Mats Johan Sundin

Well, well, well! Mats Sundin has chosen, and -- he has chosen wisely. What a nice present the Canucks have found themselves with this Christmas! Hopefully, the batteries will be included, and Mats Sundin will turn out to be the impact player that many Vancouver fans are hoping for.

In honour of his signing, and in fact the whole "Sundin saga", I offer up the following song, in the spirit of the season! Enjoy!


Mats Johan Sundin
(to the tune of Frosty the Snowman)

Mats Johan Sundin,
Or just "Mats" as he was called;
He stood six-foot-five,
And weighed two-three-oh,
Had a head that you'd call "bald."

Mats Johan Sundin,
Was a fairy tale they say.
Would he just retire?
Had he lost his fire,
Or would he come back to play?

There must have been some magic
In that offer Gillis made,
'Cause J.P. Barry's eyes bugged out
When he saw what Mike would pay!

Ten million dollars --
That's some motivation now!
How could he turn down
Coming to this town
For some fun and a cash cow?

Mats Johan Sundin
Had to learn about this team.
What a travel sked!
Could he wait instead?
So he came up with this scheme:

Down to Los Angeles
Then to Sweden back he'd go,
Saying, "I need to think,
"But I'm at the rink!"
While he dreamt of all that dough.

He led them 'round, and 'round (and 'round!)
While fans said "Waiting sucks!"
Then he said, "My first choice always was
"The Vancouver Canucks!"

Mats Johan Sundin,
Won't you hurry? Come and play!
Just as you had planned,
Come to Lotus Land!
Bring the Stanley Cup our way!

Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Sundin go,

Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Playing with Luongo!

Desperately Seeking Mats

There's been yet another resurgence of interest in Mats Sundin in Lotusland recently, as rumours and reports around the web have breathlessly described his undergoing a physical in Toronto, being in attendance at a Canucks game in Buffalo, starting training in LA, and showing up at a Canucks game with the Kings.

I don't know if he'll sign with Vancouver, I don't even know if he will play this season at all. I do know, though, that somewhere, someone is pining for Mats to join the Canucks. This song is for them.

Sundin
(to the tune of Something)

Sundin and the way he moves
Attracts me like no other forward
Something in the way he woos me
I don't want to leave him now,
You know I believe and how.

Somewhere in his smile he knows
That we have tons and tons of cap space
Something in his quotes that shows me.
I don't want to leave him now,
You know I believe and how.

You're asking me will my love grow,
I don't know, I don't know.
Hey, Gillis, sign him, he will show,
I don't know, I don't know.

Sundin is the answer, and he knows
And all we have to do is wait for him
Sundin is "the one", he'll show me
I don't want to leave him now,
You know I believe and how.

Game 1

What a game.

A moving tribute to Luc Bourdon.

Luongo introduced as team captain.

Offensive contributions from all over the roster.

"Team" exhibited throughout the game, as players came to each other's support.

A 6-0 spanking of the Canucks' fiercest rivals.

Bring on Game 2!

28

This is it!

It's "the night"!

Thirty-eight years have passed since the puck first dropped on a brand-new Vancouver Canucks NHL season, and tonight it happens again. All the excitement, joy, exhiliration (and rage!) that accompanies being a Canucks fan starts up again for a new season.

I thought that it might be entertaining to come up with a theme song for tonight -- kind of a musical introduction to the year. Here's what I found on YouTube:



Hm, well I hope the Canucks perform better than good old Environment Man!

Game on!

28

Pool safety rules

Where are my water wings?

The start of the NHL season is almost upon us, and so the online hockey pool drafts have begun in earnest. I've joined two online pools this season (and started one also). Prior to this year, I've only ever participated in two other season-long pools, and I am finding that there are some important drafting guidelines to learn. Here are four:

1. Read the rules? Me?

As a guy, I typically eschew reading rules and instructions. With hockey pools, though, failing to read the rules can get you way in over your head. A couple of years ago I was in a pool where faceoff wins were 1 point each. Centremen were a huge commodity, but not everyone realized that. Make sure you know how to get points in your pool!

2. You gotta choose your priorities, man.

If you don't draft live, set up your autopick list. Today I was in a draft where it was pretty obvious that one of the absentee poolies had not set up their draft list properly. Big mistake -- the server "helped" this person by auto-drafting Alex Radulov (will he even play?), Daniel Carcillo (whose main stat is penalty minutes, which don't count in our pool) and yes, I don't know how we all missed him, Miika Wiikman. What, you don't know him? Me neither!

3. Let me just look at my list, here...

It's easy to draft just based on a list of stats from previous seasons. Problem is, you have to also consider things like who that player played with, who they'll be playing with this year, how their stats were affected by injury, and so on. Use stats, yes, but look down your list for sleeper picks and also prune off those players who aren't in a good position this year.

4. Pyatt -- check, Cowan -- check, Pettinger -- check...

Don't be a homer. It's hard, but sometimes it just makes sense to pass over players from your team and to pick someone from a hated rival. Hm... Jarome Iginla or Danny Sedin? As much as I'd love to win my pool with a team brimming with Canucks, it's not likely to happen. Swallow that pride, and pick to win.

Having used these guidelines for my pool picks this year, I fully expect to win.

Yeah, right.

28

28

Brian Noonan. Wade Brookbank. Joey Kocur. Dave Capuano.

These players and others all wore the number 28 on their jerseys as Vancouver Canucks, but I doubt any of them wore it more proudly than the one who wore it most recently: the late Luc Bourdon.

I didn't own any team jerseys when I was a kid. But when playing hockey in the street out in front of my house or in the schoolyard, I often imagined myself running around with the number of a favourite player on my back. Sometimes it was Thomas Gradin's #23, sometimes Don Lever's #9, and of course Ab DeMarco's #4. I even imagined the little metal men on my table hockey set having proper team jerseys, with their names and numbers in the right places.

It's kind of weird; in real life, nobody wants to be "just a number". On the other hand, in sports, there's such a strong association between a number and the player who wears it. One of the ultimate honours for a player is to have his number retired; along with his name, his number is given a special place in team history.

With that in mind, I'd like to make a suggestion for a simple way to honour Luc Bourdon's memory. If you're reading this blog, you're probably a contributor to one of the many online forums that revolve around sports, hockey, and specifically the Canucks. My suggestion is that you and I end each of our forum posts with the number "28", up until the end of the first month of the season.

I realize that those who were close to Luc Bourdon will probably never read this blog, nor the forums that I'm talking about. I also realize that there are many other vastly more significant ways that we could remember Luc's life: making a contribution to a charity, being an advocate for motorcycle safety, or even just living life with a greater appreciation for how fleeting it can be. However, this is a simple act we can all perform, and if we do it together it will be a way that we can collectively express our respect for Luc and our sympathies for his loved ones.

A trivial action? Maybe. But it's something, and each time you type that number, perhaps you will take a moment to remember a life that ended far too soon.

28.

Mike Gillis -- for Best Director?

Whatever the month of the year, it's always hockey season in Vancouver. Even in the midst of a 30-plus degree heat wave, there's no lack of discussion about the Canucks -- what the line-up will be in the fall, which UFAs are still available, which teams might have the missing pieces we can get in a trade... it's all on the table. On the other hand, summertime is also traditionally blockbuster movie season, and so that got me thinking:

Which movie characters should Canuck GM Mike Gillis have thought about signing this off-season?

Here are some suggestions for some players I think would look great on the Canuck roster.

1. Batman from the Christopher Nolan pair of movies, enforcer. The guy knows all sorts of martial arts, and even trained on ice in the first movie. He can take a ton of punishment and get up unhurt every time. If any of us like a little fight in our players, then, well, we're gonna love him. I considered the Joker from The Dark Knight as well, but I think he'd be uncoachable and take too many undisciplined penalties.

2. Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, sniper. Here's someone who in his youth could bulls-eye womp rats in his T-16 back home. He's always shown uncanny accuracy with his shooting. His main downside would be that he's a bit of a whiner -- hopefully coach Vigneault won't interfere with Luke's trips to pick up power converters. Yoda would be good, too. His wisdom and experience could replace what we've lost in Linden's and Naslund's departures. He's pretty quick and agile for an older veteran.

3. Neo from the Matrix trilogy, PK specialist. He's amazing in outnumbered situations -- just ask Agent Smith(s). Neo also has great speed; the game seems to slow right down for him.

4. Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, agitator. With all due respect to Alex Burrows, Gollum would be the ultimate pest. Send him into the corner after the puck ("my preciousssss..."), and he will show you just what is meant by tenacious forechecking. He knows how to talk smack ("stupid fat hobbit" could be appropriate for any number of players in the NHL), and is willing to back it up with his fists if necessary. He'd have to tone down the biting thing, but on the other hand it could be helpful to have that nasty reputation. Legolas Greenleaf might be worth pursuing for an offensive upgrade, too. The man, er, elf has a deadly accurate shot and is very reliable defensively.

5. Superman from -- wait a minute, we already have Luongo locked up for the next two years.

I think Gillis would do well to pull the Sundin offer off the table and get these guys instead. Since none have played in the NHL before, he could get away with just giving them the max on entry-level contracts. He might face trouble when it becomes time to re-up, but I think the Canucks would be legitimate Cup contenders in the meantime.

That's not too much of a fantasy, is it?

The Amazing Linden-Man

"Here's the thing on men, I'm gonna give it to you now. All men think of themselves as kind of low-level super-heroes... in their own environment. When men are growing up and they're reading about Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, these aren't fantasies. These are options. This is the way men really look at their own lives. I'm not even supposed to be telling you this." -- Jerry Seinfeld, "I'm Telling You Again for the Last Time".

Jerry got it right. In his cynical and yet piercingly perceptive way, Jerry Seinfeld nailed what it is about superheroes that makes them so compelling for men. When we're just boys, we look at a character like Spider-Man and say to ourselves, "I can be just like him!".

The thing is, boys grow up. Well, at least of some of us do, but what I mean to say is this -- eventually we get to that point in our life where we come to realize we're not going to be superheroes. We come to see those fantasies for what they are.

There also comes a similar point for most of us -- and it's a very sad point, I'd like to add -- where we come to understand that we'll probably never become the sports heroes we thought we might be, either. When I hit 30 years of age I realized that I'd probably never play centre for the Canucks, throw a football for the B.C. Lions, or hit the winning home run in the World Series. All those things I imagined myself doing when I was in Grade 6, now forever out of reach.

So where does Trevor Linden fit into the picture? Let me explain.

Of all the Canucks I've admired, I feel like Linden has been the only one who I'd consider calling a Canuck "superhero". Not at all because of his hockey skills -- I mean, would you pick Trevor instead of any of these guys?

• Pavel Bure for speed.
• Markus Naslund and Geoff Courtnall for their wrist shots.
• Sami Salo for his slap shot.
• Ability to play off the body down low? Todd Bertuzzi.
• Playmaking ability? Cliff Ronning and Henrik Sedin.
• Goaltending? Duh.

If you're honest, you'll have to acknowledge that Trevor's been outdone not only in these areas, but in many hockey skill areas by different players who have worn the stick-in-rink, double-vee, downhill skate or whale on their chests.

So why the superhero status?

Well, Linden's made his career by being a "gamer". Even in his junior days, he made his mark by his effort and will on the ice more than through his raw talent. As a Canuck, he's probably most remembered for how he pushed himself through injury and exhaustion to lead the Canucks to the brink of winning the NHL's ultimate prize in the spring of 1994. In the last years of his career, we came to know him as Mr. Clutch -- the guy who you'd put on to score in the shootout, to protect the lead in the last few seconds of the third period, to score a goal to keep the team's playoff hopes alive. In short, it's been his will to compete and his character on the ice that have impressed. He's been heroic.

Even more impressive to me has been work in the community. Canuck Place, B.C. Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Canucks for Kids -- these are just some of the causes towards which Linden has donated his time, energy, money and heart. Trevor has set the bar of community involvement for professional athletes very high -- super-high, in fact.

You could say Trevor Linden has been a superhero.

And here is the point of this article: Trevor Linden excelled as a Canuck in ways that I can honestly see myself excelling, in ways that I want to see myself excelling -- in life, not just in sport. I'll never skate like Bure, but I can give to my community. I'll never shoot a puck like Nazzy, but I can serve the underprivileged. I'll never score an overtime goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals (sigh), but I can pour out my life for my team -- my family. And though I'll never have Linden's platform from which to demonstrate my dedication to leading or serving others, I can still make an impact where I am. You can too.

So, just like Jerry Seinfeld said, we can look at a guy like Trevor Linden and imagine that living his life isn't a fantasy -- it's an option.

You're not Peter Parker.

You're the Amazing Linden-Man.

Do the Canucks need more swedes?

Mats Sundin?

As a kid first learning about the NHL, it never occurred to me that there could be players in the league from other parts of the world. At that time, a "foreign player" would have been one of those Canadians with a fancy French name like Jocelyn Guevremont, Andre Boudrias, Rosaire Paiement or even Bobby Lalonde.

Watching and listening to more hockey, I soon found out that there were some highly skilled players from places like the Soviet Union and other places in Europe, and some of them were even in the NHL. Hockey Night in Canada had me convinced that Sweden, especially, was one of those countries where the players were so talented all your team needed was one Swede and you'd be winning the Stanley Cup in no time. Börje Salming and Inge Hammarström were proof of that, weren't they?

When the Canucks started to sign Swedish players like Thomas Gradin, Patrik Sundstrom and Lars Lindgren, I became certain that meant we'd be seeing the Cup in Vancouver soon. It didn't matter who you were as long as you were Swedish -- Lars Molin was going to do it for us!

I'm a bit less certain these days that Swedes are the answer. Oh, I'm glad that Markus Naslund played as well for the Canucks as he did, I think the Sedins will be remembered as two of the best Canuck talents of all time and I also believe that Alex Edler will have a very good career as a defenseman, but I just don't think that adding more Swedes is the answer.

Adding more swedes, though -- how about that?

A few years ago, I overheard some English relatives of mine talking about swedes as if they were food. I knew they weren't cannibals, so I had to find out what they meant. It turns out that swede is the name that folks in the U.K. use to refer to rutabagas. You know, those big whitish turnip-type root vegetables that give children food nightmares. Looking on Wikipedia reveals that:

1. In the U.K., before pumpkins were commonly available, swedes used to be carved out for jack o'lanterns.
2. In continental Europe during World War I, swedes gained a reputation as the food you'd eat only if you had nothing else left to eat.
3. A curling championship is held annually in the U.S. where swedes are used as curling rocks.
4. In the Scots language, swedes are called "neeps". I love that word!
5. Ingesting too many swedes can lower your thyroid activity, which can make you lethargic and depressed.

So then! Now that you are a bit more educated about swedes, let me ask you this: how much do you really want to see Mats Sundin in a Canucks uniform?

The Ryan Smyth Song

One of the places I spend a lot of time is on the Canucks Forum hosted at sportsnet.ca. There's already enough impassioned expression there, so what I enjoy adding are posts that will hopefully make people chuckle a bit. One of the ways I have done that is by posting hockey-themed parody lyrics of popular songs.

Here's some lyrics I wrote around the trade deadline in February 2007, when Edmonton's Ryan Smyth was traded to the New York Islanders and subsequently gave an emotional news conference. The trade coincided with the date of Mark Messier's jersey retirement in Edmonton where Messier skated around the rink holding the Stanley Cup, much to the chagrin of many hockey fans. The chagrin was amplified in sportsnet.ca's quarters, as one of Sportsnet's pro-Oiler bloggers nicknamed "Big Dude" had recently railed against the practice of players showing off the Cup when they were not the current NHL champions.

Of course, the Oilers had suffered losing in the Cup finals the year before and also suffered losing Chris Pronger to his demanded trade in the summer of '06.

Enjoy.


The Ryan Smyth Song
(to the tune of American Pie)

A long, long time ago...I can still remember
How Ninety-Four used to make me smile.
And I knew if they had their chance
The Oil could make those people dance
And, maybe they’d be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about the trade deadline,
But something touched me deep inside
The day The Mullet died.

So bye-bye, to this year's playoff drive.
Don't have Pronger any longer,
Or that Mike Peca guy.
Now them roughneck boys are drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?
"Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?"

Did you think we'd go all the way,
After watching Rollie play,
In the playoffs of last year?
Did you believe in Marc-Andre,
Was Pisani worth that extra pay,
And were the Oilers this year's team to fear?

Well, I know you love that long hairstyle
You've had that 'do for quite a while,
He made those goalies fret
By banging and crashing the net.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a red, red neck and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day The Mullet died.

I started singin’,
"Bye-bye" to this year's playoff drive.
Don't have Pronger any longer,
Or that Mike Peca guy.
Now us roughneck boys are drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?
"Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?"

For seventeen years we’ve had no Cup
And very, very, very little drafting luck
But that’s not how it used to be.
Then Messier came to have his number hung
In an old-time jersey with his praises sung
In a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while Big Dude was looking down,
The Cup was lifted and skated 'round,
Other fans were amused to see
Such blatant hypocrisy.

And while the Moose was shedding tears,
GM Lowe was avoiding jeers
By cowering underneath the arena tiers,
The day The Mullet died.

We were singing,
"Bye-bye", to this year's playoff drive.
Don't have Pronger any longer,
Or that Mike Peca guy.
Now us roughneck boys are drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?
"Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?"

I thought we'd get a D-man from the Blues
For some happy deadline news,
But that chance just upped and went away.
I went down to the Rexall rink
Where I hoped to see a team that didn't stink
But a fan there said Smytty wouldn't play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
MacT's boys were broken.
Now's there's guys I want to roast:
The owners, the coach, but KLowe most;
Now the Cup's headed for the coast (!)
Now The Mullet's died.

And they were singing,
"Bye-bye", to this year's playoff drive.
Don't have Pronger any longer,
Or that Mike Peca guy.
Now them roughneck boys are drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?
"Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?"

They were singing,
"Bye-bye", to this year's playoff drive.
Don't have Pronger any longer,
Or that Mike Peca guy.
Now them roughneck boys are drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "Did you see that Ryan Smyth cry?"

Who am I, what is this, and why is this?

I'm a big-time fan of the Vancouver Canucks.

Really.

Don't be sorry for me, though.

Over the years, I've seen them at their best, at their worst, and everywhere in between. I've been elated when they've won and depressed when they've lost. I've been excited at their potential and frustrated at their mediocrity.

As I've grown older, I've come to realize I'm not as fanatical as I used to be. Don't get me wrong - I'm still a big fan, and from time to time I still get overly worked up about how they do, but life doesn't begin and end with each game. I've also come to realize, however, that there are a lot of other fans out there who are more fanatical than I ever was. You can find those fans all over the web.

Here, I'm going to try to build something different. A blog for Canucks fans who are ardent, but just more moderate. Where humour, objectivity and patience will hopefully rule, and hair-pulling, ranting and raving will hopefully be kept to a minimum.

Let's see how long this lasts!