Who else?

So, on the brink of what may go down as one of the biggest tank job in North American sports history, it is difficult to be optimistic about the Vancouver Canucks' prospects of winning tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, let alone capturing Lord Stanley's mug.

GM Mike Gillis can talk about the way the referees have called the series; coach Alain Vigneault can continue to crack jokes in his shorts; Roberto Luongo can try to be funny when talking to reporters... the bottom line is, the Blackhawks have turned the tide completely, and Vancouverites, collectively, aren't sure if Vancouver can do anything about it.

Those who know me know that I am a HUGE Trevor Linden fan. In addition to the outstanding community work Linden does, in addition to his character and persona, ultimately, it's his playoff heroics that makes him different from everyone else. Linden has more points scored in game 7 than any other Canuck, was at a-point-a-game playoff performer, and, most importantly, raised his game to a whole new level when it matters the most. If you have been following the Canucks long enough, you will probably remember these:

Linden scoring overtime winner vs. Dallas, Game 7, 2007

Linden: he will play, last minute of 1994 playoffs vs. New York Rangers

The Canucks, even in the final years of Linden's career, knew they had Linden to count on for a big goal... do they have such a player right now? It's not the Sedins, who will quietly do their thing but still haven't shown me that they can take over a game; it's certainly not Luongo, who, in spite of all the accolades, is, in my opinion, an inferior playoff goalie than Kirk McLean... If there is someone who can step up and be the game 7 hero tonight, I believe it would be Ryan Kesler. He has been shutting down Jonathan Toews and hasn't done much offensively himself, but if he really wants to take that next step to become a great player, tonight would be the night when he shows up both offensively and defensively.

It's all you, Kesler; all you.

Go Canucks go!

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:

Please help the victims of the Haiti Earthquake

By now, you have probably heard and watched the news about the earthquake in Haiti. The latest has it that as much as one third of this Central American country's population is affected directly by the 7.0 quake. Thousands have died, many more are injured, and countless people have lost literally EVERYTHING they have.
Previously, I was thinking of writing today on the latest baseball story of former major leaguer Mark McGwire confessing that he had cheated, or about the controversy Vancouver Canuck Alex Burrows had raised against a referee, but watching the scenes from Haiti, seeing the faces of despair, and hearing the cries of hopelessness, almost everything stops, and almost nothing is relevant anymore.
I know this is a very difficult economic time. People are losing their jobs; everyone is probably a little concerned over his/her job security. But most of us can spare ten dollars, twenty dollars, or whatever amount, to help those who are in dire need. I urge you today to help.
The following non-profit groups are some of the reputable charitable organizations that are recognized by the Government of Canada (click here for the complete list). I'm attaching a link to their websites. If you can help, please help.
World Vision Canada
1 World Drive,
Mississauga, ON, L5T 2Y4
Tel: (905) 565-6100 / 1-800 268 5863
Fax: (905) 696-2162
E-mail: info@worldvision.ca
Website: www.worldvision.ca

Canadian Red Cross Society
International Services Department
170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario
Tel: 740-1900
Fax: 740-1911
Website: www.redcross.ca

UNICEF Canada
2200 Yonge St., 11th floor,
Toronto, ON, M4S 2C6
Tel: (416) 482-4444
Fax: (416) 482-8035
E-mail: secretary@unicef.ca
Website: www.unicef.ca

OXFAM-Canada
300-294 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E6
Tel: 237-5236
Fax: 237-0524
E-mail: enquire@oxfam.ca
Website www.oxfam.ca

Doctors Without Borders
402-720 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9
Tel: (416) 964-0619
Fax: (416) 963-8707
Toll free number: 1-800-982-7903
E-mail: msfcan@msf.ca
Website: www.msf.ca

I Love the Winter Classic!

Even though I am not born and raised in the snowy weather of the east, as a Canadian, you cannot help but appreciate the show the NHL has been putting on the last few years on New Year’s Day – the Winter Classic.

This year’s version of the outdoor regular season game was played at Fenway Park, the iconic home of MLB’s storied franchise, the Boston Red Sox. The home team, needless to say, was the Boston Bruins, and they squared off against their divisional rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

While the game was not the most spectacular, and the ice condition was not ideal, it was still a game where, once you started watching, became very difficult to leave behind. The overtime finish helped made the game even more memorable, but the scenes alone were good enough for me. If you don’t believe me, check out these pictures captured from the game:

For someone who has bashed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as much as I did, I must also give him credit for the Winter Classic. Even for someone who has not grown up playing in the backyard ice pond with my buddies on makeshift boards and rinks, the atmosphere and the fell of the game were still spectacular to me. I cannot even begin to imagine how the game must have felt for those who had more of the history than me with the sports.

Great job, commissioner! Now, let’s do the next right thing, and fold some of the teams that are playing out in markets where hockey is not cared about, and bring the NHL back to cities like Winnipeg and Quebec (for whatever reason, the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques were two of my favourite teams besides the Canucks growing up...).