Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

If Forsberg makes NHL comeback, Canucks will be there, says Gillis

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November 7

Vancouver Province

"If chronic foot and ankle problems don't prevent Peter Forsberg from pursuing another NHL comeback attempt, the Vancouver Canucks will once again make a pitch for his services. "We'll see how he does physically and if he feels like he can compete again, we'll certainly be involved," said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis, who dispatched Dave Gagner, Thomas Gradin and Inge Hammarstrom to asses Forsberg's play in an international tournament. "It's about our ownership and our commitment to be involved in bringing the best players we can any time they become available. We're committed to that concept and we'll see how it goes." Forsberg, 36, is currently playing in the Karjala Cup in Sweden ..."

Did Burrows score disallowed goal?

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November 7

Vancouver Province

"Was it or wasn't it? When Alex Burrows raised his stick to signal a goal Friday, it appeared that the struggling Vancouver Canucks winger had pulled his club within a goal of the Dallas Stars. Not so. A video review disallowed the third-period effort in a 2-1 loss to end the club's three-game winning streak. Burrows was not impressed. "I kind of kicked it [puck] or threw it in front and the ref was behind me and probably thought [Marty] Turco had it in his glove because he was laying on his stomach," explained Burrows."

Hodgson skating, could join Battalion soon

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November 7

Vancouver Province

"Canucks prospect Cody Hodgson has returned to the ice and could be given the green light to begin practising with his Brampton Battalion junior team as soon as next week. Hodgson's agent Don Meehan told The Province Friday afternoon that his client's ailing back is continuing to improve and he has started skating on his own this week under the eye of Brampton trainer Binne Brouwer. "I spoke with Cody today and he's been doing some skating and says he feels really good," said Toronto-based Meehan in an interview. "The progress he's made has been very positive.""

Schneider superb in losing cause for road-weary Canucks

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November 7

Vancouver Province

"It could have been a Texas-sized barbecue with Cory Schneider served up as the main course Friday night. After all, the odds were stacked against the Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender like slabs of meat on a hot grill. Not only had the Dallas Stars won eight of the previous 10 meetings between the clubs at American Airlines Arena, they had franchise cornerstones Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen back from injuries that had limited the veterans to five games this season. So, the goalie with nothing left to prove in the AHL knew he had everything to prove in the NHL with Andrew Raycroft resting and Roberto Luongo rehabbing a hairline rib fracture. And Schneider sent a message to himself, the ..."

Canucks back in pursuit of Forsberg

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November 7

Vancouver Sun

"The style might not appeal to Peter Forsberg, but the substance of the Vancouver Canucks surely must. For the second time in three years, the National Hockey League team is pursuing the Swedish star who is trying to prevent his career ending prematurely due to chronic ankle and foot problems. Canuck general manager Mike Gillis confirmed his keen interest in Forsberg in an interview during Vancouver's gutsy 5-2 win here Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. "First of all, he needs to find out if he can still play," Gillis said. "If he can, we're definitely interested. I've known his agent, Don Baizley, for a long time and I think we'd be on his short list if Peter decides he wants to play.""

Stars close out Canucks

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November 7

Dallas Morning News

"As re-tests go, you couldn't have had better timing for the Dallas Stars. On the heels of one of their hardest losses of the season, the Stars were faced with an almost identical game Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. And this time, they won. The Stars scored on the power play, defended on the penalty kill and kept a one-goal lead in a furious third period in a 2-1 victory at American Airlines Center. It was a huge statement for a Dallas team that allowed Calgary to score with 49 seconds remaining in regulation Wednesday in an overtime loss. "The attitude is the key, and whether it's learning to win or just understanding what it takes, I think tonight was a huge step, especially ..."

Raycroft sees Canucks' team chemistry evolving

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November 6

Vancouver Province

"From his vantage point, Andrew Raycroft couldn't help but marvel at what he was witnessing Thursday. "We're having fun and believe in each other," Raycroft said after backstopping the Vancouver Canucks to an impressive 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. "Every night, a new guy is stepping up and with the depth in the organization, it's kind of contagious. When one chips in, the next guy wants to do his thing." Raycroft did his thing when it mattered most to finish with 28 saves and post his third-straight win. Late in the second period with the Canucks leading 4-2, Raycroft stoned Petr Sykora and then Owen Nolan on a partial breakaway. In the third period, he got his right pad on a hot ..."

Practice makes perfect for Hordichuk in 5-2 win over Minnesota Wild

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November 6

Vancouver Province

"It wasn't the shot heard around the world, but in Darcy Hordichuk's world it had the decibel level of a boom box cranked to full volume. When the Vancouver Canucks enforcer pounced on a James Sheppard turnover in the slot and wired a first period slapshot over the glove of startled goalie Niklas Backstrom on Thursday, it wasn't just Hordichuk's first goal in 50 games. It was his first shot of the season. In an improbable 5-2 victory over the well-rested Minnesota Wild — five injured forwards, one flu-ridden winger, an ailing starting goalie and a suspended defenceman were missing from the Canucks' lineup — it was another night when the forgotten emerged from the shadows to make it seven ..."

Canucks may seek H1N1 vaccine in U.S. as winger Bernier gets flu-like symptoms

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November 6

Vancouver Sun

"The Vancouver Canucks will explore the possibility of getting flu vaccinations during their five-game road trip through the United States, which begins tonight with winger Steve Bernier displaying flu-like symptoms. Bernier, isolated from teammates at the Canucks' hotel, won't play tonight against the Minnesota Wild but is scheduled to travel with the team to Dallas after the game. Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said it was too early to say if Bernier has swine flu, but the National Hockey League team's medical staff does not believe the 24-year-old has the H1N1 strain. "There are other types of flu, too," Gillis said, aware of the hysteria over H1N1. "We won't know until he has a ..."

Lordy, it was Hordy - Canucks have winning feeling as Hordichuk becomes hero

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November 6

Vancouver Sun

"The dance music started as soon as the game ended and wafted from the Vancouver Canucks' dressing room like a soundtrack for victory. "I've got a feeling. . . . that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good, good night." The music was the first thing you heard. Darcy Hordichuk, surrounded by reporters, was the first player you saw. The Canucks have had a lot of good, good nights lately. Hordichuk finally had one. The fourth-line enforcer, scratched due to poor play only last week, blasted his first goal in 50 games to send the Canucks on their way to a 5-2 wire-to-wire victory against the Minnesota Wild. The goal — on his first ..."

Wild slow to stir from two-period sleepwalk

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November 6

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Wild coach Todd Richards sensed it coming. After four days off following victories over the Rangers and Penguins, Richards worried about his team "getting too high on yourselves." "We still have to remember where we're at," Richards said Thursday morning. "All you have to do is look at the standings." The Wild is the worst team in the Western Conference, and it reverted back to that during a 5-2 loss to the wounded, yet gutty Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. "I thought maybe [we'd have] a little bit of a slow start, maybe a little bit of rust, but that pretty much lasted the whole first period," Richards said. Despite Kyle Brodziak twice pulling the Wild within one goal, the Wild ..."

Kesler never, ever takes night off

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November 5

Vancouver Province

"Run into Ryan Kesler off the ice and he can be brooding, deeply intense, focused and, after a loss, about as fun as a toothache. That, he said, is his pleasant side. One can only imagine what it's like to run into him on the ice. "I'm a different person on the ice," Kesler said. "I'm pretty intense. That's the way I've always approached it. Coming into the league, I knew I had to play that way. It just kind of stuck. "For me, it's fun to play like that." It definitely doesn't look fun. Not for his opponents anyway. But what is bad for them is good for Vancouver. At least until the Olympics. Mikael Samuelsson seemed to capture the city's general sentiments after Tuesday's game when, talking ..."

Bieksa to play on top line tonight

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November 5

Vancouver Province

"Ryan Johnson and Henrik Sedin were centres of attention Thursday morning, but defenceman Kevin Bieksa may again steal some of the Vancouver Canucks spotlight. Johnson returns Thursday night after missing four games from a concussion sustained when he lost consciousness crashing into the endboards on Oct. 27 against Detroit at GM Place. Sedin won't miss any games after X-rays on his right foot were negative from an Ales Kotalik shot he absorbed against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. However, with Steve Bernier missing the morning skate with the flu, it's expected Bieksa will be on a line with Alex Burrows and Sedin against the Minnesota Wild to open a five-game road trip. "I'll approach ..."

Ailing Canucks return at practice

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November 5

Vancouver Sun

columnist Iain Macintyre

"The Vancouver Canucks are finally getting some injury relief. Ryan Johnson (concussion) and Jannik Hansen (hand) are practising this morning with teammates and Johnson, at least, is expected to play tonight against the Minnesota Wild. It also appears top-four defenceman Kevin Bieksa will not only play a second straight game at forward, but he'll be elevated to the Canucks' top line alongside Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows. First-line winger Steve Bernier did not practise and coach Alain Vigneault said the player "was not feeling well." No one on the Canucks is saying if Bernier has the flu, but he remains with the team for now."

Canucks seek H1N1 vaccine in U.S. as winger Bernier gets flu-like symptoms

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November 5

Vancouver Sun

columnist Iain Macintyre

"Vancouver Canuck winger Steve Bernier has flu-like symptoms and been isolated from teammates, but the National Hockey League team doesn't yet know if it's a case of swine flu. Bernier, absent from the Canucks' morning skate ahead of tonight's NHL game against the Minnesota Wild, has been given his own hotel room and will return to Vancouver on Friday, general manager Mike Gillis told The Vancouver Sun. "There are other types of flu, too," Gillis said, aware of the hysteria over H1N1. "We won't know until he has a throat swab and a full examination." The Canucks have been playing without as many as eight players due to injury — the expected return tonight of checking centre Ryan Johnson ..."

Canucks' Shane O'Brien suspended one game for sticking it to Sean Avery

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November 5

Vancouver Province

"Shane O'Brien has received a one-game suspension for sticking it to Sean Avery on Tuesday at GM Place. The Vancouver Canucks defenceman, who had been benched after taking a double-minor penalty late in the second period, stormed the length of the players' bench early in the third period to challenge the agitating Avery and stuck his stick into the abdomen of the New York Rangers winger. O'Brien was so worked up that he had to be restrained by Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "You never want to be suspended and I don't think it deserves one, but I'll take my punishment," said O'Brien, who won't be eligible to play Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild. "I got sucked in a little bit. Avery ..."

Canucks' O'Brien suspended for one game by NHL for spearing incident

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November 5

Vancouver Sun

"Vancouver Canuck defenceman Shane O'Brien has received a one-game suspension for spearing New York forward Sean Avery while both players stood at the end of their benches during a third-period melee Tuesday night. O'Brien will sit out Thursday night's game in Minnesota against the Wild."

Canuck Ryan Kesler puts muscle where his mouth is

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November 5

Vancouver Sun

"During a recent Canuck game, one of the officials skated over to the Vancouver bench and suggested to coach Alain Vigneault that he needed to persuade a couple of his players to tone down their verbal taunting of the opposition. Vigneault didn't even need to ask who one of the culprits was. One of them just had to be Ryan Kesler, who on the ice is as fast with his mouth as he is on his skates. "I am a different person on the ice than I am off," Kesler said Wednesday before leaving for Minnesota, where the Canucks begin a five-game road trip tonight. "I'm pretty intense. That's the way I have always approached it. Coming into the league I knew I had to play that way and it just kind of ..."

Canuck Shane O'Brien faces possible suspension

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November 4

Vancouver Sun

"The Vancouver Canucks could be without defenceman Shane O'Brien when they meet the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. O'Brien faces a NHL disciplinary hearing late this afternoon over an incident that occurred early in the third period of Vancouver's 4-1 home-ice victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. O'Brien received a misconduct when he poked his stick at New York forward Sean Avery while both players were standing at the end of their respective benches during a third-period melee."

Canucks lasso Rangers 4-1 : but at what cost?

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November 4

Vancouver Province

"The Canucks managed another win Tuesday, but one dogged by a question which has been asked far too often: At what cost? This time, it could be Henrik Sedin. He limped to the X-ray room after the game in the identical way his twin brother Daniel did just a month ago. It left the possibility the Sedins, who have been remarkably durable in their careers, may have suffered serious injuries within weeks of each other. The possibility seems both surreal and unlikely. At least as of Tuesday night. After the X-rays, believed to be on his left foot area, Henrik said he felt "OK." He also said the first results were negative. He's hoping the Canucks luck, mostly bad as far as injuries go, has ..."

Canucks beat Rangers for second straight win

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November 4

Vancouver Sun

"Memo to Canuck general manager Mike Gillis: Sign Ryan Kesler to a contract extension soon because the longer you wait the more it's going to cost you. The Canucks have many injured forwards. Thankfully, Kesler is not one of them. Tuesday night, he carried the offensive load, setting up three goals in Vancouver's impressive 4-1 win over the New York Rangers at General Motors Place. He also found time to get right in the middle of a third-period melee. "All I saw was right-crosses and upper-cuts," Kesler said of the incident, which occurred during a line change. There were 10 New York skaters on the ice and seven Canucks. Somehow, Kesler got the extra penalty. "I got jumped and somehow we ..."

Three late goals lift Vancouver Canucks to 4-1 win over New York Rangers

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November 4

New York Daily News

"Rick Rypien scored the go-ahead goal 8:48 into the third period, the first of three late goals that lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Mikael Samuelsson scored his second of the game on a power play with 5:57 left and Henrik Sedin added an empty-netter with 1:24 to go for Vancouver. Andrew Raycroft made 22 saves for his third win in four starts since Roberto Luongo sustained a hairline rib fracture. Ryan Kesler, who was in the penalty box when the Rangersâ€™ Christopher Higgins tied it 6:24 into the third period, had three assists as the Canucks won for the sixth time in eight games despite missing seven injured players. Henrik ..."

Gaborik is the 'game-breaker'

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November 3

Vancouver Province

"Just how explosive, the New York Rangers must have wondered, will Marian Gaborik be playing John Tortorella's relatively wide-open game? Gaborik had, after all, under Jacques Lemaire's yolk, scored five goals against the visiting Rangers in December 2007 and had 10 of the Wild's 22 shots that night. "I hadn't really seen enough of him to know if he was as constricted as everyone says he was [in Minnesota]," Rangers captain Chris Drury said Monday after a late New York practice at GM Place. "But just getting to watch him every day now, how he gets ready for games and practices, the things he can do with the puck — it's been pretty special to watch what he's capable of doing." Everyone knows ..."

Rangers not sending any sympathy to injury-ravaged hosts

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November 3

Vancouver Sun

"The Vancouver Canucks are riddled with injuries and the New York Rangers have practically none, so on paper this should not be a fair fight tonight at GM Place. Try telling that to the Broadway Blueshirts, who have lost five of their last seven and could care less about the Canucks' injury woes. Maybe they'll be the next ones struck down and they'll receive no sympathy either. "Teams get dangerous when they have injuries," said Rangers centre Brandon Dubinsky, even though the Canucks are far more dangerous when Roberto Luongo and Daniel Sedin are in their lineup. "I'm sure the guys they've brought in are capable of getting the job done for them. I don't think we're even looking at them, ..."

Canucks Lose Grabner For Up To Six Weeks

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November 3

TSN.ca

"Add rookie forward Michael Grabner to the long list of injured players on the Vancouver Canucks roster. Grabner suffered a fractured ankle during the pre-game skate on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche and is expected to be out of the lineup for up to six weeks. Grabner joins netminder Roberto Luongo (broken rib) and forwards Jannik Hansen (broken right hand), Pavol Demitra (shoulder surgery), Daniel Sedin (broken foot) and Ryan Johnson (concussion) on the injured list."

'We sure shoot ourselves in the foot'

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November 3

Vancouver Province

"The Edmonton Oilers must all be at Witt's end. The Oilers stumbled to 1-5 in their last six outings and are now 1-5 on the road after they were spanked 3-1 by the New York Islanders on Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders, who had just one win to show for their first 10 games, now have a four-game winning streak thanks to Brendan Witt's first two-goal game of his career. "We didn't block enough shots. We didn't get enough shots through," said Oilers captain Ethan Moreau, who opened the scoring 11 minutes into the game. Unfortunately, the Oilers reverted to their same troubled ways and have just one goal to show for their last two games. They were shut out 2-0 by the Boston Bruins on ..."

Luongo on recovery road

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November 3

Vancouver Province

"In Roberto they may soon trust. Roberto Luongo skated with goaltender coach Ian Clark on Monday morning and coach Alain Vigneault hinted that the Canucks starter may be close to recovering from a hairline fracture of a rib on his left side. Luongo suffered the ailment absorbing a Niklas Hagman sharp-angle shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24. The Canucks leave Wednesday for a five-game road trip and Luongo could see some action at some point. "Anybody that comes on that trip is going to be someone who has a chance to play and I think Louie might have a chance somewhere," said Vigneault. "We'll see how it goes in the next couple of days." Grabner's ankle Vigneault isn't a doctor, ..."

Pettinger gets a second shot with the Canucks

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November 3

Vancouver Province

"Matt Pettinger always believed he could play in the NHL. Convincing clubs that his best days aren't in the rearview mirror meant staying sane in the summer and showing a stubborn streak. When Pettinger agreed to a one-year, two-way contract Monday with the injury ravaged Vancouver Canucks — it pays the minimum $500,000 US at the NHL level — it did more than offer a replacement for injured winger Michael Grabner, who is expected to be sidelined indefinitely with suspected torn ankle ligaments. It gave Pettinger a rare second shot in The Show with the same team. And it also gave the Victoria hockey product peace of mind after balking at a New Jersey camp tryout before opting for a 25-game ..."

Canucks sign Matt Pettinger

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November 3

Vancouver Sun

"Matt Pettinger is getting a second chance with the Vancouver Canucks. The National Hockey League club on Monday announced they have signed the 29-year-old forward to a contract. Terms were not released. Pettinger had 15 points (8-7-15) and 24 penalty minutes in 59 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. The 6-1, 205-pound forward has played 413 career NHL games (64-56-120), recording 120 penalty minutes."

Injury-ravaged Canucks signing Pettinger with eyes open

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November 3

Vancouver Sun

""I'll take anything — anything with two legs and can handle a stick right now." That was Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel, talking to the Winnipeg Free Press on Monday morning, after learning that the injury-ravaged Vancouver Canucks had pulled rank and signed one of his few warm bodies, forward Matt Pettinger, leaving the farm club with barely enough players to put on an AHL lineup card. The old expression, cleaned up a bit for family consumption, is that excrement runs downhill. So do injuries. Michael Grabner tore ankle ligaments playing soccer in the hall — warming up the way many NHL teams do — prior to Sunday's Canucks game against Colorado, and by midnight the fallout had landed in ..."

Look on the bright side - it could be worse

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November 2

Vancouver Sun

columnist Iain MacIntyre

"The Vancouver Canucks needed a month to get back to where they started. For this, they deserve not derision but the Order of Canada. It's remarkable this motley crew crawled a game above .500 with Sunday's 3-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche after starting the National Hockey League season 0-3. And it's not merely that they're treading water despite missing up to eight skaters that is impressive — seven were out Sunday — but that they're afloat despite so few of their healthy ones playing well. Quick, name five Canucks who are having a good season. Mikael Samuelsson, Ryan Kesler, Willie Mitchell. Maybe Christian Ehrhoff. Maybe Andrew Raycroft if you count three starts and two relief ..."

Sedin has cast removed but won't beat his own deadline to return to lineup

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November 2

Vancouver Province

"Daniel Sedin has had a cast removed from his fractured left foot, but the Vancouver Canucks winger won't beat his own time-line to return to the NHL club. Sedin suffered the injury Oct. 7 when struck by a second-period Alex Edler shot against the Montreal Canadiens and had hoped to return in three weeks. Four weeks might be a stretch, too. Five sounds better. "He's still in a walking boot for a week, so he's a little bit away," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault."

Canucks blanks Avs, but lose Grabner to pre-game ankle injury

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November 2

Vancouver Province

"The plan was to get to Craig Anderson. Get in his kitchen. Rattle some pots and pans and rattle the NHL's hottest stopper on Sunday at GM Place. The plan was to do this with a dozen forwards, but even that didn't play out as planned. The injury ravaged Vancouver Canucks got one forward back from injury — Kyle Wellwood from a broken toe — and lost rookie winger Michael Grabner to a severe ankle injury in the hallway warm-up before they took to the ice in a 3-0 victory over the Western Conference leading Colorado Avalanche. The next thing you know the Canucks will announce someone has contracted the H1N1 flu virus. It's been that kind of season with six forwards and one star goalie still on ..."

Canucks take out Avalanche behind Raycroft netminding

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November 2

Vancouver Sun

"Kyle Wellwood in, Michael Grabner out. Just another day in medical hell for the Vancouver Canucks, who shrugged off this latest calamity Sunday to sink the Colorado Avalanche 3-0. The Canucks were missing seven players due to various ailment with Grabner the newest casualty. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, Grabner "flipped his ankle" warming up prior to the game and will be out for "some time." Shane O'Brien, who was headed for healthy scratch land, was pressed into service while extra blueliner Aaron Rome again skated as a forward. The Western Conference leading Avalanche weren't exactly in the pink of health themselves with six players out as the NHL talent pool diminishes daily ..."

Avalanche stumbles against former goalie

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November 2

Denver Post

"The old sports saw goes something like this: When your top guys are out, the lower-tier guys need to overachieve a little more to make up the difference. But right now the Avalanche is a team whose lower-tier guys are out, and the top-dollar guys aren't doing anything to make that irrelevant. While some of Colorado's key role players remain sidelined with injuries, the Avs' top forwards were quiet again Sunday night in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The loss stung a little more, given the shutout went to former Avs goalie Andrew Raycroft, playing in place of injured all-star Roberto Luongo. Colorado's top line of Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk and Wojtek Wolski could not do much of ..."

Canucks collapse as Ducks win 7-2

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October 31

Vancouver Province

"Here's the good news: The number of goals the Canucks gave up was fewer than the number of defencemen they dressed. But it was close. With eight defencemen, the Canucks were determined to keep a struggling Ducks team down and off the scoreboard. Instead, Anaheim exploded for a 7-2 win. Guess the Canucks will try dressing 12 defencemen Sunday when they face Colorado, one of the hottest teams in hockey. The Canucks had energy, heart and displayed effort Friday. They pushed the puck, controlled the play and had the lead. It was as surprising as it was brief. The Canucks, with a bizarre, injury-depleted lineup, jumped out to a 2-0 lead but then collapsed faster than the Balloon Boy story. ..."

Canucks drown in the Pond

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October 31

Vancouver Sun

"Scary stuff. No, not Halloween, the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night. The Canucks dressed up as a NHL team at the Honda Center, but didn't fool anyone. Especially the Anaheim Ducks, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a lopsided 7-2 win over Vancouver. With goalie Roberto Luongo and six forwards out, for the second night in a row coach Alain Vigneault loaded up on defence. It worked Thursday night in Los Angeles, when Vigneault used defenceman Aaron Rome as a forward. Friday night, he went one better with his 3-D lineup, adding defenceman Mathieu Schneider to the forward mix. Lightning most definitely did not strike twice. The Canucks scored the game's first two goals, but then ..."

Hodgson's check-up shows 'no issues,' — agent

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October 30

Vancouver Province

"Don Meehan, the agent for Canucks' prospect Cody Hodgson, said Thurday that he expects his client to return to regular training after a follow-up visit to see a specialist in Cleveland, Ohio earlier this week. "I think it all went well," said Meehan. "There were no issues at all." Hodgson returned to the Cleveland Clinic to see Dr. Tony Miniaci, who earlier this month diagnosed the 19-year-old Canucks' first round pick in 2008 as having a bulging disc in his lower back, which has caused some nerve damage. He prescribed rest and physiotherapy for Hodgson."

Safety first nets Canucks 2-1 shootout win over Kings

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October 30

Vancouver Province

"Monty Python made dismemberment fun with the Black Knight character who guards a tiny bridge for unknown reasons. As his limbs are hacked off one by one, he claims invincibility. It's absurd. So too now is the Canucks' injury situation. It is as ridiculous as the Holy Grail, but without any of the fun. Alex Bolduc became the tenth Canuck this season — remember, it's just four weeks old — to be felled by injury. He left the ice in Thursday's second period with his arm lifelessly dangling. When it was over, his arm was in a sling. You can probably count him out for Friday night. The injury bug is so bad it's making H1N1 look good. Even the injury replacements are getting hurt. Of course, the ..."

Shirokov out, Bliznak in for Canucks

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October 30

Vancouver Sun

"The Vancouver Canucks have returned Russian rookie Sergei Shirokov to the Manitoba Moose. Shirokov was dropped to the fourth line in Thursday night's 2-1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings and logged only 7:49 of ice time. He failed to register a point in six games with the Canucks. The Canucks are expected to call up centre Mario Bliznak in time for tonight's game in Anaheim against the Ducks."

Canucks winger Michael Grabner catches up with an old foe, Anze Kopitar

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October 30

Vancouver Sun

"Thursday night's game was only his eighth in the NHL, but in one respect it felt just like old times for Vancouver Canuck winger Michael Grabner. There he was, out on the ice again with Anze Kopitar. Grabner and Kopitar grew up less than an hour from one another. Grabner hails from Villach, Austria, while Kopitar was raised in Jesinice, Slovenia. Their respective minor-hockey teams played one another several times each season. "I played against him my whole life growing up," Grabner said before the Canucks met the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. "We started playing each other when we were seven or eight and that continued until when we were 14 and he went to play in Sweden." They ..."

Canucks beat Kings 2-1 in a shootout

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October 30

Vancouver Sun

"he Vancouver Canucks warned it might not be pretty and it wasn't. But in the end, it was a win and that's all that really mattered. Artistic merit be damned. The Canucks got Life Without Luongo off to a positive start Thursday night with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings before an announced crowd of 16,838 at the Staples Center. Ryan Kesler and Mikael Samuelsson scored on Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick in the shootout. Jack Johnson was the only King to beat Vancouver goalie Andrew Raycroft, who was making his first start of the season. Samuelsson beat Quick with a deke to his backhand for the shootout winner. He also scored Vancouver's only goal of the game. Raycroft was ..."

Kings struggle in shootout for second night, lose, 2-1, to Vancouver

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October 30

Los Angeles Times

"Holding a good opponent to one goal but losing a shootout became repetitive for the Kings, who came out on the short end of a 2-1 loss after the NHL's entertaining but absurd tiebreaking procedure for the second straight night. Mikael Samuelsson, who scored Vancouver's only goal in the first 65 minutes, beat Jonathan Quick on a backhander in the third round of the skills contest to give the Canucks the victory Thursday at Staples Center. It came 24 hours after the Kings fell to the Sharks in the tiebreaker at San Jose. "I hate the shootout," Kings Coach Terry Murray said, a mantra he repeated several times. "It's a useless part of the game. . . . Boy, do I hate it." It's good for the ..."

Backup Raycroft ready to fill Luongo's skates

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October 29

Vancouver Province

"Andrew Raycroft has played in a Canadian market. He knows how fickle the faithful can become. Raycroft also knows he's going to be the meat for the talk-show grinder if he fails to provide the Vancouver Canucks with capable goaltending in the absence of injured starter Roberto Luongo. Bring it on. "He set the bar pretty high here in what people expect out of a goalie and that's not necessarily a negative thing for me," said Raycroft, who will make his first start as a Canuck Thursday night in Los Angeles after two relief appearances. "I can't be Roberto Luongo. I have to be me. But that's not to say if I lose six in a row they [fans] are not going to be ready to lynch me." Raycroft can ..."

Canucks recall goalie Cory Schneider to fill void left by Roberto Luongo's injury

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October 29

Vancouver Sun

"Goaltender Cory Schneider has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. the Vancouver Canucks announced today. With the rib injury to starter Roberto Luongo, the 23-year-old Schneider will slot in behind Andrew Raycroft as part of the Canucks' goaltending tandem for at least the next week. Schneider has played in nine games for the Moose this season, posting an AHL leading 6-3-0 record. He has registered one shutout and recorded a .910 save percentage. The 2008-09 AHL goalie of the year played 40 games with the Moose that season, posting a 28-10-1 record and a 2.04 goals against average. He also led the Moose to the Calder Cup Finals with a 14-7-0 record and 2.15 ..."

Canucks' Luongo out at least a week with a cracked rib

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October 29

Vancouver Sun

"Just as there are no harmless bombs, pain-free taxes or vasectomies, or foolproof lion-tamers, there is no such thing as a "minor injury" to Roberto Luongo. Maybe you've heard: the Vancouver Canuck goalie has a cracked rib. He hopes to play next week. But his absence creates a potentially major problem for the National Hockey League team. It's not that backup goalie Andrew Raycroft isn't capable. True, Raycroft's start Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings is his first this season. But he made 31 appearances last season with the Colorado Avalanche and only three years ago logged 72 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The problem is Luongo has shown several times that the consequence of not ..."

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo out indefinitely with cracked rib

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October 29

Vancouver Province

"Call him Captain Courageous. Or Captain Crunched. Or Captain Cautious. Despite a hairline fracture of a rib on his left side — an ailment Roberto Luongo suffered absorbing a Niklas Hagman sharp-angle shot against Toronto last Saturday — the Vancouver Canucks' starting goaltender played two more games before realizing he couldn't play the pain game Thursday night in Los Angeles or Friday in Anaheim. Backup Andrew Raycroft will get the call both nights, while Cory Schneider has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose as Luongo ponders his playing fate. This development is significant because it represents some managerial smarts in acquiring Raycroft in the offseason, a free agent so anxious to ..."

Canucks' Roberto Luongo has a cracked rib, out indefinitely

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October 28

Vancouver Sun

"Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo has a cracked rib and will be out of the team's lineup until the pain is manageable. Luongo sustained the injury on Saturday vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was not at practice this morning amid reports he had suffered an injury in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Luongo completed Tuesday's game, but allowed four goals in the third period after a heavy mid-game collision with former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi was knocked into Luongo by Canuck defenceman Alex Edler. The impact appeared to jar Luongo's shoulder and arm."

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