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Next Canucks coach? Five candidates worth considering (+ poll)

Posted on May 22, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis said Wednesday he would need a few days to “clear his head” before he began his search for a new head coach. Presumably he has a couple swirling through that head, some with NHL experience and some without.

Here are five that might be on his list (when he starts compiling it, of course):

• DALLAS EAKINS: Currently coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs' American League affiliate, Eakins seems to be the flavour of the month in the up-and-comer category. (See previous up-and-comers like Jon Cooper and, before him, Guy Boucher.) Eakins, 46, was a journeyman defenceman who spent the 2003-04 season in the Canucks system playing for the Manitoba Moose. He was an NHL assistant for two years and has been Marlies' head coach the last four. He guided the Marlies to the American Hockey League final last season and was ousted in the second round in this year's playoffs.

• LINDY RUFF: The...

Canucks ‘didn’t get the results we expected,’ fire coach Alain Vigneault

Posted on May 22, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — Citing time and again that the National Hockey League is all about winning, Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis announced Wednesday that he had punted head coach Alain Vigneault and two of his assistants, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown.

Vigneault, the most successful coach in Canucks history, was judged heavily on the last two playoff rounds in which the team went out in five games to the Los Angeles Kings and then four straight to the San Jose Sharks

Simply not good enough, stated Gillis.

“We're in a results-oriented business and if you look at the last two playoffs we've been in, we were the higher-seeded team that lost the first two games at home,” Gillis explained during a news conference at Rogers Arena. “We've lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better. We didn't get the results we...

Alain Vigneault’s Canucks timeline, 2006-13

Posted on May 22, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

Alain Vigneault’s Canucks timeline, 2006-13

Alain Vigneault, the most successful head coach in Vancouver Canucks history, has had a sometimes turbulent tenure in seven seasons as the NHL team’s bench boss.

Here are the highlights:

June 20, 2006 – Hired by general manager Dave Nonis to succeed Marc Crawford.

Oct. 5, 2006 – Wins first game behind Canuck bench, 3-1 in Detroit on goals by Markus Naslund, Trevor Linden and Sami Salo.

April 8, 2007 – Captures first of six Northwest Division titles as team finishes with 49-26-7 record, the 105 points a franchise record.

April 23, 2007 – Wins first playoff series, beating Dallas in seven games after nearly squandering 3-1 series lead.

June 14, 2007 – Wins Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year.

April 8, 2008 – Misses playoffs for first and only time in his seven years as Canucks crumble in stretch, losing seven of last eight.

April 11, 2009 – Wins last three games of season to capture second Northwest...

Utica mayor would welcome Canucks

Posted on May 21, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER - The mayor of Utica, N.Y., is bullish on having the Vancouver Canucks operate their American Hockey League franchise in his city and is fairly confident the team will be well supported if the franchise does indeed land there.

“Utica definitely has hockey in its blood,” mayor Robert Palmieri said Tuesday in a phone interview. “Utica is a hockey town and it's been that way for years and years and years. I think, quite frankly, bringing in another AHL team makes a tremendous amount of sense. I think Vancouver and Utica would be just a perfect marriage for great hockey in this area.

“I'm very optimistic. We are a city on the rise and I think there is a lot of interest in hockey. Behind the scenes, we've been working diligently for multiple months and I'm very encouraged. I think it would be outstanding for civic pride for Utica to have another AHL team.”

Utica, in upstate New York, has...

Canucks face killer cap crunch in reset mode

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — It’s not a rebuild or a reload for the Vancouver Canucks, it's a reset.

Whatever the term — and reset is kind of a catchy one, don't you think? — general manager Mike Gillis has some work to do in massaging the Canucks’ lineup. And it's going to be all about money.

The Canucks have been a spend-to-the-cap team under Gillis, but that cap is coming down significantly in the 2013-14 season due to the lockout that squandered millions in NHL revenues. Gillis will have to shed at least $6 million in salary to stay within the new $64.3-million limit.

The Canucks currently have 16 players under contract for 2013-14 at a total cost of $63,502,777. This includes out-going netminder Roberto Luongo (we think, finally) and out-of-favour defenceman Keith Ballard, which would remove more than $9.5 million of cap space.

The 16 players are broken down into two goalies, six defencemen and eight forwards, certainly not enough to ice a...

Canucks notebook: Mason Raymond will ‘sit back and wait’

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — If the Vancouver Canucks intend to become more robust up front next season, then slender left winger Mason Raymond likely won't be part of the new look.

General manager Mike Gillis admitted Thursday he wasn't certain – “I'm not sure,” he said – whether Raymond fits into his re-set plan. Raymond's contract is up and he stands to become an unrestricted free agent July 5. He collected 10 goals in 46 regular-season games and added another one in the playoffs.

Raymond, 6-0 and 182 pounds, conceded there have been no talks about an extension.

“No, as of right now, there haven't been any that I'm aware of,” Raymond said as the Canuck players did a final media session before heading to their off-season homes. “Things change and you never know what's going to happen. At the end of the day, you kind of sit back and wait.”

Raymond is a lifelong Canuck. He was drafted by the organization 51st overall...

Canucks star Henrik Sedin sticks up for coach Alain Vigneault, expects changes

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — Canucks captain Henrik Sedin conceded Thursday he expects changes to the team after a second straight quick playoff ouster. But what kind of changes? A new coach? Some new core players?

Henrik proved he can stickhandle through an exit media scrum as well he stickhandles through an opponent's zone coverage.

“I think if things aren't going well for a few years or a few seasons, there are going to be changes,” said the captain, standing in a hallway at Rogers Arena. “I don't know what you mean by big changes but there are going to be some, I'm sure, whatever that is. I know our owners and our management aren't happy being an average team. It's not up to me to make those changes so I can't tell you what they want to do. We'll see what happens.”

The most likely change will be behind the bench where head coach Alain Vigneault is on extremely thin ice after the...

Game Within Game: Words come back to haunt Canucks against Sharks

Posted on May 7, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

THREE STARS

ONE – Joe Thornton, Sharks. Set up series winner. Finished with three assists, four shots and 13-for-23 on faceoffs.

TWO – Joe Pavelski, Sharks. Two goals, nine shots, two blocked shots, 10-for-18 on the draw.

THREE – Alex Burrows, Canucks. One goal, one assist, three shots, plus-1.

PIVOTAL POINT – With the Canucks leading 3-2 in the third period and trying to protect their slim advantage, Kevin Bieksa shoved Tommy Wingels into the boards and drew a cross checking penalty. The Canucks lost the subsequent draw, the Sharks pressured, Cory Schneider coughed up a rebound on Joe Thornton's wrister, Logan Couture poked the loose puck over to Joe Pavelski, who roofed the tying goal with 4:27 left in the third. Patrick Marleau then put the Canucks away for good in overtime as Schneider couldn't handle another Thornton shot.

BY THE NUMBERS – Canuck coach Alain Vigneault's playoff record behind the Canuck bench fell to 33-35 and 2-12 in his last 14...

Canucks captain Henrik Sedin says reeling team still believes in itself, even if no one else does

Posted on May 4, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER – As captain of a sinking Vancouver Canucks' ship, Henrik Sedin attempted to find silver linings Saturday but even he admitted it was difficult after Friday night's devastating 3-2 overtime defeat to the San Jose Sharks.

“Absolutely, it was one of the toughest losses in a while,” Henrik said at Vancouver International Airport before the team flew out to San Jose. “We played a great game and they scored late and again in overtime. Being down 2-0 is a lot tougher than being tied 1-1. But I think you wake up today and you look forward to the game tomorrow.”

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series goes Sunday night at The Shark Tank. The puck drops just after 7 p.m. (TSN, Team 1040).

The odds are greatly against Canucks as teams losing the first two games in a best-of-seven have come back to win just 14 per cent of the time. Not many believe this edition of the Canucks...

Canucks Game Day: Vancouver seeks to square series with Sharks in ‘very important’ game (with video)

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER – In NHL playoff history, the team that has won the first game in a best-of-seven series has continued on to win that series 68.3 per cent of the time. So the Vancouver Canucks are already on the wrong side of the odds heading into Game 2 against the San Jose Sharks.

You can imagine how those odds will lengthen if they take another pratfall tonight.

“Obviously you don't want to go down 2-0 and have all the momentum going to them going back to their home ice,” Canuck defenceman Kevin Bieksa said today, understating matters. “But if you win the second game, it's funny how the momentum swings in the playoffs. All of the sudden, we've got a little momentum going to play them on their home soil. So there is going to be a lot of emphasis on tonight's game.

“I don't like using the phrase 'must-win' but it is a very important game.”

Based on this morning's on-ice...

Canucks seek to square series with Sharks in ‘very important’ game (with video)

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

You can imagine how those odds will lengthen if they take another pratfall tonight.

“I don't like using the phrase 'must-win' but it is a very important game.”

Based on this morning's on-ice...

Canucks seeking to square series with Sharks in ‘very important’ game

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

You can imagine how those odds will lengthen if they take another pratfall tonight.

“I don't like using the phrase 'must-win' but it is a very important game.”

Based on this morning's on-ice...

Canucks to start Roberto Luongo in Game 2 vs. Sharks; lines get a shakeup

Posted on May 2, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — There was no need Thursday to wait for an announcement on the Vancouver Canucks' starting netminder for Game 2 Friday of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

When Cory Schneider failed to appear for a full team practice, and minor-league goalie Joe Cannata did, it quickly became evident that Roberto Luongo would again be the man for Game 2 against the San Jose Sharks (7 p.m., TSN, Team 1040). The Canucks trail the best-of-seven series 1-0 after dropping Wednesday's curtain-raiser 3-1.

The question now, of course, is whether Schneider will be back at all in the series. It seems apparent he has suffered some sort of his setback to his mysterious “body” injury — is it a groin? — after skating for four days and practising with the team for three.

“You can interpret what you want at this time,” Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault stated cryptically. “Cory is day-to-day.”

Luongo, who is either sworn to secrecy or truly doesn't know, had...

Luongo to start Game 1 as Schneider ‘not healthy enough’ to face Sharks

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER - A routine morning skate for the Vancouver Canucks turned into another circus when Roberto Luongo came off the ice ahead of No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider and revealed he would be starting Game 1 tonight against the San Jose Sharks.

Schneider has been nursing an undisclosed “body injury” but skated on his own Sunday and then practised with the full team both Monday and Tuesday. He was also the first netminder on the ice for today's morning skate.

“Schneids is just not healthy enough right now,” said Canuck head coach Alain Vigneault. “We had an idea Tuesday and we told Louie before he left to be ready. This morning, when we talked to Schneids before practice, it was a pretty easy decision. I don't think for our group that having Roberto in goal is a concern. He's a pretty good goalie. He's been through a lot of battles and played some really solid hockey for us. ”

Joe Cannata,...