Around The Nation

I know, I know my Photoshop skills are awesome! One of the newer features I am trying to make a regular here at Nucks on the Pond is a trip around Canucks Nation. It will be a peek into the other Canucks blogs and what they are talking about. Kind of a one stop shop for all your Canucks needs...sort of.

-Not everyone is so happy about Manny's return. I do agree with our friends at Pass It To Bulis though. Manny's recovery is amazing and is noteworthy for sure, but kicking a dead horse gets really old, really quick. Looking forward to the return for sure though. (More Manny Madness)

-Nucks Misconduct is reminding everyone to beware of haters, Mass-holes, and Tim Thomas flopping like a mackerel. I used to like Tim Thomas. He had the whole underdog thing, he's from Michigan, but after leaving the crease and flopping was a joke. I know you want to win Tim, but do it the right way. (Nucks Misconduct)

-Everyone is focusing on Burrows biting Bergeron. First off all, if you don't want to get bit, don't put your fingers in someone's mouth. Second, Krejci cross-checked a guy with a history of concussions in the head. But yes Boston, and the NHL, lets focus on biting. (White Towel)

-More hate, and more idiots running their mouths. Nice to see Dave Bolland has moved on. Shouldn't he be sitting in a hot tub with Byfuglien, Eager, Sopel, and Kane talking about the glory days when their GM's awful decisions hadn't caught up to them yet. Ryan Whitney is talking about someone else that is disliked? You took the money over winning douche. (Canucks Hockey Blog)

-Poor Tim Thomas has no one in front of him. Except a gigantic Czech, who my 18 months old cousin could skate around, a one-way player who loses about a hundred grand every game, the lesser of two Ferences (just in siza alone), and a Phoenix cast-off. (Canucks Army)

-The guy who dressed as Gaga got off easy. They put up a sign telling everyone why he dressed like that. I dress as Gaga like three times a month and I don't get anything! (Vancouver Canucks)

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=564679&intcmpid=van-spotlight-ladygaga

They Did What?!

The Canucks came out flying, and Tim Thomas stood tall (HAHA, cause he's short!), but they did not waver. They kept plugging away, except for the second, but Boston took a break then too. They hung around, and hung around, and won the game with 18 seconds left. Was it shocking, of course, but was it surprising? Not at all. They have been doing this all year.

It was kind of fitting that it was Raffi Torres, Ryan Kesler, and Jannik Hansen all got in on it. With the exception of a couple Defenseman, those three were skating their butt's off the entire game. Kesler's awareness to slide his toe to stay onside just shows how on lock-down he is right now, which lead to this thing of beauty:

Again, listening to Jim Hughson call that gives me goosebumps. I went nuts. My neighbors haven't been this mad at me since Game 7 of the first round. My heart rate did not slow down from about an hour before the game until an hour after. I am lucky have gotten in better shape than normal, otherwise I might be dead.

Speaking of dead the officials were awful. I hate it when the back ref calls penalties and that was a theme in this game. I am not going on a diatribe because I think the refs were biased against the Canucks, it was atrocious for both teams. Now I am sure they will call nothing in Game 2, because that midget in New York is turning this into the NBA, where officials make history.

My Not So Great Stanley Cup Preview

I considered pouring over stats, and matchups, and historical records and the like. But then I realized that is entirely way too time-consuming, and I am nowhere near enough of an "expert" to breakdown anything. So what to preview?

I know that no matter how poor the Canucks have played, or appeared to play, they have been in just about every single game they have played, except maybe two games in the first round. They have also shown a propensity to explode on the offensive side of things.

Their goaltending was a little shakey, but oddly enough (and by oddly I mean not-at-all) Luongo seemed to play a lot better after they eliminated Chicago. Its almost like he confronted his biggest fear and beat it, so nothing can get to him as badly as Chicago did.

Boston on the other hand has been up and down. They went to seven games with the Habs, swept the Flyers (killing some demons of their own), and went another seven games with an underrated Lightning side. They have played a lot of hockey, and have come through everything they have faced thus far.

They play solid defense, and Tim Thomas has been absolutely crucial for them. Nathan Horton has stepped up, as well as David Krecji, offensively. My big fear is Milan Lucic, the native son. He gets dirty, and cheap, and thats a scarey thing. He has no qualms running a goalie, or boarding, or charging, or even using his elbows. Pretty damn hypocritical for someone who is a teammate of Marc Savard.

I think this series will rest on the goalies. Luongo and Thomas will be tested time and time again. I hate to say this, but the officiating will also determine how this series plays out. As much as that pains me to say, this league is becoming more and more like the NBA in terms of officials deciding games and even series. We'll see how things play-out, but one thing is for sure, I haven't been this excited for the Finals in a long time.