Dear Alexander Ovechkin,

As you may or may not know, I’m a fan of the game of hockey. It’s been a while since your now fabled 50th goal celebration happened, so let’s get a refresher for those who are unaware.

I know what you did caused a big stir within the media, calling your celebration to contrived or premeditated. It was “unnecessary showboating” and “gave a bad image to the game”, and I have to completely disagree.

In the realm of professional sports, you are meant to entertain us. We pay money and dedicate time to give our attention to something we enjoy, and very little of what you do changes or affects the overall history of the world. Sure, you might be the root cause of riots, but the world goes on with or without much thought about what happens in the realm of sport. That’s not to say that sport doesn’t have its place in terms of passion and entertainment, but the point is that you can let this all get you down.

I, for one, want you to be yourself. Forget what the media is saying and keep being your celebratory self where you jump up and down, play up to the crowd, and generally make the fans in Washington D.C. (and fans of the NHL for that matter) love to watch you play. As long as you keep that ego in check and keep making it fun to watch you play, keep doing what you’re doing.

As a fan who is the major part in keeping any professional sports league running, this is all I ask.

The time got a little bit away from me last night, but I was able to enjoy most of Earth Hour 2009. Since Rebecca was out covering the Juno Gala Awards Dinner at the Westin Bayshore, I had a hard time tracking down candles so I wouldn’t have to be in complete darkness.

And once I had that all setup, I wanted to grab a shot from the Numinous.ca Vancouver Webcam of what downtown looked like in the midst of Earth Hour itself. Of course, I shutdown my computer just after that.

Photo credit: numinous.ca

Interestingly enough, I found a shot in the numinous.ca archives from March 24th from nearly the same time, so it’s a really neat way to see the different from a normal night in downtown Vancouver compared to the buildings that participated in Earth Hour this year.

Photo credit: numinous.ca

Just taking a glance at some new headlines today, I found it pretty crazy how even the NHL took steps to participate in Earth Hour as well.

In Nashville, a tilt between the Predators and the Los Angeles Kings was originally scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET, but since both cities are very active in the Earth Hour festivities, the teams moved the game up to 5 p.m. so it doesn’t conflict with the blackout hour. [cbcsports]

Certainly read the rest of the article because they did more than just reschedule a hockey game.

If you missed out on Earth Hour this year, you can always look forward to next year, but it’s never a bad time to start thinking about energy conservation sooner rather than waiting until then.

There is so much about this commercial that gets me excited and gives me goosebumps all at the same time. Also makes me shed a tear for the late, great Harry Caray[wiki].

As much as I have come to despise the Red Wings, I’m totally pulling for the hometown team in this one. Outdoor game at Wrigley Field in the Windy City? How can you not cheer for the Blackhawks? Of course, I spent years searching for a team to capture my attention in the NHL, and all the years I spent growing up in the Midwest, Chicago never did it for me.

At least until now because everyone in Chicago should rejoice in the resurgence of that team. They are chalk full of some amazing, young talent, captained by a youngster from and the pride of New Westminster, B.C. (which we often pass through on a regular basis), Jonathon Toews. Additionally, WGN acquired the broadcast rights for both TV and radio beginning this year, so that really puts a lot in place to bring the Hawks back into the hearts of Chicago.

In my opinion, this is the best thing that could have happened to the Blackhawks franchise. As many folks in the area can tell you, the bigger task is to put the team back into the mindset of the city where the MLS Chicago Fire ranks higher in popularity than its original six NHL team, at least as of a year ago.

Kudos to Michael DiLorenzo on Twitter for sharing this one.

I have never been close enough to the Stanley Cup to really even see it prior to today. The one day I go to work without my camera, it decides to roll through the front door at work and pay the place a visit. In a mad scramble, I was able to snag a pic with it via cellphone, not to mention the opportunity to touch it as well as take a good look at it.

The one thing that struck me was how scratched it is. That’s not surprising, and I think it’s a lot like seeing people on TV and them not looking the same as they are in real life. It’s been through a lot, not to mention that its century old lifespan lends to have a little bit of wear and tear to it.

The cup was in town tonight for the Vancouver Giants home game where they honored legends of the NHL. The Giants even dawned the jerseys of the last team to win the Stanley Cup in this city, the Vancouver Millionaires[wiki] in 1915.

Back then, all you had to do was be a proven team and issue a challenge to the reigning holders of the title. A far cry from the 82 game regular season and playoffs consisting of four rounds, best of seven series. This point was only driven further into my head when I got home tonight to turn on “Hockey: A People’s History“[wiki] on television. A must see for any hockey fan.

Alas, one day, Vancouver’s name shall appear on this cup once more as champions.

It was a nice surprise earlier this week to see how the Canucks organization was going to use some of the promotional photographs that they took of The Crazy Canucks crew that I mentioned previously, but I’m not sure that we were expecting to be apart of the launch for the Canucks Fan Zone.

A place for all Canucks fans to gather and share their love for the team. That’s pretty cool, but I’m still wondering if the possibility remains of see my face on the side of a bus or on a SkyTrain poster. Scary still, my face on the jumbotron in GM Place.

Flickr video is thanks to Rebecca.

As cool as the weather has been in the lower mainland in the past week or so, it makes me think about one thing: the coming 2008-2009 hockey season for the Vancouver Canucks.

To help get you and me both prepared for this, I figured I’d go back on some key points from the end of last season while looking ahead to this next one. Of course, these are the things that stick out the most to me, so feel free to add your comments. And if you are a Vancouver Canucks fan, you’re probably doing the same thing as me when someone asks you your opinion on what to expect come this fall. You’re probably shrugging your shoulders and saying, I’m not really sure.

The passing of Luc Bourdon

For me, this is really how last year ended. I was going through my day when news started trickling around work about this rumor. As the details came in, the air seemed to get sucked out of the building for me that morning.

If you know anything about my day job, the world of radio that I live in brings me very close to these players, and I’ve had my share of elbow rubbing with Luc Bourdon. I’m just some tech guy, so there wasn’t that much of a relationship to even speak of. That doesn’t change the elation I felt when I was there on the night the team was determined to get him his first NHL goal. I also witnessed his second one, a shot so hard that it got stuck in the back of the net. All I could think about is how much better this kid would get over the next few seasons.

To take a cue from Sean at Waiting for Stanley, this young boy would finally be able to stop throwing up in the back of his mouth and get his nerves in check to become a recognizable force from the point.

It won’t be that way, and I will certainly miss the opportunity to watch him grow into a great NHL player, yet alone becoming a man. Luc was on the cusp of a potentially great career. A young guy whose life was far too short and will be honored at the home opener on October 9th.

Luc Bourdon and his first goal in the NHL – Photo credit: Canucks.com

The GM: Out with Dave Nonis, in with Mike Gillis

Enter the next, strange focal point at the end of last season. I had often wondered about Dave Nonis[wiki] taking the fall for a string of questionable trades and signings ahead of last season (Marc Chouinard[wiki] being one guy that sticks out the most in my mind). He wasn’t the worst GM, but there have been others who have done better, especially living the shadow of Brian Burke[wiki]. It was with that, in my opinion, that he became the fall man for poor performance of the team and was given the pink slip.

Things got interesting after that. The Aquilini’s had their first, big decision to make as recent owners of the team, and many of us fans hoped that their heart would bring us something that would bring as much faith to the team to truly match the amount of sold out games at GM Place.

Enter Mike Gillis[wiki], player agent turned general manager.

It still makes me pause for a second when I ponder that selection, even this many months after it happened. It was my co-worker, the diehard Oilers fan, who told me the news, and I recall saying, “Who the hell is that?”

I don’t follow as much of the business of the NHL as others, but I was quick to learn that this was the same player agent that represented the captain of the Vancouver Canucks, at the time (and we’ll dive into this later), Markus Naslund[wiki]. He’s a former NHL player now representing NHL players to various organizations. At the press conference for his official hiring as GM, I was a little more impressed with his ambitions with the organization, but the fans haven’t seen a ton to really throw their weight behind the guy. We’ll have to come back to his performance around mid-season before we really know what this guy is going to do for us.

Trevor Linden retires

Photo credit:
Rebecca Bollwitt on Flickr

Another night that I was very fortunate to be in attendance was the final game of the season for the Canucks where Trevor Linden received numerous ovations and a huge outpouring of love for a man who has captured a city’s heart like I have never seen before.

I know that’s a cliche, but the guy is just a hockey player. Of course I know that he’s more than that, but when you break down the nuts and bolts, that’s all he was. He also donated his time to charity, but he has achieved a level of greatness that only a few other people have done in an entire lifetime. I’d bank that he’s only halfway through his own.

Once again, with the day job, I was there when he made his announcement, and it was tough to hold back the emotions. I haven’t had nearly the amount of experience to appreciate what I was witnessing, but I did have the chance to shake the man’s hand and tell him congrats on a wonderful career. That’s a moment I’ll long remember.

Update – Sep. 4, 2008: The Canucks announced today that Trevor Linden will be honored at the Dec. 17 game against Edmonton, and his number will be retired to the rafters.

So long to the West Coast Express

It’s true that the West Coast Express ended when Todd Bertuzzi was sent in a blockbuster trade to Florida for our man in the net, Roberto Luongo (so you can’t say that Nonis never made a good trade). However, when you see Brendan Morrison head off to the Anaheim Ducks and Markus Naslund making the jump to the New York Rangers, the chances of a reunion are officially done. That era is over.

When this all went down, I had to wonder if this is the worst thing to happen. The writing was on the wall, and you really can’t stop a free agent from doing what they want with their career. It’s their choice to decide what will happen with their time in the NHL when the contract is up, so these two guys decided to do something that is in their best interest. I support that but hope that their respective teams fail when it comes to any direct competition with the Canucks.

On top of that, I hope that fans who have been calling for their heads are finally happy to exist with a team minus Naslund and Morrison. Your wish has finally come true, even though Bertuzzi[wiki] is back in our conference with Calgary. That almost seems like karma, but that remains to be seen.

Gone baby gone

So who else has left the confines of GM Place?

Going through a quick list, we already know that we’ve lost Luc Bourdon, and I have already mentioned that Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund, and Brendan Morrison have departed in their own ways. Ryan Shannon was re-signed and then recently traded away to Ottawa, Byron Ritchie is off to the Swiss League, third string goalie Drew MacIntyre took the free agent train to Nashville, and the same can be said about Mike Weaver, now with St. Louis. I might have missed some others, but those are the notables to me.

That might not seem like a lot in terms of hard numbers, but the face of the team has changed dramatically.

Update – Sep. 4, 2008: Brad Isbister has also left us for Ottawa.

The next C

On the heels of mentioning the departure of Markus Naslund, that means Vancouver has an opening for the captain of the Canucks. The next two candidates for the C, Morrison and Linden, are both gone so before we get into new faces of the team, who would be the most likely person on the current roster to be the next captain?

For me, my money is on Willie Mitchell. It’s not a choice based on stats or brilliance as much as it comes down to a guy who plays his butt off. He is willing to block the shot, throw down the gloves, and argue it out with the referee on a bad call. He’s seasoned and understands what the game takes. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a B.C. native, something fans can get behind as well.

Other candidates could be Matius Ohlund, Sami Salo, or Ryan Kesler, but I’m not sure how any of those fellows fit the role as well as I think they should. Kesler is certainly a young player with a ton of potential, and I could be comfortable with him as the captain. However, Salo and Ohlund are players who don’t give me the heart and grit that I see Vancouver as in need of.

Even though my mind is pretty set on Mitchell, I can’t help but think back to the early days of Ryan Kesler when he went head to head with the captain of the Calgary Flames, Jerome Iginla. Kesler was quoted as saying that he didn’t know if the Flames’ captain fought, but he found out pretty quick when Iginla dropped his gloves within mere seconds of Kesler dropping his own. It’s pretty gutsy for a young guy to do against a veteran like that, but it makes me feel like I could survive if #17 wore the C over #3.

The Mats Sundin epic saga story of a comic strip graphic novella

When it comes down to it, I don’t care where Mats Sundin[wiki] plays. I just want this story to be over. Give us a decision and move on. All I ask is that if he signs with Vancouver, do not make him the captain.

New faces, familiar names

So what else has Gillis nabbed us to help fill in the gaps? Well, it’s not all such doom and gloom, but there are a lot of new faces coming into Vancouver.

Pavol Dimetra, Steve Bernier, Darcy Hordichuk, Kyle Wellwood, Ryan Johnson, Jason Krog, Rob Davison, Mark Cullen, and the recent addition of Lawrence Nycholat from Ottawa. Nolan Baumgartner is making his return to Vancouver as a free agent, and Curtis Sanford, Zach Fitzgerald, Mike Brown, Rick Rypien, and Nathan McIver have all be re-signed. I only mention those re-signings because of the likely-hood of seeing these guys a little more this year.

That’s a lot of new faces, but all we are asking for, as fans, is a little more scoring. That will make us and Luongo mighty happy.

Shrugging my shoulders

So what are we to expect this season? I have no idea. Even the intrepid DaveO has said that he doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. The excitement for the kickoff this October just isn’t there like it has always been, and I’m not that far behind him in saying that.

What is there to get excited about? Who are all these new guys? What will the lines look like?

On one side of the equation, there is the unknown. On the other side of it, it’s what we don’t know that will be exciting to watch unfold, but if we’re living on the cellar floor come the all-star break, life won’t be so grand.

Still, there’s a little electricity that is growing in the air as we are just a few weeks from training camp from kicking off in Whistler. There is also a lot of excitement that comes with a hockey season spent getting together with friends to catch a game at a pub, and some of the best people to do that with are my Crazy Canucks buddies. We’re gearing up for a third season of the podcast, and it’s hard to believe that we’ve made it this far.

Bring on the season. No one expected that the first year under Coach Vingeault would have seen the Canucks in the playoffs, and even that year was one of speculation at the start. Here’s hoping for another year like that.

I’ve already made mention of this before, but today it’s official. Trevor Linden[wiki] is leaving the game of hockey.

No matter how little of time I have been an avid Canucks fan, there is no way to easily say how incredible of a person Linden is. Even though the career is over, it’s not about being sad. He never won a Stanley Cup, never blew away the masses with his talent on the ice, nor did he really set any notable records that will live forever in the history of the NHL.

When it comes down to it, he’s just another guy.

That’s easier said than what he actually means to the city of Vancouver and to the legions of Canucks fans around the world. He is who he is, and if you don’t know him already, then you don’t know an amazing person.

The day job took me very close to the events as they unfolded today. Running around to help out at the press conference to having him pop in at the home base for interview with the media #131, there is something that strikes you about the guy. Deep down, he’s still the same 18 year old kid that was drafted into the NHL twenty years ago, to this exact day.

And every time I was in the same room as him, he was nothing but smiles.

It gives you some comfort to know that people like him are out there in the big dollar business of professional sports. Even though he could walk into nearly any place in Vancouver and be treated like a king, he’d still give you the time of day and directions to the nearest Tim Horton’s. Hell, today it felt like he’d even give you a lift there in his car, he’s just that awesome.

Photo credit: retrocactus on Flickr

You know, when the Canucks missed the playoffs after this season, I thought my world of being involved and/or following hockey would slow down. I thought that we would all be saying our farewell to Trevor Linden, find out who wins the cup, get some new draft picks, make some off season trades, and then get ready for the preseason with that yearly glimmer of hope.

Wow. What a bomb shell.

Actually, I take that back. I kept asking friends, co-workers, and Crazy Canuckers as to what they thought about Dave Nonis[wiki] and his job being in jeopardy as GM of the Vancouver Canucks. Something inside of me just felt uneasy about his role for a better part of the season, more so at the tail end.

My feeling about it all is that he was a good general manager of the organization. After that, you can’t say much more. Sure, there was the blockbuster trade for Roberto Luongo, but that isn’t a ton more to speak of after that. Willie Mitchell, yeah. After that, it’s been a lot of pickups and trades that were not the strongest or memorable. They were just… good or okay.

There’s not a lot to say about his activity in the last few years as being great or prolific, but he wasn’t half bad either.

Nonis had the passion and desire to be good at the job he held. There is no doubt about that. What works against him is what didn’t happen. An incredible goalie with a strong defense in front of him didn’t produce the goals, points, and playoff birth that could have kept his job.

However, this wasn’t my decision to make, nor can I say that I’m 100% in agreement. The only reason I say that I can’t be surprised is the fact that we have new ownership of this team, and this team is a business. The Aquilini’s are a business minded group of people. They are also lifelong fans. Nonis had those things working against his job, no matter how much the team he is in charge of spends on the disabled list or doesn’t produce on the ice.

Darren Barefoot mentioned to me on Twitter how Nonis should have been able to finish the last year on his contract, and I agree with that. The year after the lockout saw a lot of shuffling around the league, and we were a team built for a different game than what came about that season. The next season saw something different for this city: a real goalie. This year was a nightmare of injuries.

With his contract in mind, I think Nonis had a plan. One more year left, he can’t finish that vision that he had, and we’ll never know if that script would have played out for the better.

They say that a true test of a general manager is proven in five years. The contract gave him four, but he only got three. When I do those calculations in my head, combined with all the ups and downs of the days of Nonis, the one thing I keep coming back to is concern as a fan. Concern that we now have owners of this team who can prove themselves that much better in half the time than one man did in three. If they can do that, then I’ll be really impressed.

Zanstorm has a really great post that made me think a little bit more about my point, and I think it still stands. His break down of what Nonis did during his tenure in Vancouver is a tad mediocre in the proof, so like I said. He did… okay.