Monday September 21: Vancouver Canucks 1 - San Jose Sharks 0 (OT)
Hello from Victoria!
The Vancouver Canucks sent the 2,300 North Saanich hockey fans home happy on Monday night when local hero Adam Cracknell ended the game with a 3-on-3 overtime winner to open the exhibition season against the San Jose Sharks.
Here are your highlights:
This has been my first trip to Vancouver Island in about four years, and I've loved it. The weather has been spectacular and I have been struck by the friendly energy everywhere I've gone.
The Q Centre was certainly a different way to experience an NHL game. The fans on hand all seemed to know each other - presumably from their North Saanich minor hockey roots - and the media stations were set up at folding tables around the concourse of the rink. It was fun to watch the game from the equivalent of about Row 10 at Rogers Arena but certainly a challenge for my Stats job with no video board, no replays, and very limited statistical information on the handwritten data sheets handed out between periods. I had no choice but to keep my eyes glued to the action.
Thankfully for me, it wasn't a night of too many stats. Shots on goal were just 8-4 in the first period, but picked up as the players found their grooves a little bit. Of course, the only goal was the OT winner by Victoria boy Adam Cracknell.
Cracknell was a prominent figure all night long, having played his minor hockey in the area. He took the opening faceoff and definitely drew more than his fair share of fan support.
I don't know how much he fed off the energy, but he's a big body at 6'1" and 216 pounds who played efficiently on Monday night. At 30 years old, with 82 games of NHL experience under his belt, he looks like he could be a useful fourth-line option if injuries hit during the season.
It's also worth noting that even though Cracknell is listed as a right winger, he played last night at centre.
The biggest news on a night that was short on offense was a second-period injury to Chris Higgins, who took a Brenden Dillon slap shot off his ankle.
I'm not seeing any update yet on Higgins' condition. If he is out for any period of time, that could be good news for a prospect, as an extra forward spot opens up.
The San Jose Sharks iced a group of young players, with Brenden Dillon and Tomas Hertl the most recognizable names in their lineup. So, it could be premature to shower Jacob Markstrom with praise for his shutout performance, but the big backup was solid and confident during his half of the game. Richard Bachman, still wearing his Edmonton Oilers mask, also looked steady during his 30-plus minutes of action.
I'm ready for yet another year of goalie controversy as Markstrom lives up to Jim Benning's expectations and challenges Ryan Miller for big-game minutes.
I liked what I saw from Alex Grenier on Monday. He's a big boy with a real nose for the net. Brendan Gaunce also looked strong, especially in the first half of the game, and Bo Horvat was arguably the best player on the ice - looking mature, confident and effective on the penalty kill.
As for the veterans, they all pretty much played the way we've come to expect.
Brandon Sutter got plenty of ice time in his Canucks debut, playing on both the power play and the penalty kill as well as taking his second-line shift. As we'd heard, he's a straight-line player who likes to carry the puck. His good wheels served him well during his 3-on-3 shift, when he was able to motor on the backcheck.
I also noticed that the linesmen were very quick to drop the puck on faceoffs last night. I know that's a rule that came into effect last season, but I get the feeling they've received further directives to keep play stoppages as short as possible this year.
Don Cherry and Ron McLean played to the crowd from their on-ice position during the first period Coach's Corner segment, and I spotted Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini quietly surveying the scene from a corner of the rink during the second intermission.
I understand the game came off quiet on television. Certainly, the energy dipped at times: I'd blame that on the score as much as anything else. A crew down at my end diligently started the wave at least 10 times during the second half of the game, with varying degrees of success, and the crowd was excited and engaged, and included plenty of children and teens.
I thought the same thing when I saw this guy walking around:
I'll start my journey home as soon as I'm finished with this blog. The Canucks are already back in Vancouver, preparing for tonight's followup contest against the Sharks:
I'm not seeing any lineup info yet for tonight's game, but Jeff Paterson has intel on a "Utica Comets Group" working out with Travis Green this morning:
Game time tonight is 7 p.m. from Rogers Arena, on Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet One and TSN1040.
If you're looking for a livestream, check NHL.com. I didn't get to try it, but there was a button on the "scores" page last night promising streams of the games, so you might be in luck there.
Scott Walker joins Canucks Management Team
One other quick note to wrap up today -
Iain MacIntyre posted a story yesterday about one-time Canucks tough guy Scott Walker, who has been recruited back into the fold by Trevor Linden.
Walker started his NHL career with the Canucks back in the '90s and went on to become a successful coach after his playing days were over - most recently guiding Canada's 2015 World Junior team to a gold medal.
He stepped away from his coaching responsibilities after that tournament to spend more time with his family, which has turned out to be the Canucks' gain. He'll be working with Vancouver part time in a yet-to-be-named position this year.
I think this is great news. As Trevor Linden says in the article:
“With his resume as a player and a coach and how hard he had to work to get where he got to, he’s a good fit for us,” Linden says. “I have tremendous respect for Scotty. A lot of players — and I was one of them — are handed an NHL career and told basically: ‘Don’t screw it up.’ Scotty earned every inch of what he got. Where he was drafted, at that size and that time, the odds were against him ever playing. But he worked his way through the AHL to earn his opportunity, and then became a regular player in the NHL for 15 years. And then he became a successful coach.”
Walker also has deep knowledge of the OHL, which could continue to help the Canucks with their scouting and drafting going forward.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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