Chris Peters of CBS Sports has a
detailed analysis today of the Canucks' core. In case you weren't aware, it's on the older side.
There's not much new in the article, but I agree with his overall assessment of what to expect in the new season:
It's not totally safe to throw last year out and count it as an anomaly just because of Tortorella's coaching and the disaster that followed. That said, what happened last year may need to be taken with a grain of salt. The Canucks should be better this year. Whether or not that means they're playoff team is less certain considering how stacked the Western Conference is.
My heart sings as the swirl of chaos around the San Jose Sharks continues to grow. That's one good team that looks like it will be in a messy state of flux this season, which could open up some room in the Pacific Division standings.
As training camp draws closer, we'll start looking more closely at how the season might unfold.
Strudwick on Odjick
A good story from ex-Canuck Jason Strudwick on
Oilers Nation on how it felt to be the guy who was acquired by the Vancouver Canucks when Gino Odjick was traded. After Gino told the media that "he is upset about being traded for someone he doesn’t even know," Strudwick decided the best way to remedy that problem was to fight Odjick the next night, in his first game as a Canuck.
After the game the press asked me why I wanted to fight Gino. I said, "He didn’t know who I was so I thought I would introduce myself!” That is a line I am still proud of.
Struds was a serviceable defenseman during his five years in Vancouver and has really blossomed as a media personality in Edmonton, which is not something I would have expected for him. It's great to see him show Gino some respect during this tough time.
Not much new information as far as Gino's health struggles, though this photo was posted on his Twitter earlier in the month. Hang in there, Gino!
Who Wore it Best?
Runaway support for Tiger Williams at No. 22, which was backed up at
Canucks.com.
They've added a cool video, where Jim Robson tells the story behind Tiger Williams' famous stick-riding goal-scoring celebration. Would Don Cherry have called this showboating, or would he have given Tiger a mulligan for being a "good prairie boy"?
The nominees for No. 23—a number worn by a number of prominent players:
Martin Gelinas: A key member of the Vancouver Canucks for five seasons, it's hard to believe that Martin Gelinas was picked up on waivers from the Quebec Nordiques in January of 1994. Nice one, Pat Quinn!
Gelinas had been a seventh-overall draft pick by the Los Angeles Kings who was part of the package traded to Edmonton for Wayne Gretzky in 1988. He won a Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1990, then was dealt to Quebec in the summer of 1993. After just half a season, the Nordiques deemed him expendable, but the crafty left-winger fit in beautifully on the Canucks.
Gelinas' most productive seasons were in Vancouver, scoring 30 goals in 1995-96 and 35 in 1996-97. The team was going through a rough patch, but Gelinas was a hard-working two-way winger who gave us fans something to smile about.
All told, Gelinas had 90 goals and 171 points in 258 games in Vancouver. He was traded to Carolina along with Kirk McLean in January of 1988, as Mike Keenan dismantled the old team.
Gelinas now lives in Calgary, where he is an assistant coach with the Flames.
Thomas Gradin: With his name in the Canucks' Ring of Honour, Thomas Gradin was the Canucks' first offensive star and left the team as their all-time leading scorer to that point. Originally drafted by Chicago in 1976 when Europeans were rare in the NHL, the Canucks acquired Gradin's rights in 1978 in exchange for a second-round draft pick.
He joined the team that fall and posted his first of seven straight 20-goal seasons, even earning some Calder Trophy consideration.
Gradin spent his early years in Vancouver on a line with Stan Smyl and Curt Fraser. The trio gelled well together and all three posted good offensive production—the fuel that powered the Canucks' run to the 1982 Stanley Cup Final. Gradin led the Canucks in scoring during the 1982 playoffs, with 19 points in 17 games.
Gradin's best seasons saw him put up 86 points in both 1981-82 and 1982-83. All told, he had 197 goals and 550 points in 613 games with the Canucks over eight seasons. He was signed as a free agent by Boston in 1986 but played just one season with the Bruins, then finished his career in Sweden.
Gradin signed on as a scout with the Canucks in 1994 and is still with the team two decades later. He had a hand in the Canucks' drafting of Matthias Ohlund, Alex Edler and, of course, the Sedin twins. Gradin is currently high on Swedish defenseman Gustav Forsling, chosen in the fifth round last spring. I see Gradin from time to time at games—at 58, he looks like he's still in amazing shape.
Paul Reinhart: A tremendous offensive defenseman during his NHL career, it turns out that Paul Reinhart is a man of many talents. Since retiring from hockey and taking up residence in West Vancouver, Reinhart has become a successful businessman and hockey dad, sending boys Max, Griffin and Sam to the NHL.
Reinhart made his name as a point man with the Calgary Flames during the 1980s, but back problems started to impede his playing ability as he got older. In the summer of 1988, Pat Quinn acquired Reinhart and Steve Bozek from the Flames for the bargain-basement price of a third-round draft pick.
Though Reinhart played just 64 and 67 games in his two seasons with Vancouver before retirement, he scored 57 point both years and was a key player in Vancouver's 1989 playoff run, where they were eliminated in seven games by the eventual champion Flames. Reinhart was also a terrific leader who provided a stable veteran presence and played an important role in the development of a young Trevor Linden.
In two seasons with Vancouver, Reinhart posted 24 goals and 114 points in 131 games.
Other notable Canucks who wore 23 include Murray Baron, Bryan McCabe, Gerry O'Flaherty and Garry Valk.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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