Same Old Canucks

For 82 games, the Vancouver Canucks tried to prove to the hockey world they'd learned their lessons and had changed their ways.

Then, in the first game of the playoffs, the Canucks went out and seemed to prove only they're the same diving, head-snapping crew that collapsed against the Boston Bruins last spring and made them a detested hockey club in much of Canada and the hockey industry.

Indeed, after a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on the opening night of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Kings' official Twitter feed @LAKings seemed to rub it in and seize upon Vancouver's reputation by tweeting, "To everyone in Canada outside of B.C., you're welcome."

Nasty, and probably unwise bulletin board material.

But also true.

Vancouver's lousy performance was the biggest and boldest headline of the opening night of these playoffs, although a couple of other stories were noteworthy:

--The Pittsburgh Penguins blew a 3-0 lead and lost to Philly in OT 4-3 on a misplay by star defenceman Kris Letang. Key to the Flyer comeback was a badly blown, missed offside play that result in Philly's first goal and started the comeback.

--Daniel Sedin wasn't available to the Canucks, adding a new layer of controversy to the late-season hit by Chicago's Duncan Keith that ended Sedin's regular season and now is compromising his post-season. Keith received only a five-game suspension, returned to the Blackhawks lineup before the season was over and will be in the lineup when Chicago opens the playoffs in Phoenix.

NHL hanging judge Brendan Shanahan was way too lenient on Keith's cheapshot,and now the league is looking bad while Sedin deals with the very concussion issues the Bettman administration claims it is trying to deal with aggressively.

--There was an ugly moment at the end of Nashville's taut 3-2 series-opening win over Detroit. Predators defenceman Shea Weber, feeling he'd been illegally hit by Henrik Zetterburg, first punched Zetterberg in the back of the helmet then grabbed the Red Wing star and smashed his head into the glass.

With the NHL having backed off on tough supplementary discipline calls in recent months, few expect Weber to receive any extra penalty.

In sum, three games on opening night and lots of controversy and bad feelings all around. Good start to the second season.

In Vancouver, the Canucks dropped their fifth playoff game in their last six outings, and second straight on home ice, dating back to the Cup final against Boston.

Led by Mike Richards, the Kings pounded on the Western Conference winning Canucks and outplayed them by a wide margin. Vancouver, meanwhile, took a host of bad penalities, including a five-minute hitting-from-behind foul on winger Byron Bitz in the tradition of ex-Canuck Raffi Torres that knocked Kyle Clifford out of the game and could receive further scrutiny from league officials.

It was a night when the Canucks seemed to get back into the cheap histrionics that made them so disliked throughout the hockey industry last spring and led to their downfall. Ryan Kesler, as usual, led the way with some embarrassing dramatics, first getting away with an interference call on L.A. goalie Jonathan Quick on Vancouver's first goal, a play Kesler sold to the officials with one of his patented head snaps for effect.

The refs seemed to understand they'd missed one, and shortly thereafter Kesler was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for snowing Quick in his crease. Purely bush league stuff, the kind of things the Canucks weren't supposed to be doing anymore.

Later in the game, Kesler faked an elaborate tumble in the neutral zone that the officials ignored, then stuck his stick in Jarret Stoll's privates after the whistle.

No one seems to know why such a talented player gets involved in such nonsense, but Kesler made a strong statement on opening night that he intends to continue to try and get away with the same garbage that didn't work last spring against the Bruins. By the third, Alex Burrows and Henrik Sedin were diving again to try and draw penalties. The Kings, meanwhile, just played through it, with Richards delivering the punctuation mark on the night with a devastating open ice hit on Burrows.

Dustin Penner, he of the pancake injury, potted the winner late in the third to snap a 2-2 tie.

For Vancouver, all those penalties and all that nonsense was a big surprise. Unless the Canucks knock it off and fast, this could be a brief Stanley Cup playoff appearance rather than the beginning of another long spring run.

 

 

Comments

[Someone who knows Hockey]

Wow... that's all I have to say... wow... not about the article, which was expertly crafted, but about the comments from Canucks supporters. The thing with the world is, you reap what you sow. It is not the fact that there were not infractions on both sides missed (remember, this is the playoffs and many whistles get put away) nor the fact that each team had a few cheap shots put in but the fact of HOW the Canucks play the game of hockey. This is Canada, Hockey is Canada's game, it is as near to religion as NASCAR is to the southern folks in the US. In Canada, when WE play hockey, WE do not dive. WE do not FAKE injuries. WE do not run over the goaltender on purpose regardless of where he is on the ice (unless he's asking for it of course). WE do not purposely snow the goalie in a vain attempt to throw him off his game unless he is absolutely stealing the show and we need to try and make a comeback (even then any goalie worth his salt will shrug it off or get even on his own ala Roloson) WE do not, absolutely DO NOT jam a guy in the jewels with our stick for no reason whatsoever, cup checks are reserved for goaltenders and only to be used as a last resort. WE play the game hard, but WE also play the game with integrity. The reason that the Canucks are so hated is that they do all of the above things and DO NOT play the game with any shred of integrity. If I were a Canucks fan I'd remember what Kessler had to say about Canada during the Olympics before I blindly supported him or any other member of that team. Kings in 5

[Nixon]

Not at all a canucks fan and would be happy to see them swept by LA. That said I was disappointed to see them without Sedin last night. Even more so considering that Keith will be in action tonight. The hit he laid on Sedin was a deliberate elbow to the head at a time when contact was not warranted. Furthermore, it was one which, judging from the play itself and earlier circumstances, was at best reckless and at worst made with the intent to injure. The result: one of the best players in the game is on the sidelines during the playoffs with a concussion. I felt that only 5 games was a let down at the time and one which is now becoming more and more embarrassing by the day. It is these situations which reinforce my support for fighting in the game as I would much rather see a fight to settle an earlier beef than a deliberate blind side head shot. I hope he's back soon.

[Jordan]

@Mudder
“We have faith” if you took the time to watch the video was comedic video about how Vancouver fans expect the world from their team. Judging by, “Clearly we have another Canucks fan that has his head in the sand,” you failed to watch the video.

@Gord Hiller
I don’t think everyone hates the Canucks because they are from Vancouver. Nor did I say that, I simply stated that it is misleading to accuse the team of plotting out their dives like synchronized swim team. I also acknowledge the Canucks have many faults. The point I was trying to get across is that it was one game. I reiterated this with bringing up the Bruins of last year. Also, you calling Ryan Kesler a disgrace to the game of hockey is a highly contestable statement. Did he embellish calls, definitely, did the whole Canucks roster decide collectively to do so, not a chance.

@Cheech
“The most hated team in sports”
While hovering around 400 consecutive sellouts and the Stanley Cup finals last year bringing in the best TV ratings in nearly 40 years, you may have a slightly inaccurate statement there. You may hate them more than any other team, and that is fine.

@O’Mailey
Yes, and in my first comment I tried to establish some tangible arguing points. People can cheer for whatever team they please, I was just stating off the get go that there is a large bias in this article.

@Chris
Please formulate an argument.

Guys, dirty play happens on both sides of the ice regardless of what two NHL teams are playing. The point I am making is that the Stanley Cup playoffs will not be decided in the first game of the series as this article makes it out be. I am also stating that there is a clear bias within this piece, which is fine (it’s a blog). Therefore there will obviously be a bias in my response as well. Vancouver was the 8th most penalized team in hockey last season. A place that no team should aspire to be in, though LA was the 6th most penalized team. Other playoff teams such as Philly and Ottawa ranked even higher. So before we can say which is team is dirtier, look to stats. It was one game!!! Over the course of the year the LA kings took more penalties which ostensibly make’s them the dirtier team going by the stats.

[Conn Smythe]

'I don't care if Damienne is a leafs fan or not, he's serving leafs fans. How stuoid are you people.
I hope this article of journalistic drizzle makes the leafs fans feel better about themselves.' 'But still, we all know here in BC that you Eastern folks are jealous of everything we have here in Vancouver, including our hockey team. A few minor flaws in an otherwise great team exposes this undeniable, but naked fact.' Yup, Damien is secretly cheering for the Leafs, insanely jealous of BC, the Canucks and everything else. What are you people in BC smoking?