GDT: Game #25 Canucks host Pens 7pm PT

[Samzilla]

So long as we go on a ~checks notes~ 10 game winning streak starting right now we have a shot at the playoffs.

Thank you, Jim.

 

[VanJack]

Sometimes a franchise has to hit rock bottom before the owners admit their mistakes and change course dramatically. If last night's game isn't 'rock bottom' it has to be close.

You can debate the chants, the jersey toss and all the noise around this team forever. But it's a message aimed directly at ownership.

As long as the Aquilini's refuse to hold the current hockey operations department accountable; refuse to hire an experienced hockey executive to guide this team; and apparently meddle in day-to-day operations, nothing will ever change. It's a tough pill for fans to swallow, but in my opinion they've suffered in silence for too long. Many have reached a bitter understanding, that without a complete reverse pivot by the owners this on-ice product is about all you're ever going to get.

Maybe the Aquilini's eventually come to the same conclusion as Daryl Katz in Edmonton, who spent the better part of decade hiring the 80's old boy Oiler network to run the team, with the same disastrous results. He was willing to admit defeat and change course.

Unfortunately mea culpa and some humility isn't what the current Canuck owners do very well. But they risk losing the fan-base if they don't take action.

 

[Ozone]

This teams identity is the owners identity.

There is no other.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Couple of things

When ever I've coached I've tired to emphasize that jersey and team should mean something. It's like saying you're playing for each other. Thus if you are not giving it your all than you are not letting me, as the coach, down but instead your letting your teammates down. It's maybe cliche but the old adage about playing for the emblem on the front of the jersey rather than the name on the back applies here. As a fan I've always, maybe stupidly, supported the team and crests, as varied as it has been, that represent the team. I may rail against individuals in the organization which make it difficult to have much pride in the team, but not the idea of the team as nebulous as that might be.

Second, throwing the jersey as general condemnation of everything Canuck is misplaced. The jersey represents many magical moments - like Burrows scoring and saluting Bourdon in heaven, like Bure scoring the OT winner against Calgary, or the Sedins last game. If I was willing to enjoy what the Canuck crest meant to me at that time then its a little shallow to spit on when I feel let down or angered by their play.

Third, It diverts attention from the real issue by spreading the blame in too general a way. The players, to me, are not to blame for the situation. From what I know, the team almost to man are good people. Also I believe they are trying but have been put in an impossible situation and try as they might they don't have the players to achieve much of anything. The problem, as I see it, is Aqualini and Benning. They are the ones who are hurting the team and that's were the focus should be. Chanting "Fire Benning" etc. I have no problem with since it identifies the individual who is most at fault instead of obscuring Benning and Aqualini's responsibility by blaming everyone and anything Canuck in general. In some ways, it unfortunately gets people like Benning off the hook.

Fourth, I see the whole jersey toss thing as meaningless and dull way to express your feelings. Like wow they did it over there so its just the cool thing to do. Why not be a little innovative and, more importantly, direct your criticism at the individuals responsible. For example, the guy who flew the banner over the skies of Vancouver saying we should fire Benning or the person who put on shirt suggesting all the crap moves made by Benning. I give those guys credit for actually thinking rather than the easy, mindless gesture of tossing a jersey. One thing Vancouerites could take credit for over the years is the novel ways they have come in protesting things over the years. Be hell of lot more fun and probably more effective if we used a little more thought in this case as well.

I certainly support anything that would get rid of current management. But not the jersey toss. To me, it spread blame too widely and smears people not responsible, it diminishes unnecessarily past achievements , it directs attention away from the real problems and lacks any degree of imaginative protest.

Good post, I agree with the respect for the past aspect.

I also sort of agree that it becomes a lazy media narrative. It takes focus away from the chants of 'fire Benning'.

On the one hand, it can be seen as a direct shot at ownership, and they deserve that. But the players don't. Some of them are playing poorly, but they're all young men who are trying their best.

Benning needs to go and so does Green, the jersey sort of obscures that in a way. Especially in a game with the loudest fire Benning chants we have ever heard. In the eyes of the media, you just relegated that to second billing.

 

[tantalum]

I actually agree with that, that's exactly what I said when I watched it

Sure Letsng sold it. However, Motte did cross check him. Wasn’t an awful cross check or anything and it was sold but it was also stupid.

It’s the exact penalty they are cracking down on. You put your stick on someone’s back with any sort of force (and there was force) and it’s going to be called. It’s nearly one third into the season and the players should know this. It was a poor decision by Motte. Canucks need to own that and own that teams can kill these things off. This one can’t but the others can.

Green kinda summed it up when asked if we had the players for an effective pk: “we have what we have”.

They also have a coach who really hasn’t changed anything on the PK. Not talking system because there’s not much variation that can done there but personnel. He keeps trotting out the same players over and over again expecting different results. Well maybe he’s not expecting different results anymore.

But there are no changes made. Just try some other guys who you think can’t do it and maybe you find a couple that can actually do the job.

 

[Canucker]

Sure Letsng sold it. However, Motte did cross check him. Wasn’t an awful cross check or anything and it was sold but it was also stupid.

It’s the exact penalty they are cracking down on. You put your stick on someone’s back with any sort of force (and there was force) and it’s going to be called. It’s nearly one third into the season and the players should know this. It was a poor decision by Motte. Canucks need to own that and own that teams can kill these things off. This one can’t but the others can.



They also have a coach who really hasn’t changed anything on the PK. Not talking system because there’s not much variation that can done there but personnel. He keeps trotting out the same players over and over again expecting different results. Well maybe he’s not expecting different results anymore.

But there are no changes made. Just try some other guys who you think can’t do it and maybe you find a couple that can actually do the job.

yep, when you have the absolute worst PK in the league you only have 2 options really…one, get better at PK’ing. Two, don’t take penalties. They’ve done neither.

 

[tantalum]

The performance was not nearly as bad as the fan/media reaction is making it out to be. Can't really fault the penalties taken, or the penguins scoring during what was essentially their 5th and 6th minutes of 5 on 3 during the second. Sometimes you will be as lucky as Guentzel and take three shots that are heading wide and still score off of deflections and sometimes you won't.

Just to keep some perpective:
Remember when the Leafs and Habs had jerseys thrown on the ice? At the time that those events occurred, each of those teams was in the bottom 5 for Goal Differential versus Expected Goal Differential. The Canucks now sit 29th in that category at about -16 and are due for a massive positive regression in this regard. The Leafs have already had theirs and have vaulted up the standings.
This team is not nearly as bad as its record suggests, but as a mediocre (13-20th ish) quality team this year, they were always going to need a little bit of luck to make the playoffs and they have gotten quite the opposite. In the pacific, the Ducks and Sharks are good examples of similarly mediocre teams that have gotten a lot of good breaks and are currently sitting in playoff positions as a result.

Holy f***.

They gave up nearly 40 scoring chance through 40 minutes. Pens controlled over 75% of the scoring chances (pick a situation it doesn’t matter). It wasn’t they played well until they got to the PK portion of things. They played OK for 5 minutes to start, began to get dominated and then in the third the zones let off for a few minutes only to turn it back in and seal the deal. That performance was f***ing awful. It was a NHL team, and simply an average one vs whatever the Canucks are. It wasn’t just PP/PK issues. They were outshot 20-8 5 on 5 and the scoring chances were 23-8 through 40 minutes. They were soundly dominated in every area of the game. It’s not even debatable. That’s was an atrocious display.

13-20th place are team looking for a playoff spot. 95 or so point teams. This team over the last 5 or 6 years is almost the worst team in the league and consistently competing for bottom 5. In the off season they added a streaky offensive player who doesn’t actually move the needle much because that wasn’t an issue. They also added open offense killer I’ll suited for the role he was asked to play (and is no longer being asked to play that role). At the same time they managed to downgrade the 4th line and blueline somehow. I mean those last things are quite a feat.

And I don’t even need to mention organizational depth and how that is non-existent because they’ve been healthy. At some point they won’t be and wow will that be bad. That’s the thing, the lack of production by some is balanced by having a healthy lineup.

It might be worth mentioning that they have also had a very easy schedule in terms of competition. They haven’t played many of the actual good teams yet. Another thing that will balance any improved play so it doesn’t have a huge effect on the standings moving forward.

This team was never going to be playoff competitive unless they got a 0.935 season performance from their goaltenders. It’s not a mystery why every model had them falling well short of the playoff mark. The mystery is why so many people thought they shouldn’t be a bad team. And apparently some still think this.

Sure maybe not this bad but this isn’t a 90 point team. It’s a 80 point or so team….and that’s not top 20. That’s bottom 10.

Add in that you had a roster frustrated with management last season and this spiraling out of control early was pretty predictable.

 

[Diversification]

Hate it with the jersey move. Makes any sensible discussion of the problems with this team seem irrational. Can just dismiss all the legitimate reasons for a change because such antics make it seem ignorant overreaction. If some fans have a clever, thoughtful or maybe even amusing way of showing frustration with the situation would be something you could admire. Jersey thing is just copy cat and classless.

I don't mind the jersey on the ice, even though I agree with your general sentiments in that it sends a bit of a scattershot message to the players and to Green. The fact is, if the message is insufficiently transgressive, it's not breaking through the media silence and certainly not being acknowledged by ownership.

To use your alternative as an example, a clever STH had that sign begging Luigi Aquilini to intervene. That would certainly fit your definition of a thoughtful, funny way to deliver the same message. But did it get picked up nationally? Will HNIC say anything about it?

Of course not.

Because at this point, ownership's greatest shield is the politeness and decency of Vancouver Canucks fans.

 

[tantalum]

I don’t think there is any way the players interpret the Jersey on the ice as anything more than a fan base fed up with management and perhaps coaching. They aren’t stupid. They know where the frustration lies.

And they likely agree with it at this point.

Ownership has had ample opportunity to address this issues over the last 5 years and definitely over the last 15 months. They aren’t listening and they are at this point intentionally hurting the franchise. And people are to point where they’ve had their fill.

This isn’t a respect or disrespect thing, This is a demonstration that fans are beyond angry and a warning that any day now it will turn to apathy. And that should terrify ownership.