The Fifth Liners

A few weeks ago it was well noted in the media that Sean Avery had quit the off-Broadway production, 'Positive is Negative' in a typically fiery fashion after an argument involving pizza! No stranger to controversy, Avery forever made headlines during his 11 year NHL career for all the wrong reasons, but this meltdown was something else entirely. Many of us after picking ourselves off the floor from the laughing fit that ensued suddenly realized this was actually serious! So if Mr Avery is intending treading the NYC boards, here some ideas to produce his own Broadway shows. Screening Brodeur  A two man play which involves a young yet troublesome hockey player attempting to screen a rival goalie during a key playoff game and using all manner of tricks in which to achieve it! Whether Martin Brodeur will agree to star will depend on some good negotiations. Sloppy Seconds: Or How I Spent My 6 Game Suspension Angered that his former flame is dating another hockey player, o...

Yesterday it was formally announced that Willie Desjardins has taken over the reigns as the Vancouver Canucks new Head Coach. After a disastrous year under John Tortorella, fans will be eager to see improvements made to our flagging offense, but it is wise to trust the future with a man who hasn't yet been proven at the highest level? Saskatchewan native Desjardins has a solid record in the minor leagues winning two WHL titles with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2004 & 2007. Briefly he was the associate head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2010 to 2012, after that he was placed in charge of the teams AHL affiliate the Texas Stars where last season he led them to a Calder Cup win. Overall it is a pleasant surprise seeing the Canucks not going with a tried and tested coach and going with newer blood who can perhaps thinking outside the box of the Tortorella school of screaming. Desjardins could be important in motivating and nurturing younger talents that could become the lifebl...

In the midst of a thrilling playoff series which has seen numerous upsets such as the LA Kings coming from 3-0 to be beat San Jose over 7 thrilling games and the Columbus Blue Jackets pushing the Pittsburgh Penguins all the way in an honourable loss, the biggest news for Vancouver Canucks fans was that Head Coach John Tortorella , will be given his marching orders after only one year of his five year; $10 Million contract. To some this news will come as no surprise. The team has struggled for consistency this year and finished a disappointing 13th overall in the Western Conference, over 8 points away from the final wildcard slot for the playoffs. Tortorella also made headlines for the wrong reasons when he was suspended for two weeks after confronting the Calgary Flames team in January after a brawl at the start of the game. After much hype and hope from the Canucks fans that JT would mould this team into something memorable, it just hasn't happened. The Acquilani brothers ...

Yesterday in a press conference, Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis was asked regarding the future of head coach John Tortorella. In typical fashion, Gillis was elusive on giving a direct answer as whether JT would remain next season saying "I'm not sure I'll be back next season!" Although we are still unclear as to whether Tortorella's so far unsuccessful reign in British Columbia will be winding up soon- it does pose an interesting question, does JT deserve a second season at the Rogers Arena? Rather than shooting my mouth and calling for his head (which has become my trademark this year!) I thought I would prepare a constructive for/against argument to see if he deserves his place. Reasons For Tortorella Staying  Proven winner in Hockey with a Stanley Cup win in 2004 with Tampa Bay He finally solved Luongo-gate by trading him to the Florida Panthers, which Alain Vigneault failed to do on numerous occasions. Brought us on a winning streak of seven straigh...

Mike's question this week again focuses on my team the Vancouver Canucks and our currently shocking run of form, the question reads "The Vancouver Canucks have lost their last three games. Is this an Olympic hangover or are there deeper problems in BC?" This will be a tricky one for me to answer, particularly as I don't wish to incur the wrath of my fellow fans! But anyway, away we go! So far the Canucks are currently on a run that makes last season's 3rd place finish in the Western Conference seem like a beautiful dream, and currently our winning record stands at just one win from a possible 12 games! But the biggest question is what exactly causing this slump? In December we recorded an impressive 7 consecutive wins and after a slow start things appeared to be picking themselves up. The Olympic Hangover hasn't helped us, but I wouldn't point the blame squarely at this because there seems to have been a far worse problems  growing within the...

Today has finally seen an end to one of the longest and frankly most tedious sagas in the hockey world. The Vancouver Canucks have officially traded Roberto Luongo to his former side the Florida Panthers in exchange for goalie Jakob Markstrom and centre Shawn Matthias! Luongo has been a source of continuing speculation since the beginning of last season when he continually jostled for the number one spot with Cory Schneider. But when Schneider was traded to the New Jersey Devils earlier this season, it appeared the long time starter had at last reclaimed his place. However the emergence of young Swedish goalie Eddie Lack once again hindered his chances as the rookie has made a strong impression so far. The tipping point seems to have been since Luongo returned from warming the bench at the Sochi Olympics for Canada, Lack has been placed in net for every since then by coach John Tortorella. Tensions escalated further when after the 4-2 loss to Ottawa Senators in the Tim Horton...

There was a sense of relief all around the Rogers Arena last night as the Vancouver Canucks beat the St Louis Blues 1-0 to end a seven game losing streak and to hopefully to kick start our failing play-off campaign! Jannik Hansen scored the games only goal after 11 minutes of the 3rd period to send the home fans into an overdue rapture. But it was young goalie Eddie Lack who was the true star and his 20 saves helped blank the free scoring St Louis offense and give Vancouver a priceless win! But the big question remains, has the damage already been done to their campaign? This could be the case this year as under John Tortorella, the Canucks have looked a shadow of their former selves and even the usually consistent Sedin twins haven't been hitting the high notes (Henrik especially) and this maybe one year where the play-offs desert us. However there is still a great deal of hockey to be played and if Detroit showed us anything last year, when all is lost- just go for broke an...

Once again it seems an age old tale has reared its head again in British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks goalie crisis! This year has been far from excellent at the Rogers Arena and under the vastly decreasing effect of John Tortorella's leadership (though his attempt to fight the entire Calgary Flames team was just hysterical!), our play off hopes now hang by a thread! Roberto Luongo was once again restored to starting status in net this year after the bizarre trade of future star Cory Schneider to New Jersey and so far this year he has put up some reasonable numbers including 22 wins, but again he has looked vulnerable shot stopping and his confidence will no doubt have been affected by the emergence of his new backup, Eddie Lack and after the young Swede's star performance in our 2-0 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings, it appears that we might have a problem on our hands as both goalies are of equal quality. So far in his 22 games in net, Lack has managed 8 wins, inclludin...

The decisions are in for Torts and Hartley. After this happened , it was guaranteed that both managers would face some sort of discipline.  Canucks coach John Tortorella received a 15 day suspension without pay (six games) for losing his rag and attempting to enter the Calgary Flames' dressing room at the interval.  Torts takes on the whole Flames team. Sporting News. Flames' coach Bob Hartley was handed a $25,000 fine for instigating the whole bust up by starting his thug line.  Hartley defended his starting lineup, saying "Those guys are playing well for us" and "they got us a goal last game... we had zero intentions out there." The skaters in question are Kevin Westgarth and Brian McGrattan.  Westgarth and McGrattan have contributed a goal each so far this season. To put that in perspective, each has scored as many goals as Coyotes goalie Mike Smith. McGrattan has provided two assists this season. So that's something I suppose.  U...

After being humiliated 9-1 by Anaheim and the 1-0 by the LA Kings in the space of a week, one burning hot question came over me, why can the Vancouver Canucks not win in California? Our trips to this state are frequently becoming a source of embarrassment and this year has been no exception because in the 8 trips made across, we have yielded only one victory against San Jose in November, which after nine consecutive losses to this team came as a source of relief to all the fans. But otherwise, it has been a horror show! California in the last two years has become very much a bogey state for the Canucks, particularly during playoff time. 2012 saw us swept in five games by eventual champions LA and last season saw us easily ripped apart by the Sharks in a four game sweep and saw the sacking of Alain Vigneault!  Is it the heat that's affecting their game or the constant travel involved? Either way a solution needs to be found because we look a shadow of our cup final team of 2011...

Some games are pretty, some are boring, and some are just tight. This was definitely the latter. The past few weeks have been tough for Detroit. Since defeating the Colorado Avalanche way back on the 17th, the team has lost at the hands (gloves?) of the Coyotes, Sharks, Senators and Rangers. Taking two overtime points from a possible eight. The Vancouver Canucks on the other hand have won four of their last five games, and despite a close loss to Washington are performing well under new coach John Tortorella.  Detroit's Luke Glendening is fast becoming a regular in the Wings' squad, what with the team's inability to remain injury free. Meanwhile Johan Franzen and Mikael Samuelsson were scratched for the game. The tight first period brought more penalties than goals, Vancouver's Dan Hamhuis was given a minor for holding Niklas Kronwall. Kronwall returned the favour five minutes later and was boxed for slashing Hamhuis. Vancouver was the first team to break...

The Vancouver Canucks won a closely fought battle against the Washington Capitals last night win a 3-2 win at the Rogers Arena to make it four wins straight under John Tortorella! The home side were given a lucky break after Alex Ovechkin was given a penalty shot for the Capitals after less an a minute played, but Roberto Luongo was on hand to save it and save Vancouver from going behind! Zack Kassian then put the home side in front after 11.31 played but the Canucks were quickly pegged back when Jason Chimera made things a tie game after 14.36. In the second period there were no more goals, but both Luongo and Capitals goalie, Michal Neuvrith were kept busy making several excellent stops- Ovechkins bad luck in front of goal in this game continued when he hit a post! After only 1.52 of the third period played, Mikhail Grabovski scored to edge Washington in front, but Vancouver had no desire to the fans going home disappointed and Ryan Kesler hit home a rebound to make things a ...

The Vancouver Canucks helped end a two game losing streak with a late winner in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center last night! Though the game was notable for the fact that coach John Tortorella chose to separate the ever present Sedin Brothers duo onto different offensive lines! But the Canucks win was anything but easy and after rookie Tye McGinn put the Flyers in front after 12.26 of the 1st period, but incredibly Vancouver levelled only 10 seconds later through a neat finish from Ryan Kesler! In the second period McGinn again got the home fans excited when he scored only 2.10 into the second period and despites Vancouver's best efforts they couldn't find a way past Flyers goalie Steve Mason! Tortorella's big game occured with six minutes to play in the third period when he chose to move Chris Higgins onto the top line in place of Daniel Sedin and it was this man who tied the scores at 2-2 after 7.31 minutes played off an assist from...

All eyes were on Cory Schneider last night as he made his hotly anticipated return to the Rogers Arena with his new side the New Jersey Devils against the team that traded him the Vancouver Canucks . But it was the British Columbia side who got the last laugh as the secured a 3-2 overtime win to push their current purple patch under John Tortorella to 3 wins in a row! NHL veteran Jaromir Jagr got the ball rolling for the visitors with just over a minute remaining in the first period with a shot which deflected past Roberto Luongo to put the Devils 1-0 up. Patrick Elias then doubled their advantage seven minutes into the second before Daniel Sedin scored past old team mate Schneider to give Vancouver a lifeline at 2-1. But Alex Edler then capped a remarkable comeback as be brought the scores to a tie game at 2-2 after 14 minutes played. After a scoreless third period, things were pushed to overtime- Canucks fans didnt have to wait long for the result they desired as Mike Santorell...

The Vancouver Canucks season is finally underway and John Tortorella's first home game at the Rogers Arena couldnt have gone any better as the Canucks brushed aside the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 with the Sedin Brothers proving the standout! After being torn apart by San Jose on friday night, this win sees their season getting back on the right tracks. But many Canucks fans must have thought they were in for another frustrating night when Jeff Petry gave the Oilers the lead after less than two minutes played! But there was to be a silver lining for the Canucks soon after as Brad Richardson seized on a breakaway chance to bury a shot underneath Oilers keeper Devan Dubnyk and then with only 90 seconds left in the first, Dan Hamhuis buried a spectular slap shot from distance before Jannik Hansen scored to push the Canucks into a 3-1 lead! The second period saw Vancouver truly take control as Daniel Sedin scored on a powerplay off an assist from his brother Henrik after only 7 minutes be...

The Vancouver Canucks once again fell victim to the San Jose Sharks as the lost 4-1 at the newly named SAP Center in John Tortorella's first game in charge. After being elimated here last season the playoffs- defeat here is officially making the California team the Canucks bogey side! Jason Garrison gave the Canucks the lead on a powerplay mid way through the first and for once it seemed that things might go Vancouver's way in this arena. But any hopes of victory were dashed when Brent Burns levelled the scores 5 minutes into the second period before Justin Braun edged them in front with only minutes left in the period. Late in the third period the Sharks took control when Patrick Marleau scored off an assist from 1st star Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels made sure of the result with 5 minutes left to play. In net Roberto Luongo had a busier night with 35 saves compared to Sharks goalie Anitti Niemi with 22, but the defence and offense were sorely lacking both department...

You can rarely judge a team on its pre-season performances, but it's fair to say that things at the Rogers Arena are looking shaky. The Canucks are currently 1/4 on their pre-season games, not a great start for new coach John Tortorella . Former coach  Alain Vigneault was fired after the team failed to progress past the the first round of the last two playoffs, along with two assistants. Since joining the NHL in 1970, the Canucks have failed to lift the Stanley Cup. It's a regular occurrence than coaches are fired long before the GMs who brought them in. You can't browse the internet without tripping over people questioning  Mike Gillis ' decision. This season past has included plenty of questionable moments, including Vigneault's firing, Tortorella's hiring, Luongo-Gate  and Cory Schneider's trade to the New Jersey Devils.  Vigneault's firing was an odd move, to fire the coach who'd won more games at the Canucks than any other coach s...

Yesterday while deep in enjoyment watching robots fighting gigantic beasts in Pacific Rim, my phone buzzed and when opening it I was asked a question by Mike which struck close to home as the question read, "What's it gonna take for the Canucks to take home the Stanley Cup this season?" being a Vancouver fan this one that needs some serious analysis, so to work I go. The short answer to this question would be 'a hell of a lot!' and after reaching the 2011 Stanley Cup final, the last two season have been a massive disappointment under Alain Vigneault which lead to his dismissal this May. John Tortorella has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the Franchise and I'm certain that journalists up and down North America are thrilled about more imminent explosions! Previously I have expressed both my delight and upmost fear about this appointment because although JT brings with him a Stanley Cup win, he has also failed to raise his game when need while coach o...

Finally John Tortorella will be giving more referees hell from behind the bench as today it was announced by Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis that the former New York Rangers coach had finally been appointed Head Coach at the Rogers Arena! After the sacking of Alain Vigneault (who ironically was appointed coach of the  Rangers earlier this week) the Canucks have been searching for a decent replacement and it would appear that Tortorella fits the bill. In his 13 years as a coach in the NHL, he has had six visits to the playoffs and tasted cup glory with Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. But many won't be focusing on his coaching skills and his fiery interviews will be frequently under scrutiny, all I can say is I will definitely be tuning because when JT is involved- viewing is compulsory! Upon joining the franchise, Tortorella seemed excited about the adventure ahead, "This is an adventure and it's an honor and a privilege," Tortorella said, "and I couldn...

Alain Vigneault was officially been appointed as Head Coach of the New York Rangers yesterday after weeks of speculation and the ink is now dry on his five year deal after the sacking of former coach John Tortorella in May. After a solid run as coach of the Vancouver Canucks Vigneault will bring a much needed offensive minded play to the role as the Rangers seek to end their 19 year Stanley cup drought. When speaking about taking the role, the Quebec native revealed it was a chance he couldn’t pass up “"I was thinking about the opportunity to coach the New York Rangers one of the Original Six teams, in this great city, and there wasn't a chance I could pass that up," MEANWHILE...   IN BRITISH COLUMBIA John Tortorella has reportedly been offered the Head Coaching by the Vancouver Canucks management after they release Vigneault from the same position in May! Canucks GM Mike Gillis stated in a radio interview on Friday that former Rangers boss is a candidat...