Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots, April 10th, 2008

By Hartley Miller

The most popular question this week is what happened to the Vancouver Canucks?

The Canucks handed the Nashville Predators the final playoff spot by choking down the stretch, losing six of seven key games. More surprising is that Roberto Luongo was outplayed in each of these defeats. Luongo wasn't his normal brilliant self, and seemed to be disturbed with “other” issues. To please Roberto (and the fans) GM Dave Nonis needs to get off his butt and improve the team offensively. Standing pat, obviously, wasn't the answer.

I don't think Nonis or Coach Alain Vigneault will be fired, but “heads will roll” if significant improvement isn't shown next season. Yes, the defense was beat up; however, many teams overcame an abundance of key injuries (ie. Colorado).  The general feeling is that Markus Naslund, and Brendan Morrison (unrestricted free agents) and Trevor Linden (expected retirement) won't return, which puts the puck squarely in Nonis' corner to find replacements. He has been resting far too long on the laurels of the Luongo trade two years ago with Florida.

Nonis, who is entering the final year of his contract, admitted this week that changes are imminent. I'm not sure what he meant when he stated the Canucks scored eight more goals this season than the Anaheim Ducks.

Nonis should have noted that Vancouver had 10 fewer victories and 17 fewer points than the previous
season. The Canucks were 19-23 in one goal games compared to 30-18 a year ago. In overtime games
they were 10-10, way off the pace of 17-7 in 06/07.

There is another way of analyzing the Canucks season. Perhaps, they overachieved last season and reality kicked in this year. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Stanley Cup Fever….

Don't you agree that the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is the most exciting? Maybe it's the
intriguing match ups, or the anticipation that more upsets occur in the opening round. Also, don't overlook the hockey pool participants who love to brag about their team, until many of their players
falter.

Speaking about the NHL playoffs…. I am anxious to see if Carey Price can carry the load for the Montreal Canadiens.  Also, how much longer will Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals remain the hottest player and team in the league?

By the way, it's easy to pick Anaheim, San Jose, or Pittsburgh to make a long playoff run. If you are looking for a sleeper team, my hunch is the New York Rangers in the East and the Minnesota Wild
in the West.

Cougars that actually win….

Thank goodness for the Cariboo Cougars stellar performance as they helped to save face on the
the local hockey front. The woes of the PG Cougars and Spruce Kings have been well documented.
It is interesting to note that the Cariboo Cougars had a better playoff run this year following a 4^th place regular season finish compared to last year when they ended up 1^st in the regular season.  The Cariboo Cougars peaked at the right time going 6-0 in the Provincials play-downs and then going toe-to-toe with the Calgary Buffaloes eventually losing two games to one to the Alberta champions. In Midget hockey, Alberta has long been considered a much better province than BC, but the Pacific Regionals showed the gap has narrowed.

The Cariboo Cougars will now (and justifiably so) get thrown into the mix for the PG team of the year; however, I still rate them a close second to the UNBC Lady Timberwolves basketball team.

Unfinished business…

On the topic of basketball, the Prince George Northern Steelers went 3-0 in the women's division at the Basketball BC Adult championship in Kelowna, however they didn't win the tournament. After scoring a victory in the semi-final, the understaffed PG team decided not to stick around for the 3pm Sunday final due to work and travel commitments. A strange twist indeed!

Soccer with goals….

I caught both games of the Indoor Soccer Showcase at CN Centre. The watered down version of the Edmonton Drillers took the opener 8-5 before Prince George FC came back with a 14-7 victory.  As advertised, it was competitive and fast paced. The crowd count of 2,140, and 1,546 was not what organizers had envisioned, but still enough for PG to be looked at as a possible city for a team in the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League.  Fans I talked to enjoyed the games, but stated ticket prices were a bit steep. Although the soccer community would embrace a franchise, local owners would need plenty of sponsorship to make a new team viable. This is a lot easier said than done.

From the quote rack:

“Has willed his entire body to science, and he's preserving it in alcohol until they need it.”Comedian Argus Hamilton, with the latest John Daly excuse.

“The Canadian Government is studying the removal of pennies from the currency saying they will talk to the people most affected:  store owners, the service industry and CFL players.”Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

"A new Wilt Chamberlain stamp, if approved, could be released in 2010. You sure it isn't 20,010?”Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“Scandal has rocked the pool world in Germany, where Axel Buescher has been stripped of his carom billiards title and suspended after testing positive for a drug that masks performance-enhancing drugs. He was caught because he didn’t mind his pee and cues.” Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post

“The NHL playoffs are starting. Or as the Maple Leafs call them "Spring Break.”Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

And in case you missed it:

For the first time in 22 years, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has scored 40 goals in an NHL season.  That honor has gone to Brad Boyes of the St Louis Blues, who accomplished the feat this season.

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com

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