It's May?!

What?? Tomorrow is May 1??? Where has the year gone? Feels like it was just Christmas.

I am having fun right now. I'm tired, but it's great!

1. I am involved in a political campaign right now at the provincial level. That is fun on so many levels. I know that some of you might think that I should be in therapy probably, but this is me. :-)

2. I am enjoying the challenge of my new role as Director of Comox Valley Christian School. There is a learning curve, but there are great people already in place and a wonderful parent community as well.

3. I am preaching this weekend. I am thankful for the opportunities that Pastor Scott gives me to do this. He is a great communicator - and - he's also a great listener. When I'm preaching, his vocal encouragement and 'amens' are extremely helpful! Without fail his comments afterward are always encouraging. That makes a fun thing even more fun!

4. The warm sun.

5. The Canucks are still playing hockey. This series will Chicago will be a challenge, but the 'Nucks should be able to pull it out. They need to stay out of the penalty box and really take it to the 'Hawks if they are going to win this series.

Go Canucks Go!

This will get you going...Here's some memories from 1994 Vancouver Calgary to get you going...If you only have a minute watch the last minute - it's awesome!

Christmas in April!

It's here - Christmas has come again!!! If you're a hockey fan, and more specifically a Canuck fan, this is the 'most wonderful time of the year'! It's hockey playoff time.

The Canucks missed out last year, but this year they are one of the hottest teams in the league over the past 2.5 months. They will be playing St. Louis Blues to begin the playoffs,. St. Louis rode the best record in the NHL over the 2nd half of the season to climb from 15th to 6th place.

Its going to be a tough one...

It is a best of seven game series.

Here's how it matches up for me:
Goaltending - Canucks
Defence - draw - St. Louis has better mobility on defense; Canucks have more experience and a bit more physical.
Forwards - slight edge to Canucks; 1 great line, 2 solid lines and a strong 4th line.
Intangibles - slight edge Vancouver. Both teams have battled adversity, but I think Vancouver is a bit hungrier. Both were written off earlier in the season, but are now meeting in the playoffs.

Prediction: Canucks in 6

What do you think?

Canuck Jokes

The Canucks have won their last 2 games in a row after 8 losses. They have some good things going finally. Let's hope it lasts. However, as a Canuck fan, you tend to get a bit pessimistic over time. Here's a few Canuck jokes that I found on-line that reflect that...

The RCMP are cracking down on speeders heading into Vancouver. For the first offence, they give you two Vancouver Canucks tickets. If you are stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 30 millionaires around a TV watching the Stanley Cup playoffs? A. The Vancouver Canucks

Q. How do you keep the Vancouver Canucks out of your yard? A. Put up a goal net.

Q. What do you call a Vancouver Canuck with a Stanley Cup ring? A. A thief.

Q. How many Vancouver Canucks does it take to win a Stanley Cup? A. Nobody knows and we may never find out.

Q. What do the Vancouver Canucks and possums have in common? A. Both play dead at home and are killed on the road.

Wimpy Swede

Swedes are often criticized as being 'soft' hockey players. Check out the newest Swedish Canuck. He can score and he can take care of himself!

End of an era

Today a page was turned in Vancouver Canuck history. Markus Naslund - a 12 year Canuck veteran - signed with the Rangers for 2 years and $8 million. His production has been steadily declining from a high of 104 points 5 or 6 years ago to 55 this past season. However, the stifling style of hockey that has been coached the past 2 years surely acount for 15 to 20 point drop. Look for Nazy to get 30 plus goals and around 70 points next year. You heard it hear first! He'll be more rested with a lot less travel in the east and will not always be playing with pylons for linemates. They had nice things to say, but I was hoping the Canucks would be able to get him back at a cheaper rate, but this is probably the best for Naslund. He was definitely the best trade that Pat Quinn ever made. (ever see Alex Stojanov again?)

It will be interesting to see what this new management team actually comes up with for a team for next year. They have kept the same coach, same scouting staff. They have let go Naslund (soon to be Morrison too) and replaced them with 3rd and 4th line role players. We need to find some scoring somewhere, but it looks like the free agent pool has pretty much dried up. Unless something changes, goals are going to be much harder to come by in 08-09. Gilles is going to have to make a trade if he really wants to make some change.

No Sundin?

The Canucks - right or wrong - made a serious pitch to get unrestricted free agent Mat Sundin. a 2 year 20 million dollar contract offer - wow!  Apparently Mat Sundin is not sure if he is going to play hockey next year.  Apparently he has too much money or some other amazing reason that he has not communicated yet.  He needs more time! What? More time? 20 million dollars / 164 games is $121,951 per game/ 21 minutes playing time = $5807.20 per minute of playing time. That's more than I make in an hour.

With 300 million dollars committed to players yesterday, it sure gives pause to think. What does our society value? We spend millions for entertainment, yet there are still some huge needs in the world. I'm all for entertainment (Go Lions, Go Canucks), but sometimes I think things are just a wee bit outta whack. 

What do you think? Not just about money spent on hockey, but on our value placement seen through where we (as a culture) place our money?

Canucks make smart pick

No Sedin twins trade yet...GM Mike Gillis denies he's shopping them. Maybe true as there was no swapping the #10 pick - Cody Hodgson. Apparently a great all around player with real grit, character and leadership. Hopefully he turns out as good as this Canuck first round pick...

This could be interesting...

Sedins traded this weekend?? Might be! How about Luoungo for Evgeni Malkin?