The Good, The Bad And The Commentators
By Marda Miller
12 years ago
This is a weekly feature that will highlight The Good, The Bad and The *fill in the blank* exciting things that are currently happening in the NHL. Did another coach get fired/re-hired? Was Jonathan Toews caught not being serious? Will someone start a petition for HBO to feature the The Canucks and Blackhawks on 24/7? It’s hockey, a sport that is almost as enormous as the Universe.
The Good: The Top Spots … One at a Time
To say that the Canucks entered this season with immense pressure placed on them would be a terrible understatement. The city, the fans and undoubtedly the entire team, went into October with high hopes and even higher expectations to follow up the best season in franchise history. We all know how it ended and we all know how it should have ended. We also all know what this Canucks team is truly capable of achieving.
Monday night’s win against the Edmonton Oilers placed the Canucks at the top of the Northwest Division, finally surpassing the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully the Wild enjoyed their moment at the top but now it’s time for them to take their place where they belong: behind Vancouver. The Canucks have seen a vast improvement to their less than stellar performance that started this season. Ryan Kesler coming back really helped to turn things around. They are a team that plays like winners and their efforts are rewarded with those deserving wins. Though, I am still pretending the last game against the Flames never happened.
Now the Canucks are closing in on the Western Conference top spot. As long as they keep winning, and the Blackhawks lose, that should happen before the year is over.
The Bad: January, 7 2012: 10:00 AM
I have a confession. Tim Thomas still gives me nightmares and I am convinced that he is not human. The Canucks will face the Big Bad Boston Bruins in a week. Goody. Imagine having lost the love of your life, the one you knew you were destined for but before you even got the chance to introduce yourself, someone else came in and sweet talked them (or drugged them) and stole them away from you. Then they had a parade to show off their conquest for the whole world to see. Naturally, I have a slight trepidation for this showdown given that it will be played in enemy territory. Though it’s probably a better idea than having the Bruins come to Vancouver.
This game will test the mental strength of the Canucks. I hope Luongo gets the start and I hope that I find someone to watch the game with me at 10:00 am on a Saturday morning, because this is one game that no Canucks fan should watch alone.
And The Commentators
Sometimes I think that I missed my calling in life. I kind of wish that I had become a sports commentator because they say a lot of valuable and insightful things. Many times. Repeatedly. I can talk about the times I met Alex Burrows over and over and you know what, my friends just love hearing me re-tell it! Did you all know that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is from Burnaby? If you had watched the Oilers game on Monday, it would have been burned into your brain. I wonder how many more times we will get to delight in hearing the exciting tale of how Devante Smith-Pelly broke his foot in team Canada’s first game of the World Juniors. I can hardly wait to hear about that again.
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