Headshots October 18th

As of this very moment, there are four relevant storylines that fans of the Vancouver Canucks should have their eyes firmly fixed on. How you rank them in terms of importance is all up to you. They’re listed below, in no particular order:

The Battle Between the NHL and NHLPA: On Tuesday, the NHL made their newest proposal to the players public, with the biggest points being a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue, and the preservation of the 82-game season. Most fans viewed it as an exceptionally positive sign, that terms could potentially be reached by November.

Unfortunately, talk to that was put to rest today, after the players came back with three counter-offers of their own. When he was asked about the situation, Bettman responded, "the fact is, we’re nowhere close to what we proposed. I don’t know what the next step is. I’m obviously very discouraged." As for Donald Fehr, he summed up the feelings of most fans with his quote of "today is not a good day. It should have been, but it wasn’t."

I’m not necessarily ready to jump off of the bridge just yet. Even with the general optimism that was abound earlier in the week, I still felt that we were a ways away from reaching a deal. Nothing that happened today has changed those sentiments. My money is still on a December return, with a shortened season put in place.

The Bieksa’s Buddies Charity Game: In case you were wondering, the fans of Vancouver still love their hockey. There was quite the buzz last night, as Kevin Bieksa and his buddies took on the UBC Thunderbirds in a charity game. I was at the game myself, and wrote an overly critical review this morning. 

A lot of you weren’t able to make it out for whatever reason, and are surely looking for more juicy tidbits from the affair. And that’s why I’m happy to redirect your attention to Pass it to Bulis, where my good friend Harrison Mooney wrote – in the eloquent way that he so often does – a review of the game himself. In case you were wondering, he’s still a wizard with his words, and a master of the keyboard.

Roberto Luongo Trade Talks: According to Sportsnet’s John Shannon the Canucks and Maple Leafs have a deal in place to send Roberto Luongo to the center of the universe. Personally, it wouldn’t surprise me – I’ve been saying all along that I think Luongo is wearing the blue and white in 2012-13, provided there’s an NHL season to be played. Thomas Drance has the latest ‘strombabble’, discussing the situation at hand.

As for Luongo himself, he’s not overly concerned. He’s too preoccupied with all of the fun he’s having at Disney World:

 

The Chicago Wolves: While last night’s charity game was taking place, all the Chicago Wolves were doing was jumping out to a perfect 3-0 start to the season. They upended Peoria in overtime, 2-1, as Zack Kassian scored his first goal of the season. They’ll look to continue their winning ways this weekend, as they come to town to take on the Abbotsford Heat (on both Friday and Saturday night).