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Kevin Bieksa News & Rumors

'One of the worst performances,' says Bieksa of 5-1 loss to the Wild
November 4
Vancouver Province
 
"They knew exactly what to expect and then did the unexpected. Knowing that the keep-it-close script had been written by the Minnesota Wild long before they stepped on the ice Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks refused to act in the proper fashion. They wanted it to be pretty. They wanted it to be easy. However, they were outplayed and outworked in every conceivable category in a numbing 5-1 loss to the league's lowest-scoring team at the Excel Energy Center in second stop of a six-game road trip."
Kevin "The Juice" Bieksa No. 3 d-man of 2010/2011
July 22
Vancouver Province
 
"Scott Cullen at TSN has done some more number crunching and it turns out Kevin Bieksa was the third-best defenceman this past season at taking the puck away from opponents while teams were at even strength. Dustin Byfuglien was tops, with 2.94 takeaways for every 60 minutes he played. Bieksa had 2.16. Dan Hamhuis was 16th with 1.67 and, the only other Canuck in the top 25 defencemen, Chris Tanev was 20th with 1.57. Bolstering Alain Vigneault's decision to make him a healthy scratch, Keith Ballard was in the bottom 25, placing 202nd out of 220 defencemen at 0.4 takeaways per 60 minutes played. Sami Salo was even lower, at 212 with 0.29 takeaways. The Canucks had no forward in the top 25,"
In Bieksa and Hamhuis, Canucks lock up one of the best pairings in NHL
July 13
Vancouver Province
 
"No one this side of Roberto Luongo is a more divisive figure on the Vancouver Canucks than Kevin Bieksa. Fans often want his head. Local reporters and club supporters, those are the friendly critics. Around the league he's despised by many opponents. Remember Ben Eager calling Bieksa a phoney? John Scott saying: "Somebody has to tell him he's not a good hockey player." The Blackhawks, after being eliminated in overtime in Game 7 of the opening round, talked about many disappointments, but several brought up Bieksa's name, bitterly noting he'd probably hit a contract home run as a free agent this summer. But that fact is, paired with Dan Hamhuis Bieksa is part of one of the most consistent"
Canucks able to keep Bieksa, Hamhuis together
June 28
Vancouver Province
 
"For the Canucks, this is what really matters: When Kevin Bieksa is with Dan Hamhuis and they're crackling along the boards, rigid around the net and sailing the puck out of trouble, they are the best all-purpose pairing the Canucks have had in a long time. As much as possible, the Canucks need these two together. They're going to get it. Bieksa agreed to a five-year, $23-million extension that pays him $4.6 million a year, and has a no-trade clause which will finally take him off the trade block he was so often rumoured to be on. His salary is slightly north of Hamhuis' s hit of $4.5 million. Not bad, if you consider the Canucks will be lopping off a reasonable cut of $9.1 million off"
Kevin Bieksa agrees to five-year, $23-million deal to stay in Vancouver
June 28
Vancouver Sun
 
"When the Vancouver Canucks conducted their exit interviews on June 17, hard-rock defenceman Kevin Bieksa hinted strongly he had no plans to abandon Canada's West Coast and seek his fortune elsewhere in the NHL. He backed up those words Monday by agreeing to a new five-year contract worth $23 million. The cap hit will be $4.6 million a season, putting Bieksa a nose ahead of blue-line partner Dan Hamhuis, who makes $4.5 million. Both are under contract through the 2015-16 season. The Canucks did not confirm the signing Monday but an announcement is expected Tuesday. It's believed the contract is front-end loaded and begins at $7 million, followed by $4.5 million, $5 million, $4 million and"
Bieksa agrees to terms on new deal with Canucks
June 27
TSN.ca
 
"Defenceman Kevin Bieksa has agreed to terms on a new contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The length and value of the deal are not yet known. The 30-year-old Bieksa has spent all six of NHL seasons with the Canucks since entering the league in 2005-06. He had six goals and 16 points in 66 games for the Canucks this season and worked his way from prime trade candidate last off-season to being one of Vancouver's top defenceman. Bieksa added five goals and five assists in 25 playoff games during Vancouver's run to the Stanley Cup Final."
Bieksa likely to re-sign with the Canucks
June 20
Vancouver Province
 (scroll down)
"Heading into next season, then, the Canucks don't need a knuckle-dragging goon, but they do need size and toughness that can play. It's the one element this team is missing and you might say it showed up against the Bruins. The one piece of good news to come from the Canucks' post mortem concerned Kevin Bieksa, who will likely forgo unrestricted free agency and re-sign with the Canucks. Bieksa became an elite NHL defencemen this season and, until the final, was the best blueliner in the playoffs. He's also a bred-in-the-bone Canuck and one of the team's leaders."
Bieksa, Salo, Ehrhoff: Willing to consider discount to stick with contender
June 19
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa is in a very good mood. You would be too if you could shrug off a landlord throwing you a curveball — a renovation project punting you to a hotel during the Stanley Cup playoffs — by keeping your eyes on the big prize. And that would appear to be a contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks, because the unrestricted free agent defenceman was confidently talking about that Friday and even willing to take a discount. So, take that, Mr. Landlord. "An agreement breached and the next thing you know we're in a hotel," chuckled Bieksa. "I'm real happy with him right now, and I'm sure we won't be having too many more conversations in the future. He won't be getting my tickets next"
Bieksa willing to take pay cut to stick with Canucks
June 18
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa was a finance major and knows money and the value it represents. He also values loyalty and the degree that has been afforded by the Vancouver Canucks appears to be making one postseason discussion moot. The unrestricted free agent is expected sign a contract extension with the Presidents' Trophy winners because his play has dictated that consideration. And he's willing take a discount, too. That's not music to the ears of any agent and Kurt Overhardt refused to discuss contract negotiations because Bieksa would fetch more on the open market. But the blueliner didn't sound like that's the road he wants to travel because less money may mean more long-term happiness and success."
Kevin Bieksa 'not a money guy,' ready to compromise to stay with Canucks
June 18
Vancouver Sun
 
"He may have been a finance major at Bowling Green University, but Kevin Bieksa insists he is not all about the money. And the soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent defenceman knows he is going to have to take less of it than he could get elsewhere if he wants to remain a Vancouver Canuck. "I'm not a money guy," Bieksa said Friday. "I think everyone knows that … I know about money, I understand its value and everything, but it's not my main priority." There was more from Bieksa on Friday that won't make the job of his Denver-based agent, Kurt Overhardt, any easier. "I think everybody takes less to play here," Bieska said of the Canucks. "It's such a great organization that you want to be here,"
Bieksa goal a "Dream come true"
May 25
Vancouver Province
 
"In a season that's seen Kevin Bieksa go from whipping boy to impact player, it was somehow fitting that the Canucks defenceman scored the goal that sent the franchise into the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 17 long years. Bieksa scored his fourth goal of this strange series with the San Jose Sharks and fifth of the playoffs at 10:18 of the second overtime period on Tuesday at Rogers Arena to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory and the Western Conference Final in five games. Fittingly, it was something served up by the hockey gods. The bizarre play started when Canucks defenceman Alex Edler fired the puck down the glass along the right boards. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi expected the puck"
Sharks stunned by Bieksa series winner
May 25
Vancouver Province
 
"It was part Minnesota Fats, part wiffle ball, and in the end Kevin Bieksa was the deserving hero who sent the Canucks to the Stanley Cup final. Seventeen years to the day, the Canucks repeated their last Western Conference championship win on Tuesday night, even down to requiring double overtime. In some ways not much has changed since May 24, 1994. Canadians are still bumping drivers from the starting grid for the Indy 500, the Palm d'Or continues to confound, Israelis and Palestinians are still lobbing explosives at each other. But Vancouver, which hadn't even been named the best place in the galaxy by any travel magazines yet back then, and its team have changed beyond recognition."
Bieksa-lent! Canucks beat Sharks in double OT, advance to Stanley Cup final
May 25
Vancouver Sun
 
"Kevin Bieksa called it an ugly goal. But really, for the Vancouver Canucks and their long-suffering fans, it was a thing of beauty. Never mind the puck took a fortuitous bounce off the glass and somehow ended up in the middle of the ice where Bieksa managed to flutter a shot past startled San Jose goalie Antti Niemi at 10:18 of double overtime to send the Canucks to the Stanley Cup final. "I just tried to put it on net," Bieksa said in a joyous Canucks dressing room after their 3-2 Western Conference series-clinching win in Game 5. "That's the first thought. When it went in, I just yelled out 'let's go to the Cup.' It's a good feeling. "It's an ugly goal, but definitely one we'll take." No"
Bieksa pours "Juice" on Sharks, nabs Howe hat trick
May 19
Vancouver Province
 
"Alex Auld claims to know the origin of Kevin Bieksa's nickname 'Juice' but the man with the Gordie Howe hat trick Wednesday night has never owned up to it's authenticity. Rather, Bieksa insists he'll never tell, which only leads to more fun speculation because people get interested in the small things about a player when he performs the way Bieksa did Wednesday night. Auld's version is that in his earlier days as a player trying to make it to the NHL, the then tough defenceman developed a voracious appetite for Pineapple juice. You know, massive quantities, two or three litres a day according to his yarn, although that may be a little embellishment on the part of the former Canuck goalie"
Bieksa, Ehrhoff have a decision to make
May 15
Vancouver Province
 
"For Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff, this is the easy part. They both want to stay in Vancouver, and you don't have to dig too deep to understand why. The city is beautiful. It's a hockey-mad market. As for their work environment, the Canucks not only have a chance to win the Stanley Cup this season, but look poised to contend for the next three to four seasons. That, at least, is the easy part. The more difficult aspect concerns the salary cap and the complications it presents. In a perfect world, they both merit hefty raises. In a perfect world, they'd sign long-term deals and be part of the Canucks' glorious future. But in the salary-cap world, there are 49 other considerations in"
Canucks' blueline corps may never again be this good
May 15
Vancouver Province
 
"If you're so inclined, you can question Vancouver GM Mike Gillis when he says earnestly he would do the Keith Ballard trade again — in a heartbeat. But you can't question the defence he's constructed, the one many see as a potential scales-tipper in the Western Conference final. Gillis said Saturday he has no regrets. He shouldn't. It took the same go-for-broke mentality to sign off on the Ballard deal as it did to author a blueline that now has a starting six Ballard can't seem to crack. And the reality is this: It may never again be this good. Unless, of course, a Shea Weber trade exists somewhere other than fans' dreams. Without size or Chris Pronger, Vancouver's blueline isn't perfect."
Canucks' Bieksa pokes fun at former teammate Wellwood the 'weasel'
May 15
Vancouver Province
 
"Welly the Weasel. Sounds like a children's book. Surely, if Kevin Bieksa wrote it, it would have some terrific one liners. On those, he is never short. Bieksa has become the most quotable player the Canucks have had in a long, long time. He's had some winners this postseason, but topped himself Saturday when he referred to Wellwood as a "weasel." He was joking, at least half joking, but interesting he chose an animal which is portrayed in fiction as being sneaky and thieving and one who always manages to flee. In the song "Pop Goes the Weasel," the weasel flees from the monkey. But we digress. This story started in March when Wellwood called out his old team, suggesting the Canucks were"
Bieksa and Hamhuis lead Preds shutdown
May 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Led, as usual, by the pairing of Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis, the Canucks defence shut down the Predators one final time here on Monday night busted open the door to the third round of the NHL playoffs. The defence partnership of Bieksa and Hamhuis, as they have all season long, played against Nashville's top offensive line and kept them – whether it was Mike Fisher's unit or that of David Legwand -- quiet enough for the Canucks to eke out a hard-fought 2-1 win and end the series in six games. It was a big rebound from two nights earlier in Game 5 in Vancouver, when two defensive errors in the third period cost the Canucks the game and forced the return trip to Tennessee. "We put in"
Kevin Bieksa-Dan Hamhuis duo make Canucks case for the defence
May 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"If Ryan Kesler was the Vancouver Canucks' Superman in their playoff series win over the Nashville Predators, then Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis were their Dynamic Duo. Much was made before and during the series about the Predators' shutdown defensive pairing of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. But when you get beyond Kesler, another of the keys to Vancouver's six-game series win was the play of the Canucks' shutdown duo of Bieksa and Hamhuis. They helped take Nashville's top offensive players out of the series. Granted, the Predators don't have the same calibre of offensive weapons as do the Canucks, but the guys they rely on to provide their offence were largely shut down by Bieksa and Hamhuis."
Questions raised over Bickell's unpenalized hit on Bieksa
April 25
Vancouver Province
 
"Following Game 6, Alain Vigneault was asked about Bryan Bickell's overtime hit on Kevin Bieksa which went unpenalized. "I'll let you guys handle that," he told to the assembled media. Canucks GM Mike Gillis, for his part, wasn't as diplomatic. "You tell me the difference between that hit and Raffi Torres," Gillis said, referring to the Canucks' forward hit on Brent Seabrook in Game 3 which was penalized. "This was one was worse. (Bickell) left his feet." Bickell's hit came midway through the overtime in the now-famous hitting zone behind the Canucks' net."
Verbal battle stars Bieksa, Scott
April 21
Vancouver Province
 
"In the really good playoff series, the war of words off the ice is just as good as the war on it. Not surprisingly, the Canucks-Blackhawks series is showing potential. Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who's never at a loss for words, has established an interesting byplay through the media with Hawks hulking D-man/forward John Scott. Bieksa started it before Game 3, when he was asked what he expected with the Hawks inserting 6-foot-8, 260-pound Scott into the lineup. Scott, who gets into the lineup roughly half the games, is known primarily as a fighter. Said Bieksa: "If a 6-foot-8 guy who can't skate asks to fight, you say no, then skate around him and score a goal.""
This year, Canucks have enviable depth on the blueline
April 12
Vancouver Province
 
"When the curtain came crashing down last spring, Sami Salo was struggling to find his stride with searing testicle pain after being struck by a puck, Alex Edler was lost to an ankle injury and Willie ­Mitchell was sidelined by post-concussion syndrome. Kevin Bieksa and Andrew Alberts couldn't plug the gaping holes and, in the end, the Vancouver Canucks drew one conclusion. In another six-game, second-round playoff series setback to the ­eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, they were overmatched and overworked. And they vowed that would not be the case this NHL season. The Canucks would get better and deeper, landing Dan Hamhuis in free agency and Keith Ballard in a trade. It"
Tanner Glass and Kevin Bieksa expected back Wednesday
March 20
Vancouver Province
 
"The Vancouver Canucks re-assigned Victor Oreskovich to Manitoba, paving the way for Tanner Glass's return to the fourth line. Glass has been out since trying to play through a rib injury March 10 in San Jose. "Tanner had an MRI (Friday). He's had all the tests and all the tests revealed the same thing," Alain Vigneault said. "He's had a slight irritation in his ribs that's making it painful to pass and shoot. "What we thought was a day-to-day thing has turned out to be a little bit longer. We're hoping to bring him on the trip here and we're hoping (he plays) sometime on the trip." Also on the injury front, Aaron Rome was "sick" Saturday and Mikael Samuelsson skipped another practice"
Bieksa believes onus is on players, not NHL, to curtail hits to the head
March 17
Vancouver Province
 
"Dany Heatley has received a two-game suspension for delivering an elbow to head of Steve Ott on Tuesday, but Douglas Murray got away with a shoulder hit to the head of Loui Eriksson and an elbow to the head of Tomas Vincour in the same game. On the same night, Brad Marchand delivered a blindside elbow to the head of R.J. Umberger and is awaiting a telephone hearing Thursday, which means a suspension of five or fewer games. As NHL general managers wrapped up three days of meetings in Florida on Wednesday, the loudest voice to address an alarming increase of hits to the head is coming from players like Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa. Yes, Rule 48 to penalize lateral or blindside"
Still waiting for the top six D-men to suit up together
March 17
Vancouver Province
 
"This offseason the Vancouver Canucks expended considerable effort, to say nothing of the expense, to assemble a group of six defencemen that they felt would be among the best in the NHL. That, at least, was the theory. And after five months and 72 games, that's still the theory because — due to unforeseen circumstances, mostly to do with broken feet — the Canucks haven't had their top six together. They haven't, come to think of it, had their top eight together and have struggled to put their top 10 together on some nights, all of which makes their position atop the NHL standings all the more remarkable. Kevin Bieksa, he of the metatarsal issues, was asked if the blueline fraternity is"
Bieksa coming back? Edler still out? Canucks march on with victories
March 16
Vancouver Sun
 
"The media flock grazing on Kevin Bieksa's every word Tuesday was immense. A couple of stalls over in the Vancouver Canucks' locker room, wry chatterbox Keith Ballard muttered: "I didn't know he was still on the team." It's hard to notice that Bieksa hasn't played in a month — and won't play Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040) — due to a broken foot. Likewise with Alex Edler. Remember him? Apparently, Edler is still on the Canucks, too, although he has been out nearly two months since back surgery. Edler is the Canucks' best defencemen. By most measures, Bieksa is No. 2. Picture the Detroit Red Wings without Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall on their"
The new Kevin Bieksa could be here longer than anyone thought
February 14
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa was late arriving at Vancouver International Airport on Sunday morning. He didn't have a lengthy breakfast with the Hockey Night in Canada crew following his third post-game appearance Saturday as an After Hours segment guest, but that wouldn't have been surprising. The blueliner has been popular on and off the ice. The irony is that Bieksa hasn't been late-arriving in a season where so many thought he might be playing elsewhere. But as injury fate on the back end would have it — to say nothing of Bieksa's improved play and plus-25 ranking that's second in the NHL — a healthy start and outlook have laid the foundation for a season that will test management to see if the"
Canucks' Bieksa goes from dead man walking to indispensable
January 26
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Iain MacIntyre
"Kevin Bieksa says he was in full control of his senses Monday night when he skated up to Adam Burish and challenged the Dallas Stars' buzz-saw to fight halfway through the first period. That the Vancouver Canucks defenceman did so with a black eye, fresh stitches, no visor and a sore face after absorbing a huge punch the previous game should not be seen as evidence that he was in any way out of his mind. Honest, he says. "I had nothing invested emotionally in that scrum," Bieksa said Tuesday, the morning after challenging Burish for a dangerous hit on Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis. "But Burish did. He was fired up and pissed off, and he ended up taking a roughing penalty later in the"
Bieksa says all's swell with his eye
January 25
Vancouver Sun
 
"You win some, you lose some and Kevin Bieksa is happy to say he's won more than he's lost. The Canucks defenceman was back in the lineup Monday night no worse for wear, other than the shiner under his left eye he was sporting courtesy of the hard punch he took from Calgary Flame forward Tom Kostopoulos on Saturday night. "You are naive to think you are going to go through your NHL career without taking a good shot or losing a fight," Bieksa said before the Canucks met the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena. "I have done it to several guys and now I got it a little bit back. You take it and move forward." Bieksa insists he wasn't bothered in the least by the fact Kostopoulos landed that hard"
Bieksa out with eye injury
January 23
Vancouver Province
 
"Suddenly, Canucks defencemen are falling like flies. The Canucks lost their third defender in four games after Kevin Bieksa left Saturday's game midway through the first period, not to return. He was punched in the eye by Flames forward Tom Kostopoulos in a fight, his eye swelling shut. He did not suffer a concussion, Alain Vigneault said. "I don't know how serious Kevin's injury is" said Dan Hamhuis, Bieksa's defence partner," but he's been playing with a real physical edge, he's been great at both ends of the ice and I've really ejoyed being partnered up with him. "I've been impressed with his ability to put aside all the distractions he's been dealing with, all the criticism and the"
Canucks' Kevin Bieska excited about Broadway debut
January 13
Vancouver Sun
 
"It is one of the ultimate stages in sports, or at least that is what Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa has heard. On Thursday, he'll finally get to experience it himself (4 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040). "I have never been in the building," Bieksa said of Madison Square Garden. "It looks nice from the outside." Bad timing and injuries have combined to keep Bieksa out of MSG. "My first year I got called up right after the New York trip and the two years I had my lacerations were the two years we went there." Bieksa seems to be on top of his game as he makes his Broadway debut. Solid defensively all season, Bieksa has rekindled his considerable offensive game of late. He has four goals"
Canucks' Kevin Bieska excited about Broadway debut
January 13
Vancouver Sun
 
"It is one of the ultimate stages in sports, or at least that is what Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa has heard. On Thursday, he'll finally get to experience it himself (4 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040). "I have never been in the building," Bieksa said of Madison Square Garden. "It looks nice from the outside." Bad timing and injuries have combined to keep Bieksa out of MSG. "My first year I got called up right after the New York trip and the two years I had my lacerations were the two years we went there.""
Bieksa a good, gritty fit for Sens
December 5
Ottawa Sun
 
"Senators GM Bryan Murray could be eyeing some help from the West Coast. Trying to get back into the playoff race as the Senators embark on a two-game road trip against the Rangers Sunday and Canadiens Tuesday, Murray is working the phones to see if he can make a change or two. The Senators are looking to move D Brian Lee, but they also need to make a big deal. The talk in NHL circles is Murray would like to add some grit to the back end — Matt Carkner excepted, the Senators' blue line lacks sandpaper — and make it tougher for the opposition in front of the net. But that's "not easy to find," a league executive warned. Vancouver GM Mike Gillis has been trying to deal D Kevin Bieksa for a"
Bieksa scheduled to play Wednesday
December 1
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa expects play in Calgary Wednesday. He won't be playing in Denver. That's where forward Tomas Fleischmann was sent Tuesday by the Washington Capitals in a trade for Colorado Avalanche defenceman Scott Hannan. Bieksa's name had surfaced in a trade scenario with Fleischmann, but all the Vancouver Canucks defenceman wants is his health to re-surface. He has been battling pneumonia and lost eight pounds the past three weeks. "I feel better than I did yesterday," Bieksa said following a Tuesday practice. "We'll see how I am tomorrow, but Calgary is usually our biggest rival. I think it will take one shift to spark the reunion. It will be a hard-fought game and it will be physical"
Bieksa's battles include bout with pneumonia
November 30
Vancouver Province
 
"Kevin Bieksa is sick of being sick and sick of hearing his name in NHL trade rumours. The Vancouver Canucks defenceman confirmed Monday that the flu-like symptoms he was feeling three weeks ago developed into pneumonia and that he has lost eight pounds. However, Bieksa hasn't lost any sleep over the latest rumoured scenario that would see him shipped to Washington for under-achieving Capitals forward Tomas Fleischmann. The upside for the Canucks would be getting something now for the pending unrestricted free agent, who's earning $3.75 million US. The downside is losing a veteran blueliner, risking another injury on the back end and leaving the Canucks with only Sami Salo as a right-hand"
Bieksa says Rypien getting better; so is Bieksa, who has pneumonia
November 30
Vancouver Sun
 
"Conspiracy theorists relax: It's not Kevin Bieksa's heart that tore him away from the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend, it was his lungs. The defenceman said after returning to practice today that he has pneumonia. It was merely a coincidence he suddenly left the National Hockey League team after his close friend, Rick Rypien, took an indefinite leave of absence related to mental health. "We'll see how tomorrow goes," Bieksa said. "I plan on practising tomorrow and plan on playing in Calgary [on Wednesday]. I'm on the homestretch, hopefully. I feel a lot better today than I did a few days ago." The Canucks should know tomorrow whether third-line centre Manny Malhotra will be able to make"
Could Bieksa be headed to Washington?
November 29
Vancouver Province
 
"This is how it works in the world of instant analysis. Anybody with a mobile device, Twitter account or some obscure blog, can do the math and try to figure out the method of operation. Kevin Bieksa misses a game with the flu, everybody wonders if he's really sick and the trade winds start blowing again. While it was confirmed Sunday that the Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been battling flu-like symptoms for two weeks and was bed-ridden, it hasn't stopped speculation that his days here are numbered. This is not new. This time, the winds of change are howling out of Washington where the Capitals are seeking a defenceman. They had offseason interest in Bieksa and are willing to part with"
Kevin Bieksa misses Canucks practice
November 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Keith Ballard crisis could be solved by Kevin Bieksa's cold or flu. Bieksa was absent today from practice, and Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault told reporters the defenceman was not feeling well. If Bieksa is unable to play Thursday, Ballard's banishment to the press box could end after one game when the Canucks play the Ottawa Senators. Bieksa was not at the arena, an indication he is ill and not injured. Ballard was a healthy scratch Tuesday for the first time in his National Hockey League career and watched the Canucks lose 2-0 to the Montreal Canadiens. With a salary of $4.2 million US, Ballard was one of the most expensive extras in Canuck history. Even if Bieksa is well"
Blueliner Bieksa aware he needs to give offensive production some attention
November 1
Vancouver Province
 
"There was a moment when Kevin Bieksa couldn't hold the puck in at the blueline during a power-play drill on Sunday, followed by the D-man slamming his stick on the ice and yelling a word most-favoured by hockey players. If he's frustrated, he has reason to be: Nine games, no points. Only six other Canucks have been held off the scoresheet and none plays anywhere near the minutes Bieksa does. Should he fail to register a point again tonight, it will mark the longest he's gone pointless as a Canuck without a major injury falling in the middle, as when he suffered sliced legs in 2009-10 and '07-08. The last time he went nine in a row like this was in '06-07. "I was wondering when this was"
Bieksa struggles to make his point
November 1
Vancouver Sun
 
"Sami Salo, Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard aren't the only defencemen who have been missing from the Vancouver Canucks lineup of late. Kevin Bieksa, or at least a part of him, has joined them. That would be the scoring part. Bieksa, whose offence has always been a significant part of his contribution to the Canucks, has been held without a point through the team's first nine games. "I was wondering when this [question] was going to come," Bieksa said after the Canucks' practice Sunday. Bieksa's pointless streak matches the longest of his NHL career and has him searching for answers. "Obviously I'm not happy about it, but we're winning," he said. "I watched my last game — my wife PVR'd it —"
Canucks 'hit a nerve' as Roberto Luongo goes down in pain
October 30
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks held their team Halloween Party on Thursday. Nothing was quite as scary as the opening minutes of practice at Rogers Arena the next morning. Just moments after goalie Roberto Luongo stepped between the posts he was prone on the ice, writhing in pain after taking a Kevin Bieksa slapshot off the back of the leg. Vancouver's No. 1 goalie stayed face-down for a couple of minutes, flexing his appendage in attempt to quell the discomfort. "It hit the nerve, so at first you lose feeling in your leg a little bit, but it came back slowly," said Luongo, who iced the stinger following the spirited 75-minute session. "It was more of a scare off the hop than anything. But nothing"
Bieksa knocks down Luongo with shot when he wasn't looking
October 30
Vancouver Province
 
"There were a few intense moments for Roberto Luongo at practice Friday after he was cut down at the back of his knee with a shot. "I was digging the pucks out of the net and one of our guys decided to take a slap shot and it hit me in the back of the leg," Luongo said. But hold on, what would a Luongo scrum be these days without a one liner? "The good news is we'll be working on skills tomorrow so guys can work on keeping their head up before they make a pass or shot," he said. That one may need some punch up in the writer's room. But we get the point."
Bieksa puts the 'A' in accountable leadership for Canucks
October 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Leadership is about ownership and the curious decision to name Kevin Bieksa an alternate captain may already be paying dividends for the Vancouver Canucks. Henrik Sedin made a point of proclaiming the much-maligned defenceman one of his four alternates — Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Manny Malhotra are the others — because the new captain believes Bieksa isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. And if the blueliner's post-game critique of his effort in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday is any indication of a willingness to accept blame, then give Henrik credit for seeking accountability in his leadership group. Bieksa took a questionable interference minor in overtime"
Bieksa to pair with Hamhuis on Canucks top D-line
October 5
Vancouver Province
 
"The irony, if not the humour, Kevin Bieksa can appreciate. Maligned by fans and media, his name cropping up in trade rumours since subprime mortgages seemed like a good idea, Bieksa has gone from sure-fire salary-dump to being paired on the No. 1 defensive unit with Dan Hamhuis to start the season. "I think my plan of not listening to the media all summer worked," Bieksa said. "So I guess I'll continue with that plan." His hit-by-lightning-twice injuries - two deep skate slashes to the backs of his legs - have been well-documented and he hasn't been the same player since missing 27 games last season and 48 games in 2007-08. As his play fell off, so did his minutes. "He's been up and down,"
Good chance Bieksa will start season a Canuck
August 25
Vancouver Province
 
"It was hard to take Vancouver GM Mike Gillis seriously back on July 1 when he vowed: "We're keeping Bieksa." Gillis had just finished one of his best weeks in Vancouver. He paid a premium to stack his blueline with two key acquisitions, Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard. Both defencemen. Both highly priced. It left the Canucks better, but reeking of extravagance. Six defencemen making more than $3 million. Eight making more than $1 million. This, on a team which had a payroll drifting well north of the salary cap. This, on a team which has a glaring hole on both its second and third lines. Even Kevin Bieksa couldn't seem to believe his manager's confidence when, on TSN's Off the Record in"
Ducks have kicked tires, now checking sticker price for Bieksa
July 24
Vancouver Province
 
"The Anaheim Ducks are doing more than kicking the tires on Kevin Bieksa. They're checking the sticker price. If the Ducks are willing to part with a draft pick and a prospect, that could send the Vancouver Canucks defenceman and the $3.75 million US remaining on his salary to a team in need of back-end help. It would also ease salary cap concerns for the Canucks, who added $825,000 to the mix Thursday in Jannik Hansen's arbitration settlement that puts the the club more than $1 million over the $59.4 million ceiling. After trading defenceman Steve Eminger to the New York Rangers — and losing Scott Niedermayer to retirement — the Ducks are down to Lumobir Visnovsky, Sheldon Brookbank, Tony"
Canadiens are latest name to be cranked out in Bieksa rumour mill
July 21
Vancouver Province
 
"Another day, another Kevin Bieksa rumour. The latest twist in Twitter-land is that the Montreal Canadiens covet the Vancouver Canucks defenceman in exchange for 2010 first-round draft choice Jarred Tinordi. The rumour has some legs because the Canucks had interest in the 6-foot-5 blueliner, who's the son of former NHL defenceman Mark Tinordi. He had nine points and 68 penalty minutes with the U.S. National Team Development Program last season and a was a member of the U.S. team that won the 2010 under-18 world title. Tinordi is projected as a tough, top-four defenceman and that's why the Canadiens traded up to take him 22nd overall last month."
Eminger trade, Niedermayer retirement has Ducks kicking tires on Bieksa
July 15
Vancouver Province
 
"Add the Anaheim Ducks to a growing list of teams having more than passing interest in Kevin Bieksa. After trading defenceman Steve Eminger to the New York Rangers on Friday — and losing Scott Niedermayer to retirement — the Ducks are down to Lumobir Visnovsky, James Wisniewski, Sheldon Brookbank and Tony Lydman as proven NHL blueliners. General manager Bob Murray wants to add a top-four defenceman and you can start the debate now whether a healthy and productive Bieksa can fill that role. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has a history with Bieksa. He was bench boss of the Manitoba Moose in 2004-05 when a feisty Bieksa collected 39 points (12-27) in 80 games, was a plus-21 and had 192 penalty"
Kevin Bieksa on a Canucks trade? 'I can put two and two together'
July 14
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, speaking publicly for the first time since July 1, conceded Tuesday he knows he's a candidate to be traded away. "I'm not an idiot," Bieksa said on TSN's Off the Record program. "I can put two and two together. Anything could happen right now." Bieksa was responding to a question from host Michael Landsberg about the Canucks' glut of blueliners. GM Mike Gillis has nine defencemen signed to one-way contracts and Bieksa is the third highest paid — at $3.75 million — after newcomers Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard. The additions of Hamhuis and Ballard also appear to push Bieksa down the depth chart to the No. 6 spot with Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo"