GO CANUCKS GO | Discussion

[mr.x]

http://www.94xfm.com/images/feeding%20time%20canucks.jpg
This time we're in
By BOB MACKIN -- Sun Media



The Vancouver Canucks are going to the Stanley Cup playoffs after their 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night in Denver.

Sami Salo scored on a power play 2:14 into the third period to break the deadlock. Matt Cooke and Daniel Sedin notched empty-netters in the final minute. Henrik Sedin assisted the game's first and third goals to bump his regulation time total to 63, breaking Andre Boudrias' 1974-1975 club record.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo had his fifth shutout in 70 starts. Canucks' captain Markus Naslund was held scoreless for the ninth consecutive game.

The Canucks remained in third place in the Western conference after the Calgary Flames were 1-0 winners over the Minnesota Wild in a shootout.

The Canucks are six points behind conference-leading Nashville Predators and one point behind second-place Anaheim Ducks.

The Canucks visit the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., Team 1040/Sportsnet). Vancouver ends its home schedule with a trio of games.

[mr.x]

PREDICT THE SCORE FOR CANUCKS VS. KINGS, March 29


My prediction:

Kings - 2
Canucks - 3

[KevD]

9-0 for kings! Hahaha, Probably not. But I have to say, I'm not a canucks fan. I pretty much have a solid hatred for them. But don't get mad at me... I'm sure you guys aren't huge fans of my team, the oilers, who aren't making the playoffs this year because Kevin Lowe is too frickin stupid to even think for two seconds... Trading smyth... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!! Anyway... Yeah, I'm still not over the whole smyth thing. Oilers were so close last year! Dang...

Well, good luck to any canuck fans. I'm happy for you canuckle heads... it's about time you had a chance to do well. ;)

[Overground]

Vancouver 3 Calgary 2

Luongo hopefully with his 46th win.

[Overground]

Well I guess I got it the other way around...lol.

[mr.x]

^ lol.


PREDICT THE SCORE

Canucks 4 vs. Kings 2 on April 3

[Overground]

^I'll agree with you on that one. I hope by predicting these scores we haven't somehow hexed the team:uh:

[stanleycup]

Canucks 3 - Kings 1

[EastVanGuy]

4-1 Canucks

[Overground]

Hey X, we were spot on!



ONE WIN AWAY

Matt Cooke, Taylor Pyatt, and Bryan Smolinski all scored second-period goals to rally the Canucks past the Kings 4-2 Tuesday night. LA scored a pair of early power-play goals to take a 2-0 lead, but couldn't hold on as the Canucks moved to within one win of the Northwest title with their 48th victory of the season.

[Rhino]

VAN - SANJOSE ?

Van 3 Sanjose 2. NO SHOOT OUT.
Daniell 1 goal , Salo 1 goal and Morrison the other .
thats my bet.

[stanleycup]

The first stab at playoff prediction. I say 2-1 for the Canucks over the Stars.

[Booyashako]

105 points each, this is gonna be a tight battle, but with Luongo and home ice on their side, I say the Canucks in 7.

Game 1: 3-2 Canucks

[Booyashako]

For the record, I am a Canucks fan first, Leafs fan second (not just 'cause they couldn't make it to the post season).

So...GO CANUCKS GO!!!

[mr.x]

whooo!!! GO CANUCKS! today's game was great.....this is it!!!! it has been three frickin years since!

[ryanr]

Go Canucks Go!

Game One: 2-1 Canucks

[KevD]

I hate this thread.... haha. I sure wish I could cheer with you guys. But I'm a canuck hater for life.

[spyro]

my prediction for game one

4-1 canucks!

[mr.x]

Fans prepare for playoffs
Hockey mania skates into town Wednesday


Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, April 09, 2007

VANCOUVER -- Naomi Fukasawa picks up two Vancouver Canucks car flags and waves them in the air.

The Japanese exchange student has been inundated with the sport lately, she says, standing next to a display of hockey paraphernalia on sale at London Drugs on Robson Street, Sunday afternoon.

"My host mother and host father, they like the Canucks. Every night it's on TV," she said. "Hockey on TV."

She ain't seen nothing yet.

As the Canucks gear up for their first game of the NHL playoffs scheduled for Wednesday against the Dallas Stars, so do their fans.

Scott Jensen, 35, a self-described super fan, has watched all 82 regular season games.

"I'm excited the Canucks are in the playoffs. It'll be difficult but they've come through so much," said Jensen. "I don't want to jinx them so I can't root. I just go into each game to enjoy it."

He said the playoffs are like the icing on a great hockey cake -- a pleasant surprise after a season of nice goals, quick comebacks and strong teamwork.

"I never imagined them to get to this spot at the start of the year," said Jensen, during a break from watching Sunday's Canucks game at his Vancouver home on high-definition television.

He said he's been particularly impressed by the performance of Henrik and Daniel Sedin. "It's been a real surprise for me to be where [the Canucks] are now."

It isn't always easy to be a Canucks fan, said Jensen, reflecting on the team's ups and downs over the last few years. The last time the Canucks were in the playoffs was 2004.

"It's been one disappointment after another," he said. "I'm a fan. I just try to temper my enthusiasm with a bit of reality."

But this year, he said, he is confident.

"It's really positive this year. There's a lot of optimism going into the playoffs."

In Dallas, fans are just starting to get into the swing of things and celebrate the Dallas Stars' playoff position, said Vincent Rodriguez, manager of 10 Sports Grill, a popular pub for watching sports.

Hockey isn't quite as big in Dallas as it is in Vancouver, he said.

"There's a little hockey fever. Everyone's more into the basketball here," said Rodriguez. "Once the playoffs start, though, it'll be better."

But there are already a few fans who watch hockey games religiously, he said, wearing jerseys and even painting their faces.

Joel Hill, a manager at Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill in Dallas, said excitement will build through the playoffs. "Usually it gets hyped up as it goes."

As for Fukasawa -- a new hockey fan who only recently became acquainted with Canuck-devotion -- she admitted she prefers the hockey players over the sport itself.

"The players are cool. Yeah," she said.

In the end, she didn't buy the car flags. Not just yet, she said.

ceustace@png.canwest.com

TALE OF TWO CITIES:

DALLAS

POPULATION -- 1.2 million (Source: US Census, http://quickfacts.census.gov)

CITY CATCHPHRASE -- "Live Large. Think Big."

FUN FACT -- Birthplace of 7-Eleven (1927) (www.7-eleven.com)

ON TEXAS -- Home to about 16 million cows. (www.50states.com)

MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT -- Jessica Simpson

POPULAR FOOD -- Steak; anything you can barbecue

KNOWN FOR -- The Dallas Cowgirls

MAYOR -- Laura Miller

TEAM SLOGAN -- Go Stars!

CHEER LEADER/MASCOT -- Dallas Stars Ice Girls

VANCOUVER

POPULATION -- 600, 000 (Source: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca)

CITY CATCHPHRASE -- Vancouver 2010

FUN FACT -- The largest red cedar tree in North America lives in Stanley Park. (www.tourismvancouver.com)

ON B.C. -- Home of the BC Marijuana Party and the Sex Party

MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT -- Sarah McLachlan

POPULAR FOOD -- Sushi

KNOWN FOR -- Rain

MAYOR -- Sam Sullivan

HOCKEY TEAM SLOGAN -- We Are All Canucks!

CHEER LEADER/MASCOT -- Fin


© The Vancouver Sun 2007

[spyro]

I love how ppl who dont normally watch hockey are getting into the playoff fever! I'm hoping I can do the same with a couple friends of mine.

[mr.x]

my god, end the frickin game.....I NEED TO SLEEP! WTF IS FOUR OVERTIMES?

[vitc]

Tell me about it - what a money maker LOL. What is the playoff overtime record anyway?

[vitc]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

what a game! congrats. for some reason, i always cheer for a Canadian team when the Kings are out of it (too often :( ) Good luck, and beat the damn Dux if it gets to that point.

[mr.x]

I LOVE YOU SEDIN!!!!!!!!!! TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE!!!!!!

[Huhu]

Watched 5 hrs 30 mins of hockey straight. Great gutsy win missing 2 forwards after the third period.

:cheers:

[mr.x]

Imagine if we had 6 more games just like tonights.........

[Booyashako]

I have an exam today but I stayed on my couch (dozing off every now and then) 'till that final goal was scored at around 3:30am!!! Very inconsiderate of the Canucks...but YAY! nonetheless. Hopefully the positive energy from that game will channel into my exam :D

[Overground]

What a game! I consumed vast amounts of lager....mental note...switch to bottles from now on....ugghh....

[mr.x]

Wow.....the game ended this morning......and there's another one tomorrow. :D Are we gonna have another 5 of these all nighters?

[mr.x]

Marathon win a whale of a wakeup call

Roberto Luongo's playoff debut is one to remember
Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, April 12, 2007

Good morning. After you went to bed, the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars played 11 more scoreless overtime periods and play-by-play man John Shorthouse lost his voice and quit. Several thousand fans beat him out the door.

In related news, the National Hockey League is considering instituting 4-on-4 overtime for the playoffs.

Wednesday was the longest night -- and first morning -- in the Canucks' National Hockey League history, as Vancouver opened its Stanley Cup tournament by blowing a two-goal, third-period lead before beating the Stars 5-4 in quadruple overtime.

Henrik Sedin converted a centring pass from his brother Daniel at 18:06 of the fourth overtime to end the longest game in franchise history and sixth-longest ever in the NHL.

"That's one to remember," Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo said after finishing with 72 saves, 30 of them in overtime after the playoff rookie struggled to settle his nerves in regulation time. "It's very tiring, physically and mentally. Your legs start seizing up. I did feel a little nervous because it's my first game. But I got the first one out of the way. Or first two -- I got all the experience I needed in one night."

"It's fun to be part of a game like this that ends at 12:30 at night, especially to finish it off with a win," Canuck captain Markus Naslund said after skating and hitting -- yes, hitting -- the Canucks back into it in overtime. "I'm going to bed."

The Canucks looked beaten when overtime began.

They were being outskated and outchanced, and Vancouver's energy level wasn't helped by the loss of Matt Cooke in the second period due to a groin injury and Alex Burrows in the first overtime.

Burrows was crunched face-first into the glass by Stars' defenceman Stephane Robidas. Another Canuck forward, Ryan Kesler, was playing his first game after rushing back from major hip surgery 10 weeks ago.

After taking over the game in the third period, when they outshot the Canucks 16-3 and scored twice in the last 12 minutes to force overtime, the Stars looked far fresher in the first two overtime periods, and there was a whiff on inevitability to a Dallas win.

But Luongo, who looked weak of the two of the four goals that beat him in regulation time, got sharper in the extra periods. He made excellent overtime saves on Mattias Norstrom, Stu Barnes and Antti Miettinen.

Perhaps heartened by the steadying of their goalie -- or maybe from the physical, energetic work of Jeff Cowan and Naslund -- the Canucks started skating better in the third overtime and grabbed back at least their share of the momentum.

Like Luongo, Daniel and Henrik Sedin also got stronger as the game went on and generated the winning goal after Daniel had rung a shot off the post.

"It's strange to get your legs going that late in the game," Henrik said. "Roberto was unbelievable."

Making his Stanley Cup playoff debut at age 28, Luongo fought the puck, which he struggled to catch cleanly during regulation time. But he still made a pile of saves and had his team ahead 4-2 in the third period until the Stars scored twice in the final 11 1/2 minutes.

Fifty-five seconds after a lucky carom off the the glass fooled Dallas goalie Marty Turco and allowed Canuck Bryan Smolinski a tap-in at 7:36, Antti Miettinen got body position of defenceman Willie Mitchell and hacked a rebound past Luongo to make it 4-3.

Ladislav Nagy tied it at 13:46, shooting between Luongo's blocker and body and leaving the netminder looking heavenward in frustration.

By that point, however, the Canucks were in full retreat. The Stars outshot them 16-3 in the third period and 40-22 through 60 minutes. Shots finished 76-56 for Dallas.

As much as Luongo and Turco tried to dismiss pre-series questions about the pressure on them -- the Canuck had no playoff experience and the Star only poor experiences in the post-season -- they were betrayed by apparent tension in their play early on.

- - -

The game was a full seven seconds old when raucous chants of "Tur-co! Tur-co!" mocked the Dallas netminder. Turco's reactions to Canuck shooters seemed quick enough, but he was slow to adapt at 4:20 when Daniel Sedin, who rode Antti Miettinen off a shoot-in to force a turnover, centred the puck off Dallas defenceman Darryl Sydor's skate and watched it carom slowly into the Stars' net.

But Luongo looked nervy, too, and the Stars silenced the roar inside the building only 68 seconds later when the Canuck goalie, deep in his net, allowed a low shot from the slot by Brendan Morrow to squeeze between skate and post to make it 1-1 after Vancouver defenceman took his first of three minor penalties in the opening period.

Neither goalie could be faulted on a screened shot that beat him in the second period -- Canuck Mattias Ohlund scored at 6:26, the Stars' Trevor Daley at 10:00 -- before Vancouver captain Markus Naslund broke the 2-2 tie at 13:47.

After hits by Ryan Kesler and Jeff Cowan on the Dallas defence tandem of Daley and Philippe Boucher forced a turnover, Naslund skated off the bench and on to the loose puck before shooting through Turco's pads as the goalie back-pedaled.


© The Vancouver Sun 2007

[Rhino]

BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY WHO? ???????? BOBBY LUE !!!!!!

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/hockey/nhl/01/10/bc.nhl.luongo/tx.luongo.jpg
http://www.hoopsjunky.ca/blog/photos/20060826/20060826_01.jpg


heres a desk top for Canuck fans !
http://en.rbkhockey.com/players/luongo/wallpapers/1_1280.jpg

[mr.x]

gah......everybody was still lagging from playing 6 hours straight in Game 1. I'm confident they'll play much better and win on Sunday.

[Rhino]

man , I hope so . They played like a hockey video game with no one at the controler.

[spyro]

nucks should be fully recovered from game one by tonight

3-1 canucks!

[mr.x]

i miss the west coast express.

[mr.x]

whooo!!!!! two down, two more to go!

[mr.x]

Our saviour,
He may be mortal, but the Vancouver Canuck


http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vasn/20070411/292-81.jpg


Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 11, 2007

He can save everything but your soul, and even that we're not positive about.

But we're not going way out there on insanely thin ice with talk of saviours and messiahs, although you must concede that Roberto Luongo could play Jesus -- with his heavy shadow for a beard, the long, shining hair, burning eyes and olive skin. (Note to European painters: Jesus was not Swedish).

And then there are the Luongo miracles.

The little ones, like making saves from his belly or unplugging himself from an IV drip in Montreal before shutting out the Canadiens after a night in the Intensive Care Unit. And the big ones, like transforming a National Hockey League franchise, changing the Vancouver Canucks from ridiculous underachievers into a serious, noble team, from punchlines to the playoffs. From water into wine.

Wait a minute, wasn't Luongo's father a carpenter? No, Antonio Luongo didn't make furniture, he delivered it.

And although no one can speak for God, no matter how slick their televised sermons nor how lucrative their prayer lines, I'm reasonably certain the next son the Holy Father sends among us will not bide his time refining his butterfly so he can block pucks for nearly $7 million US a season.

Remember, Luongo may be a godsend to the Canucks, but he was delivered unto them by Mike Keenan, which renders impossible any connection to godliness.

Canuck general manager Dave Nonis, an Italian-Canadian Catholic like Luongo, should have gone to confession over the trade. "Bless me father, for I have sinned: I fleeced the Florida Panthers for one of the best goalies on the planet and set upon them Todd Bertuzzi."

When Keenan called a couple of days before last June's entry draft in Vancouver and asked if the Canucks had something going on Bertuzzi, Nonis said "yes." And within hours, the soon-to-be-ex-general manager of the Panthers had asked for and received Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld. And Nonis, without shame, demanded Lukas Krajicek as well as Luongo.

"I talked to someone I knew [from another organization] the night before the trade and he told me this was going to happen," veteran Canuck Trevor Linden said recently. "I got mad at him, like: 'Don't give me that crap; don't tell me we're getting Roberto Luongo because that's ridiculous. Florida is never going to trade Roberto Luongo.' Then the next day we got him."

And it was good. And Nonis was pleased and now everyone is in Vancouver. Florida, not so much.

"You never quite believe a team will give up a goaltender like Louie," centre Brendan Morrison said. "You think: 'Geez, that would be nice if it happened.' And then when it did happen, it was like: 'Wow, we've got one of the best goalies in the world.' "

Possibly the best in the world this season, although that will be determined this spring in balloting for the Vezina and Hart trophies.

The Canucks have never had a goalie like Luongo, whose profound influence has been felt in nearly every facet of the franchise.

Luongo has sold tickets and pay-per-view subscriptions, moved merchandise, changed the way other teams view the Canucks and altered the way Vancouver players see themselves. Everyone within his orbit seems the better for it.

He has caused a seismic shift within the organization that the free-agent signing a decade ago of Mark Messier -- a false messiah, as it turned out -- failed spectacularly to achieve. He has converted the unfaithful in Canuck Nation, and they exponentially outnumbered the believers when this season began.

And Luongo has done all this without a single NHL playoff game. Ever.

The 28-year-old concedes it is this gap on his resume that has frustrated and driven him.

"I won't lie about it," he said. "When I was one of the finalists for the Vezina a few years ago, people were saying: 'Well, you didn't make the playoffs and you won only 30-something games.'

"I missed out on a lot the last few years. Prior years, there was a lot of frustration and it wasn't as fun to come to the arena. I'm really excited to come to the rink every day and practise and play.


© The Vancouver Sun 2007




and how many times did Cloutier have to sit out from games from that damn knee? we saw Luongo kick ass tonight, getting hit in the chest by a puck shot half the rink away then 3 seconds later getting hit directly by several hockey sticks.....two minutes later, back in play.

Oh messiah, messiah, Luongo, my meesiah. He will send the stars falling.

[mr.x]

Council backs Canucks
All councillors expected to wear jerseys at tomorrow's meeting


Andy Ivens, The Province
Published: Monday, April 16, 2007

VANCOUVER - Playoff fever has infected the die-hard Canucks fans on Vancouver city council.

A visitor to tomorrow's council meeting might think he or she has stumbled into a Canucks Fan Club meeting by mistake as all council members are expected to wear Canucks jerseys.

Coun. Kim Capri said she will vote on motions not in the usual manner of raising her hand, but by waving a Canucks souvenir white towel, a time-honoured Vancouver hockey tradition.

"I figure we need to have fun and we need to support these guys," Capri, who hatched the plan, said yesterday.

Mayor Sam Sullivan has proclaimed every Friday during the Canucks' run to the Stanley Cup as Canucks Appreciation Day, encouraging everyone to wear their Canucks colours to work.

"We Don't Have Council on Fridays, [So] We Thought We'd Take Advantage of the Tuesday Meeting and All Wear Jerseys," Said Capri.

The councillors will receive their Canucks jerseys -- each customized with their own name on the back -- today from the mayor's assistant.

Born and bred in Edmonton, Capri didn't take long to find her true allegiance on the Canucks' side after moving here. The switch was a natural progression after she saw first-hand the genius of her friend, departed Canucks general manager Brian Burke.

"I saw him take that team from not just a hockey team, but from a team of corporate players to corporate citizens," said Capri.

"I would see Canucks at all sorts of different charitable events. I thought, 'I have to get behind these guys.' I have now become a life-long fan."

There's just one snag in the councillors' plan to wear their Canucks regalia at tomorrow night's public meeting -- the game starts at 5 p.m. and true Canucks fans will likely still be glued to their TVs watching their team slugging it out in Dallas when the public meeting begins at 7:30.

"We're going to be missing the game, so we'll have to get somebody to keep reporting back to us," said Capri.

"Maybe we won't have too many people speaking at the public hearing because they'll all be watching the game."

aivens@png.canwest.com

[Rhino]

VANCIOUVER UP 3 GAMES to 1

bye bye Dallas .

[mr.x]

The Stars Are Falling!

[KevD]

Crap... Looks like Van is going to the second round... I really didn't think they would... Whatever...

[Rhino]

I dont want to say what the score is , might jinks it .

[Rhino]

check this out funny shit
http://static.flickr.com/53/139248600_7c27411efb_o.jpg
http://www.cupchasers.com/wp-content/uploads/gary-mark.jpg

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/canuck2.jpg
commin for Dallas tonight , captain Caunck .

[Rhino]

1-0 Dallas begining of the third peroid .
All I can say is that Vancouver DOES NOT deserve to win this game.
they are playing like fucken bantam players .
Dallas has out skated , out shot , out hit , out chanced , out played out saved , out husseled , out fought , and out worked Vancouver at every turn . If I was a player for Vancouver I'd be sick with humiliation .

[KevD]

GO STARS GO!!! WOOO GAME SEVEN!!!

[mr.x]

GO STARS GO!!! WOOO GAME SEVEN!!!

i should ban you for saying that.

[KevD]

^^Hahaha...

[Rhino]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WE WIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mr.x]

Hockey gods smile on Canucks in crucial game


Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The puck came from behind the net, and Stu Barnes let the shot go immediately. No one could have reacted in time to save it. The 36-year-old Dallas Stars journeyman raised his stick in joy, because he had just tied Game 7 at two goals each, and . . . .

What?

The crowd was chanting "Looouuuuuuu!"

Roberto Luongo had the puck. Somehow, the Vancouver Canucks goalie had come from nowhere to squeeze the shot between his arm and his body. Barnes lowered his stick, and cast his eyes heavenward.

And, indeed, that may have been where the answer lay.

Not to disparage the work ethic of the Canucks, the leadership of winning-goal scorer Trevor Linden, the magic of Luongo or the virtuosity of the Sedin twins, but deliverance on this night at General Motors Place came also from the hockey gods, who moved the cross-bar a hair lower to meet Mike Modano's one-timer from the high slot, four minutes from the end, and preserve Vancouver's slender 2-1 lead.

Two empty-net goals later, the first of which (by Taylor Pyatt) released a sigh of relief loud enough to break glass, the Canucks skated away 4-1 victors in a Game 7 as close as the series itself -- and had their passage booked to Anaheim for the Wednesday night start of a second-round series against Brian Burke's Ducks.

"I was just lucky enough to see it and get a piece of it," said Luongo, who was less lucky than great on the Barnes save, but was completely beaten on the Modano shot, until he heard that happy sound of rubber on iron.

"I heard it ping, but I didn't know if it was a ping-and-in like the first goal. I just looked around and the puck wasn't in the net, so I just got up as fast as I could. I waited such a long time to get in the playoffs, and I definitely didn't want it to end tonight."

Luongo was brilliant, but those three words have been the story of the Canucks' season -- and he is the main reason the team is moving on in the playoffs, instead of making another hangdog exit. To beat Dallas, which had taken complete control of the series with victories in Games 5 and 6, Luongo had to outplay Stars' Marty Turco, who had recorded two consecutive shutouts and three in the series.

He did.

"He's a game-breaker," said veteran Brendan Morrison. "Regardless of how our team is playing, it seems we're always in the game. He's bought us time, kept games close until we were able to find a way to score.

"After Game 6, a few us talked when we saw him come on the bus there -- it's disappointing when you let a guy down, disappointing when you let the team down, and you definitely wanted to go out and play for the guy sitting beside you tonight."

After two days of abuse over their tepid performance Saturday night in Dallas, when they were blanked 2-0, the Canucks were under the microscope Monday night.

The Big E every fan at GM Place was watching for was not named Eric, although Lindros was in the Dallas lineup.

It was Effort. It was Emotion.

And it was nowhere to be found in the first period.

But when the Canucks gradually crawled back, forcing the Stars into penalties in the second period, they knew they had to capitalize now or never. Fifteen minutes into that period, Henrik Sedin, left all alone in front of Turco when defenceman Mattias Norstrom deserted his post, took a long, slow backhand pass from his brother Daniel and whipped a shot past Turco for the goal that seemed to take the weight of the world off the Canucks' backs.

They dominated the game thereafter, and Linden deflected home the winner seven minutes into the third, his re-direction of Mattias Ohlund's shot finding a gap between Turco's pads and barely trickling over the line.

"There's definitely a few guys left around here that have been through some tough defeats -- Game 7s on home ice -- and ... really you don't want to be labelled as a loser," said Morrison. "In a joking sense, you kind of talk about that. But in all seriousness, we were challenged, and we did a pretty good job of responding. We all understand it's only the first round, but it answered some questions, and now we move on."

"I think we worked hard all year to win our division and get home ice, and I think tonight we enjoyed the result of that," said Luongo, who had to make only 19 saves -- he faced 76 shots in Game 1 -- but put out some three-alarm fires along the way to keep the Canucks ahead.

"We really started moving our feet well [in the second period], and because of that, they had to start taking penalties. We got a big goal on the [power play] and our confidence built from there. There's no easy games. Playoffs is all about work ethic and paying the price for your teammates and your team."

Barnes, whose golden chance disappeared in the clutches of Luongo, was still downcast in the Stars' room later.

"I thought it was in," he said. "[Jeff] Halpern and [Joel] Lundqvist made great plays behind the net, got it out to me and I got a good shot away. I thought ... but the guy made a helluva save. Same thing with Mo's. It hits the bar. You do everything you can to get the thing in the net, and it's tough."

Tougher still for Turco, who came in with a reputation as a playoff underachiever, and threw three shutouts at the Canucks, played valiantly for all seven games, and still lost.

"I thought the goaltending in the series was phenomenal," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "People can talk about lack of scoring but when you look at two goaltenders and their save percentages are over .950 for the whole series, I don't think there's a lack of chances, there's just some great goaltending."

Luongo, the man who gives the Canucks a chance every night, was able to savour the closing moments, after the empty-net goals made the dying seconds irrelevant.

"It was great. Just sitting there, trying to soak it all in, I got a little bit emotional," said Luongo, who spent an extra moment shaking hands with Turco at the end.

"I just told him he did a helluva job, and it could have gone either way ... and to keep his head up."

ccole@png.canwest.com


© The Vancouver Sun 2007



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[Huhu]

Wow, destroyed in game one. :ohno:

Anyways, gj for making the second round with a team everyone said wouldn't make the playoffs. :cheers:

[Rhino]

theres still 5 games to go .

[KevD]

three more games left....

[Rhino]

:lol: lol , I hate you .

[spyro]

found this on the canucks forum and i love it


Secret tabled at Turco dinner
Greg Douglas, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2007

SCENE & HEARD: It will be awhile before Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco has dinner again at Umberto Menghi's signature eatery, Il Giardino on Hornby Street. Not that Turco has anything against the food or service at the charming Tuscan-style villa. He loves the place. But as Turco's superstitions go, forget it.

Turco picked up the tab for eight of his teammates last Sunday on the eve of Game 7 in the Canucks-Dallas playoff series. Funny thing is, Il Giardino isn't open Sundays. But Turco insisted. He had wined and dined the same eight teammates earlier in the week and when the Stars won Game 5 the next night at GM Place, Turco wasn't taking no for an answer prior to Game 7. The Dallas players would sit in the same seats, order the same meal and drink the same wine.

After several desperate calls from Turco, the chef and two senior staff members agreed to open the restaurant for his private sitting. All in, it would cost Turco close to $10,000 to have the lights turned on, the grills fired up and the tab delivered for the nine hearty diners.

Dallas, of course, lost 4-1 the next night and Turco to this day is unaware that there was a Canucks souvenir collectible coin -- Roberto Luongo edition -- securely taped to the bottom of his chair. Turco should have known. As the team's rallying cry goes: "We are all Canucks".

[mr.x]

SCOOORREE!

[mr.x]

http://honghuafinedining.com/PekingDuck-496-480.jpg



A Simplified Peking Duck


1 Large Whole Duck -- giblets removed

1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground White Pepper

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 Tb Ground Ginger

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

2 Teaspoons Peanut Oil

1/2 tsp Ground Star Anise

Bring a pot of water, large enough to hold the duck, to a boil. Remove from heat and plunge duck in the water for 5 minutes. Remove and pat dry.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring just to the boil. Off heat, allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Liberally coat the duck with the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours so that the coating dries out.

To cook: Place duck on a rack, breast side up in a preheated 350 degree oven for 2- 2 1/2 hours. Roast until skin is crisp and brown. Check occasionally and regulate temperature so that the coating does not burn.

To serve: Let duck cool to room temperature. Carefully carve pieces from the bone being sure to include the crisp skin. Roll up in Chinese Pancakes (recipe follows) with a dab of hoisin sauce and slivered green onions.

CHINESE PANCAKES

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup boiling water 2 tablespoons minced green onion 2 tablespoons sesame oil

In a bowl combine the flour and water stirring constantly until all the water is absorbed. Add more water if mixture seems dry, dough should just hold together in large lumps.

Add green onions and gather and kneed dough on a lightly floured board (or in a mixer) until smooth, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Unwrap, knead again for 5 minutes. Form into a log about 18 inches long and 1-inch in diameter. Cut roll into 20 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Dip one side of ball in the sesame oil and place oiled side on top of another ball. Roll out the two into a circle about 6 inches in diameter. (Rolling the two together, helps keep them moist inside.)

Heat an ungreased saute pan over low heat. Put double pancakes into pan and cook until dry on one side. Flip and dry out other side. Remove pancakes, peel them apart and set aside. Cover with plastic.

At serving time, steam briefly or wrap in plastic and cook in microwave at full power for 30-40 seconds.

[mr.x]

The dream is over...

[Huhu]

Lol, I was just thinking about 5 seconds before they scored that the Sedins would give up the winning goal. :ohno:

[Rhino]

next year , get someone who can score , and some guys with BALLS .
The Canucks ( who I love ) have no nutts , they were slapped around the whole playoffs and just took it .

[mr.x]

i hate saying it, but we need to trade Naslund. He's taking too much of our salary cap and he's not playing like how he used to.

[Rhino]

yep , I said before trade him for Bobby Holik .
http://pics.forecaster.ca/nhl-player/0215.gif

Naslund age 33, 6.0 Million

Holik : age 36 , 4.5 million

okay on second thought ,
http://pics.forecaster.ca/nhl-player/1838.gif

Erik Cole age 26 , 4.0 Million a year

OR ... better yet ,

Simon Gagne
http://pics.forecaster.ca/nhl-player/1601.gif

Age 27 , 5.25 million ( well worth it )

[gutooo]

I miss the Canucks! :(

Too bad theyre out of the playoffs!