he was sent with to play with the really pissed me (and Tony Gallagher apparently) off. Hodgson played on the "first line" in Calgary, but his "first line" wingers consisted of career AHLer Mike Duco and tough guy Todd Fedoruk who did not play hockey last season, as he sucked too much for any team to take a chance on him. Like WTF is Vigneault thinking. Here is your organizations top prospect who will be seriously challenging for the currently vacant 2nd line center job, as Kesler recovers from off season surgery, and you have him playing with plug A and plug B. Why wouldn't you play him with Marco Sturm and Anton Rodin or other guys who will be vying for a 2nd line job and see how Hodgson would look with those guys rather then pairing him with two guys who will be lucky to see 4th line time in Chicago. And I know the argument has been thrown out there that "this is just the first pre-season game, AV just wanted Cody to play well positionally and didn't care if he put up points," and to that I say bullshit. That's what Cody was doing last year when he was misused as the Canucks 4th line center near the end of the season. I know Cody is feeling confident coming into this season as he had his first healthy off season in a long time, but who knows how fragile that confidence is. A quick way to destroy it is tell the kid he has a shot at making the team as the 2nd line center and then play him with Dan Cloutier and Brett Lebda the whole pre-season and never give him a chance to exhibit his offensive prowess. Also , if this continues the whole pre-season and Mike Gillis does nothing about it, Gillis could very well be on the receiving end of a Romer Award. Vigneault better not screw this up because if Cody gets pissed, demands a trade and flourishes else where, I want Vigneaults head on a stick (not that I don't already after he got out coached two years in a row by Joel Quinville, almost a third, and then out coached by Claude Julien).
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Pre-Season Time: People to watch for
So it's that time of year again where the NHL pre-season (and it is literally a pre-SEASON. Like players in the NFL bitch and complain about having 4 games for their pre-season. The NHL has 8 pretty much meaningless games to "warm up" for the season, which in fact that all it does is create pre-season superstars whom fans orgasm over touting as the next big thing (see Shirokov, Sergei) only to see them fall flat on their face come the regular system. Or if a team goes 8-0 or 7-1 or 6-2 and fans of those teams are all like "ZOMG, WE DA BEST, CUP IS OURS!!!!!!! *drool*" until they realize come regular season that their team is still the Florida Panthers and proceed to go and cry in a corner, but then that would imply that fans in Florida care and that's just wrong. So basically the NHL pre-season is a place where NHL fan's dreams are crushed unless your a Florida Panthers fans in which they do not have dreams because they still do not realize they have a hockey team.) gets started up and we get to see which new players are trying to make our beloved Canucks. Here are some players you should keep your eye on as the pre-season rolls along.
Cody Hodgson: Duh. The 2008 draft pick has yet to make an impact in the NHL due to a variety of reasons most notably his infamous back injury, the glut of centers on the big club and the fact that Alain Vigneault aka "Crusher of rookies and Keith Ballard's hopes and dreams" still "coaches" the Canucks. However Hodgson has a real chance to shine this pre-season as Ryan Kesler is unfortunately still recovering from off season hip surgery and the second line center position is up for grabs. If Hodgson can show he can produce with no wingers like Kesler did last year; and seriously, have you seen the line Hodgson will be playing on in the first pre-season game? Duco and Fedoruk? Like WTF? Anyways, fact is, Hodgson is on a short leash when it comes to Canucks fans and there is going to be no better chance for him then now and he has to seize it.
Keith Ballard: I know he's not really "new" but he basically is considering how little Vigneault played him and every time Vigneault did play him, a little part of Vigneault died inside; true story bro. Anyways the initial report from camp is that Ballard looks very good, which is good considering someone is going to have to step in the wake of Christian Ehrhoff leaving for, what he considers, his "best chance of winning the cup" which apparently resides in Buffalo. Insert your choice of "rofl," "lmao," or "WTF is dat boy smoking" here. Like Hodgson, this is going to be as good of a chance that Ballard has to prove to the coaching staff that he can handle the vigour's of top 6 defensemen in the Western Conference. I expect big things out of Ballard and lets just hope his confidence isn't as fragile as Sami Salo's body.
Jordan Schroeder: Like Hodgson, Schroeder, the Canucks 2009 1st round draft pick, hasn't made any kind of impact on the big club. After his collegian career ended, he had a short stint with the Moose in which he played very well and put up almost a point per game during the regular and post season. However last season was a rough one for Schroeds as he struggled through an injury plagued season with the Moose putting up 10 goals and 18 assists in 61 games while throwing up a -7 rating. By all accounts, Schroeder was not all that impressive during the prospect tournament in Penticton which is a little alarming considering he should be one of the players dominating that tournament due to his pro experience. However he has looked very good during the main camp so far, so the pre-season should give us a good understanding of where he is. If he does very well, don't be surprised if he's given a spot on the second line to start the season.
Darren Archibald: Here's one guy many Canucks fans (including myself) hope pans out. Signed last season as an undrafted free agent, Archibald was a man amongst boys last season in the OHL putting up 41 goals and 66 points in 61 games while splitting time between the Barrie Colts and Niagara Ice Dogs. At 6'3 210lbs, Archibald could be the power forward the Canucks have been searching for since Todd Bertuzzi. For a big man he has soft hands, is a decent skater and is not afraid to use his body and just be a prick out there (that's a good thing). He has been known to have a couple of discipline issues, but if he has a really good pre-season, we could be seeing him as a bottom 6 forward to start the season on the big club.
Mark Mancari: One of many Gillis signings this off season (yes bandwaggoners, Gillis was signing players much to your bewilderment) Mancari is also an intriguing guy to follow. At 6'4 225lbs, Mancari is a big guy who has a very hard shot (one the AHL hardest shot competition with a shot that registered at just over 102 mph), toughness and offensive skill as he put up 32 goals and 64 points with the Buffalo Sabres AHLMancari never got a shot with the big club. However he should get every shot this pre-season to crack the bottom 6 of the Canucks and at just 26 years of age, still has time to prove himself as an everyday NHLer.
Steve Pinizzotto: Another one of Gillis's free agent signings, Pinizzotto is a career AHLer who's a tough guy/grinder who's not offensively incompetent. Pinizzotto put up 17 goals, 42 points and 178 PIMs in 68 games for the Washington Captials AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He's a scrappy agitator who can chip in on offense and is pretty good at penalty killing. Had something like 7 short handed goals last season and I don't care if that's against AHL competition, that's damn impressive. It'll be interesting to see if he gets a shot at a 4th line job because as much as the Canucks brass will put on the front that they think their toughness is just fine, you know that they'll still be looking for more grit on that 4th line and Pinizzotto could fit that bill.
Cody Hodgson: Duh. The 2008 draft pick has yet to make an impact in the NHL due to a variety of reasons most notably his infamous back injury, the glut of centers on the big club and the fact that Alain Vigneault aka "Crusher of rookies and Keith Ballard's hopes and dreams" still "coaches" the Canucks. However Hodgson has a real chance to shine this pre-season as Ryan Kesler is unfortunately still recovering from off season hip surgery and the second line center position is up for grabs. If Hodgson can show he can produce with no wingers like Kesler did last year; and seriously, have you seen the line Hodgson will be playing on in the first pre-season game? Duco and Fedoruk? Like WTF? Anyways, fact is, Hodgson is on a short leash when it comes to Canucks fans and there is going to be no better chance for him then now and he has to seize it.
Keith Ballard: I know he's not really "new" but he basically is considering how little Vigneault played him and every time Vigneault did play him, a little part of Vigneault died inside; true story bro. Anyways the initial report from camp is that Ballard looks very good, which is good considering someone is going to have to step in the wake of Christian Ehrhoff leaving for, what he considers, his "best chance of winning the cup" which apparently resides in Buffalo. Insert your choice of "rofl," "lmao," or "WTF is dat boy smoking" here. Like Hodgson, this is going to be as good of a chance that Ballard has to prove to the coaching staff that he can handle the vigour's of top 6 defensemen in the Western Conference. I expect big things out of Ballard and lets just hope his confidence isn't as fragile as Sami Salo's body.
Jordan Schroeder: Like Hodgson, Schroeder, the Canucks 2009 1st round draft pick, hasn't made any kind of impact on the big club. After his collegian career ended, he had a short stint with the Moose in which he played very well and put up almost a point per game during the regular and post season. However last season was a rough one for Schroeds as he struggled through an injury plagued season with the Moose putting up 10 goals and 18 assists in 61 games while throwing up a -7 rating. By all accounts, Schroeder was not all that impressive during the prospect tournament in Penticton which is a little alarming considering he should be one of the players dominating that tournament due to his pro experience. However he has looked very good during the main camp so far, so the pre-season should give us a good understanding of where he is. If he does very well, don't be surprised if he's given a spot on the second line to start the season.
Darren Archibald: Here's one guy many Canucks fans (including myself) hope pans out. Signed last season as an undrafted free agent, Archibald was a man amongst boys last season in the OHL putting up 41 goals and 66 points in 61 games while splitting time between the Barrie Colts and Niagara Ice Dogs. At 6'3 210lbs, Archibald could be the power forward the Canucks have been searching for since Todd Bertuzzi. For a big man he has soft hands, is a decent skater and is not afraid to use his body and just be a prick out there (that's a good thing). He has been known to have a couple of discipline issues, but if he has a really good pre-season, we could be seeing him as a bottom 6 forward to start the season on the big club.
Mark Mancari: One of many Gillis signings this off season (yes bandwaggoners, Gillis was signing players much to your bewilderment) Mancari is also an intriguing guy to follow. At 6'4 225lbs, Mancari is a big guy who has a very hard shot (one the AHL hardest shot competition with a shot that registered at just over 102 mph), toughness and offensive skill as he put up 32 goals and 64 points with the Buffalo Sabres AHLMancari never got a shot with the big club. However he should get every shot this pre-season to crack the bottom 6 of the Canucks and at just 26 years of age, still has time to prove himself as an everyday NHLer.
Steve Pinizzotto: Another one of Gillis's free agent signings, Pinizzotto is a career AHLer who's a tough guy/grinder who's not offensively incompetent. Pinizzotto put up 17 goals, 42 points and 178 PIMs in 68 games for the Washington Captials AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He's a scrappy agitator who can chip in on offense and is pretty good at penalty killing. Had something like 7 short handed goals last season and I don't care if that's against AHL competition, that's damn impressive. It'll be interesting to see if he gets a shot at a 4th line job because as much as the Canucks brass will put on the front that they think their toughness is just fine, you know that they'll still be looking for more grit on that 4th line and Pinizzotto could fit that bill.
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