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Vancouver Canucks News

Canucks' winning road trip halted by Flames
February 12
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks have collected a pile of points the last month in games they could have lost. Saturday, they lost a game they played well enough to win. Jarome Iginla's shootout goal, a few minutes after the Calgary Flames' captain was stuffed by goalie Roberto Luongo on a breakaway near the end of regulation time, gave his team a 3-2 win over the Canucks to cap Hockey Day in Canada. It wasn't the Canucks night. Despite outplaying the Flames for much of the game, the Canucks had to rally from a two-goal deficit to force extra time. But the lottery loss in the shootout tarnished what was a perfect road trip, as Vancouver headed home from its four-game journey at 3-0-1. They play the"
Luongo blinks first, Flames topple Canucks
February 12
Vancouver Province
 
"The great Byron Bitz story wasn't so great on Saturday. The goaltending, however, was. In a showcase of flashing leather, and massive saves, Roberto Luongo and Miikka Kiprusoff dueled. They traded sensational stop after sensational stop. Kiprusoff made what appeared to be the save of the game, gloving a Henrik Sedin shot with a breathtaking third period save off the rush. But Luongo matched him, snagging a Jarome Iginla would-be game winner out of the air, off a breakway It ended in yet Vancouver overtime game, the Canucks ninth in 12 games. And it was Luongo who blinked first, as Calgary held on for a 3-2 shootout win. Vancouver was facing an injury-riddled Calgary Flames team, whose fans"
Canucks get Wild, throw their weight around
February 11
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks had size up front, laid some punishing hits, stuck up for teammates, and physically dominated Thursday's game. Which begs a couple of questions: Who are these guys? And: Do Mike Duco and Byron Bitz make that much of a difference? Bitz was the story up front, but Duco was the fire hydrant with jet engines in the bottom six. He hits like he's swinging an anvil. First it was Cal Clutterbuck he lined up, then it was Nate Prosser he rattled, and that was right before he shook up Matt Cullen. "On that first shift, he was on the ice against Clutterbuck, who is a real energy and gritty player for them, and he went right after him," Alain Vigineault said. "Bitz did that on a couple of"
Max Lapierre making major statement in backing up his physical play
February 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canuck Max Lapierre, frequently criticized in his National Hockey League career for hitting and running, is increasingly backing up his abrasive play with his fists. Lapierre's bout with Cal Clutterbuck during Thursday's 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild was the Canuck's seventh fighting major this season and fourth since Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said after a New Year's Eve loss in Los Angeles that he needed more of a physical presence from role players. Prior to this season, Lapierre had 12 fights in five years. "I don't think I'm there to fight every game," he said. "It's two different things to talk and then answer the bell for a big hit. Last night, I gave a hit and"
Canucks liking how Bitz fits with Sedins
February 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Near the end of the Vancouver Canucks' practice here Friday, Daniel and Henrik Sedin quietly explained to Byron Bitz how the National Hockey League's top-ranked power play operates and what it would require from the winger. Bitz has had innumerable conversations about hockey over the last two years. Sometimes the talks were about his confounding injury issues or whether his fourth surgery would be his last or maybe even what he might do if he never played again because, although Bitz has an Ivy League business degree, the only thing he really likes besides hockey is working his uncle's farm outside Saskatoon. But we can safely say that Friday's briefing was the first time the 27-year-old"
Canucks tame Wild - in regulation time
February 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"When the buzzer sounded at the end of the third period Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks didn't quite know what to do. They're not used to leaving the ice after 60 minutes. But after five straight overtime games, the Canucks finally won in regulation. And they won by three goals, which hasn't happened in over a month. "It feels good, I don't feel so tired right now," defenceman Kevin Bieksa said after the Canucks' 5-2 decision over the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. "I'm used to the 65-minute games, but I could get used to this.""
Burly Bitz backs Sedins as Henrik continues ironman streak
February 10
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks weren't slumping, they were just waiting for Byron Bitz to arrive. The comeback player with the bruising game and compelling back story has suddenly become a playmaking difference-maker. Call it a stimulus package. And the Canucks have been waiting for one. Strikingly bulky whenever he's standing in Vancouver's locker room, just dressing Bitz was going to improve the Canucks' heft and presence."
Tough questions abound about Canucks' goaltending
February 10
Vancouver Province
 columnist Ed Willies
"The decision over the future of the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending position might be the most important of general manager Mike Gillis's administration but, in analyzing things as they stand, there is one number that stands out for Roberto Luongo. It is not the 10 years he has left on his contract. It's not the $5.333 million US annual cap hit he represents. It's not even the number of Stanley Cups he's won. No, those are all relevant in the great Vancouver goaltending debate but the most important number connected to Luongo is this: 21,743. And that isn't the number of times Canucks' fans have called the open-mouth shows saying: "We can't win with this guy.''"
Henrik Sedin participates in skate, likely to face Wild
February 9
NHL.com
 
"Officially, Vancouver's Henrik Sedin is a game-time decision for tonight against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, but all signs point to the Canucks captain being ready to go. "It felt OK, better than yesterday, so that's a good sign," Sedin said. "We'll see, we'll see how it feels before the game. I guess it's a game-time decision." Asked if he felt tonight like he did at this morning's skate, where Sedin was a full participant, he chucked. "We'll see tonight," he said with a smile."
Canucks' Henrik Sedin in walking boot, putting NHL games streak at risk
February 9
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Sedins may be split up again, but this time it could be a doctor's decision, not the coach's. The Vancouver Canucks have already been working overtime to get many of their recent wins, and now they may have to do it without their team captain and leading scorer. Henrik Sedin was wearing a walking boot on his right foot when the team arrived here Wednesday afternoon and had a CT scan done to determine what damage he suffered when he was struck by a hard shot from Nashville defenceman Kevin Klein in the first period of Tuesday night's 4-3 shootout win."
Canucks to start Cory Schneider in Roberto Luongo's House of Horrors
February 9
Vancouver Sun
 
"It's the Xcel Energy Center, so that can only mean one thing for the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider starts and Roberto Luongo watches from the bench on Thursday night (5 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040). Luongo's struggles in Minnesota have been well documented. He is 0-3-0 with a 7.00 goals-against average and .768 save percentage in his last three starts at the Xcel Energy Center, where his career numbers are 3-9-2 with a 3.56 GAA and an .873 save percentage."
Henrik Sedin's ironman streak could end after Canuck takes slapshot to his ankle
February 9
Vancouver Province
 
"As Henrik Sedin's twin brother, close friend and longtime linemate, Daniel wishes him only the best. Of course, he wants Henrik's remarkable 552-game ironman streak to continue Thursday against Minnesota. But if it doesn't? Well, not all is lost. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for 120 games," said Daniel, smiling. "Now, it's up to me." If you're looking for any positives, and there can't be many when Henrik is in a protective walking boot, a chance for Daniel to prove he can succeed without his brother is about as good as it gets."
Vigneault implodes, splits Sedins, puts Bitz with Henrik
February 8
Vancouver Province
 
"Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault believes the Sedins are better together. He's said it regularly and reiterated it Tuesday. That was just after he split them up. Again. Vigneault called what he did to his lineup tinkering. If that's tinkering, then a cinder block to the face is subtle. When the Canucks took to the ice Tuesday morning, they looked nothing like the team that you've seen at any point this year. Daniel Sedin was on Ryan Kesler's wing, along with Alex Burrows and Henrik Sedin was lined with Byron Bitz and Mason Raymond. The Sedins have been split up in consecutive games, but they started together in both tilts."
Canucks beat Nashville in yet another shootout
February 8
Vancouver Province
 
"The last time the Sedin twins were split for any length of time was March 2008. They were on a monster of a slump. Their fourth game apart was the beginning of a remarkable collapse which would see the Canucks lose seven of eight, miss the playoffs and, as a result, forever change the direction of the team by ushering in the Mike Gillis era. Alain Vigneault has since suffered from Sedin separation anxiety, always saying he believes they are better together. But the the coach got over it long enough Tuesday to tear down his lineup and rebuild it with a flair for the odd, including his decision to split the Sedins to try to ignite them."
Luongo shows his good, bad and lucky sides in game-winning performance
February 8
Vancouver Province
 
"Henrik Sedin was getting treatment post-game for his ankle after he took a slapshot off it in the first period. He was unavailable for an update. But before the game, he said the Canucks were looking to win one without needing their goalie to stand on his head. He got his wish. Roberto Luongo did about everything but in a save that kept the Canucks afloat. It was Tuesday's signature wow moment, and during it, Luongo was ­riveting."
Playing through grief, Kesler is Canucks golden boy again
February 7
Vancouver Province
 
"The last time Ryan Kesler was here he played like a Macy's parade balloon. Six stories high, three stories wide and 12,000 cubic feet of superlatives. The Canucks, who can't lose for trying these days, may need him to get out his air pump. They are without Chris Higgins, whose latest illness is a troubling turn. They have seen the Sedin twins' energy levels needle toward empty. And the shutdown duo of Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis has played with lots of down but not much shut. Kesler has been one of the few Canucks outside of the well-fortified crease making a difference, keeping the Canucks pretty on paper despite being so ugly on the ice."
Cody most untouchable Canuck?
February 6
Vancouver Province
 
"It wasn't science. It wasn't meant to have meaning. It was just a group of friends, who are Canucks fans, chattering away a Saturday night. Things, as they always seem to these days when it comes to the NHL, turned to the trade deadline. An informal poll was taken. Who is Vancouver's most untouchable player? The player who got the most votes may not be surprising, but it is revealing. It was Cody Hodgson. Now, fans tend to be fickle. Things could turn in a few weeks. But right now, looking back, it's been a helluva four months for Cody Franchise. There was the invite to all-star weekend, a rookie-of-the-month honour, 14 goals, a drool-worthy array of shot making, big moments in big games,"
Canucks need every point in tight division
February 6
Vancouver Province
 
"Something strange happened on the weekend: The Canucks won a shootout while the Red Wings lost one. Detroit's shootout loss at Edmonton on Saturday night was the club's first of the season and the Wings are now 6-1 in shootouts, including a win on Thursday at Rogers Arena. The Canucks, with their shootout win at Colorado on Saturday afternoon, are 4-5 in shootouts now. The extra point for a shootout win may be awarded for a spectacle, one that disappears in playoffs, but with the West so tight every point is vital."
Winning ugly becoming a concern for Canucks
February 6
Vancouver Sun
 
"Sunday was a day off for the Vancouver Canucks and come to think of it a good part of Saturday was as well. It didn't matter, the Canucks still earned two points, but with their ugly 3-2 shootout win in Denver on Saturday afternoon came the realization that this can't continue. Not the winning. The way they are winning. "I am not sure how it happens," said team captain Henrik Sedin, who seemed as surprised as anyone after the Canucks once again made like Houdini and somehow escaped with a win over the Colorado Avalanche."
Maxim Lapierre totally lied to Vigneault to get in the shootout
February 6
Vancouver Sun
 
"While Maxim Lapierre picks up a few goals every season, he isn't exactly known for his scoring, so it may have seemed odd to see him come out as the first shooter in Saturday's shootout against the Colorado Avalanche. After all, scoring in the shootout had already been a struggle for the Canucks; how was sending out a fourth-line energy forward going to make things better? Why did Alain Vigneault choose Lapierre? Simple. Lapierre lied to him. "Max kept telling me he is four-for-six," Vigneault said. So apparently Lapierre didn't lie just once; he did so repeatedly. He "kept telling" Vigneault that he has scored 4 times in the shootout. Lapierre was, in fact, 3-for-6 in the shootout in his"
New Canuck Byron Bitz finally catches a break, plays first NHL game in nearly two years
February 6
Vancouver Sun
 
"It was his 88th National Hockey League game, but for Byron Bitz it felt a lot like the first. When Bitz played for the Vancouver Canucks in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche, it was his first NHL game in nearly two years. He has been through four separate groin and abdominal surgeries -- the most recent during training camp -- and as recently as this past fall wondered if he had a future in hockey. "There were a lot of times where I thought I would never play another game, let alone a NHL game," Bitz said. "So it's definitely a victory for not just me but the medical staff with the Canucks, the training staff that saw me through some tough times and didn't write me"
Listless Canucks stun Avalanche late to 'earn' shootout win
February 5
Vancouver Province
 
"If Tim Tebow played hockey here, he'd play a lot of games like Kevin Bieksa did Saturday. A mess for most of the game, he was miraculous to end it. Officially, they called it a block. But it will be remembered as one of the saves of the year. Bieksa's Superman dive across the ice kept a TJ Galiardi backhand from going into an empty Canucks' net with 47 seconds left. Twelve seconds later, at the other end, one of Bieksa's most consistent teammates, the stanchion, set him up for the improbable tying goal. "I'm nice to the stanchion," said Bieksa, who slayed the San Jose Sharks with a similar goal in the playoffs. "I go over in warmup and give it a little love tap with my right shoulder and"
Bitz shows bite in win over Avalanche
February 5
Vancouver Province
 
"As someone pointed out online Saturday, the sandpaper in the Canucks lineup has been more like a loofah this year. So improving the grind factor isn't exactly difficult on a team that has all the edge of a bath sponge. That said, no one should downplay what Byron Bitz managed to accomplish Saturday. Playing his first NHL game in nearly two years, Bitz was competent, physical, landed a huge hit and grappled in a big fight. That's about a month's worth of physicality for the Canucks. The line Alain Vigneault put him on didn't work, but none of them did Saturday. By the end, Bitz had played 8:32, which is 8:32 more than he ever thought he was going to play again. "There were a lot of times"
Booth plays through the pain in Canucks' win
February 5
Vancouver Sun
 
"Already missing Chris Higgins, the Vancouver Canucks were almost without their other second-line winger on Saturday. David Booth played, but he played in considerable pain after a night with very little sleep. Booth began suffering upper-back and neck spasms Friday and they continued throughout the night. "I couldn't even lay down because my back was seizing up," Booth said after the Canucks' 3-2 shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche. "I had to sit up for about five hours last night, just straight up against my bed, trying to sleep like that. It wasn't good." Booth doesn't know what caused the spasms. He was on the receiving end of a hit on the end boards in Thursday night's game"
Canucks steal shootout win in Denver
February 5
Vancouver Sun
 
"It was Bob Seger who sang that rock and roll classic called Get Out Of Denver, which was something the Vancouver Canucks were mighty happy to do Saturday. The fact they left the Mile High City with two points bordered on grand larceny. The Canucks did on Saturday what they have been doing for the better part of a month now -- they somehow found a way to win a game they really had no right being in. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa got a fortuitous bounce off a stanchion and his long, soft shot found its way past Colorado goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere with 35 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime. And then came an even bigger surprise: Roberto Luongo and the Canucks won the ensuing"
Ailing Higgins to stay behind as Canucks travel to Colorado
February 4
Vancouver Province
 
"Keith Ballard was playing left wing at practice on Friday at Rogers Arena, but the Canucks are hoping the defenceman doesn't have to play there on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. With just 11 healthy forwards due to the absence of ailing Chris Higgins, head coach Alain Vigneault said the club is trying to get minor-league winger Byron Bitz into Denver to fill that gap — but severe winter weather around the Colorado city is making that problematic. "[Higgins] is not travelling today with the team," said Vigneault. "He's still feeling under the weather so we're going to keep him behind. When he feels better, we're going to have him join the team." Red"
Plan B is for Bitz, not Ballard
February 4
Vancouver Province
 
"It looks like Keith Ballard won't get his chance to show how versatile he is as a hockey player, after all. After lining up at left wing at practice at Rogers Arena on Friday morning, the Canucks defenceman was eager afterwards to step in to help fill out the team's forward ranks on Saturday in Denver in the absence of ailing winger Chris Higgins. Ballard, who said he's played forward at times in the NHL and did so as well in minor hockey, had this to say: "Chip it in, get some forechecks, bump into some guys. I played a couple games there in Phoenix my first year when we had some injuries. I'm perfectly fine with it. Who knows, maybe I'll get a couple goals and become a winger." But"
Canucks' grate expectations: When just winning isn't good enough
February 4
Vancouver Sun
 
"It is a sign either of the evolution of a hockey team or the degeneration of its market that the Vancouver Canucks are third in the National Hockey League, 7-3-3 in the last five weeks, and still the sky is falling. "It seems like people here in this city, sometimes winning and getting points isn't good enough," defenceman Keith Ballard said Friday. "You have to [win] a certain way and you have to do it by a certain margin and you have to dominate a lot of teams. And that's not the reality of hockey." If case you're wondering, Ballard is now safely out of the province on a weeklong Canuck road trip that starts today against the Colorado Avalanche. His phone number is unlisted and, no, I"
Canucks' Cody Hodgson named NHL rookie of the month for January
February 3
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canucks centre Cody Hodgson has been named the National Hockey League's rookie of the month, it was announced today. Hodgson, who turns 22 in just over two weeks time, led all rookies in scoring with 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 11 games. Among those goals were clutch markers in the Canucks' two biggest games of the season, victories over the arch-rival Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks."
Canucks get 'schooled' in 4-3 shootout loss to Red Wings
February 3
Vancouver Province
 
"Roberto Luongo had stressed that statement games were in the rear-view mirror. He was right. Sort of. With victories over San Jose, Boston and Chicago last month, the Vancouver Canucks beat the elite to prove a point but needed to make another kind of statement Thursday at Rogers Arena. They needed to not only match the work ethic and skill level of the top-ranked Detroit Red Wings, they had to do it without winger Chris Higgins."
Vigneault juggles his lineup, and then juggles it again
February 3
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks started their game with the Red Wings wondering how the lineup juggling would work after second line winger Chris Higgins was scratched due to what the team is calling the flu. There was immediate concern about Higgins' health when he didn't take the pre-game warm-up, as he'd missed games both in early and late December with a scary staph infection that made his foot and then his hand blow up like a balloon, but the team gave its assurance he's simply out with an illness."
Red Wings clip Canucks in shootout
February 3
Detroit News
 
"The Red Wings' dominance in shootouts continues. They improved to 6-0 in shootouts this season, beating Vancouver, 4-3, on Thursday night. The Wings (35-16-1, 71 points) won the shootout, 2-0, with Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler scoring. Goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped Vancouver's Alex Edler and Mason Raymond, earning his league-leading 32nd victory (32-11-1). Those six extra points the Wings have earned already in shootouts could prove mighty important at the end of the season in terms of playoff positioning and home ice advantage."
Canucks hope to be in tune with Red Wings
February 2
Vancouver Sun
 
"Chris Higgins has seen the other side and played on his share of lousy teams. He missed the playoffs with Montreal in 2006-07 and with Calgary two seasons ago. Before his trade to the Vancouver Canucks last Feb. 28, he was on a Florida Panther side going nowhere but to the golf course. So you can imagine how enjoyable it is for him to be part of a group that keeps on winning despite some serious lapses in performance. Like on Tuesday, when the Canucks were nearly run out of Rogers Arena in the second period by the Chicago Blackhawks, yet managed to prevail 3-2 in overtime. "I've played on teams before where we've had some great stretches of hockey but didn't have a winning record," Higgins"
Canucks to start Roberto Luongo in Red Wings showdown
February 2
Vancouver Sun
 
"After nine days between games, Roberto Luongo will return to the Vancouver Canuck nets Thursday night when his team faces the first overall Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040). Luongo was in a ball cap Tuesday when backup Cory Schneider turned in a sublime 37-save performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. Prior to that, the Canucks were off for five days during their all-star break. Luongo beat the Wings 4-2 on Dec. 21, stopping 38 of 40 shots. "They have world-class players," Luongo said, describing the Red Wings lineup. "They're very well-coached, they know what it takes to win and they're very disciplined. If we want to have a chance to win, we"
Detroit coach Babcock respects Canucks, Sedins
February 2
Vancouver Province
 
"Like most NHL coaches who grew up in Canada and are working in the U.S., Mike Babcock enjoys the give-and-take with reporters when the Red Wings visit Canadian cities. After going through a workout with a Detroit trainer that would have left one of his players huffing and puffing, the 48-year-old Saskatoon native held court with reporters on Wednesday. "I really like their top four D. Most people see Hamhuis and Bieksa as their No. 1 pair, but Edler and Salo, for me, are outstanding players. "They've got their guys everyone talks about, but Hodgson was a top-10 draft pick, Canadian Hockey player of the year, he's a real hockey player to me."
Wings' Niklas Kronwall a marked man in Canucks' eyes
February 2
Detroit News
 
"You have to believe the Canucks will take notice of where Niklas Kronwall is tonight. The last time the teams played, Ryan Kesler was tagged with a Kronwall hit that aggravated the Canucks forward. Kesler (Livonia) went after Kronwall, who refused to accept Kesler's challenge, irritating Kesler further. Kesler joined a growing line of opponents who believe Kronwall is reckless, something Ducks forward Teemu Selanne suggested in the past after being leveled by Kronwall. "Obviously you have to keep your head up when he's on the ice," Kesler said Wednesday. "(But) that was last game. This is a new game.""
Canucks down Blackhawks in overtime
February 1
Vancouver Sun
 
"Memo to Canucks' coach Alain Vigneault: Cory Schneider is ready for prime time. Vigneault made Schneider his surprise starter Tuesday night against Vancouver's arch-rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, and before the game suggested he wanted Schneider to learn how to play in the big games. Schneider delivered, much the way he did in early January against the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, as he backstopped the Canucks to a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Hawks at Rogers Arena."
Hodgson rouses sleepy Canucks to 3-2 OT win over Blackhawks
February 1
Vancouver Province
 
"Here's how cool Cody Hodgson is under pressure. In the critical moment of Tuesday's it-felt-critical game, he got behind the Blackhawks' defence on a breakaway and just drifted into thought. He thought about how Dale Weise, of all players, told him to go high glove on Corey Crawford, even though Crawford had just made a big glove save on Daniel Sedin. He thought about what trainer Jamie Hendricks told him when, in the second intermission, they just happened to outline the exact scenario Hodgson was experiencing at that moment. About the only thing he didn't have time to think about was the 6,400-word essay his agent, Ritch Winter, had recently posted online."
Could the 'best backup goalie in hockey' be traded this summer?
February 1
Vancouver Province
 columnist Ed Willies
"Before anyone gets too excited, Henrik Sedin didn't say the Vancouver Canucks play harder for Cory Schneider. What the Vancouver Canucks' captain said, clearly and unequivocally, is the Canucks' recognize their backup goalie has one of the most thankless jobs in hockey. He might play twice in a week. He might go a month between starts. But he's expected to play a critical, if not fully appreciated role, on a team with Stanley Cup aspiration all, most importantly, while being a good guy in the room."
Canucks 3, Blackhawks 2: Daniel Sedin scores winner in OT
February 1
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"If Brendan Morrison needed a lesson about what it means to be a Blackhawk, he'd have been hard-pressed to find a better place to begin that education than the stadium he called home for eight seasons. One of the most beloved players ever to take the ice for the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena, Morrison returned Tuesday to the city where he still lives during the offseason, but as a newly added member of one of the Hawks' most bitter rivals. ''It was a tough game, a hard-fought game, a playoff-type game,'' Morrison said."
Hawks' Sharp answers the call in early return
February 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"When your team is kicking off a critical nine-game road trip that could go a long way toward dictating where it finishes in the postseason race, a prognosis of being sidelined three-to-four-weeks ends up being a lot closer to three. Winger Patrick Sharp, who suffered a broken bone in his left wrist Jan. 8 when he was slashed by the Red Wings' Jiri Hudler and was expected to be sidelined up to a month, returned to the Blackhawks' lineup 23 days after sustaining the injury when they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. Sharp said he was "100 percent healthy" after Tuesday's morning skate, but a source told the Tribune that the veteran is experiencing some"
David Booth in peak fitness during all-star break
January 31
Vancouver Province
 
"David Booth traded flip-flops and the white sand for snowshoes and the white stuff during the NHL all-star break, which tells you a few things about the Vancouver Canucks winger. Even amid the solitude of a five-day break in the Whistler mountains, the workout fiend still found a way to push the limits on those long solo treks to ensure he can build upon scoring in the last three games and put a recent knee injury far in the rear-view mirror. And he's also had enough sun during five seasons in Florida. "I go on my own and follow my tracks up and back," Booth said Monday of his snow expeditions. "I've always enjoyed hiking and have always enjoyed the view from the top of the mountain. It's"
Schneider to face Blackhawks
January 31
Vancouver Sun
 
"Apparently Cory Schneider just starts the big games. Just over three weeks after he was the surprise starter in Boston against the Bruins, Schneider will start again tonight when the Vancouver Canucks play host to their top Western Conference rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks. Schneider said he got an advance heads-up from coach Alain Vigneault before the all-star break that he would likely face the Hawks."
Back to the real NHL games
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 columnist Chris Stevenson
"The days at the beach, as tweeted by Capitals defenceman Mike Green from the Cayman Islands, are over. The neon tans from Las Vegas will now start to fade. The NHL's feel-good weekend here — a resounding success which revolved around the emotional outpouring between Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Senators fans — now becomes a fond memory. Ahead is a 30-game sausage grinder that is the rest of the NHL season. "You need the break whether you're here or somewhere else doing something different. This is a part of the season the guys really look forward to, just to recharge the battery," said Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul. "When you get back from this break, you're re-energized and you"
Chara's stars beat hometown hero Alfredsson
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 
"On his big day, Daniel Alfredsson surrounded himself with Swedes. But it was a bunch of Slovak buddies, led by New York Rangers winger Marian Gaborik, who drove Team Chara to a 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson in front of 20,510 in the 57th NHL all-star game Sunday at Scotiabank Place. While former Senators defenceman Zdeno Chara scored the third-period winner, it was Gaborik, voted the game MVP, who led his club to victory with a hat trick and four-point effort as Team Chara walked away with the bragging rights. "You could see the guys wanted to win," said Chara when asked if he gave his team any instructions with the score tied 6-6 going into the third period. "I didn't have to say a"
Rumour: Corey Perry to Vancouver Canucks
January 28
Vancouver Province
 
"Say this about the Canucks' trade rumours with Anaheim: They are getting better. Last week, it was Vancouver's supposed interest in George Parros, which was quickly shot down as a possibility. This week it's a former Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy winner on his way to Vancouver. As the rumour goes, Enrico Ciccone, on the TV Show "Le Match," said Patrice Brisebois claims a trade is being considered which would send Corey Perry to the Canucks for Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond and Keith Ballard. We assume the Canucks will also have to throw in a 3rd round pick. The rumour, which features the same three players you see in just about every Canuck rumour these days, looks great for Vancouver. The"
Who will win? Breaking down All-Star teams
January 27
NHL.com
 
"The draft is over, the rosters set for the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game. We now know who will be wearing the white jerseys for Team Alfredsson and the blue jerseys to represent Team Chara. Now it's time to take a look at the rosters and break them down by position. Look for our prediction at the end. FORWARDS Datsyuk and Malkin on the same team is a scary proposition for the opposition. They may be the two most skilled players in the NHL right now. As Chara said, you can put them on the same line and they can be unstoppable, or you can put them on separate lines and they'll still be dominant and "make the line." Team Alfredsson has a lot of talent, but it doesn't have two"
Canucks prospect Kevin Connauton picking up his game
January 26
Vancouver Sun
 
"Kevin Connauton is on pace to shatter his offensive numbers from last year, going against the grain of the maligned sophomore jinx. Now 42 games into his second American Hockey League season, the 21-year-old defenceman and Canucks third-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has 10 goals and 21 points with the Chicago Wolves. That's impressive considering in his rookie campaign with the Manitoba Moose last year, he notched 11 goals and had 23 points in 73 regular season games."
MacTavish out of the 'waiting room,' enjoying life back behind the bench
January 26
Vancouver Sun
 
"The secret is out. Craig MacTavish didn't care too much for his gig as a television analyst. Behind the bench is where he believes he's meant to be, and that's where he finds himself as head coach of the Chicago Wolves, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. "The TV [job] was just a little waiting room to get back into the coaching," said MacTavish before the Wolves' second game of a back-to-back road set with the Abbotsford Heat Wednesday in the Fraser Valley. "It was a good opportunity here. I didn't dislike the TV, but I'm more of an insider by trade than an outsider. I enjoy the coaching.""