henrik sedin

Sedins Were Tough And Gross But Never Soft

What is left to say that hasn’t been said about Henrik and Daniel Sedin? The outpouring of emotions has taken over social media, radio, and TV these last few days as we all found out the same way that the Sedins were in fact, retiring after the season came to a close. Many had suggested it was time for them to move on to make way for the next generation of Canucks and that they were only delaying the inevitable.

The Sedins weren’t exactly slowing down per say but their competition (and even their teammates) were speeding up. They didn’t waver and still ground out the season and considering how bad this team was on paper and on the ice, the Sedins proved yet again, that they were indeed tough.

How could they not be?

Enduring diminished ice time to start the season, watching as player after player gets injured in front of their eyes while the losses mounted weekly, and yet still being asked to be the face of the franchise. That’s grit. When you look at a highlight reel of the Twins they don’t scream “bruisers”, maybe gross dudes, but their ability to outlast the bumps and bruises, the concussions, cheap shots and rabbit punches should have them right amongst the toughest players in the league.

Why would they be gross you ask? I recently started paying attention to Daniel before the opening face-off of the last few games and maybe I missed this from every other game but Daniel has a pre-game “snot rocket” ritual. I cannot find a specific clip to show as there aren’t any out there on the web (how can that be?) but the second there is I’ll post the heck out of it.

Who would have thought Daniel shooting boogers would be so intriguing? It’s quite cool, actually. How has this never been brought up? There could have been memes or even a podcast named in its honor. Oh well, water under the bridge, I guess.

I never submitted my story for the Canucks Army send-off to the Sedins but having some time to think about it there is one story that really speaks to their dedication to the Canucks. It was a game in December 2016 against the Oilers that Henrik Sedin had been battling back issues. It got so bad he couldn’t even sit on the bench in fear it would stiffen up:

Henrik’s
injury problems began in mid-December when he left a game in Philadelphia after
playing just nine shifts and 5:08. He sat out the next two games in Detroit and
Florida before returning to the line-up in Tampa Bay on December 22nd.
The surest sign that things weren’t well came in a bizarre Boxing Day game
against Edmonton when, although he played 20:11 and picked up an assist, Henrik
could not sit on the Canucks bench between shifts and stood awkwardly the
entire game in an effort to ease his obvious discomfort. – Jeff Paterson via Canucks Army

He played 20 minutes with a messed up back and got a point, seriously? Knowing these guys as we all believe we do now, they most likely did not want to let their team down. It wasn’t on them to do that, though, this team was spiraling downwards already despite these problems. As far as Daniel goes, the Brad Marchand incident in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final is crystal clear for everyone and it just ate away at us as we watched him get brutalized and he just took it in stride knowing his retaliation most likely would have drawn a penalty.

When the Canucks lost the Final, many of us cried because it hurt so much or that it might be a long time before the Canucks ever got back to that point. When we cried on Thursday night throughout the Sedins final game, for me, I think it was a culmination of so many reasons. Sure, it’s sad we won’t get to see them play another game for the Canucks after this weekend but that isn’t the real reason.

I cried because the gauntlet that Henrik and Daniel emerged from had to have been one of the toughest battles any athlete, or any person really, may ever have to go through. They took all the blame regardless of its merit, they were called names, labeled “soft” and so many other things that under normal circumstances would break most individuals. They endured for us. They were different.

First of all, they had each other. Getting to play a lifetime as brothers, as twins, as teammates, as linemates, they had each other’s back. Even when their own city didn’t, they stood up for the team at its worst moments. For that, we really should tear up. I honestly believe that they believed this Canucks team could turn it around in recent years. They saw things that kept them playing here, they saw what this team could become or maybe they saw there was one final thing they needed to contribute to get the Canucks back to respectability.

Maybe we missed the reason they stuck around but it wouldn’t surprise me if Henrik and Daniel stuck it out so they could bridge the gap even for a little while. We may not have seen it the way they did but they’re not selfish and they believed there was something still there to give.

On that final home game against the Coyotes we were treated to a special episode of “Sedinery” and as it was said so many times, it was perfect.

Thank you, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, thank you for giving it your all and for being different. Your story has captivated the sports world and rightfully so, you both are indeed captivating. Thanks for not only being different but being the difference on the Canucks and in the community. I am so happy to say you were Canucks from day one until your final shift.

When and if the day comes the Canucks do win the Cup, it will be the final part of your legacy and we’ll owe so much of that to you both.

Godspeed.

 

Photo – Zimbio

IWBITS: Canucks At Centre Of Attention

Staying healthy is a big key to any teams success and the Vancouver Canucks are no different. Last season, the Canucks lost Brandon Sutter for a large chunk of the 2015/16 campaign with a broken jaw (and not becauseit hit the floor from his team being astonishingly bad) as well as a sports hernia. Having your #2 pivot on the shelf definitely creates opportunity for a guy like Bo Horvat but it came at a cost.

Part two of the It’ll Be Interesting To See series focuses on the Canucks need for consistency at the centre position. Henrik Sedin will once again be the main man up front and will draw the lions share of matchups. A healthy Brandon Sutter will take pressure off of Henrik needing to be the answer every game.

When Sutter IS in the lineup he creates options for the Canucks as Bo Horvat can develop his game on the 3rd line. Having three solid options at centre makes life easier, any coach will tell you. Having them produce is an entirely different issue. Henrik Sedin, Bo Horvat and former Canuck Jared McCann combined for 36 goals last year and that…that just isn’t very good at all. The Canucks have been able to see better results when guys like Horvat and Sven Baertschi get less attention and this year Baertschi will most likely get the 2nd line duties with Sutter.

Line chemistry is a lot easier when you have a guy night in and night out that you recognize instead of going through the blender and seeing new faces all the time. Jake Virtanen will benefit from an improved Horvat and can bring some meat and potatoes to the 3rd line where it really needs to get going.

You have to believe the Canucks can still make a move before the season gets going or maybe they wait out training camp and see who impresses. Does Anton Rodin thrill and get a job? Its possible. Having him play with Horvat and Virtanen would be fun if they get going. Tuomo Ruutu has earned a PTO with Vancouver and a veteran presence might work out on either of those secondary lines.

What will be interesting to see is if the Canucks centres DO stay healthy and create chances and goals that were very much lacking a season ago. There is not Cup run with this year’s edition of the Vancouver Canucks but being able to roll four lines does increase their chances of success. I can see a hybrid approach with Horvat and Sutter interchanging on the 2nd/3rd lines but that pretty much comes down to results I think.

Sutter will be given every chance to own that 2nd line but if Horvat does what he did in his rookie year, Willie Desjardins may have an interesting problem on his hands; does that actually happen? Well this probably isn’t a team that we should expect miracles from just yet.

The wrench in all of this is if Henrik goes down with a back injury for any length of time; the Canucks just aren’t built to survive without him yet. Everyone waited in horror as he didn’t sit down for a whole game, even though it was close to Christmas, he wasn’t standing to get first crack at the presents under the tree, we all watched knowing full well something was up.

A lengthy Hank injury will most likely keep the Canucks in a 1st to 5th overall drafting position in 2017 so his health will be monitored every time he looks like he is ailing. I mean, Henrik’s an old guy in hockey terms but he’s only 36 and has kept his body in pretty amazing shape. Fluke injuries happen but he also doesn’t put himself in position to get hurt either.

I don’t want to see this team plunge again this year but there isn’t much dictating a different result. Perhaps some key goaltending and solid defense will aid the team’s chances if they do in fact get things going.

Being a centre in a Canucks uniform draws a lot of criticism but the ones that have succeeded here have seen their fair share and rose above it. The phone lines open full time in a few weeks and it will be interesting to see who they put in the cross hairs.

 

cover photo: vancouversun.com

NHL Breathes Sigh of Relief; Can NOW Tell Sedins Apart

Wow, I don’t think anyone ever saw this coming – Daniel, let alone ANY, Sedin getting facially disfigured. We all felt it, it was awkward, painful and terrifyingly real. Daniel Sedin had a puck batted into his face by Michael Stone and he lost a few chicklets…and it was gruesome! But lost in all this is the giant sigh of relief the rest of the NHL felt when they were FINALLY able to distinguish Daniel Sedin from Henrik Sedin.

Not unlike many famous twins (Mary Kate and Ashley, Tia and Tamara from Sister/Sister, Jaleel White and Urkel, Khloe and Kim Kardashian and of course Lindsay Lohan and her twin in The Parent Trap), its no secret that over the years, many players, coaches and media alike have found it impossible to identify which Sedin is which. Tough task I know. It took me at least 5-6 seasons to really get a grasp on it but eventually I came up with a system and now I’m a Sedin Identifier extraordinaire!

First of all here’s the vid:

 

Its bad right?

Twitter exploded and did things only the Twitter can do when such an event takes place; obvious, somewhat unviewable things:

Ugh, that was real!

So how does one separate one Sedin from the other? Well now we have some pretty solid evidence and that makes it easy; but before the first period of Monday night’s game against the Coyotes, what where the key features? Well, you don’t come to this blog for stats, OK sometimes you do and I half deliver. You came here for a smidgen of humour and life lessons to carry out and share with your friends. I have none, so I’m relying on you to enjoy this with your circle.

These are the important ones to remember:

  • The Numbers – Henrik Sedin wears #33 on the ice and Daniel wears #22. Kinda easy I know but you can’t always see the namebars on the back. They’re so fast sometimes that the blur just doesn’t translate properly and you don’t want to spend 30 min on your PVR slowing it down just to make it out. But what if they’re NOT playing hockey, at a PR function requiring them to wear jerseys or you’re relying on NHL.com to give you the proper stock photo when you type their name?
  • Standing/Scoring situations – Google this, I’m right. Daniel…stands on the left in almost every photo whilest Henrik is on the right. Agreement since birth? Not too sure, I’ve never asked; but it does make you wonder….what are they hiding?

See? blogs.theprovince.com

blogs.theprovince.com

blogs.theprovince.com

See?
blogs.theprovince.com

 

 

 

 

 

  • Serious one though – jaw lines. Daniel has a much narrower jaw line and Henrik a little bit rounder. It affects their facial structure and that is one of my biggest tells on them. Tough one to figure out but its a good one considering they have identical facial hair and everything else.
  • Trophies – Henrik was the first one to win a major NHL trophy; Daniel had to wait a year to equal at the very least Henriks Art Ross award. Henrik, although very subtly, walks with a bit more swagger because of this. He’s not cocky about it but people close to them can tell. I just heard about it.

Ok, so you think you have these Sedins figured out? Here’s a fun little quiz to see if you really know them. Let me know how you do.

 This tweet from Daniel Monday night says it all.

  
Follow me on twitter: @always90four

New Year, More Problems, Same Canucks and a Camel Story

2015 sure was a bizarre year for the Canuck faithful. It really gave us the highs and lows of a team in transition and that isn’t always fun. As the clock strikes midnight, which it definitely will ya doomsdayers,  we look back at the year that was and pout. The beginning of the year gave us some of that hope stuff people talk about and we liked Willie Desjardins and applauded his decision making, I think? We could see the potential of Eddie Lack as the true starter and Bo Horvat quickly became “the next one”. But then the playoffs.

Radim Vrbata wasn’t his normal staring self, he went invisible like a straight to dvd sequel of Serendipity starring Joan Cusack and probably Nic Cage because he’s doing stuff like that now. Luca Sbisa was internet infamous, Sbizza actually was just between us (he seriously didn’t even know) and we had no answer to NHL super enforcer Michal Ferkland (sp?) Ferglund? Ferland. There, got it.

Will anything change or will the Canucks stay the same?

After the Lameoffs all of that changed for the worse when we shipped away fan favourite Eddie Lack to Carolina, Nick Bonino to Pittsburgh for Brandon Sutter (still don’t really like that one…for either team), had the news that Ryan Miller COULD have been traded and Frankie Corrado was waived. That all sounds like doom and gloom but it isn’t entirely.

Breakout defender and twitter sensation by hashtag anyways, Ben Hutton aka #HUTTONmania, earned a spot on the big club and hasn’t given any reason to relinquish it. He’s been a welcome sight on the back end and with some patience and guidance, he could be the offensive version of Chris Tanev. We like Tanev.

Rookies Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen both made the team as well and all of Canucks land was a fluster. Could the Canucks truly be rebuilding? Is this the time we finally see the young guys work their way into stardom? Not exactly. Jared McCann is still largely between Derek Dorsett and Brandon Prust and even though its a learning curve, they’re duds.

You would never put a camel in a grizzly farm and say “hey camel, be a grizzly!” Not gonna happen. That camel can only be a camel; but if you put that camel with other camels at the camel farm, he can be a …..totally wrong analogy. I really don’t know how the camel would get better.

Basically you don’t put a budding offensive centre with 2 plugs. That’s the jist of it. Remember the camel story, that might be huge one day.

Jake Virtanen has time to learn his skill and we will continue to see his development as the year goes on. Not every player can be a Horvat and even Bo isn’t having a great sophomore year. What we have learned is that the team is committed to these guys and at some point, the veterans will start to be phased out.

The Sedins aren’t going anywhere and at 35, they still look as amazing as they did years ago. Sure, there’s a miss here and there but with 37 and 33 points, Daniel and Henrik Sedin respectively, are every bit as effective as they once were; the down side is that they’re the only ones….ok them and Jannik Hansen.

Speaking of the Great Dane, Jannik Hansen is alive once more with the sound of (whatever the heck his goal song is). Salvaging good story lines has been tough this calendar year but he of Danish origins has kept the Sedins fresh. Once on the rumoured trade block, Hansen has finally seen his game elevate and has brought worth to a team project a few years in the making. Good to see.

With all this, there are low lights like the distribution of minutes amongst players that shouldn’t even be in the lineup, the decision to keep important players out of the lineup, not keeping the goaltending tandem fresh with quality starts by each and an absolute failure to address the scoring needs this team so desperately has.

How Hunter Shinkaruk, Brendan Gaunce and Alex Grenier AREN’T on the club yet, I’ll never know. Chris Higgins isn’t what he used to be and is ready to maybe not be put to pasture but maybe let him outside for a run and don’t lock the gate. Dorsett and Prust are not #MUST guys and they don’t look like they will be anytime soon.

Anyone putting in a quality effort seems to suffer because the other lines are being misused. The Canucks also aren’t very big so the ability for them to be literal pushovers is alarming.

As the year turns to 2016, the Canucks haven’t really changed their direction a whole lot and maybe thats just the fan in me saying that. They definitely have made transitional moves and I guess the team is quite different from a year ago but nothing says they’re going to be better or more competitive than they have been.

In 2016 Mr. Benning, Desjardins and Linden, please know that we’re willing to wait for this ship to turn itself around, but give us a reason to be hopeful. Clearly we’ve waited THIS long so just be fair to us, that’s all we/I ask.

Happy New Year for Always90four

Also, remember the camel story.

 

Sedins And Hansen: The New… West Coast Express – A Hot Taek

 

Its been a long time since someone has given a Canucks line a catchy name. We had the Mattress Line, Kid Line, Brothers line (but we won’t talk about that one because honestly, who came up with that one), KLM line, That 70’s line and American Express among others. Some of those aren’t even Canucks ones but after a few I realized Canucks fans aren’t that clever, they’ve also had a ton of unexciting players to name together. But there is one line that stands out above them all: The West Coast Express – Naslund, Morrison and Bertuzzi made up one of the greatest, most productive lines of all time even better than Gretzky, Kurri and Larionov. 

But that was a long time ago, over 10 years in fact, so isn’t it time to recharge that line with NEW members? Henrik and Daniel Sedin are very deserving of a new line name and with Jannik Hansen platooned on the other wing he has received a new lease on life and is producing as a true Sedin winger. Its been such a long time since the West Coast Express that many new fans don’t even remember the first one. What a great way to bring fans full circle.

Crazy idea? Probably. But think of the marketability. SEDINS NEW WEST COAST EXPRESS!!! Forget Naslund and Bertuzzi, these guys are as old as the train itself and still produce nightly. Just like the REAL West Coast Express, you’ll never lose your hat when the Sedins are rolling. Need a rest? Henrik and Daniel are there to carry the load while you get some much needed relaxation, sadly if you are playing on any line but theirs, that means you are stapled to the bench.

It’s not all about the Sedins though, Jannik Hansen brings his own trademark style to the rejuvenated line – like Naslund and Bertuzzi, Hansen is no stranger to breakaways; however Jannik is more like Skytrain than the WCE – frequent in-explainable power outages that result in long delays, in his case scoring. But fear not new West Coast Express followers, now that Hansen is on the top line, his production has never been better and at age 29 he’s well on his way to his best season ever!

This is nothing new to you though, you all have seen how well these three play together. In an article by Jason Botchford of The Province he echoes why the Sedins and Hansen just make sense. Or you could look at my last hurrah why they should be cemented together for the foreseeable future. Would it be smart to reboot the mid 2000’s “West Coast Express”? I say yes and if I’m wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

At 35, the Sedins are still a draw if you have any sense in you and if we get this thing trending on the twitter it can get legs. I mean, jeez #TweetDanielaHat trended. How vain are we? It was a great hashtag and the Bulis Boys know how to unknowingly create a trend.

The Canucks are not playing their greatest hockey right now and a welcome distraction is needed and renaming the Sedins/Hansen line is just that distraction. I’ve seen the hilites: we don’t throw hats, we start the wave when we’re losing and we DON’T THROW FREAKING HATS!!!! If we can’t muster up enough courage to do anything remotely productive, like a 16 year old in his parents basement blogging …….

…or on his latest 36 hour Fallout 4 bender, then lets bring back something that quite frankly we all used to love. Hank and Dank aren’t Nazzy and Bert but when it comes about excitement, real fans know how exciting these guys are and I would say they are definitely on par with that line in a slightly different shell.

So even though you are thinking this –

By Manny Mahal

You’re still seeing this pretty regularly –

By rapturjesuss

Henrik, Daniel and Jannik – your NEW West Coast Express.

Follow me on twitter: @always90four ……….if you still think I’m alive after this article.

 

The Secret Reason The Sedins Aren’t Good at 3 on 3

Admit it, you’re intrigued. Its one of life’s great mysteries that has yet to unriddle itself. Much like the age old ones that it joins (how’d they get the caramilk into the caramilk bar, why do they call it bluetooth and where on earth is Carmen Sandiego?), why do the Sedins absolutely blow at the 3 on 3 bonus round of hockey after 60 minutes? The answer might surprise you but I have nothing better to do and my hot taek theory just might be so bang on that it will make it’s way straight to the top (Willie D’s chalk talk).

 

We’ve all wondered why the Sedins just don’t click when the game hits OT and all of a sudden they’re in a 3 vs. 3 nightmare scenario every time. 5 on 5, the Sedins are arguably THE top producing pair over the last 10 years, moreso let’s look at the last 5 or so. I might look into that later on. HA, I found it! At 5th, thats arguable enough for me, but hey I’m a pushover sometimes. So when its even strength or even a normal power play, why are Henrik and Daniel SO good?

You would think with all that extra space they would be able to dominate and make lesser non twin team mates look silly; that isn’t the case. When it’s full strength, the duo have put up a combined PDO of 101.6 since 2010 and a CF% of 57.9. That’s ridiculous! Here are the full stats from Puckalytics.com:

 

Player_Name TOI GF GA GF60 GA60 GF% Sh% Sv% PDO CF CA CF60 CA60 CF%
Together 4659:17 218 136 2.81 1.75 61.6 8.54 93.10 101.6 4747 3458 61.13 44.53 57.9
HENRIK SEDIN* 792:28 40 33 3.03 2.50 54.8 10.26 92.34 102.6 702 783 53.15 59.28 47.3
DANIEL SEDIN* 609:28 21 27 2.07 2.66 43.8 7.34 91.64 99.0 546 574 53.75 56.51 48.8

OK, but I promised you that I knew the secret to their 3 on 3 woes and I’m getting there; I will say it’s based more on theory than stats but hopefully you will still be my friend after I tell you. Can we agree on that right now?

So here it is, my manifesto, my deer hunter:

Henrik and Daniel have always looked for the winger that best compliments them and can understand their thought process, their cycle game and can stick up for them when things get dicey. Add to that the two defencemen that flank the blue line to make sure the Twins can do their thing and you have a line that has so often been unstoppable. So when you take away 2 players you would think that gives Henrik and Daniel more room to work and that patented drop pass would just own.

It doesn’t.

By going to a 3 man group you have to have one dman to get them the puck and NOW they don’t have their 3rd cycle guy on the wing. To add to the obvious frustration that both you and I have, not to mention the Sedins, the 3rd guy that DOES join them is usually a defenseman and quite frankly his job is to defend and if given the opportunity maybe set up a point shot. That’s pretty rare though.

So now you’ve gotten rid of your winger that completes the cycle, you’ve eliminated your other defender and the distraction of the cycle is gone! The beauty of it and the reason its so amazingly effective is that the winger that completes it gets to be involved and the defense holds the line in case of emergency or if they need to get the puck up top and back to Henrik or Daniel to start it all over again.

The Twins aren’t the fastest skaters which is also a reason they should rename the hooking penalty “Sedining” and every team that the Canucks face have fast forwards that can adjust and race up the ice on a bad rebound which seems to be a very regular occurrence these days. If the cycle breaks down even a little bit, the Sedins are exposed pretty quickly and with only one other guy back there isn’t enough time to haul back and break up most certainly a 2, potentially 3 on 1.

I love the Twins, I really do but if just like the Canucks botched the use of Luongo in big game situations ,(see 2011 Stanley Cup Final, 2013 Heritage Classic) they continue to put Henrik and Daniel in OT, the results will eventually dwindle back to absolute zero. There isn’t a different formula that works for them together. If you are going to have either of them on the ice in OT, separate them and do it now.

The other alternative is that you put in players that are  more suited to race up and down the ice on a dime, Jannik Hansen, Bo Horvat and Ben Hutton perhaps? I’ll even include Alex Burrows, Sven Baertschi, Jared McCann and what they hey, Luca Sbisa! Look at the last points column after wins and losses, it’s OTL and you know what Canucks fans, that is going to be your most important category of all.

It will be this year’s version of the 2012 Phoenix, yes Phoenix Coyotes. The OTL will be as popular as #HUTTONmania or #weareallcanucks or even #pleaserefundmytickets.

Saying the Sedin’s shouldn’t be on the ice is criminal but if its OT, I don’t want them together and I don’t care how you do it. The proof has already presented itself and Willie’s burnt enough games now that it should be crystal clear. No more OT Sedins.

You will hear the phrase “addition by subtraction” but in the Sedins OT scenarios its subtraction by subtraction and that is the worst kind of subtraction. If there are any math gurus out there that have a worse kind of subtraction, let me know. I’ll listen.

Follow me on my twitter, im worth it: @always90four

photo courtesy of blogs.theprovince.com

Jannik HanSedin (A Statistical Argument For Their Existance)

Wanting the best for Jannik Hansen seems to be a recurring theme for Canucks fans. He works hard, he’s the best player in practice almost always and the imitations of him from players across the league, ok just Cory Schneider are just so super. It might be just one game and maybe he gets buried on the 3rd line by the end of the week but Jannik Hansen might have a chance to revive his career.

The Canucks have jokingly labeled Hansen as the team’s best practice player but the 25-year-old winger showed on Wednesday he can be perform on the big stage as well setting up a charging Raffi Torres for game one’s only goal that secured Vancouver 1-0 series lead.

Jannik Hansen after Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final – Globe and Mail

Does this mean the Canucks have once again found a proper linemate for Henrik and Daniel Sedin? After one game that may be a stretch but Alex Burrows did a lot with his tenure on the top line. Top line minutes are hard to come by for any player but Jannik Hansen has been there before and he’s produced. According to Puckalytics.com which is a mind bendingly awesome site, even for a fancy stat noob like myself, the line consisting of Daniel, Henrik and Hansen have accounted for 27 goals since 2009. That isn’t exactly a “wake your parents up the house is on fire” number but considering who has been the third member of that line, its pretty decent.

What the site also tells you is that these SweDanish linemates (new word I made up) has a career PDO together of 103.7. If you type  that number in google you most likely will get Top 100 pop, retro pop and country music in Maine. I suggest using PDO hockey to get a better result. A final number you could gather from Puckalytics would be the Corsis!!!! Love that one. At 60.5% according to my buds at Canucks Army, this is basically ridiculous. So I ask you, why hasn’t this line been given a chance to blossom?

Look at this goal against Columbus, Hansen just sweats out awesome here:

 

Can you figure out a reason that Hansen shouldn’t be the new third wheel on the Sedin Tricyc…..no that might be taken the wrong way. Can anyone give me a big package of stats that would make Hansen a terrible idea on that line? I don’t think you can but I’m sure someone will try. We’ve all seen what the Jan man can do and he does have some pretty impressive skills. He’s a bit of a banger, his speed surprises you on occasion and despite his closing rate on breakaways, he gets a sick ton of breakaways.

I am definitely not a guy who will toot the advanced stats mega horn because I just don’t know enough about it yet but seriously, if these three have produced at a clip of 3.62 goals per game, why the heck are you holding back current head coach Willie Desjardins? Why I ask. The Canucks have finally gone younger and in a few years, younger than that and if this team is to stay relevant not only in their division but in the league as well, decisions will have to made to keep the Canucks competitive.

We all know the Sedins are on the back nine of their illustrious careers maybe even the Amen Corner if you will, and if Willie D is their coach until they retire, he needs to maximize their productivity. Radim Vrbata was a great addition for them when he was signed at Free Agency in 2014 but since then has gone from hero to um, not great? This line is the litmus test of how the Canucks will hold up to other teams and if the top guys aren’t producing, don’t expect the rest of the team to bail them out on every occasion.

Roberto Luongo was forced to be Vancouver’s everything until the scoring arrived and more importantly the Sedins; so if the Sedins are being relied upon to be the Canucks everything until the next wave is ready to be on its own, don’t you think a guy like Hansen makes sense then?

Jannik Hansen may have received his best criticism from former coach John Tortorella as he was chewed out for his mistakes but maybe we can thank Torts for pushing Hansen to be a better all around player? Ya, I’m saying it. Look for the silver lining on this one and it’s not entirely foreign that Hansen will work with the Twins. Scandinavia has longed for a SweDanish hockey threat and this is their chance to see it materialize.

Sure, some of this is fluff and as I said before, this might fade out after a game or so but let’s give it a chance. It’s still early enough in the season to experiment with lines and with Hunter Shinkaruk forcing the Canucks to call him up, freeing Vrbata up to play with Horvat or Sutter gives this team the D word: Depth.

Thursday’s game against the Senators is a prime opportunity to explore the HanSedin line and see how well it fits. The Senators are having a decent season but they give up their fair share of goals. The Sedins like scoring goals and they like to share so its basically a match made in Sweden/Denmark.

Just appease us Willie D, we don’t ask a lot…not entirrrely true, but we deserve to see what our team is capable of. Run with these guys until next week and you might be a happy man. It’s either that or the face you made when Vancouver almost blew the game against Jackets on Tuesday. Sadly I don’t have that photo but he mouthed a few words I’m not allowed to say.

Jannik Hansen might sound like Kermit from time to time, or all the time, but when he’s with the Sedins….he’s an Animal. Get em on that top line and those breakaways will have to convert sooner or later. Breakaways.

Follow me on twitter: @always90four

feature photo – thehockeynews.com

ICYMI Daniel Sedin Um…Missed it

Every four years Canadians go to the polls to elect a new Government and every four years Canucks fans find a new way to yell at their team for a missed opportunity on quite possibly one of the easiest goals they would ever see. In both situations, you may end up seeing the same thing but in the Canucks case it’s WHO is doing the missing. After Daniel Sedin’s missed tap in that may very well have ended the game in the Canucks favour over the Oilers on Sunday night, I look back not only on THAT goal but past goals that we have cursed at.

Maybe they just weren’t ready?

By now you’ve seen it; No reason for such a play to go the way it did, maybe it was a coaching mistake or something in the moment that just seemed like the right thing to do? No, I’m not talking about the absolute worst play in NFL history, a Colts fake punt gone terribly wrong, I’m talking about Daniel Sedin being within a stick blade’s length from a tap in goal against the Oilers.

For someone who is pretty much automatic on these sorts of things mainly because he is the shooting Sedin, he totally botched this one. Henrik undoubtedly would have ribbed Danny for that the whole way home. This is to assume they carpool because lets save the planet! The Canucks have been snake bitten on the easy stuff so far this year and this was the pinnacle.

But remember this tap tap tapperoo?

Vancouver still won that game but it was sure a kick to the Salos and quite frankly I don’t even need to post the video because you are still haunted in your dreams by it. Not as much as losing a competitive Scrabble game but close. Tanner Glass is a misser. A mister you say? Yes, technically he’s a mister in the sense of title as a male, not a mister in the sense he sprays mist on people at a pool bar. Can’t prove that last one. Anyways, I’m off topic.

The point here is that four years ago we balled and boohoo’d about a waste of a tap in goal that may have cemented Tanner Glass as one of the best Canucks of his tenure. Is that even a compliment? Not sure…Ok I’m doing it again.

This next one isn’t exactly four years prior but you remember it just as much, maybe more, maybe less depending on the level of counseling you received after it happened. Two words: Nathan Lafayette.

Of course, Linden hit a post as well, Bure shot one across the goal line but they were way cooler and we don’t hold them accountable for our personal issues to this day. It was the Stanley Cup FINAL!!!! GAME FREAKING SEVEN!! He had Richter beat and maybe this site is called “Bure’d in Seven” because Bure.

By now you really wished you hadn’t started reading this post and all the anger is brought right back to the forefront. I will not pay for your therapy but I’d be glad to have lunch with you and talk about the good times. Tap in goals seem like the easiest thing in the world and with all the urgency sometimes the easiest things are over thought. Daniel’s chip was the right play because so many times we’ve seen a gentle push or tip and it’s brushed away or stopped.

No one will forget Patrik Stefan’s infamous miss when he literally skated to the blue paint of the crease and the puck hopped off his stick, in the same breath went the other way down the ice and the Oilers scored with seconds left in the game to tie it up and go to OT. You can find that one on your own, its been on TV enough in case you missed it back in 2007.

It all comes back to Daniel Sedin missing that goal. They lost to the Oilers in OT and the Canucks still don’t have a win at home this season. It’s early days as the Aussies say but as they get later we need to see those results, we need to see them tap that puck.

Will Daniel overthink his next opportunity, doubt it. He’s a pro and he’ll just keep on keepin on. His goal totals speak for themselves, 354 total regular season and playoffs, wait…what? that’s it? Maybe Daniel should work on those tap ins a bit more. Jeez, that’s surprising.  Thankfully Henrik, the passer, only has 235. So things are kinda right in the world again.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little ditty about how we get super mad about the Canucks when they miss easy goals but also that Daniel Sedin is a pro and still has more goals than Henrik.

Maybe next time I’ll find a way to talk about the new Star Wars trailer. Meh, I’m done here. You’ve lost interest, I’m sorry.

Follow me on that twitter jam: @always90four

 JARKKO POLO: 101 Reasons To Love The Final Week

This Canucks season has been all kinds of different; new coaches, GM, prez, goalie, no kes and Ronalds FREAKIN Kenins. Making the playoffs would have been welcome but not expected. I really don’t think we could have expected the current team to be as productive as it has. Its kind of like the Fast and the Furious series; the first one was great, but knowing how sequels go you usually expect a letdown. This year was like Furious 7 (which I have not seen yet but heard its awesome), seems like just another sequel but it rocks your world. That being said, we get to find out HOW productive they can really be.

Going into the final week, the Canucks had an opportunity to clinch at some point after failing to do so the week prior. Monday we played the Kings and dubbed it “the biggest game of the season” and boy was it! Thursday the Coyotes came to town and didn’t put up much of a fight. On Saturday, not gonna lie, I was watching the Kelowna Rockets attempt to dismantle the Victoria Royals in game 2 of the WHL Western Semis. But we played the Oilers and boy oh boy do the Canucks like a good story.

So here it is, the final week of the regular season – JARKKO…..POLO!

THE GAMES WE PLAYED (started week at 95 points)

Vs. Los Angeles Kings – MONSTER WIN  2-1 SHOOTOUT

RECAP: We all figured this one would be epic, it would essentially decide if the Canucks or Kings would make it to the post season on top of what the rest of the week would mean. In typical Canucks fashion, they went down 1-0 to Dwight King and would have to battle hard to get anything. Eddie Lack and Jonathan Quick were fetch on this night, no they were other wordly. There were a handful of saves that Quick, one would assume, guessed/fluked on, he was that good. As any good story goes, late in the third Henrik came down the left side, started to turn around the net and dished what can only be described as a telepathic drop pass to Daniel, which in turn opened up quite the spot for Daniel to wire a laser top shelf past Quick.

NOW AT 97 POINTS

Not only did this one need OT, it went to the famous shoootout which believe it or not the Canucks are actually good at this year. Once again, both goalies not letting anything by. Chris Higgins would make good on his post shot earlier in the game and put one past Quick for the game winner! The fans chanted “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie” after Lack’s monster performance and the Canucks beat the Kings for a second time, this one way more dramatic.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!! KINGS LOSE 4-1 TO OILERS, CANUCKS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT!!!

Vs. Arizona Coyotes – WIN 5-0 (Hammer Time)

RECAP: It was all Vancouver in this one. Penalties cost the Yotes big time and in a meaningless game for them, the Canucks had home ice on their minds. Brother Daniel put his name on the score sheet with a difficult tip shot in front to put the Nucks up 1-0. Ronalds Kenins found the back of the net next on a nice drag move around Mike Smith. Then it was the powerplay that took over; Yannick “Don’t Call Me Shea” Weber BLASTED two consecutive bombs past Smith from inside the blue line to put the Canucks up a whopping 4-0!

The game had one more nice story as well; Dan Hamhuis put on quite the little dangle earlier in the game but didn’t score. He looked like he did when they panned to him on the bench.

With three minutes and change left, the Canucks got one more PP and Hamhuis got his first goal of the season on the second last game of the year. 5-buzz Canucks.

NOW AT 99 POINTS

Vs. Edmonton Oilers – WIN 6-5 OT THRILLER

RECAP: With the Flames losing to the Jets in spectacular fashion earlier in the day, the Canucks secured home ice advantage for the first round against those same Flames. In basically a meaningless game, it was one final tune up before the big dance. Gino Odjick was honoured on Fan Appreciation Night and the fans showed their support for one of Vancouver’s greats.

Last game of the season or not, the Canucks finished up in style. Spotting the Oilers THREE 2 goal leads,  they would come back each time. Daniel Sedin scored yet again but couldn’t catch Jamie Benn for the Art Ross, he needed about 12 more points. Second best Sven ever for the Canucks, Baertschi, lit the lamp twice, Hansen got back into it as did Bieksa.

Ryan Miller started this game and gave up two goals about 20 seconds apart half way through the first period. The Canucks didn’t exactly help his cause but at the end of it all, the blue and green prevailed. Nucks forced OT in this 11 goal affair and Alex Edler tapped in a 2 on 1 pass from Daniel to end it all.

FINISHES AT 101 POINTS!!!! Not bad for a team led by the washed up Sedins.

 

3 THINGS FROM TWITTER

Photoshops have taken over this season in the Canucks twitter world, also known as PSHAPS. This week’s 3TFT is dedicated to that.

https://twitter.com/chazzwood01/status/587019224150712321

 

So the regular season is over and now its on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Canucks/Flames round 1 starts Wednesday. We’ve all waited apparently 23 months to be back here, hopefully it was worth the wait. The last time the Canucks played the Flames in the playoffs, Jarkko was actually involved, so its fitting you read this post this week.

JARKKO………….POLO!!

Follow me on twitter: @always90four

Facebook: Always90four

Jarkko POLO: Hank Keepin it 900, Bo Scorevat and Wins

Last week the Canucks started their week with the trade deadline. Nothing happened. It had about as much value as what Bitcoin is trading for right now. Is it even a thing still? Oh, its worth stuff, oh how bout that? They followed up a boring deadline with a Jacob Markstrom start vs. the Sharks which did not go well, not well at all. 

But thats ok because the Coyotes were next and the Canucks…oh wait, we lost that too. The Yotes wore their inaugural jerseys when they came to Phoenix for that game. For the record, they suck. I love vintage hockey, I really do; but those jerseys sucked then, and they suck now.

Before I go any further, Henrik Sedin netted his 900th and 901st points against the Sharks with 2 great Henrik goals. Class all around that guy, you know Daniel was fuming because he didn’t do it first. The Twins are really turning it on and could see some top 10, well top 15 action by seasons end.

Finally, Vancouver had the Sharks in their own barn on Saturday and they made the most out of it, and by that I mean they coughed up a 2-0 deficit yet again and found a way to win.

So let’s get to it.

The Games We Played:

@ San Jose Sharks – LOSE 6-2….and it was a bad 6-2

RECAP: Markstrom starts, we all feel good, Markstrom lets in 3 straight really early, we all feel bad. Eddie Machete comes in and Henrik pots 2. Gets his 900 and 901st points and of course that’s awesome. Canucks made it close and then the patented pull the goalie early backfires and we lost 6-2.

@ Arizona Coyotes – LOSE 3-2 (Shootout Loss though)

RECAP:  2nd verse same as the first, Canucks go down 2-0. Surprised? Nope. But the come back was mounted. After I called out Chris Higgins in my blog last week, he scored a big goal. Radim Vrbata followed that up with the tying goal and the game went to a shootout. Lack was on our side, sadly luck wasn’t and the Nucks lost to the Yotes on throwback night.

Vs. San Jose Sharks – WIN 3-2 (Huge win, big points)

RECAP: Really not sure what kind of fetish the Canucks have giving up the first 2 goals of the game but they did it again. If they make the playoffs, they will lose these games. Thankfully, their hockeys were better than the Sharks on HNIC. Radim “Vibrate” scored a beauty behind the netter to end the first and BO “Come at me bro” Horvat netted his finest of the season. Vrbata would get the GWG on one of his most patient goals of the year. Eddie Lack was amazing and Patrick Marleau missed a wide open net tap in goal of Patrik Stefan proportions.

 

All in all, the Canucks are stepping up their 60 minute game but as I said, giving up 2 goal leads every game isn’t healthy. Zack Kassian is really coming into his own and Bo Horvat is looking like we have a star on our hands. With Ryan Miller out still, Eddie Lack hasn’t missed a beat and if they can find a way to move him in the offseason, Miller might lose that starter job.

This hasn’t been the best hockey Vancouver has played but its been pretty darn exciting. There might be playoffs this year, just maybe.

And finally: 3 things from twitter –

https://twitter.com/friedgehnic/status/574444601802649600

Yep he missed that one.

Finally here is the Bo Horvat goal

Follow me on twitter: @always90four and @hankthetank10