Congratulations, Markus Naslund!

I am very happy to learn that the Vancouver Canucks will be retiring former captain Markus Naslund's number 19 jersey this upcoming season amidst the franchise's fortieth year celebration.

The choice of retiring Naslund's number, however, was not a slam-dunk like it was to retire Trevor Linden's number 16. In many ways, those reasons are somewhat valid; however, I do not feel they are strong enough to keep "Nazzy's" jersey away from the rafters.

First, let's look at Naslund's stats: he led Vancouver in scoring for seven seasons, scored 30 or more goals six times and had three consecutive seasons with 40 or more goals. He scored 346 goals as a Canuck and remains Vancouver's leading scorer with 756 points. The all-time franchise leader in points alone should get considerable weight in the decision for a jersey retirement, wouldn't you think?

Next, let's look at his contribution to the team. When Naslund took over the role to become the Canucks' 11th captain, he was succeeding a mess that was left behind by the Mike Keenan-Mark Messier era. The team was drawing poorly, had deserted many of its fans under Keenan and Messier, and had become a laughing stock of a franchise which the Canucks were in the late 1980s. Naslund took the rein of the team, and quietly changed the way the Canucks were seen around the league. The Canucks became a contender; played an exciting brand of hockey that brought fans back into the rink; and actually had a couple kicks at making a run at Lord Stanley's mug. Sure, the team did not get over the hump in the playoffs, but can this really be blamed on Naslund? What about Dan Cloutier's blunder against Detroit? What about Todd Bertuzzi's hit that sent the franchise into darkness? What did Naslund have to do with these?

Some would still counter by saying that Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden had less talent than Naslund had around him, and still took their teams to the Stanley Cup Finals. But let us not forget that it may be that one bounce that separated a team that became a team of destiny and a bust: remember the overtime save Kirk McLean made in the 94 run? I love Trevor Linden and Kirk McLean, but without that save, even with the iron-will of Trevor Linden, the Canucks would not have made it out of the first round in 1994. In sports, that one finite centimeter sometimes does make a world of a difference.

Sure, Naslund was not your typical captain. But neither was Trevor Linden. Naslund and Linden both went out onto the rink, and led quietly by playing and helping their teammates play better. We all remember Linden's broken nose and his bloody sweater in 1994 when remembering the grit he had and the determination he showed, but to say Naslund did not pay a price throughout his career would be completely inaccurate. Sure, the guy was honest to a fault when answering reporters' questions; he even admitted that his team "choked" in the playoffs, but being honest has nothing to do with how hard he played, and how much he had helped this franchise.

To me, Trevor Linden will always remain my number 1 Canuck, and the best Canuck captain ever. However, I have absolutely no problem seeing Markus Naslund's jersey hung side-by-side to Linden's jersey; in fact, I am very proud to see the quiet, unassuming captain receiving this honour by the franchise he has given 11 of his playing career for. Congratulations, Mr. Markus Naslund!

Grown Ups

I don’t watch movies a lot, and I visit the theatres even less frequently. However, whenever I do go, I almost always come out with something.

On Canada Day, my friends and I went to watch Adam Sandler’s new comedy, Grown Ups. Critics have not rated the movie very favourably, but I must say, on a personal level, it was a very enjoyable show.

The movie is about five former basketball players re-uniting after almost 30 years to commemorate their late coach at the lakehouse where the team celebrated a championship victory from a long time ago. All but one team member had gotten married, so along with the trip came the men’s wives and children.

Like many movies of this nature, there were a tonne of silly jokes, some crude remarks made by the characters, and some suggested scenes to give the movie a minor tint of sex appeal. I laughed at most of Sandler’s jokes, and enjoyed the give-and-take the men were giving to each other throughout the movie, but that’s not the main reason why I have enjoyed this movie so much.

Five middle-aged men gathering after thirty years brought to their gatherings many stories and many scars from their lives. Even the seemingly most successful man has his fair share of problems: a wife who is overly entrenched in her career, and two sons who know nothing but to spend their entire day glued to the screen of their electronic devices. Other men had their problems too: dis-connectedness with his young, beautiful daughters, demeaning comments and attitudes from the mother-in-law and wife, a career that has reached a dead end, and a quest for love that is never requited... the problems are so trivial and so common, it seems almost unreal that they can be turned into sources of laughter, but they were, and they brought a familiar sense of warmth to you.

It was cheesy that almost all of these problems were resolved by the end of the movie; of course, we know these problems don’t go away that easily just through a weekend get-away, but maybe we can all hope.

That said, there was still something that was real that can be taken out of the movie: the value of friendship, the value of family, and the value of cherishing our past and our memories. As we embark on our journeys in life, we gather so many layers of masks that we almost morph into a completely different person that is even unfamiliar to ourselves. If nothing else, the movie reminds us that: it was the rawest and oldest memories that are the most enjoyable. Though we cannot go back to the past; the past does not have to be amputated from our lives.

As you embark on your journeys forward, undoubtedly you will pick up a few layers of skins to wear in front of others as well… just remember your roots, and never bury those bonds that made you who you are today…

Grown Ups’ Official Trailer: