What to do with these Canucks?

It's been a few days now since my hometown Vancouver Canucks exited the Stanley Cup playoffs and the feeling around the city is still one of disbelief. Many Canucks fans thought this may have just been their year, but alas it was not to be. The Canucks got flat-out beat by a very skilled, fast, young Blackhawks team. Yes, they could have taken a commanding three games to one series lead when they had the Hawks on the ropes up 1-0 with only a couple of minutes left in game four, but they couldn't hold the lead, losing that game and the following two, to end their run.

The bitterness of another year without Lord Stanley has one sportswriter in Vancouver even speculating a conspiracy, stating the NHL may have wanted Chicago to get through Vancouver, setting up a dream conference final between the Wings and the Hawks. His argument was that the refs throughout the series were letting the Hawks crash Luongo and were turning a blind eye to the Hawks wrongdoings. A legless notion, as there were many missed calls going either way, and the "crashing" of Luongo can be considered more like the "tapping" of a pampered primadonna. It’s highly unlikely that there was a fix in this series, but just ask yourself this, if Anaheim loses game seven tonight in Motown, could this be true? Come on. This is playoff hockey. There are missed calls in every series and all the goalies have taken their fare share of bumps. The fact is the Canucks weaknesses got exposed. The biggest weakness being a slow back-end that couldn't keep up with the speedy Hawks. You make a mistake and they make you pay. No conspiracy, just the better team prevailing.

This summer will be very interesting for this Canucks organization.

Do they resign the Sedins?

Has Ohlund played his final game as a Canuck?

Is Sami Salo the right quarterback for their power play?

What is going to happen with Luongo?

Let’s start with Luongo. The Canucks best player was far from great in the Chicago series. Luo's performance is now being questioned as to whether he's the right guy for the job. There is no question that Luo is one of the best goalies in the NHL, but legends are made in the playoffs and not the regular season. He has to step up when it matters the most, something he knows better then anyone else. He'll be back next season and will be stronger from this. If the Canucks have the chance to re-sign Luo, they will do it. What it shakes down to is what they do this summer. The Canucks have a blue chip prospect in Corey Schneider, this years AHL goalie of the year, playing in their farm system. If the team and Luongo can't come together on a new deal, there are options.

Before the Canucks can even look at re-signing Luongo, they have to figure out if they’re going to make the Sedins an offer. The word is they’re looking for something in the range of 13-14 million. The twins have the stats to back up a top-tier payout. The question is this, can anyone really afford to pay them that much? There have been rumors of Minnesota and Toronto showing some interest. The Leafs have the money and Burkey, after all is the one that brought them to Vancouver in the first place. Free agency starts as of July 1st, leaving the Canucks with little time to figure this out. They sign them and this is their top line over the next five plus seasons. They don't sign them and it frees up a nice chunk of money, money that may be needed to re-sign Luongo and possibly a top calibre free agent. Ultimately it comes down to this, are the twins the right choice to lead this team to the Stanley Cup? That decision is Mike Gillis's to make.

The back end of the Canucks got exposed badly in the Chicago series. That’s the reality of the NHL nowadays. The Hawks were brutal for years and were able to draft high flyers like Kane and Toews amongst others. The speed of this young Hawks team is unbelievable. The Canucks blue line was supposed to be a signature of the team, and arguably can still be considered one of the top Ds in the NHL. It is apparent that they will lose Mattias Ohlund, who seems determined to test the market come July 1st, which may turn out to be a good thing for the Canucks. Ohlund got burned by the speed of the Hawks, and his best years may be behind him. Not saying he won't be a significant pick up for a team needing a solid top six defenseman, just that I think the Canucks blue line can be better without him. What they require is a top flight D man that moves the puck out of the zone with ease and can quarterback a power play. Plus, he needs to stay healthy and log heavy minutes every night. Basically what Sami Salo was supposed to be doing. Yes, Salo's still under contract, but he needs to be moved. The Canucks would benefit from a shake up on their blue line. Ohlund's basically gone. Mitchell and Bieksa are trees that can hurt people. A solid blue line needs those kind of guys. Edler is their stud, who will move up into the top pairing. Moving Salo could score them a good young prospect who can slot into the third pairing, and more importantly, it would help them make a pitch for stud Jay Bouwmeester. Adding Bouwmeester would give them an all-star who makes the first pass effortlessly and has the speed and skill to keep up with the young fast stars of the league. Him paired with Alex Edler would give the Canucks one of the top two young blue line pairings in the league.

This won't be an easy summer for Gillis and his staff. Sportsnet reported yesterday that the Canucks will offer coach Alain Vigneault a two or three year extension, so you know that Gillis has faith in the man who is at the helm, as he should. Really this team is not far off being a legit Cup contender. The likes of Burrows, Kesler, Raymond, Wellwood, Johnson, Rypien and Hordichuk make up the depth of this team, a solid core. The decision has to be what to do with the top end players. Do you tinker or do you disable? Hard to say, but what we do know is come July 1st we'll have an idea of what way Gillis is going to go.

All time "Drug Stars"

As if baseball's image wasn't tarnished enough, yesterday’s news of Manny Ramirez receiving a 50 game suspension for using a banned substance has me thinking about an idea I have thought about for quite sometime now. A juiced league. Back to the nineties the time of steroids being fair game, monster home run numbers, fired up pitchers throwing flames, and more bench clearing brawls due to roid rage. Welcome to the WWE meets baseball.

This applies to more than just baseball. Track and field should open up the medicine cabinets too. Just think, maybe someone can run the 100 metre dash in under 5 seconds!Yes it can shrink your genitals and make them retract (just ask Ken Caminiti), and there is always the matter of being a high risk for a heart attack liver failure, or a stroke, but hey, it's for the good of their careers. Their risk is our (as fans) reward.

To honour yet another baseball "hero" getting caught cheating, I am pleased to announce my all-time Major League Baseball "Juiced" All Star team.

Pitcher:

Roger Clemens - The "Rocket" will deny till he dies, but the fact is he was on the juice and was considered one of the best, if not the best pitcher of all time. Now we know how he did it.

Catcher:

Mike Piazza - Regarded as the best hitting catcher of all time, Piazza holds the MLB record for most home runs by a catcher. Nuff said.

First Base:

Mark McGwire - This was tough as there have been a few really good juiced up first baggers. McGwire was a childhood hero of mine. The man's forearms at the end of his career were as big as his head at the start of his career. The androstenedione made him a freak, one that crushed baseballs!

Second Base:

Bret Boone - The little man who overnight became a slugger. Back in 2001 at the age of 32 Boone had a career year in which he drove in 141 RBI's with 37 home runs. His numbers improved by 22 homers and 67 ribs from the season before, this at the age of 32. Once steroid testing became mandatory a couple of seasons later, not surprisingly Boone's numbers declined, as did his career.

Shortstop:

Alex Rodriguez - Maybe the biggest name on this team. His excuse of "being young and stupid" may have justified his actions in his mind, but baseball fans all over America mourned this one. Suspected for years but never proven till now, his amazing career will forever be questioned by his drug use.

Third Base:

Ken Caminiti - One of the few who flat out admitted his steroid use. The 1996 NL MVP once told Sports Illustrated about the effects the steroid use had on him, stating "my testicles shrank and retracted; doctors found my body had virtually stopped producing its own testosterone and that my level of the hormone had fallen to 20% of normal." Sound like a worthy sacrifice to improve your swing? Not bloody likely.

Left Field:

Barry Bonds - Though it has really has yet to be proven if Bonds is a juicer, it is apparent that he didn't just take aspirin. How else do you explain his head growing (I mean literally) in his thirties! Look at pictures of Bonds when he was with the Pirates early in his career compared to later years in San Fran. If that's not an effect of HGH then what has Bonds been eating?

Center Field:

Lenny Dysktra - Charlie Hustle in his playing days. Dyk was the epitome of a baseball player. Apparently he too was also the epitome of a player of the steroid era.

Right Field:

Sammy Sosa - Sammy and Big Mac brought baseball back to life after the '94 strike, with their pursuit of Roger Maris’s home run record. Unfortunately for Sammy, his steroid use will always be remembered over that magical time in baseball.

There you have it. The all-time juiced team. Hard to argue with a line up that stacked, better yet that jacked!

If you think the starters were good, you should see the bench.

Round 2.... Fight! (NBA playoff edition)

The most wonderful time of the year in sports continues. NHL and NBA playoffs are in full swing. I touched on the NHL yesterday, and today it's time to take a look at what’s happening around the NBA.


I normally find the NBA early rounds to be quite predictable and usually don't find the ball to be all that competitive, but this season has been a bit of an exception.


The Celtics got a huge run for their money (again) in the first round from a scrappy Bulls team. The loss of KG for the playoffs had lots to do with that, but the Bulls did prove that their future is bright, especially with rookie of the year Derrick Rose running the team.


The Celts escaped in seven, only to have to face "Superman" Dwight Howard and the Magic next. The loss of Garnett will now be much more pronounced as the Celt s really don't have anyone that can handle Howard. Kendrick Perkins will try, and fail, and with Leon Powe done for the season, this leaves just "Big Baby" Davis to shoulder the load. Not a good look for the reigning champs. Is this the end of the road for these banged up Celtics? Afraid so. Pierce, Rondo & Allen will do their best, but Howard's presence will be the difference for the Magic.



The other series in the east is what I'm talking about when it comes to predictability. Lebron and the Cavs versus the Hawks. Key word here: Lebron.


It's "Bron, Bron's" year and he's on a mission to take the Cavs all the way. Dwyane Wade took the Heat on his own to seven games with the Hawks. If the Hawks barely handled Wade, what do you think they can do to contain James. If this isn't a sweep, then the Cavs will take it in five. ZZZZZZZ…



Now to the west where its things are getting wild!


Let me start with who I picked to win it all this year, the Lakers, and their series with the Rockets. The Lakers cruised in round one as expected, while the Rockets handled the Blazers, which really surprised me. I've watched the Rockets through the regular season more than a few times and didn't know what to make of them. One thing I knew was certain with these Rockets, Yao is Yao. As long as he's healthy and on the floor, he's basically unstoppable. The loss of McGrady I thought wouldn't hurt too much as Artest can fill that scoring void. What I didn't know about this team was the strength of their role players in Scola, Landry, Brooks, Lowry, Hayes and Wafer. One of the main reasons I took the Lakers was their depth, but the Rockets are just as deep. Game one was a huge win for the Rockets. Taking down the Lakeshow on their home floor at anytime of the year, let alone in the playoffs is tough. I'm gonna sit on the fence on who will win this series as it's a tough call. With what we saw in game one, this will be a battle. What I really would like to see, is the Rockets come through so they can flip the script on these playoffs, and make me once again be proven wrong!


The Mavericks getting to the second round is a little surprising. What surprised me was the way the Mavs handled the Spurs with relative ease in round one. Now they have the feisty Nuggets to handle.


"Disco" Dirk is doing his best to get the Mavs competitive dropping 28 and 35 in games one and two. Not an easy task with Kenyon Martin up in his grill most of the game. The Nug's just seem to be on another level than the Mavs. They run the floor so well in transition and can score in bunches. They have three deadly scorers in Carmelo, Billups & JR Smith, and their bench chips in plenty (39 points in game one, 37 in game two.) I love the energy of this Denver squad and can see them challenging either the Lakers or the Rockets for the west title. The series isn't wrapped just yet, with things shifting to Dallas for games three and four. Don't be surprised if the Mavs take one of the next two, maybe even both. I think the Mavs have fight left in them and can make a run, but once the smoke clears in this series, it will be the Nuggets who prevail.

Round 2... FIGHT! (NHL playoff edition)

The NHL playoffs are into their second round and things are getting very interesting.

This is what we’ve seen so far.

The Ducks are for real.

Crosby vs Ovechkin is heating up.

The Hawks are looking strong.

The Canes can hold their own.

In the west the Ducks apparently surprised nobody but myself, taking the Sharks out in round one. Now they're giving the Wings a run! The Perry, Ryan and Getzlaf line is dangerous every time they’re on the ice, Pronger is mugging people as only Pronger can, and this Hiller kid has been lights out between the pipes.

Is Switzerland the new Finland when it comes goalie hot beds? Doubtful, but this Swiss lad has been stealing the show.

Let's not count out the Wings just yet. They've held their own and basically got outdueled by Hiller in game two. Osgood has been no slouch either. He's been the Wings best player, and once again is silencing his critics. How many years has Ozzy's play been questioned going into the playoffs? To use a Patrick Roy quote, he "can't hear you with all his Stanley cup rings in his ear."

This series is miles ahead of any of the others being played. Fast, hard hitting, end-to-end action. The winner of this series will take the west. That is if they don't kill each other first.

In my city, the hometown Canucks are reeling after a tough loss to the Blackhawks in game two. Knotted at one a piece going into tonight's tilt in Chicago, the feeling around Vancouver is more like they’re down 3-0. It’s tough not to be concerned considering they lost their power play quarterback with defenseman Sami Salo going down with another injury. His cannon from the point is one of the best in the league, and won them game one. He didn't make the trip to Chi-town for game three and his status is up in the air for game four.

The Canucks have controlled play for about 2.5 periods of this series, escaping game one after a late Hawks come back. Outside of that, it’s been all Hawks.The Hawks seem to be stronger and more skilled then the Canucks. Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Eager have been a handful for the Canucks, crashing the net, hitting hard on the forecheck and winning the battles in the corners. The Canucks don't seem to have anyone that can step up to either of them.

The Pattys, Kane and Sharp and Jonathan Toews seem to be able to take the blue line at will and they’re getting their money's worth from the overpaid goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who was much better in game two.

The Canucks need to play sixty minutes and beyond if they want to stay in this series. Both teams seem to be able to find the box, making special teams execution very key. If the Canucks can play mistake free and make life relatively easy for Luongo, they can take back the momentum in this series. It should be a good game three tonight. The United Center will be rocking, that’s a given. Keep this in mind. These Blackhawks fans are due. They've had it worse then any fans in the NHL. The Hawks hold the NHL record for years without winning a cup. They last hoisted Lord Stanley, back in 1961!

In the east we're seeing two very different series with some outstanding hockey being played. Gary's wet dream has come true with Ovie facing Sid the Kid for the first time in the playoffs. The play of these two has lived up to the hype, with hat tricks from both of these superstars in game two. The Caps have the edge so far, but this one is far from done. One goal games in both games one and two has the Caps up 2-0.

The series shifts to Pittsburgh tomorrow night and could very well be another one goal game with the Caps either up three or the Pens back in it. Last goal wins in this one. Got to love it.

I would love to see the Pens take the next two and make this one go the distance, just for the pure pleasure of watching the two best young stars in the game battle each other. However, if rookie Simeon Varlamov keeps stealing games for the Caps, this won't go much further then the next two in Pittsburgh.

The last, but not least series to get a mention, has the late season surging Hurricanes versus the eastern conference juggernaut Boston Bruins, and it too is just as intense and exciting as any of the others.

Game one looked as if the Bruins would roll through the Canes like they did against Montreal. They controlled the play and made it look easy, cruising to a 4-1 win.

Game two was a much different story. Cam Ward took over in the third period, stopping 16 shots to notch the series up at ones. Like the Ducks and Wings in the west, this series should determine the winner of the east. I love the style of play between these two gritty, not pretty, teams. This one will likely go seven and should be a treat to watch throughout.