It is here! You can Google the website and read about them. It is an easy search to find your favorite team or player. It’s new, it’s bold and it is all Hockey!
Bobbleheads are the small figures that you see around. Most figures are famous people in all kinds of sports. Their necks are made out of a spring so when the figure moves the neck jiggles all over. The best place to see them is on the dashboard of a car. Bobbleheads are a cute item, a sort of gag gift you might buy for a person with it all.
The mission of the site is for all things bobble! A website for the up-to-date bobblehead news, you need to know! Such news items include all the NHL stadium bobble giveaways. There are over 300 bobblehead nights in the NHL season alone, never mind the other minor leagues. So far the site deals with the NHL, but in the future they plan on reporting on other leagues like the: AHL, WHL, ECHL and many more! The bobbleheads are everywhere! Who knew they were this big to have their own website? I didn’t.
Not just bobbleheads! As this site gets bigger, they plan to offer easy searches on topics like player profiles and monthly reviews.
By picking your favorite bobblehead by team or by player, the information one can get is all bobble! (I can’t help this) You can get the league, name of player, team they play on, date released for their bobblehead and number of released bobbleheads. They also write stats of the player, show their bobblehead site on Ebay and connect you to the team’s bobblehead night information page. All done by one mouse click. Its easy, fast and well for me it was fun also!
This website is for the bobble-wanting person, one who needs more information before going out and buying bobbleheads for themselves or for others. It is also for the hockey fan who takes their sport too-toooo seriously. On the other hand, this site shows how seriously the sport is taken and how much money is being spent on it. Actually, the site is great for the information it provides, not just for the bobbleheads but for others also. I can’t wait to see the up-coming fully finished site.
The energy from the Bruins was certainly better than the bulk of the game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. However, as the game went on, the lack of finish from the Bruins was again on display. Watching from press level allows for a bird’s eye view of the game. From that level the game displays in a much different manner than it does either on television or on the ice. As such, it is sometimes easy to point to things and question why a team didn’t see an option, an available lane, or open player.
With that said, there were some instances with the Bruins where the inability to complete a pass and the break down in plays proved costly.
Claude Julien
“I don’t think we’ve given a ton of scoring chances. So, it’s not as bad as maybe it looks,” Head Coach Claude Julien said postgame. “I think it’s just that the mistakes we’re making right now—a lot of them end up in the back of our net.”
It may not be as bad as it looks, but with their third straight loss, it is clear that there are things that aren’t working. And in the end, hockey really is a game of mistakes and whether or not the opposing team can capitalize.
“It’s not the amount, it’s the types of mistakes that we’re making that’s got to be better.,” continued Julien. “Like on that last goal, you know, there’s no time left, you can’t lose track of somebody behind you. And we did. So it’s in our net.”
No time left is what made that goal so painful to a Bruins team that had rallied from their defeat on Saturday and had brought another level to their play. The goal that Julien referred to was scored by the Avalanche’s Daniel Briere with just 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock.
There is undoubtedly more to do for this Bruins team. But like the city it represents—scrappy, blue-collar, “never say die”—the Bruins are no stranger to adversity. Hopefully they will embrace the adversity and turn it to their advantage.
“At the end of the day those are things that make your team a stronger team and a better team down the road,” said Julien. “When you have adversity, a lot of teams will tell you at the end of the year, that it probably made them a better hockey club.”
Of course to do that they need to learn from it. And right now a lot of the players are forcing things and gripping their sticks too tight as pucks don’t get into their opponents’ nets and passes don’t end up on the stick of a teammate.
Seth Griffith
It’s unfortunate that for his first NHL game—to which his parents were able to come—that Griffith was on the losing team. But he took a philosophical approach to the loss pointing out that he’s got his first NHL game under his belt and he can only move on.
Like Torey Krug and Brad Marchand, the 5’9” Griffith is a smaller player who must think with his head, but likewise, he must face some large and heavy opponents. However, his attitude on the ice is that of one of the largest players out there. The Pink Puck commented on his willingness to get into the corners and go against these bigger players with no hesitation.
“I think if you’re intimidated you’re not going to play as good as you can be,” Griffith responded. “There’s big guys all around the league, so being a smaller guy you can’t be intimidated at all.”
Griffith mentioned what he felt he needed to get getter at in the next game, recognizing that improvement is always possible.
“I think I just got to be a little stronger on the puck, like I said, there’s a lot bigger guys out there,” he said. “But that’s something I’ve going to adjust to and hopefully be better for next game.”
Bartkowski owned up to his contribution in that last second goal.
“I just didn’t see the guy behind me, so I got too high and they got a shot through and what happens, happens,” he said. “I mean you see what happens, I should’ve been lower there you saw it.”
Hopefully Julien’s assessment is correct and the team can build from this adversity. But perhaps Marchand summed it up best in his take on what is missing.
“I just think that we seem to not be connecting and think that we gotta bear down a little more and be confident in our abilities,” he told reporters. “It just seems that right now we’re forcing plays a little too much, and maybe we have to get back to keeping it simple.”
The Bruins team heads out for a road trip of three games in four nights. And while it isn’t a long road trip, it will be a chance for the players to bond with just hockey on their minds. Could be just what this team needs right now.
It must be that time again… First it is Thanksgiving, and then comes Christmas. You can hear the buzzing of gift ideas being made by companies that sell hockey products. What can you get for someone who loves hockey? Something that can fit in your pocket, does not need wrapping and can surprise any hockey lover? It also needs to be a good price, right?
Any ideas? Well I might have one or two! You heard it here first, my readers. These ideas will not break your pocket-book, but will give the hockey lover in your life a chance of loving you even more!
Remember the original six teams? Well the Canadian Postal Service does! They just introduced a set of six stamps to honor the six Canadian defensemen that played oh so well so long ago. The six are: Bobby Orr, Pierre Pilote, Harry Howell, Doug Harvey, Red Kelly and Tim Horton (no, he is not our president and yes, he has passed on). Stamps, I realized, are big business! Hockey stamps come from all over the world, even from Mongolia! You can get them on eBay or through a private collector. Buyer beware and do some research before you lie your money on any table.
Do you know what else Canada Post put on their stamps? Well it is a celebration of the history of the… have you guessed it yet? Zamboni! They are selling Zamboni stamps, holders for the stamps and other Zamboni items. If stamps are not a gift idea for you or anyone on your list, then maybe a signed, numbered, limited edition, framed picture of your favorite player would suffice? All Canadian Postal Service gifts can be found at: canadapost.ca
This brings up the times when I was younger and my dad went to the local Esso Gas Station. He used to fill up the car and I filled up on the little hockey stamps. I even had the big over-sized hockey book that I put my stamps into. I remember licking them on the back and making sure they fit into the lines in the book. I never waited to get home, I always licked the stamps in the car. Does any one else remember Esso’s hockey books and stamps?
Do you remember the “Topps Company?” They were the ones to sell you a stick of gum and a few hockey cards with it. That’s right, the most famous way of getting into a street fight was to show off your new cards! This brings back a few great moments for me. What about you, my readers? The bright package would contain the most awful, hardest and fastest-taste-losing gum in the world. It felt great to uncover the treasure cards and see if they were new to you or not. I always put my double cards in my back pocket so I could trade fast with anyone. Many years later, I had a friend who gave me a shopping bag full of those cards. He didn’t want them and I love hockey, but he tried to change this mind when he realized what he did! He gave me early 70’s cards. I still have them! He still wants them back! “Oh well,” I say.
It was easier to buy hockey gifts when I was younger. All you really needed to do was to drive to Esso or buy a few packages of gum for a great gift. Times have changed! Christmas is still a few short months away, but I am starting to think gifts. Maybe you are too? I just hope this column gave you a jump-start on ideas. All I wish for you is – happy hunting!
The New Jersey Devils won back-to-back games on the road to start the 2014-15 season for the first time in team history. Last year, it wasn’t until their eighth game that the Devils got a win. They look like an entirely different team, but were one of the least active in free agency this offseason. So, why the early success for New Jersey?
First and foremost, the Devils have consistency in goal that they lacked last year. It was never clear whether veteran Martin Brodeur or Cory Schneider was “the guy” between the pipes, with each playing for stretches here and there, and neither contributing much to the team.
Schneider was the better goaltender, with one of the best goals-against averages in the league, but the team gave him no offensive support. They’d score four goals in front of Brodeur, but the 42-year-old would allow five, and the Devils would lose. Having a consistent #1 guy in Schneider is setting the tone for this team in 2014.
The offensive explosion of the first two games is unlike any that the Devils put together over the last two seasons. They scored 11 goals in five periods to start this season; last year, it took them five games to score 11 goals.
Newcomer Mike Cammalleri leads the team with three goals so far, but eight other players have a goal in the first two games. This kind of balanced attack is what made the Devils successful in the early 2000s. They were a team without one superstar, but with a lot of players getting points on the score sheet every night.
This offseason, unlike the last two, the Devils did not lose a superstar – with the exception of Brodeur, who was not offered a contract after becoming a free agent in July.
Two years ago, it was Zach Parise who left New Jersey to head home to the Minnesota Wild. A huge blow to the team, the pressure then fell onto the shoulders of Ilya Kovalchuk and 30-goal scorer David Clarkson. Neither of them stepped up in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, though. In that offseason, Kovalchuk returned to the KHL and Clarkson left for his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Devils had most of their team return this year. Jaromír Jágr and Patrik Eliáš, while both older, were the two top scorers last season and are still in New Jersey. Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique, and Michael Ryder, along with top-scoring defensemen Andy Greene and Marek Židlický, are also back, giving the Devils a season-to-season consistency they haven’t had since before the 2012 playoff run.
Despite missing the playoffs the last two seasons, this is going to be a fierce New Jersey team. With an offense this capable and a strong, young defense in front of the clear number one goalie, the Devils will compete all year in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
During the hockey season, I find myself going from work to game frequently in any given week. A good week means covering four or five games, at least three of those on days where I have put in a full day at work. Most of the time my feet and the heels can handle the abuse. Unfortunately this past week I managed to sprain my ankle, but that wasn’t going to keep me from any of the games, or practices, on my schedule. So, when it came time to select an outfit for the Boston Bruins game on Columbus Day against the Colorado Avalanche, I knew that my best option for footwear would be a pair of flat boots. The lack of a heel made walking on the ankle easier, but I discovered that the boots also offered some great support for the weakened ankle. So running—okay, walking fast—from press level seat to elevator, and then from visitor’s locker room to the home team’s room became a piece of cake.
Media Tip: Sometimes it isn’t just that you need to forego the heels, sometimes you need to add a little ankle support. A good pair of black boots can take almost any outfit and keep it classy and dressy when you just can’t wear a pair of heels but definitely don’t want to miss an opportunity to cover a game.
For the price of a can of food, Royals fans got their first preview of this season’s team Saturday night. The night started at 7:00 with a collective singing of the National Anthem by an estimated 2,000 fans. After beating the Jackals 4-1 the night prior, the Royals set out to claim another win.
The Royals have a lot of new faces, as can be expected with a new affiliation, but they have many returning players as well including Olivier Labelle, Sean Wiles, Ryan Cruthers, Justin Daniels, Bryant Molle, and David Marshall. At first glance, the Royals have a large team with many of the players towering over six feet.
1st Period
The first period was a little sloppy as the players tried to adjust to the new team and the new system. Elmira’s Matt Tassone gave the Jackals an early lead at 5 minutes into the first period after a defensive turnover. Halfway into the first, old rivalries began to show as Ryan Cruthers and Elmira’s Brodie Reid had a tussle. Fans were disappointed as the ref gave Cruthers two minutes for roughing and Elmira’s Duncan Schulz a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Mascot Slapshot was also on the job teasing the players in the box.
With Elmira still leading 1-0, Royals forward Sean Wiles tied up the game with only 3.5 seconds left. Wiles later commented,
“I remember Ryan Cruthers going down on the wide side and I called for a puck that I probably shouldn’t have. He passed it to me and we got a good bounce back to Molle at the point. He put a good shot on the net. I just managed to get my stick on it and tip it in.”
2nd Period
The Royals entered the second period energized by their late first goal and controlled the play for much of the second period. They stepped up their game by better using their team size, and winning the battles in the corners and along the boards. Halfway into the second the Royals took advantage of a power play after Jackal Justin Kea got a penalty for slashing. Wiles scored his second goal of the game with an assist from Ryan Cruthers and Zach Davies.
A little less than four minutes later, Olivier Labelle scored another goal by finding a loose puck and firing a slap shot low to the stick side of Elmira’s goaltender, Neil Conway. As the second period ended, the Royals went into the locker rooms with a 3-1 lead.
3rd Period
In the third period, the Royals saw a goaltender change from Connor Knapp to Sam Marotta as Coach Larry Courville and his staff evaluated the players. The Elmira Jackals pushed harder to try and close the gap in the score, but saw no luck. The Royals defense stayed strong and did not give the Jackals any good scoring chances.
Halfway into the period, the Royals gained an even bigger lead as forward Justin Daniels scored his first pre-season goal. Daniels was not able to play last season due to a heart condition. He states, “Last season, I wasn’t here. I took a year off. I had open heart surgery. July 1st [2013], I had a valve replacement.”
The last half of the third period saw more drama between Cruthers and Tassone. Around the 13 minute mark, fans spotted the two barking at one another from the bench with not much of a barrier between them. The fight peaked as Tassone jumped from the bench and speared Cruthers. Both players were given penalties. Tassone received a double game misconduct and a five minute major, while Cruthers got a ten minute misconduct and two minutes for slashing.
With two minutes left Elmira called a time-out, but again saw no luck as the game ended with a final score of 4-1. Elmira went home with a list of things to work on and fans cheered for the Royals’ three stars of the game: Sean Wiles, Ryan Cruthers and Olivier Labelle.
What’s Next?
Coach Larry Courville made one cut so far with 5’10’ forward Kyler Nixon who was injured in Fridays night’s game. As for future cuts, he says he may make one more, but doesn’t plan on making any decisions for a couple of days. He is also looking to replace a forward who was hurt during camp.
The Royals will also face a lot of tough games this season. “I think we have the toughest division,” Courville states. The eastern division is often one of the toughest divisions, but with the recent expansion of the divisions it will be even tougher for the Royals to make it out. “My opinion is that South Carolina is going to be a powerhouse,” Courville says. The South Carolina Stingrays finished first in the southern division last season with a record of 43 wins and 23 losses.
One main aspect Courville wants to improve on is penalty kills, “Most of my PK [penalty kill] guys the last two years are guys who I’ve had for some time. The guys who are going to be killing penalties for me this year are going to be a lot different, so that’s where I think we could be a little better the last two games. And we’re going to work on that so we can be better and more efficient at it.”
Overall, Courville is pleased with the progress so far this season, “So far, I’ve been happy with practices and the way the guys are competing and understanding the systems.” He still has a few changes to make, but is beginning to establish his team for the season.
The Royals first official home game is October 25th when they will take on the Elmira Jackals again. There will also be a pre-game block party where Flyers Alumni Brian Propp will make an appearance.
I scored the hat trick Saturday night with a shirt tail sweater, super high heels and stretchy pants for the Coyotes game against the Kings. I’m not sure things could be much better. Have no fear, I have saved myself from the cold and itchiness of just wearing the lambswool sweater, and threw on a nice long sleeved shirt underneath. I might look a little bit “puffier” than I would without it, but anything to save myself from being miserable (though the heels are a different story).
It was an all out hustle getting myself to the arena that night. Dinner at Starbucks, and an hour of traffic later, I found my way up to my seat on press level. Thank goodness for lots of caffeine and the caffeinated beverages the arena provides for media. A venti latte is only so potent. Add a pepsi and maybe some tea (or even more coffee) and you are set for the game and a late night of post writing. Woo!
Obviously, comfort is important, so when you just have to bust out those brand new heels, make sure to add a gel insert for comfort. Mine are super comfy, besides the fact that I think I may have gone a half a size too big, whoops. Be confident in the size of shoes you buy before-hand, and if they aren’t as snug as you would like them to be, put an insole in that takes up some space. Trust me, running down to the locker room after an OT win takes a lot of work. Running around in those 5-inch heels that are a bit slippery makes things that much more challenging. You need to be able to keep up, and if your foot is sliding all around, it won’t be the best experience. Don’t look like a fool, especially if you aren’t great in heels (luckily I am classically trained in the art of heels). Lesson learned. I told you in my last post that I will probably make mistakes along the way; there we go.
A good thing about playing the Kings is that there aren’t many color restrictions. If you didn’t know, it’s kind of a no-no to wear opposing teams colors, but that seems like a bit of a no-brainer. I mean, you probably shouldn’t wear all black and white nor should you wear purple, but I don’t think I have any issues with either of those. Since I wanted to change it up a bit, I figured a super bright red/orange sweater would make things interesting. A sneaky, built-in shirttail makes things 10x better and automatically more professional.
I wore basically the most comfortable pants in the world. Stretchy, warm, pleasant. They might feel like I’m wearing pajamas, but they sure don’t look like it. This pant and heel combo might be making an appearance more than once this season, I can tell you that much. I loved this look.
Like I talked about last time, professionalism is key. If you are questioning whether or not it is appropriate, play it safe. Don’t hang out on the line between safe and too far. It’s better to look conservative. Plus, if you are at a hockey game, there is most likely no need to have everything hanging out. Throw on some tights and a jacket, and you might just make things look more appropriate. Don’t risk your credibility or ruin your professional relationships with a team. You aren’t there to look pretty and impress in a negative way, you are there to present yourself in a way that is respectful and proper. Dressing the part in the right way is way more appealing than dressing like you don’t belong in the situation.
Press Level Tip: If you recorded some post game coverage on your phone, try listening to it on your way home. I know I do, and when it comes time to write an article, you have a good idea of what quotes you might use, or even what direction you want to take your story. Of course, I highly recommend listening to them over again (even several times), but it helps to occupy you on your drive home, and may just cut your writing time down. This is especially useful after late games, when you have several articles to write.
If you tuned in to the Arizona Coyotes opening night, then you would know how painful of a game it was. It was painful to watch, it was painful to think about, it was painful to be around. Nobody was in good spirits, but that is to be expected from a team who just dropped their home opener. That was Thursday, skip forward to Saturday, and after a much-needed practice on Friday, the team that hit the ice against the Los Angeles Kings were a force to be reckoned with.
The changes that head coach Dave Tippett talked (on Thursday) about making were made, and they proved to be successful. Goaltending was a major focus for the team after the game on Thursday and Tippett made that very clear saying, “We need better goaltending. It’s as simple as that”. For the game against the Kings’, the opportunity to put in goalie Devan Dubnyk couldn’t have come at a better time. Tippett made it seem that there really wasn’t something that needed extensive thought, considering the game that Mike Smith had several nights before.
Tippett on playing Dubnyk instead of Smith, and how the conversation with Smith went:
“As a matter of fact we are going the other way. Smith admittedly said he did not feel comfortable in the first game, and I wanted to get Dubnyk in; we talked about getting Dubnyk in one of these first four, and this was an opportunity tonight.”
Tippett on the teams’ drive to win and playing against one of the best possession teams:
“Our whole group knew we needed to be better and tonight that was going to be a big challenge for us against the defending Stanley Cup champions and I thought we played well and tonight was a game that we deserved to win. I thought our work ethic was really good. We did a lot of things and we were way more poised with the puck tonight than we were the other night and it was a funny game the other night, we were down by that much that early and it’s hard to evaluate that past the halfway mark, but our defensemen and puck moving out of our end neutral zone regroups were better. We were just better in a lot of areas tonight and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Dubnyk on finding out he was going to get the start so early in the season:
“No, I cant say I did [know that he would start so soon]. Obviously, looking at the schedule it’s pretty light at the start, so you know I wasn’t sure when, but a day before is plenty of time for me. It’s nice to get an opportunity obviously. I know my spot here so you don’t know when the opportunities are going to come so to be able to get a win like that is fun to do.”
He had some outstanding saves, tonight even amidst the rough start of the game, with 2 goals from the Kings’ early. Dubnyk on how he felt after getting scored on early in the game:
“Yeah, I was just pushing a little too hard, you know obviously you come out real excited and everybody’s excited to get last game behind us and move forward. I was just squeezing a little too much and that’s exactly what happens when you squeeze, shots find a way through you because you’re a little too tense. I’ve played enough games that I just told myself to relax and be patient and enjoy it, there’s no reason to put extra pressure on myself.”
Some other key players of the night had to be Mikkael Boedker and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Broedker had his second goal of the season, tonight, meaning that he has scored two in the past two games, not a bad statistic. OEL on the other hand, did not have a great first game and he made it an effort to be an asset out on the ice for this game. The standard is “set pretty high for that player” said coach. Tippett went on to praise him for being such an “intelligent and good player”. After an “average training camp and first game, very average”a game winning goal was a necessity to bounce back.
Boedker on the game:
“We played a full 60 minutes…It was huge to get back in the game. It builds character….[on the Kings’] They’re a good team, they’re well organized… [On out-shooting the Kings’] At times you look up and I thought at some point it was 27 [SOG] on 10, but you know what we played well and this is the way we have to play to win and if we can continue doing this it will be good. We’re just a hard-working bunch in here and that’s what we did tonight [on his goal-streak] It’s not too bad, keep that going I’ll be really happy…We’ve just gotta continue playing strong in front of him”
OEL on the game:
“[On the overall game] I think we felt that we played better, the first period we went after it and I think everybody played a good game over 60 minutes today. [on the minimal SOG’s from the Kings’ in the second] Duby did good in that and we just tried to help him out in that, protect the house. [on his OT goal] I don’t know I took a couple bad shots there in the beginning and then the last one, it felt great to score a goal, and we had a good crowd there tonight.”
With a rough start for the ‘Yotes, the ambition was there and evident. With a late goal in the first, Antoine Vermette got them on the board, and still in it. During the second period, it took the Kings over ten minutes just to get a shot on goal. They were kept quiet by the hungry Coyotes’ offense and defense. By the end of the game, the total shots on goal for the Kings was 26, while the Coyotes were up at 40. The Coyotes’ offense shut down the Kings’ defense, and they were able to keep in down on the Kings’ end for more than half of the game, a big shift from the previous game. The Coyotes were overpowered in shots during the third and OT, but not from a lack of trying. They still powered through the puck, and they battled well in the neutral zone.
The one thing that was obvious was that there were not as many penalty minutes. One of the biggest issues the last game was how the team just couldn’t stay out of the box. There were no fights, maybe some mindless words exchanged, but that’s hockey. In fact, two of the Coyotes’ penalties were delay of game, face-off violations. Only one call for slashing, and the rest interference. No blatantly obvious malicious plays, just minor penalties.
Overall, it was like a different team was on the ice. The players seemed revitalized and eager to get they’re first win. A nice last minute, over time power play goal will do the trick. This kind of win, especially against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, says a lot about the shape that both teams are in. The Kings are now 0-2 in their season.
Hopefully this is a sign of a successful season for the Coyotes, after a long offseason due to missing the playoffs last year. The only way is up, and by improving their game they can prove with tenacity that they have what it takes to make it all the way.
After a very public meltdown at the end of the 2013-14 season and significant changes to the team’s management and roster in the off-season, the Vancouver Canucks pulled out all the stops ahead of their home opener Saturday.
The game felt like a brand re-launch of sorts, with the team creating a festival atmosphere with live music at the North Plaza of Rogers Arena prior to puck drop. Fans attending the game were treated to a free drink and also had the chance to enter a number of giveaways to win game tickets and game-worn jerseys from each player on the ice. An updated mobile-friendly 50/50 draw, showing the real-time jackpot, was also introduced. Additionally, Rogers Arena had a thorough overhaul of their food and drink experience for fans, and changes included bringing locally-sourced in-season ingredients to dishes designed by Chef Robert Bartley.
The team also screened an uplifting video ahead of the home opener, and used impressive on-ice projection technology, seen around the NHL and reminiscent of Vancouver 2010’s opening ceremonies.
“Elevating our fans’ experience at Rogers Arena was our biggest focus during the offseason and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back this week for the start of the regular season,” said Victor de Bonis, COO, Canucks Sports & Entertainment and Alternate Governor, NHL, in a statement released ahead of Saturday’s game. “In addition to the changes to the team’s roster, fans can look forward to new menus, great food and an enhanced service experience. We’re expanding our concourses in the coming weeks and fans can expect suite upgrades, additional guest amenities and exciting game entertainment.”
With all of these efforts aside, arguably all fans wanted was to see their team back in top form on the ice securing a win in the home opener. The Canucks delivered, winning in a nail-biting shootout against the Edmonton Oilers. Fan favourite Chris Higgins was the man of the hour, scoring the only shootout goal for the Canucks, and Ryan Miller – with a league-leading shootout win now totaling a whopping 51 – stopped all three of the Oilers’ shootout attempts.
“It wasn’t how I envisioned it going but [I’m] happy to get a win and to contribute later in the game,” said Miller after his first home game as a Canuck. “I obviously want to clean myself up in the early parts but I was happy to settle down and contribute. The boys worked real hard and bailed me out. It’s going to take all different ways this year so it’s good to see they all stuck together and weren’t phased by a couple tough goals.”
Miller was referring to an arguably shaky start for the team, down two goals just halfway into the first period. The team battled hard and Henrik Sedin brought the team back within reach with a goal just before the horn sounded on the first period.
The 2-1 score didn’t last long, as little over two minutes into the second period Nail Yakupov gave the Oilers a two goal lead, on a play assisted by Benoit Pouliot. The Canucks responded two minutes later with a goal from Nick Bonino to bring the team within one goal of their rival. Little over four minutes after Bonino’s goal, Oilers winger Jesse Joensuu cleared the lead for his team and the Canucks were again two goals behind. Almost 11 minutes into the second period, Canucks forward Radim Vrbata scored, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, and the remainder of the period closed out at 4-3.
Entering the third period, the home team battled hard. It would be a power play goal by rookie Linden Vey that would settle the score at 4-4 and bring the two teams to overtime. The goal marked a milestone for Vey – his very first NHL goal.
Overtime would remain scoreless, and the home opener would be concluded in a shootout where, as mentioned, Chris Higgins and Ryan Miller would ultimately bring the team to victory.
It was a convincing win for the Vancouver Canucks, who overcame three two-goal defeats and finished with a strong 43-29 lead for shots on goal. Fans should be encouraged that the slogan ‘Change Starts Here,’ plastered throughout Vancouver in the lead-up to the season, may indeed be more than just a platitude.
Torey Krug carried out the milk crate of pucks, dumping them to the ice, the first sounds of a practice about to begin. The team trickled onto the ice, each in his own head. Perhaps each was reviewing his individual efforts in the last two games. Regardless, the mood was truly somber. The only sounds were skates cutting into the ice and the occasional slap of stick on puck. Even with the first drill, as practice truly got underway, not a sound was uttered by the players.
Seth Griffith
And one change had already been made to the roster assembled Sunday morning as the Boston Bruins announced the recall of Seth Griffith from the Providence Bruins and the reassignment of Craig Cunningham to the AHL affiliate.
But before blaming any one player, or pointing the finger to Cunningham just because he was sent down, Head Coach Claude Julien, pointed out to media after practice that the recall of Griffith was just one piece to a much bigger puzzle.
“I think [Griffith] showed he can score. He’s a right hand shot which we don’t have much of right now,” Julien said. “We’re honestly looking to see if he can fill a role right now. He deserves that chance.”
He went on to discuss the reassignment of Cunningham.
“Cunningham sent down is more about the juggling of everything. As far as his work ethic, I liked it and I think he competes hard and he gave it everything he has so that wasn’t an issue,” Julien explained. “He was good on faceoffs. He worked hard on the penalty kill. Let’s not look at him because he’s the guy sent down that we’re blaming him. That’s not the issue at all.”
Additionally, David Krejci has been cleared for play, which Julien tried to temper.
“I’ve been told [Krejci] is totally clear,” he said. “I think it looks good [for him to play].”
After all, everyone will be expecting Krejci’s inclusionin Monday’s roster to jump start Milan Lucic and suddenly all will be perfect again for the team.
“You know I think there’s players that, no matter what, they have to look at their own game. They have to be better as individuals. Let’s not again look at ‘well now I’m playing with this guy, I’m going to be better.’ Everybody has to be a little bit better,” Julien said. “And if everybody worries about doing their job right, then we have a better team already.”
While the players answered questions of the media, those who had played in the last two games were already taking this approach. Matt Fraser referred to looking in the mirror and coming to terms with his own play. And Ryan Spooner was examining his “pass it” mentality and how he needs to get back to playing his style of hockey.
Monday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche is just the fourth game of an 82-game season, but for the Boston Bruins it is a chance to prove they are the resilient team they have been in the past.
“We can’t allow [being deflated] to happen,” said Julien. “We have to be a little more resilient. And we have been in the past and we will be again.”
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