The Fifth Liners

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...

While the Phoenix Coyotes ' troubles off the ice seem to be resolved for now, any uncertainty about the team's future was definitely not reflected on the ice. The Coyotes really brought the game to the Rangers last night, ruining Alain Vigneault's debut. Kyle Chipchura netted first for Phoenix only a few minutes into the game after an error by Henrik Lundqvist allowed Rob Klinkhammer to set up Chipchura for the opener. The Jobing.com arena gave the Phoenix keeper a standing ovation after Mike Smith made a sprawling double save to keep the Coyotes in the lead.  The Rangers upped their game but the first period finished with the Coyotes leading 1-0. The second period brought more goals, Marc Staal cancelled out the Coyotes' lead during a Rangers powerplay. The game didn't stay tied for long though, Radim Vrbata was alert to a rebounding puck to fire past Lundqvist just before the halfway point of the game. The second period finished without inc...

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...

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...

Reports were suggested last night that Alain Vigneault has apparently been confirmed as the new Head Coach of the New York Rangers on a five year deal worth $10 Million, although this has yet to be confirmed by Rangers Management.   Last Friday, Vigneault notified Dallas Stars , who had also been chasing his services that he had withdrawn from contention to coach the team. Previously as Head Coach of Vancouver, A.V guided the Canucks to their latest Stanley Cup final in 2011 where they lost to the Boston Bruins. In other news, former Rangers boss John Tortorella has according to the Vancouver Provence apparently been offered a second interview for the vacant coaching role with the Canucks but management has yet to confirm who else has been approached for the role! Go to NHL.com for a full report

With John Tortorella on the unemployment list, the rumour mill is currently churning out the various names to replace him as Head Coach of the New York Rangers, but as of yesterday according to NHL.Com , two very unlikely candidates have been forwarded in the form of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier , who according to various New York sources have expressed an interest in the role! Both are undisputed legends of the playing game, both have donned the blue Ranger shirts at different stages of their career, but so far only 'The Great One' has ventured into management with a brief stint in charge of the Phoenix Coyote's in 2005. Messier is still a true favourite of the Broadway Blue faithful and currently serves as Special Adviser to Rangers GM Glen Sather! So could the Rangers have an icon standing on the bench anytime soon? There has been no comment from Glen Sather on this matter yet but it has been confirmed that Dallas Eakins , who is coach of Minor League Toronto Ma...

Last night the rumour mill was churning that Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was to be dismissed by the franchise. Well it appears the rumours were correct as GM Mike Gillis has confirmed that Vigneault along with associate coach Rick Bowness and assistant coach Newell Brown have been relived of their duties. In a statement from Vigneault he said "The past seven years have been an honour for me to coach and work for a great franchise in a wonderful Canadian city. To work in a city with such passionate and loyal fans is a privilege – I enjoyed every moment of it." I have to say that as a Canucks fan, this change was definitely needed- Vigneault has done some great things in his time as coach included getting us to a Stanley Cup final in 2011, but the last two seasons have been clouded due to his poor handling of the Roberto Luongo situation as well as two premature exits from the playoffs. I wish him every success in the future and have no doubts that th...

The Vancouver Canucks once again successfully defended their Northwest Division title as they grabbed a 3-1 victory over the in form Chicago Blackhawks at the Rogers Arena! Goals from Jannik Hansen, Zack Kassain and Daniel Sedin proved the difference along with 24 saves from the ever impressive Cory Schneider! Its a positive sign that we are beating opposition who are in contention for cup glory and it appears that Gillis and Vigneult have got things together at the right time, can this be the year that a Stanley Cup Banner flies over Vancouver?

Last night during Vancouver's 5-2 win over Nashville (see Mike's article for the full story), Head Coach Alain Vigneault came up with an inspired solution of the teams second line and decided to pair Ryan Kesler at centre and surprisingly Derek Roy on the right wing! This choice proved to be inspired one as Kessler bagged a brace (impressively with his only two shots) and Roy grabbed a goal and an assist- together the two occupied the game's first and second stars! Kesler's return from injury after missing 31 games has come at a key time and his inclusion will aid the Canucks as we make our push for the playoff. Derek Roy however is proving to be an inspired piece of business and the former Dallas man is capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions. Seems a decent run in the playoffs may be not be impossible!

By Alex Watson During this Friday’s team practice, Vancouver Canucks keepers Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider playfully mocked each other before their 7-4 win over Nashville Predators at the Rogers Arena. In a moment of solidarity Schneider wore a ‘Thing 2’ t-shirt while Luongo wore ‘Thing 1’ and the two played up to the media’s image of their supposed rivalry. Behind the scenes however, matters aren’t nearly so peaceful and the Canucks seem to have a goal tender situation that is frankly challenging and doesn’t appear to be working itself out quickly and after Saturday’s 5-2 defeat by Detroit, matters it seems will complicate further! Roberto Luongo has long been the main man between the sticks for the Canucks and his superb goaltending famously led Team Canada to Gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics in on home soil in Vancouver and guided the Canucks to their famed Stanley Cup final appearance in 2011. But his patchy form last season prompted many to wonder if his number o...