Tuesday was a good day for Vancouver Canucks' prospects Bo Horvat and Thatcher Demko at their respective world junior camps.
Horvat had a goal and an assist as Canada beat Russia 5-2, while Demko took a big step towards establishing himself as Team USA's No. 1 goaltending prospect for the 2015 World Juniors when he stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 7-1 U.S. victory over Sweden.
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com
reports that Demko simply lived up to the reputation he has already established among those who know him:
"I was with him at the [United States National Team Development Program] so I've watched him for a whole year," teammate Sonny Milano said. "He's one of the best goalies I've ever seen. This isn't unexpected for me. This is what I expect from him."
Sportsnet Update
Patrick Johnson at
The Province got a comment from Sportsnet's Jennifer Neziol about the future of Vancouver hockey coverage in the wake of the departures of Craig MacEwan and Don Taylor:
I can confirm that Craig MacEwen is no longer with the company, and that Don Taylor will be leaving the company on Friday, Aug. 8 to focus 100% of his energy on radio. Don has been crucial in establishing the Sportsnet brand in BC, and we wish both him and Craig all of the best.
From that wording, I'm going to assume that it was Taylor's decision to leave, though we don't know what went on behind the scenes in terms of contract negotiations or work expectations. He may have simply decided, as the changes come down in light of the new broadcast deal, that this was a good time to focus his attention more fully on his radio gig.
Neziol says that all operations will not be centered in Toronto; Sportsnet will continue to have a Vancouver presence:
James Cybulski and Caroline Cameron will continue to host Connected from Vancouver; in terms of NHL, we’ll be announcing our full broadcast team closer to the start of the season.
That last sentence may yet prove to be a bit ominous for the regular Canucks broadcast crew. Johnson speculates that Garry Valk could also be on the way out:
The question of whether Taylor and MacEwen’s positions would be filled by other bodies was not directly addressed by Neziol, nor was Garry Valk’s status, though word around Lions practice this afternoon was he was out too.
Who Wore it Best?
First off, I'm surprised that none of you seemed to know the Sami Salo chant I referred to when he was named as the man at No. 6. As much as anything, this probably speaks to how social media has changed in the last four years—it have been all over the Twitterverse if it happened today.
Luckily, I found a YouTube video of the moment. Once you watch, you'll see why it wasn't something that could really be part of traditional TV sportscasts. And why it was so memorable.
Meanwhile, Cliff Ronning got 62 percent of your votes for No. 7, and was also proclaimed the winner over at
Canucks.com. Their fun factoid: Ronning still holds the team record for most playoff game-winning goals, with seven.
Now, on to my nominees at No. 8:
Greg G. Adams: A B.C. boy like Ronning, Adams was born in Nelson and acquired by Pat Quinn along with Kirk McLean from the New Jersey Devils before the beginning of the 1987-88 season. Two-way centre Patrik Sundstrom was the key player going the other way.
Adams went on to spend most of eight seasons with the Canucks, amassing 179 goals and 369 points in 489 games. His most memorable moment was the double-overtime game-winner over the Toronto Maple Leafs that sent the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final:
Bobby Schmautz: This is a sentimental choice for me. Bobby Schmautz was an early favourite of mine when I was a kid. He played five years in Vancouver, racking up 212 points in 285 games and leading the Canucks in scoring with 38 goals and 71 points in 1972-73.
I liked Schmautz because he was exciting. He could score, and he could throw 'em—he also racked up 137 penalty minutes in that same 1972-73 season. It's startling to look back and see that Schmautz was listed at 5'9" and 172 pounds. Hockey players are truly larger than life when you're a child.
Rick Blight: Drafted 10th overall in 1975, Rick Blight had superstar potential. He scored 25 goals in his rookie season and followed up with two more 25-plus goal campaigns. At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Blight had good size and great skills, but his career fizzled quickly. By 1978-79, he was being shuttled back and forth to the minors and he was out of the NHL completely by 1982-83, at age 27.
In Blight's six seasons with the Canucks, he posted 96 goals and 221 points in 324 games. Blight committed suicide on his farm in Manitoba in 2005, at age 49.
I would have included Willie Mitchell, but the Canucks have said no active players.
Other honourable mentions would be current Dallas Stars mastermind general manager Jim Nill, tough guy Donald Brashear, towering defenseman Marek Malik and traded-for-Markus-Naslund Alec Stojanov. We may associate No. 8 with Cam Neely from his time with the Bruins, but he wore No. 21 when he played for the Canucks.
I'll give the honours to Adams for scoring one of the biggest goals in team history. What do you think?
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