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Prince George - SPORTS - Free Press
Friday, September 27, 2013
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Canucks won’t be better this year If one believes a recent ESPN poll, the Then there’s Luongo and his mind set after Vancouver Canucks are headed downward having his emotions compromised over the in the 2013-14 course of the past few months. And with no NHL season that begins next week. established back-up in net, the Canucks are Although the season opens on Tuesday, forced to ride with the 34-year-old Luongo October 1, the Canucks start Thursday, even during his slumps. October 3 in San Jose. Vancouver will be hard pressed The vote tally shows that to maintain strong depth Vancouver does not have a top at center after losing Derek 10 player. The leaders in the Roy and Max Lapierre to free survey are the Sedins (tied for agency. 13th among forwards), Kevin Canuck fans can legitimately Bieksa (tied for 27th among ask, where is the team upgraddefencemen) and Roberto ed? To believe Tortorella can Luongo (11th among goalies). take the core group farther than To be fair, I would suggest the Alain Vigneault did, is nothing Canucks would have had a betmore than hope. For now, the ter showing in a Canadian poll. players are publically embracIt is safe to assume the Canucks HART BEAT ing the change. HARTLEYMILLER streak of five straight division “I enjoyed playing under titles is in jeopardy especially Alain. He was a good coach for taking into account realignment. us but I think there always comes a time Vancouver is in the Pacific Division along when it’s time for a change. I think everyone with Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoe- is excited for John to come in. He will have nix, Edmonton and Calgary; albeit being in a different style than Alain did. There are a the Western Conference has an advantage lot of guys on our team that only had Alain where eight of the 14 teams qualify for the in their careers. It’s just time for a new look,” playoffs unlike the East where eight of 16 said defenceman Dan Hamhuis. teams advance. The Smithers product and former P.G. There are more question marks this seaCougars captain admits the team may not son than past years starting with the impact be as talented but feels there is a right mix. of volatile new coach John Tortorella. He “I really like the core of our team that is still wants the Sedins to play more, be on the together and that is the key to it. I think penalty kill and block shots. Really? That with the new coach and some of the differmay seem like a noble gesture but they need ent things we are bringing into our team to be fresh for the playoffs, not worn out. this year, kind of off the ice. It’s not always Low and behold if a Sedin gets injured while the best team on paper that wins the chamsacrificing his body while trying to block a pionships, it’s the team that comes together shot. at the right time,” stated the 30-year-old
Hamhuis. Yes, Chicago in 2013 and 2010, Boston in 2011 and LA in 2012 are the most recent examples of Stanley Cup champions coming together at the right time. Is it possible Vancouver could be that team in 2014? Sure. Is it a strong possibility? Not at all. The Canucks may fall in the standings but should easily make the playoffs. Torts may be abrupt, disrespectful and overbearing but not even he could sink the franchise to ninth or worse considering the weak competition such as Calgary, Phoenix and Winnipeg. Maybe the Canucks were bland and boring while achieving success in the regular season under Vigneault. This will not be the case under Tortorella. The plot is worth a watch but different doesn’t necessary translate into better. Hamhuis says the media is the most difficult part of playing in Vancouver. As Hamhuis says, “They can give you a hard time, sometimes when it’s deserved and sometimes when it’s not deserved.” These reporters will even be more critical considering the circumstances. A fourth place finish for the Canucks in the conference is a solid bet, but this Tortorella era experiment is set up to fail.
FROM THE QUOTE RACK: Astronomers at Maryland Science Centre say the upcoming chance to see Comet ISON occurs once in a lifetime. Or slightly more often than the Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup. The publishers of Penthouse have filed for bankruptcy. There’s an irony: a nudie maga-
zine ending up busted. Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke. com There has been discussion on whether or not Redskins should change their name. After this week D.C. residents are thinking to avoid embarrassment maybe the team should drop the “Washington.” Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com Detroit Lions receiver Nate Burleson broke his arm in a single-car accident after he reached over to keep two pizza boxes from falling off the front passenger seat. An official says Burleson was worried the cheese might melt on his gun. The NFL is being criticized for the head injury agreement they pushed through with former players. Critics say the money won’t help most players or address the issue of long term injuries. A spokesman for the NFL was not impressed: “We have over 70 lawyers on payroll that say it is a great deal.” Comedy writer Derek Wilken of Calgary The Baltimore Ravens hope Jacoby Jones wasn’t seriously hurt after being hit in the head by a stripper’s champagne bottle---without him, they could drop to the playoff bubble. The Pittsburgh Pirates clinched a playoff spot on Monday. The last time that happened was 21 years and four Barry Bonds hat sizes ago. Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for hqprincegeorge.com. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm. com. Follow him on twitter: @Hartley_Miller
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