All posts by Jason Kurylo

It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood

It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood.

Things are looking up for the Canucks. Oh, I know what you’re thinking:

But but but but BUT they’ll miss Sami Salo’s calming influence on the blueline, and after another off-season surgery the jury’s still out on whether Ryan Kesler will ever reassume his role as a dominant two-way player, and Mike Gillis is shopping the heck out of future Hall of Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo so who knows what we’ll actually see out of that deal, and Zack Kassian is still a long ways from proving he can replace the offensive upside of Cody Hodgson, and we still haven’t answered the departure of Christian Ehrhoff LAST off-season, and it’s unknown whether Daniel Sedin has truly recovered from the concussion that so demolished the squad’s confidence going into the playoffs, and the city of Vancouver is still chock full of fair-weather “fans” who take more pride in slamming the home team than in supporting them through the mini-slumps that have occasionally blotted an otherwise remarkable record the past couple of seasons! Continue reading It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood

Pens force a game 6

Before I say anything else, the pic of the Flyers bench below was stolen unceremoniously from the Puck Doctors. You oughtta surf their site, yo.

The big, bad Flyers have lost two straight games to... THESE GUYS?!?!?!

All right. The Pittsburgh Penguins have dodged two bullets now, coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the first round to force a game six. Game four was a laugher – Philly wasn’t even in the building, and the Pens had something to prove. They scored at will, putting five pucks past each of the Flyer goalies for a 10-3 win.
Continue reading Pens force a game 6

Canucks discussion, part 372

Jason: I’ll be very disappointed if the Canucks can’t gut out game four, at least.

Chris: If they lose, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Craig MacTavish coaching next year.

Jason: If he can get Kesler to play to his potential, bring him on. I’m far more disappointed in Kes than I am in AV. I mean, is he still hurt? If so, he was selfish not to sit longer at the start of the year. Is he pissed at V? Then he’s being an unprofessional baby.

Continue reading Canucks discussion, part 372

A royal pain in the arse – Kings go up 2-0

The Canucks host the Kings in round one
Vancouver Canucks Australia came up with some great playoff banners!

Final exam at UBC tomorrow, otherwise I’d write up the wheat thresher that is the LA Kings special team attack.

Just two observations:
1) Both games at Rogers Arena featured massive defensive zone giveaways by Alex Edler that wound up giving the Kings a goal. Something’s wrong with this kid. Injury? Relationship trouble? Lupus?
2) Roberto Luongo is just about the only guy in blue who cannot be blamed one whit for Vancouver being down two-bagel. (Anyone who tries to blame him either hasn’t watched the games, doesn’t know a thing about hockey, or both.)

2012 Playoffs – Day One – Ref You Suck! edition

Ref, You Suck!
We dedicate the Day One blog to the fine folks at Ref You Suck!

The 2012 playoffs are under way, and I’d like to congratulate officiating crews on and off the ice for kicking things off with a bang. Zebras in all three games on day one were awful, and Brendan Shanahan made complete his cold-water shrinkage from pre-season promises to trade in the NHL Wheel of Justice for consistent punishment across the league.

Before you think this is a partisan rant about the Vancouver Canucks getting jobbed of game one against the Los Angeles Kings, I’d like to proffer this: the Kings were by far the better team Wednesday night, and if not for the early heroics of Roberto Luongo, would have been in a 3-0 or 4-0 position long before calls became an issue. Also, the royal men from SoCal were flogged by a couple of questionable whistles too – I am under no delusions that Vancouver deserved that first game. Refs in Vancouver, Nashville and Pittsburgh were way too visible on the first night. Even the affable Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock commented on it during an in-game interview with Brian Engblom:

Continue reading 2012 Playoffs – Day One – Ref You Suck! edition

Playoff Predictions from Winnipeg

By Jim Chliboyko, Pucked in the Head’s official Winnipeg correspondent. Yes, he actually lives there. And yes, for our American readers, they have indoor plumbing and central heating. No, they don’t live in igloos. Well, not all of them anyway. Consider this a companion piece to our first round picks, posted yesterday.

Jim's predictions even make Henrik smile.

I’m especially well-positioned to pre-judge the 16 teams geared up for the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I only really paid attention to the Winnipeg Jets this year, and all the live games I managed to see this season were with teams that, consequently, missed the playoffs. Which is sort of like cheering for all the red-headed and albino kids in The Hunger Games.

Continue reading Playoff Predictions from Winnipeg

Habs 4, Canucks 1 – say it ain’t so!

Somehow, these two manage to make things work. Photo by Jason Kurylo

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had much luck against the Vancouver Canucks of late. Wait, let me rephrase that. The Habs haven’t had much luck of late. They sit dead last in the Eastern Conference – keeping the spot warm for the Ottawa Senators, whom everyone picked to be the Northeast bottom feeder this year, I guess – and they’ve been bitten by just about every bug you can think of: injury, illness, concussion, personal slumps, off years, a woeful power play, coaching controversies… When they do get a bounce their way this season, the skater in the right place at the right time fans on the puck or hits the post. If they don’t manage to catch the equally awful New York Islanders, this will be the first year the Habs finish last in the conference since 1939-40.

Continue reading Habs 4, Canucks 1 – say it ain’t so!

Pucked in the Head 44: Top 7 Rivalries of All Time, Part 1

No matter which team you like best, there’s a special feeling that precedes a big matchup against their biggest rival. This year, people around the hockey world stopped to watch the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins in a one-game rematch of last year’s injury-filled Stanley Cup final. But as much as the Bs and Canucks hate each other, they’ve got nothing on these: the Top Seven Team Rivalries in Sporting History – part one. (Note: there may not be overt hockey content in this episode, but we use the great sport on ice as comparison approximately 3,657.29 times during this podcast.)

Introduction
Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway
The Boat Race
The Glasgow Derby
Basketball’s biggest rivalry
Wait: did you say a *kick* to the head?
Time for a Change by the Orchid Highway
Thanks for listening

Pucked in the Head 044 – Team Rivalries part 1

Schneid he stay or Schneid he go now?

Cory Schneider will snag a big contract come the off-season. But will he have a Stanley Cup ring to go with it?

The Vancouver Canucks have in their hands one solid, blue chip player who may just be the key to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win. It’s no surprise they’re in the hunt — they’ve got the last two Art Ross trophy winners in the lineup, for starters, as well as a perennial Selke finalist in Ryan Kesler and a legitimate Norris candidate in Alex Edler. Alex Burrows is no slouch, either, and Cody Hodgson is manufacturing a solid rookie campaign on a constantly rotating lineup of bangers and mashers.

With Roberto Luongo playing some of his best hockey in years – don’t let that annual slow start fool you, his numbers since December 1 are outstanding – it’s his protegé that holds the key to an extended Canuck playoff run. Continue reading Schneid he stay or Schneid he go now?

Episode 43 – Brad Marchand is a douche

As Boston Bruins resident spelling “champian” Brad Marchand prepares to return from his 5-game suspension for clipping Sami Salo, Chris Withers and Jason Kurylo gather a slew of four-letter words to dis #63. Chris probably sums it up best: “Hey Brad Marchand: Stop being such a f*cking douche.”

Continue reading Episode 43 – Brad Marchand is a douche