OT: The OT Social Bubble Thread

[Peen]

I was 6 in 2004.. technically 5 when this game happened but were the Canucks favored in this series vs the Flames in 04?

They're showing game 7 atm.

 

[Kryten]

I was 6 in 2004.. technically 5 when this game happened but were the Canucks favored in this series vs the Flames in 04?

They're showing game 7 atm.

I was 16. I remember feeling good that year until the Bertuzzi incident, and Cloutier was doing alright that season. Losing Bertuzzi and facing a prime Kipper and Iginla made things a coin toss in my eyes. Not sure what the odds were

 

[iloovRMB]

I was 6 in 2004.. technically 5 when this game happened but were the Canucks favored in this series vs the Flames in 04?

They're showing game 7 atm.

Man those were the days.. With Bertuzzi we were supposed to torch the Flames that year and go on another deep run. Without Bertuzzi we were still probably slightly favoured but Bertuzzi’s suspension sucked the life out of Nazzy and the rest of the team for the rest of that season and beyond. They were emotionally done. Sedins has a nice showing, scored some nice goals but they were still really young. Alex Auld was good. He was the first bald player I’d ever seen in the NHL at the time.

 

[timw33]

I was 6 in 2004.. technically 5 when this game happened but were the Canucks favored in this series vs the Flames in 04?

They're showing game 7 atm.

That Calgary squad was far less talented but Mikka Kipprusoff and Iginla were world class, and they got a ton of big contributions from their role players (role players constituted like 95% of their roster).

Canucks were the favourites and the higher seed, but Bertuzzi got suspended indefinitely with like 15 games left in the season and Dan Cloutier, who for once in his life was putting up a solid performance in the playoffs, injured his ankle in I believe Game 3 throwing a 16 career NHL game Alex Auld into action.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I was 16. I remember feeling good that year until the Bertuzzi incident, and Cloutier was doing alright that season. Losing Bertuzzi and facing a prime Kipper and Iginla made things a coin toss in my eyes. Not sure what the odds were

bertuzzi was abysmal that year. until we had to watch sam gagner and loui eriksson and brandon sutter and markus granlund and erik gudbranson and so on, 2004 bertuzzi was my least favourite performance ever by a non-bald canuck.

he was a complete disgrace, not applying himself at all, making these awful drop passes all the time that kept getting picked off, taking a million lazy hooking and holding penalties because he was always behind the play. iirc he showed up out of shape after missing camp negotiating his new $7 million contract, but my timing might be off.

 

[MS]

bertuzzi was abysmal that year. until we had to watch sam gagner and loui eriksson and brandon sutter and markus granlund and erik gudbranson and so on, 2004 bertuzzi was my least favourite performance ever by a non-bald canuck.

he was a complete disgrace, not applying himself at all, making these awful drop passes all the time that kept getting picked off, taking a million lazy hooking and holding penalties because he was always behind the play. iirc he showed up out of shape after missing camp with contract negotiations, but my timing might be off.

I think you're confusing 2005-06 Bertuzzi with 03-04 Bertuzzi?

03-04 Bertuzzi wasn't that terrible, he just looked like a bit of a broken man. His push-off move kept getting called on him and he didn't seem to be able to adjust and find new ways to score. But he still seemed to be trying.

05-06 Bertuzzi and Naslund were both an absolute disgrace. Every night you had 16 guys buying into a system and trying to play a 200-foot game and two other 'superstars' floating around goalsucking and making no effort whatsoever. It remains a feat for the ages that Brendan Morrison was only a -1 that year playing almost every shift between two guys who were a combined -36. Their performance that year was indeed Messier-esque.

 

[Peen]

I looked into the history of the WCE era and it's actually quite interesting.

Did they "choke" in 2002-2003 to the wild? I see stuff about Bertuzzi guaranteeing a win in game 5 and everything. Were they favorites or was it Bertuzzi just being an overconfident moron?

Seems as though those years prior were basically like the Canucks from 07-10 before the big run in 2011. 2004 was supposed to be the 2011 for that group but Bertuzzi did things.

Auld looks decent from my eye test in this game. Even good I'd say. Ference also looked noticeable every time on the ice.

I have no idea how Sopel put up 42 points based on what I'm seeing in my eye test here lmao

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I think you're confusing 2005-06 Bertuzzi with 03-04 Bertuzzi?

03-04 Bertuzzi wasn't that terrible, he just looked like a bit of a broken man. His push-off move kept getting called on him and he didn't seem to be able to adjust and find new ways to score. But he still seemed to be trying.

05-06 Bertuzzi and Naslund were both an absolute disgrace. Every night you had 16 guys buying into a system and trying to play a 200-foot game and two other 'superstars' floating around goalsucking and making no effort whatsoever. It remains a feat for the ages that Brendan Morrison was only a -1 that year playing almost every shift between two guys who were a combined -36. Their performance that year was indeed Messier-esque.

i'm pretty sure i'm thinking of 2004. like, at christmas it's the halfway mark of the season and bertuzzi is scoring at about a point/game, he's in the top ten in points, but he only has ten goals and is leading the team in penalty minutes and they're all lazy hooking and tripping calls, none of them are him imposing himself on the other team or crashing the net or even for battling in front of the net, which as you note the refs for some reason decided was a penalty the previous year.

i think there was talk that he was in his head about the new big contract but what i was seeing was a guy who read too much of his own press after his two superstar years and thought he could play like jagr instead of doing the things that made him bertuzzi.

2006 naslund and bertuzzi was a whole other level because both of them weren't even trying.

back on topic, i still expected them to beat calgary. iirc the top line got really hot down the stretch with cooke and the whole team looked like they were reborn without grumpy sourpuss bert around. they even finally took the division from colorado. it was the most excited i'd been about that team all year.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I looked into the history of the WCE era and it's actually quite interesting.

Did they "choke" in 2002-2003 to the wild? I see stuff about Bertuzzi guaranteeing a win in game 5 and everything. Were they favorites or was it Bertuzzi just being an overconfident moron?

the wild series was completely a choke. nobody thought they'd lost that series.

that was the second highest scoring team in the league against a team whose only offence was young marian gaborik.

 

[Kryten]

the wild series was completely a choke. nobody thought they'd lost that series.

that was the second highest scoring team in the league against a team whose only offence was young marian gaborik.

Beach ball happened

 

[MS]

i'm pretty sure i'm thinking of 2004. like, at christmas it's the halfway mark of the season and bertuzzi is scoring at about a point/game, he's in the top ten in points, but he only has ten goals and is leading the team in penalty minutes and they're all lazy hooking and tripping calls, none of them are him imposing himself on the other team or crashing the net or even for battling in front of the net, which as you note the refs for some reason decided was a penalty the previous year.

i think there was talk that he was in his head about the new big contract but what i was seeing was a guy who read too much of his own press after his two superstar years and thought he could play like jagr instead of doing the things that made him bertuzzi.

2006 naslund and bertuzzi was a whole other level because both of them weren't even trying.

03-04 Bertuzzi was disappointing and looked a bit lost and frustrated, but was still a pretty damned effective player. His PP scoring completely dried up with the push move being called and him not being able to figure out other options, but he was still as good as ever at ES - went from 55 ES points/82 GP in 02-03 to 52 ES points/82 GP in 03-04 and was a +21.

05-06 Bertuzzi was hot garbage.

back on topic, i still expected them to beat calgary. iirc the top line got really hot down the stretch with cooke and the whole team looked like they were reborn without grumpy sourpuss bert around. they even finally took the division from colorado. it was the most excited i'd been about that team all year.

I thought they'd win that series too.

 

[MS]

I looked into the history of the WCE era and it's actually quite interesting.

Did they "choke" in 2002-2003 to the wild? I see stuff about Bertuzzi guaranteeing a win in game 5 and everything. Were they favorites or was it Bertuzzi just being an overconfident moron?

Seems as though those years prior were basically like the Canucks from 07-10 before the big run in 2011. 2004 was supposed to be the 2011 for that group but Bertuzzi did things.

Auld looks decent from my eye test in this game. Even good I'd say. Ference also looked noticeable every time on the ice.

I have no idea how Sopel put up 42 points based on what I'm seeing in my eye test here lmao

The 2003 loss to Minnesota is the result of Dan Cloutier choking the series away. Period. End of story.

We played 1 bad game in that series and were the better team by a mile, but the goaltender couldn't stop a beach ball.

A lot gets talked about games 5-7, but the killer game in that series was Game 2. It was the best game I ever saw the WCE-era team play - absolutely dominant in all aspects - but their goalie stood on his head and ours let everything in. IIRC I had the scoring chances in that game at 19-5 and we lost 3-2. If we win that game, the series is a sweep.

 

[Ozone]

The 2003 loss to Minnesota is the result of Dan Cloutier choking the series away. Period. End of story.

We played 1 bad game in that series and were the better team by a mile, but the goaltender couldn't stop a beach ball.

A lot gets talked about games 5-7, but the killer game in that series was Game 2. It was the best game I ever saw the WCE-era team play - absolutely dominant in all aspects - but their goalie stood on his head and ours let everything in. IIRC I had the scoring chances in that game at 19-5 and we lost 3-2. If we win that game, the series is a sweep.

...and with an unpopular comment and follow up: The Twins Peaked Too Late.

There..I said it. I feel.. feel better now.
Burke had it right...if 'they' peaked at the right time...
I agree with the goaltending and post..that hurt.

I expected more back then...
If only....our Canuck motto.

I remember the frustration - most of us felt- about a second line underperforming for a few years...

A game....One game...does not a series make.

 

[Josepho]

Burke only said that because he's too petty to admit that he sucked ass at addressing goaltending.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

...and with an unpopular comment and follow up: The Twins Peaked Too Late.

There..I said it. I feel.. feel better now.
Burke had it right...if 'they' peaked at the right time...
I agree with the goaltending and post..that hurt.

I expected more back then...
If only....our Canuck motto.

I remember the frustration - most of us felt- about a second line underperforming for a few years...

A game....One game...does not a series make.

i posted this recently on the history board, but really the sweet spot was 2007. you need everyone in the sedin core to develop a little faster, and you need naslund to hang on as an elite player, but there's your cup team. ironically, they could have beaten burke's ducks team that did win that year.

thinking about this more, i think timing is really key here. the overlap between the superstars still at their peaks and a future core of young guys already ready to contribute is so rare, and honestly kind of a fluke.

i always compare cup winning teams to the canucks and what they weren't able to pull off in the luongo/sedin era, despite quite honestly an unbelievable performance by their front office (except drafting, of course).

that '07 ducks team shows you what just didn't line up for the canucks as they transitioned from the naslund core to the sedin core. the best overlap, ironically, was on the '07 canucks that the ducks clobbered in the second round.

your aging superstars are selanne and naslund. selanne, despite being older, is the way better player; you'd have wanted prime naslund to have held on a little longer, or for him to develop a second prime like teemu did.

your peak superstars are niedermayer and giguere on the ducks, and the sedins on vancouver. nieds and giguere were the best two players in the 2003 playoffs, niedermayer was a first team all-star/norris guy, giguere was solidly a top ten goalie in the league. you'd want the sedins to have hit their MVP level earlier.

your game-changing ringers are pronger and luongo. no complaints about luongo in this comparison. if we'd had peak mentally locked in/didn't have kids yet 2007 luongo in 2010 or 2011, i think that's back to back cups.

your young guys are getzlaf, perry, beauchemin, kunitz, penner, bryz vs kesler, burrows, bieksa, jannik hansen. none of those four vancouver guys were ready yet to pull the weight that anaheim's guys did, and our version of penner and bryzgalov (edler, mason raymond, cory schneider) weren't in the league yet, or in edler's case just barely. i'm not even saying we need selke 2010-2011 kesler/burrows, we just need the 2008-09 versions of those guys; the timing was really that close.

and then you have the complementary players and vets. anaheim had prime andy mcdonald, who was better at that point than brendan morrison, who was falling off. and vancouver had nothing resembling anaheim's checking line, but their veteran depth of ohlund, willie mitchell, sami salo, and linden were a very good group and could have been great contributors with the right horses pulling the cart.

all to say, if you could have smushed the peaks of vancouver's guys on either side of luongo's peak closer to 2007, and had the sedins also peaking, that's the great timing that anaheim had in 2007.

2010 sedin - 2010 sedin - 2009 burrows
2004 naslund - 2004 morrison - 2011 hansen/2010 raymond
healthy matt cooke - 2008 kesler - 2007 linden
2007 pyatt - 2007 smolinski - 2007 bulis

2007 mitchell - 2007 salo
2007 ohlund - 2011 bieksa
2009 edler - 2007 sopel

2007 luongo
2011 schneider

sigh

(for ref:

kunitz mcdonald selanne
penner getzlaf perry
moen pahlsson niedermayer
thornton marchant may

beauchemin niedermayer
o'donnell pronger
random guys

giguere
bryzgalov)​

 

[RandV]

the wild series was completely a choke. nobody thought they'd lost that series.

that was the second highest scoring team in the league against a team whose only offence was young marian gaborik.

End result is we lost but it's not fair to just completely discount Minnesota here. The tale of the tape was that the Canucks were a rare run and gun offensive team while the Wild were a quintessential dead puck era clutch and grab trap team. For an inferior team it was the perfect way to counter a team like the Canucks, and they proved it already by beating the other run and gun offensive team in Colorado in round 1. I'm pretty sure the Wild were down 3-1 in that series as well. The Wild though a lower seed basically got their two best matchups in the first two rounds, the moment they were up against another strong defensive team but with talent they got blown away. While the 2nd round loss for the Canucks sucked that year there was no way we were going to beat Anaheim in the 3rd round.

Really 2004 should have been our year, and it just sucks. What often gets overlooked is while Bertuzzi was sitting out with a suspension Moore also took Naslund mostly out of the picture when he ran him. Naslund had a top 2 wrist shot in the game (with Sakic) but injured his wrist when he hit the ice on that hit and just wasn't the same. After that he stopped shooting the rest of the season, and while I believe he had surgery in the summer never fully recovered that deadly shot. Naslund and Bertuzzi weren't quite elite that year regardless, but had Moore not taken his shot at our captain I think it's pretty safe to say we would have beaten Calgary and had a pretty clear run to the finals.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

End result is we lost but it's not fair to just completely discount Minnesota here. The tale of the tape was that the Canucks were a rare run and gun offensive team while the Wild were a quintessential dead puck era clutch and grab trap team. For an inferior team it was the perfect way to counter a team like the Canucks, and they proved it already by beating the other run and gun offensive team in Colorado in round 1. I'm pretty sure the Wild were down 3-1 in that series as well. The Wild though a lower seed basically got their two best matchups in the first two rounds, the moment they were up against another strong defensive team but with talent they got blown away. While the 2nd round loss for the Canucks sucked that year there was no way we were going to beat Anaheim in the 3rd round.

i think that's why people consider that series a choke. the number two offence in the whole league, with not one but two of the top three goal scorers in the league, and they couldn't beat the wild once in three tries?

even with cloutier playing some of the worst hockey any of us have ever seen, one big game where nas/tuzzi hit the scoreboard early and often (instead of combining for three points) and they're in the western finals.

 

[Frostage]

End result is we lost but it's not fair to just completely discount Minnesota here. The tale of the tape was that the Canucks were a rare run and gun offensive team while the Wild were a quintessential dead puck era clutch and grab trap team. For an inferior team it was the perfect way to counter a team like the Canucks, and they proved it already by beating the other run and gun offensive team in Colorado in round 1. I'm pretty sure the Wild were down 3-1 in that series as well. The Wild though a lower seed basically got their two best matchups in the first two rounds, the moment they were up against another strong defensive team but with talent they got blown away. While the 2nd round loss for the Canucks sucked that year there was no way we were going to beat Anaheim in the 3rd round.

Really 2004 should have been our year, and it just sucks. What often gets overlooked is while Bertuzzi was sitting out with a suspension Moore also took Naslund mostly out of the picture when he ran him. Naslund had a top 2 wrist shot in the game (with Sakic) but injured his wrist when he hit the ice on that hit and just wasn't the same. After that he stopped shooting the rest of the season, and while I believe he had surgery in the summer never fully recovered that deadly shot. Naslund and Bertuzzi weren't quite elite that year regardless, but had Moore not taken his shot at our captain I think it's pretty safe to say we would have beaten Calgary and had a pretty clear run to the finals.

A lot of people talk about Naslunds wrist injury but I always wondered the lingering effects of when he broke his leg. I seem to remember that affecting him greatly.

Perhaps someone with a better memory than I could comment on his stats/performance before and after that injury.

 

[F A N]

I was 16. I remember feeling good that year until the Bertuzzi incident, and Cloutier was doing alright that season. Losing Bertuzzi and facing a prime Kipper and Iginla made things a coin toss in my eyes. Not sure what the odds were

I remember not feeling too good about that year. Bertuzzi was having a down year and the Sedins didn't have a winger beyond early Jason King. By then, Cloutier had a huge gorilla on his back whenever playoff hockey arrived (although we did have Moose #2 who we overpaid for and subsequently not trusted to play).

 

[Kryten]

I remember not feeling too good about that year. Bertuzzi was having a down year and the Sedins didn't have a winger beyond early Jason King. By then, Cloutier had a huge gorilla on his back whenever playoff hockey arrived (although we did have Moose #2 who we overpaid for and subsequently not trusted to play).

TBF I was still young, naive and optimistic at the time. Closing in on 30 years as a fan has fixed that

 

[rypper]

Can anyone recommend a good app to track running? I've just been using my Samsung watch and the health app but I want something that specifically maps out routes etc.

I know 'map my run' was good but then it was bought out and I think it's a pay app now? I'll not opposed to paying though, if it's a good app.

 

[Ginger Papa]

I always appreciate these types of gestures in the world of professional sport:

 

[Hockeyphysio]

I always appreciate these types of gestures in the world of professional sport:

Rugby has really built this culture of respecting your opponent. Very refreshing compared to North American Sports

 

[LiveeviL]

I think the ski resort under the sea would have been a hit these days. To bad, a brilliant mind out of sync with his time.

 

[Hansen]

I think the ski resort under the sea would have been a hit these days. To bad, a brilliant mind out of sync with his time.

So much overhead for a ski resort under the sea

better to do it on a cruise ship that industry will never sink