It's Time To Become Familiar With Joe Colborne
Dimitri Filipovic
November 08 2012 09:40AM
With no NHL hockey being played, Canucks fans haven't been left with too many alternatives to consume their time as these dreary Fall days drag on. Sure, there are some big names playing in the KHL - and its legitimacy is being supplemented by the wonderful highlight packages Steve Dangle and Andrey Osadchenko have been doing - but it's just not the same.
I'm sure you'd prefer to be spending your time looking for suitable trade partners for Keith Ballard on Cap Geek as he's glued to the bench, or making fun of Mason Raymond for displaying the on-ice stability of an intoxicated 16-year old girl. But both of those will have to be put on hold for the time being.
For now, fans of the team will have to settle for two particular forms of entertainment to get by: following the Chicago Wolves as the team's top prospects continue to develop, and playing armchair GM in the anticipation of the inevitable Roberto Luongo deal. We have been covering the Wolves on a regular basis thus far, providing you with game recaps for every contest to-date.
But let's focus on the other topic, which Thomas Drance has wittily coined "Strombabble". In the months since the Canucks bowed out of the playoffs, there has been no shortage of rumours floated around. Unfortunately, there has been nothing definitive and thus, there's still plenty of uncertainty. What we can agree on is that three suitors have separated themselves from the pack - the Leafs, Oilers, and Panthers.
We all know about the big names from each of those teams that we'd like to see in a Canucks uniform, but chances are that Gillis won't be able to pry any of them loose. Instead, we'll spend the next few weeks taking a look at some of the more intriguing players that may actually be available. The name Joe Colborne has popped up in recent weeks, as a potential return for Luongo. But who exactly is Joe Colborne? And should Canucks fans care?
Read Past the Jump for More.
The SYAE Podcast: Gettin' Geeky With Cam Charron
Dimitri Filipovic
November 07 2012 09:37AM
Numbers are not something that you should be afraid of. Here at Canucks Army, we pride ourselves on our ability to use underlying statistics in conjuction with the "eye test" in an attempt to most effectively understand what we're seeing on the ice. Despite what your days in high school and university may have left you believing, numbers are your friend. There's no reason to fear them.
In this edition of the podcast, Cam Charron and I discuss a medley of topics surrounding the Vancouver Canucks while dabbling in advanced stats to reinforce our point of view. We take an in-depth look at the Sedins and whether they have or haven't shown signs of decline, and potential returns for Roberto Luongo in a trade involving the Toronto Maple Leafs. We also discuss Chris Tanev and Dylan Reese, which should have been expected.
Click Past the Jump for the Podcast.
Wolves Continue To Own Ice Hogs, Win 6-3
Dimitri Filipovic
November 03 2012 01:21PM
Vengeance can be had in many forms. Sometimes it's quite obvious, but other times it can be much more subtle and understated. In this particular instance, vengeance won't truly come for Canucks fans until the Canucks and Blackhawks meet again. According to the "code" of hockey, Duncan Keith will likely have to atone for his sins; hopefully in the form of fisticuffs, and not a retaliatory cheapshot. After that, all will be good. Until the next chapter of the rivalry is inevitably written, at least.
This seems prevalent, because the Wolves beat the Rockford Ice Hogs by a score of 6-3, improving to 3-0 against them this season. I'm as invested in the Wolves as is possible, and even I won't try to tell you that you need to take too much away from that.
But as a fan, you quickly learn that you need to take your victories wherever you can get them, and it's nice to see the Canucks' prospects having the upper hand against the prospects of the parent team's most bitter rivals. We have yet to see any sort of bad blood come up between the two teams, though, as the AHL has seemingly filled its quota for rough stuff with the shenanigans unfolding between the Oklahoma City Barons and Houston Aeros.
Read Past the Jump for Notes on the Game.
The SYAE Podcast: The Real Fake Episode
Dimitri Filipovic
November 02 2012 03:26PM
Wyatt Arndt does a lot of fake things - he runs a fake season, he shaves with a fake razor, and he sends fake cheques to charities. But I can assure you that the podcast we taped is as real as it gets.
We discuss extremely important topics such as the fake season, Movember, Dale Weise's escapades in the Netherlands, and how Dan O'Toole and Matt Climie may just be the same person. Plus, Wyatt drops some breaking news regarding future projects, which seem incredibly important giving the fact that it's November, and we haven't seen any NHL hockey in five months.
Click Past the Jump for the Podcast.
Tyler Bozak Is Not the Answer
Dimitri Filipovic
November 02 2012 10:20AM
Recently, Tyler Bozak gave us reason to question his off-ice decision making skills, when he posted a picture of himself going "blackface" as part of a Halloween costume. Whether you think it was racist or not, there's no denying that it showed some questionable judgement on his part. Now, I'm not trying to throw cold water on it, because it's an issue that is certainly worth discussing. But at this point, everything that needs to be said has already been said.
Instead, let's take a look at Tyler Bozak the player, rather than the person. It makes sense to do this, because after all, it's what we do best on this platform.
Considering that I live Vancouver, I have watched an unjustifiably large amount of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey over the past few years. Whether it's TSN, or more prominently, Hockey Night in Canada, they have been unrelentingly shoved down my throat. It turns out that the pull towards the centre of the universe is quite strong. But I'm a sucker for hockey, so I stick around.
I feel like I have taken in enough Leafs hockey to know that Tyler Bozak is not the answer, regardless of the question. Which is why I have found the reports that Tyler Bozak would be the centerpiece of a package coming to Vancouver in return for Roberto Luongo rather perplexing. Things got real this past weekend, when Jason Botchford - in a Twitter dialogue with fans of the team - made it clear that the Canucks seem to value Bozak as a third line centre.
Am I personally missing something, or is it Mike Gillis and company that are losing the plot?
Click Past the Jump to Find Out.
