1. By dispatching the Nashville Predators in six games, the Vancouver Canucks earned a berth in the Western Conference final. (By not doing it in five games, they royally screwed my bracket pool at work. I’m not bitter. Shut up.) It is the Canucks’ third trip to the final four in their forty-year history. In both 1982 and 1994, they advanced to the Stanley Cup final, giving them a 100% efficiency rating in conference final series. How many conference finals have you won, San Jose? Huh? Huh? Yeah, none. That’s what I thought. Sharks, beware: the Canucks have history on their side. Continue reading 13 May 2011 – Of Sharks, Streaks and the Six Million Dollar Man→
1. The Vancouver Canucks have made the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, and just the third time in their 40-year history. The first time they were on the shoulders of King Richard Brodeur – the second time, it was Captain Kirk McLean who got them to the third round. This time they sit atop the broad shoulders of Ryan Kesler. Nickname him as you will, just don’t call him Clark. He hates that. Continue reading 9 May 2011 – Ryan Needs-a-Nickname Kesler, Praise the Ward, and Beer Girls→
1 – The Canucks had a chance to close out the Nashville Predators this evening at home. They failed. For the second time in these playoffs, Vancouver has put themselves in a position to close out a series early and then failed to get the job done. The Canucks are now a woeful 1-4 in games where they can send their opponent packing. For a team that’s shown an exquisite ability to get the key goal and the key win all season, that simply won’t cut the mustard. Continue reading 7 May 2011 – Killer Instinct, Chuck Kesler and Fandom→
1.The Vancouver Canucks took a 3-1 lead in their second round series against the Nashville Predators Thursday night. In doing so, they accomplished a seventh playoff win – a feat they haven’t been able to do since 2003, when they lost the second round to the Minnesota Wild in seven games. Seven down, nine to go for the big prize, of course, but one more win puts them in the Conference Final for the first time since 1994. Continue reading 6 May 2011 – Empty Netters, Love-ins and the Schneid→
1. Yesterday, Broad Street’s biggest bully, Chris Pronger, sat for the seventh time in this playoff. Hockey players are renowned for attempting to play through just about anything, as evidenced by Darryl Boyce only missing one regular season game when he nearly amputated his own nose, Mario Lemieux famously having teammates tie his skate laces before scoring four points during a Pittsburgh Stanley Cup run, or Manny “One-Eye” Malhotra’s recent experimentation with echolocation. Chris Pronger’s absence has been a far bigger deal in this series than any menage-a-trois in the Philly crease. The B’s just aren’t scared to go to the slot – with him in the lineup, that fear is always there. For a guy like Prongs to sit while his team goes down three-bagel, he’s got to be pretty much paralyzed from the chest down. Continue reading 5 May 2011 – Rip Van Roloson, 2nd Base, and the pros & cons of echolocation→
1. The Vancouver Canucks have made the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, and just the third time in their 40-year history. The first time they were on the shoulders of King Richard Brodeur – the second time, it was Captain Kirk McLean who got them to the third round. This time they sit atop the broad shoulders of Ryan Kesler. Nickname him as you will, just don’t call him Clark. He hates that. 
