This Canuck version is boring as hell

[Frankiedarling]

But of course, I want that line to succeed and be kept together too. Yet, we all know what happens when some lines aren't meeting expectations, even unfairly so... AV always mixes things up, for better or for worse.

Raymond and Hansen are some of our highest-scoring forwards, and it would be foolish to preemptively disassemble that line-up against a meaningless game against a bottom-feeder in the league.

I just don't want to see Raymond/Hansen to be drifting in and out of the play, because they need to use their aggressive forecheck and speed/tenacity to get to the puck, instead of rovering around. I saw a few occurrences last night where they stopped working hard. They need their workhorse-ethic to keep up, because that's the only way they're going to combat the size of other teams like LA and St. Louis.

Yeah, agreed.

 

[RobertKron]

Then he should stop trying.

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows
Raymond - Schroeder - Hansen
Higgins - Lapierre - Kassian

Roll the first two almost exclusively, double shift Higgins when necessary and give him some powerplay time - he'd cover Kesler's role better than Burrows. Point is, stop trying to do what we can't. The fourth line should be an energy line and little else. On second thought, maybe rotate in the third more but either way, stop relying on journey men to get stuff done.

H. Sedin: 17:15
D. Sedin: 17:08
Burrows: 16:19

Lupul: 21:51
Bozak: 21:43
Kessel: 19:53

Shocking why Toronto is outscoring us. And then we have, Ebbett: 17:15

Toronto haven't seen the playoffs in 7 years. No kidding they're riding their guys like crazy to try to get there. They're two different franchises in two totally different situations.

 

[Shareefruck]

A win is a win and that is all that matters in the big picture but I do agree with the OP. These Canucks have been playing painfully dull hockey for over a calender year now. I have missed multiple games this season and haven't regretted it one bit.

I don't understand why some of you get so bent out of shape when others criticize the Canucks or tell it like it is. Some of you need to take those Canuck goggles off and stop being sheep. It is perfectly fine to critique your fav team. It doesn't mean you're not a fan or any less of one. I would rather have a convo with a person who tells it like it is over a person who drinks the liquid GMMG gives you. Stop choking it down and start asking why it tastes funny.

The point is, it's not valid criticism, but rather, spoiled idiocy to be upset and complain that a team who's winning 6 in a row despite being decimated with injuries to your top 9 forwards is playing safe, defensive hockey. It's ridiculous, really.

Telling it like it is is one thing (It IS boring hockey), but waving your fist at it and expecting/demanding better is moronic.

As bad as the Canuck-goggled homers are, self-entitled fans who aren't understanding of the situation and just think everything should be great all the time are so much worse.

It's like if both Sedins got injured, everyone figured the season was doomed, and the team ekes out a hard fought winning effort and fans go "Yeah, but where were all the highlight reel goals? I DEMAND MY HIGHLIGHT REEL GOALS!!"

It's stupid.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

Here's what you're all not getting, this season is stupid. Look at our schedule, except for that last homestand agains Det-Chi-Anaheim, our games are all against the likes of Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, and the bottom of the conference, why would our guys go all-out and burn themselves out playing these bottom feeders? They ought to do just enough to win, keep something in the tank, and especially not go showing our systems and plays to teams we might face in the playoffs by leaving it all out there every night. That's crazy! We don't need to go all-out to beat Colorado 7-1 or Edmonton 5-0, what is the point of that? Dial it down and hold something back, but here y'all are freaking out because we are winning close games against bad teams. That's exactly what we should be doing! We want to fly under the radar here!

Don't be the stupid fans and Botchford repetitionists who booed Luongo at the Ducks game last season, if that was you, then it was your negativity that lost us last season and you should feel shame. Your ignorance is gonna take us back to the late nineties, you don't deserve this team.

 

[Shareefruck]

As bad as the Canuck-goggled homers are, self-entitled fans who aren't understanding of the situation and just think everything should be great all the time are so much worse.

Here's what you're all not getting, this season is stupid. Look at our schedule, except for that last homestand agains Det-Chi-Anaheim, our games are all against the likes of Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, and the bottom of the conference, why would our guys go all-out and burn themselves out playing these bottom feeders? They ought to do just enough to win, keep something in the tank, and especially not go showing our systems and plays to teams we might face in the playoffs by leaving it all out there every night. That's crazy! We don't need to go all-out to beat Colorado 7-1 or Edmonton 5-0, what is the point of that? Dial it down and hold something back, but here y'all are freaking out because we are winning close games against bad teams. That's exactly what we should be doing! We want to fly under the radar here!

Don't be the stupid fans and Botchford repetitionists who booed Luongo at the Ducks game last season, if that was you, then it was your negativity that lost us last season and you should feel shame. Your ignorance is gonna take us back to the late nineties, you don't deserve this team.

Okay, maybe I'm not so sure about that.

I don't think it's right to trash the aesthetic of this team with the current injuries, because it's kind of expected/unavoidable but I think your take is pretty ridiculous as well. It's crazy how many people think this is the "strategy" everyone should be deploying if they want to win the cup like LA did.

 

[NoRaise4Brackett]

What's so close about a 4-1 win?

 

[Wisp]

Canucks are playing more like Jacques Martin Habs than the Kings. Strike first. Lock it down.

It's hard to gauge what sort of a team we have for the playoffs. Advanced stats suggest they're one of the best when the score is tied, and getting Kesler back and another center could make for a surprising run.

....or our injury luck continues and we're SOL again. Hopefully we're due some good karma on that front.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

Okay, maybe I'm not so sure about that.

I don't think it's right to trash the aesthetic of this team with the current injuries, because it's kind of expected/unavoidable but I think your take is pretty ridiculous as well. It's crazy how many people think this is the "strategy" everyone should be deploying if they want to win the cup like LA did.

Now now, that LA thing was kind of a one-off, they super underachieved early, changed coaches, made some moves and went on a crazy run. That's obviously a very different situation than what the Canucks are doing, dealing with a lot of injuries and trying to just limp into the playoffs as best they can against a soft schedule.

My issue is with the folks as claim to be fans, but really they're just in it looking for nits to pick and problems to invent and supposed "issues" to harp on endlessly, that sort of thing creates a negative environment, a losing atmosphere, a sense that no amount of wins or success will ever be enough for some of these ingrates.

You know how it goes: we're winning, well, it's only the Cup that matters, or alternatively, our wins are not convincing enough or achieved with the requisite style or dominance. When we're losing, it's a disaster, blow it up, trade players xyz, fire the coach, fire the GM. (Don't be thinking I'm talking about you specifically, Lewis C.K., I agreed with your post, you're clearly not one of these people).

For me, I disagree with the very idea of a "homer." That's a term coming from broadcasting, describing how the guys in the booth who should at least shoot for the appearance of objectivity fail miserably in that regard. As fans, we are homers, that is what a fan is. If somebody is totally objective about it and takes equal or greater opportunity to criticize "their" team, they aren't a fan, they are just an observer. The Canucks have too many observers and not enough fans, too many amateur analysts, not enough cheering section. It shows in this dispute about winning less-than-impressively. It shows in a lot of things.

Canucks are playing more like Jacques Martin Habs than the Kings. Strike first. Lock it down.

I loved the Jacques Martin Habs...it was a disgrace how Gauthier treated him last season. I've been calling for them to adopt this style since early this season, it was the style Vigneault had them playing, very successfully, in his first season here...it's the style we need to play, with Kesler out, we don't have the horses to play otherwise. These tight games, even against the lowly opposition we've had lately, that's gonna serve us well down the stretch, it's gonna serve us well in the playoffs against high-powered opposition, just like it served those Habs well against Ovi and Boudreau's Capitals, and Crosby's Penguins.

 

[Frankiedarling]

Like I said before, it comes from the idea that we are either Cup Frontrunners or Nothing.

I think people need to accept the fact that we're a good team, not a transcendent team. When we're healthy and clicking we can go toe-to-toe with any team in the league, and that's a ******* fact. But we're not going to walk over everybody, and we're certainly not going to do it wounded as we are.

I'm happy being a good team. We shouldn't have to have a transcendent team to enjoy our team and root for them through their victories and defeats.

 

[Shareefruck]

Now now, that LA thing was kind of a one-off, they super underachieved early, changed coaches, made some moves and went on a crazy run. That's obviously a very different situation than what the Canucks are doing, dealing with a lot of injuries and trying to just limp into the playoffs as best they can against a soft schedule.

My issue is with the folks as claim to be fans, but really they're just in it looking for nits to pick and problems to invent and supposed "issues" to harp on endlessly, that sort of thing creates a negative environment, a losing atmosphere, a sense that no amount of wins or success will ever be enough for some of these ingrates.

You know how it goes: we're winning, well, it's only the Cup that matters, or alternatively, our wins are not convincing enough or achieved with the requisite style or dominance. When we're losing, it's a disaster, blow it up, trade players xyz, fire the coach, fire the GM. (Don't be thinking I'm talking about you specifically, Lewis C.K., I agreed with your post, you're clearly not one of these people).

For me, I disagree with the very idea of a "homer." That's a term coming from broadcasting, describing how the guys in the booth who should at least shoot for the appearance of objectivity fail miserably in that regard. As fans, we are homers, that is what a fan is. If somebody is totally objective about it and takes equal or greater opportunity to criticize "their" team, they aren't a fan, they are just an observer. The Canucks have too many observers and not enough fans, too many amateur analysts, not enough cheering section. It shows in this dispute about winning less-than-impressively. It shows in a lot of things.

I disagree with this portion. The only thing I hate about fans is the entitlement, and the idea that the athletes OWE it to fans to do well or live up to their expectations, and if they don't it's their right to be outraged and demand better. That type of fan make me hate being a hockey fan. How we feel about the team shouldn't actually matter to anyone besides ourselves, IMO.

However, I do not believe that all fans have some obligation to be positive and optimistic about everything that happens, and is a mere observer if they don't. I hate the knee-jerk "fire the coach" types too, but not because I think they shouldn't be negative-- only because I think they're wrong and unfair in their assessment.

I try to call a spade a spade, despite the biases this team gives me, but when I'm feeling negative of the team, I don't scream, moan, groan, and fist-shake at it... I get disappointed and hope for the best despite feeling pretty deflated and pessimistic about the situation. (there's actually a part of me that acts/expects the worse as I'm watching games to cope/brace for the potential disappoint, all because I care about what happens and let it affect my mood)

I agree that it's better for the team if the fans at the rink/chirping in the media are more supportive, but even then I don't think that's any reason to require all fans to put that above how they really feel. I also don't believe that someone who does this is more of a real fan or anything like that.

I think "hoping they win/caring" is enough to be a fan, not "believing that they will win", personally. I actually get really mad at fans who think the latter/expect it from others.

However, I will go out on a limb and join you in making a different sweeping generalization about fans-- If you have a blast watching the game and the atmosphere, but don't have any REAL stake in the result, you aren't a fan of the team, you're an observer.

 

[HAMMY5]

I only follow the team for entertainment. Why waste 3 hours watching this crap? I'd rather miss the playoffs.



I disagree, losing streaks happen every season, it wasn't going to continue.

at this guy

Good thing he is not a Jackets fan or he'd really be crying right now about being bored with defensive play and squeaking out wins.


If you can't appreciate your team wining tight games with essentially an AHL forward line up playing a defensive style why bother being a fan at all.

Defense wins Championships and I am personally pleased with the job they are doing and hope that playing this style now helps them win those tight checking games in the playoffs.

 

[LeftCoast]

I certainly hope they open the offense up a bit when Kassian and Kesler return. This is dreadful hockey and it is NOT going to get the job done in the playoffs. All they do is dump it in deep, line change and send in 1 forechecker. The stretch pass, which was intended to create break aways is just used to tip the puck in from the red line to facilitate a line change. I like winning better than losing, but this is ugly.

 

[Scurr]

If you can't appreciate your team wining tight games with essentially an AHL forward line up playing a defensive style why bother being a fan at all.

I can appreciate it against the Kings, that was a gutsy effort. All this talk about an "AHL forward lineup" is BS, we got outplayed by the Av's for most of that game and their roster is way worse than ours, even with the injuries. We're a team built to push the play from the back end and we aren't missing any of the guys that are suppose to do that.

Can someone tell me why it's too much for me to expect to be entertained when I watch a game? We were playing high event hockey without Kesler early in the year and winning, no reason we can't do it again now that we're getting better goaltending.

 

[The Horvatian One]

I just checked the stats and well quite frankly we're still a top 10 team in scoring so what's that say about about the entire league?

 

[Shareefruck]

I just checked the stats and well quite frankly we're still a top 10 team in scoring so what's that say about about the entire league?

I was about to say "wow, really? that really surprises me" but then I just checked, and the stats I'm looking at say we're 18th/19th in scoring at 2.59 gpg.

We're 5th defensively, and moving up though, so that's something.

 

[HiggsBroson]

Funny how this team's fan base has become so spoiled in such a short timespan.

The team continues to maintain a spot in the top quarter of the conference despite missing an entire second line, and we've got people moaning about style points.

I'll take the wins, thanks.

This

 

[Shareefruck]

This

Yeah, no kidding.

 

[Totes Magotes]

Honestly, the entire NHL is like this. There is way too much strategy and not enough mistakes and risks being made.

Bettman has destroyed the game over his tenure. The game is played much too systematically, instead of end to end rushes all game all you see is broken plays through the neutral zone and the occasional zone time pressure. Very little chances and it is quite boring.

I love the game and will continue watching, but it could be so much better. Just saying.

 

[The Horvatian One]

I was about to say "wow, really? that really surprises me" but then I just checked, and the stats I'm looking at say we're 18th/19th in scoring at 2.59 gpg.

We're 5th defensively, and moving up though, so that's something.

Meant to say GF / GA sorry .

 

[Scurr]

Honestly, the entire NHL is like this. There is way too much strategy and not enough mistakes and risks being made.

Bettman has destroyed the game over his tenure. The game is played much too systematically, instead of end to end rushes all game all you see is broken plays through the neutral zone and the occasional zone time pressure. Very little chances and it is quite boring.

I love the game and will continue watching, but it could be so much better. Just saying.

This. Fans that are willing to still spend money on, or waste their time on or otherwise accept this product are also to blame.

 

[corker]

As a person who spends up to 15% of my take home pay on going to games, I thought I'd weigh in on this topic. First I gotta say, I am not one of those people who feels I'm owed lower ticket prices. Going to Canucks games is a luxury, like going on Vacations or buying fancy cars.

My whole life all I wanted was to be a season ticket holder. I don't make a lot of money, but because I love hockey and the Canucks so much I made it a priority and made cuts in other parts of my life in order to achieve this. I now have a half season's package I share with a friend, as well as an icepak on my own... so pretty much 3/4 season tickets. I've had these seats for about 4 or 5 years now.

I want a Stanley Cup more than I want to breathe. I went to all but 2 home games of the 2011 run, including all 4 games of the final... (and standing outside Rogers Arena for almost 8 hours to buy tickets for Game 5). I don't care how much money I have to spend, I want to be there when it happens.

But to drop $100... plus beverages, game in and game out to watch the crap that's been on the ice lately... that's a totally different rational.

I am considering doing, what was unfathomable to me not that long ago, and that is getting rid of one of my ticket packages. My friend and I have been having this discussion for a few months now. If this style of play is the way off the future, can we continue to spend huge chunks of our income on it.

We are hoping this is just a short term fix, because of a depleted line-up. However, many of the games last year weren't all that more entertaining. That said, i would gladly put up with this grinding out boring garbage to win a cup. (I don't believe its necessary. I will never understand why they blew up their entire system because they lost by one game to the Bruins when their line up was completely decimated.... and I'm also not convinced that this team, playing this style can be successful in the playoffs. Winning one goal games against crappy teams doesn't prove you can win one goal games against good teams. Again... look to last year. But then there is a reason I don't run an NHL team. Can they win this way, will be answered over the next couple months.)

So conclude my long ramble. I will always be a fan, i will always watch the games on TV and cheer. A win is a win is a win, and at the end of the day I want them to play whatever style they have to, in order to win. But when it comes to PAYING to go to the games. I need to be entertained to rationalize spending the amounts of money I spend.

Gillis says he is committed to playing up-tempo, so I am probably going to give it until after the draft and free-agency, to see the direction of the team, before I make a decision.

 

[Dado]

But when it comes to PAYING to go to the games. I need to be entertained to rationalize spending the amounts of money I spend.

There is NOTHING wrong with that! The Canucks should consider themselves fortunate to have fans like you.

 

[CherryToke]

yes we are such a spoiled fan base with all the superstars and cups over the years.

say what?

 

[deadinthewater]

yes we are such a spoiled fan base with all the superstars and cups over the years.

say what?

I'd say Penguins are probably the most spoiled right now. There's a plethora of rainbows and lollipops over there.

 

[Shareefruck]

yes we are such a spoiled fan base with all the superstars and cups over the years.

say what?

A child who feels he is entitled to every demand even though his parents already give them so much more than they need (winning) is spoiled regardless of whether or not there are other kids who receive better, more expensive things. Hell, even a child who doesn't receive it, but believes that they're entitled to it is spoiled.

You're spoiled as long as you have a "Why shouldn't I have the best??" attitude, IMO.

Money in exchange for hockey is the only transaction you're owed-- If you don't receive it to a degree that you're satisfied, plenty of others are and are willing to take your spot in the arena. Nobody owes you crap as a fan, IMO, and this sense of entitlement is everything that's wrong and putrid about listening to hockey fans complain.

We all hope for the best, but that's about as far as it goes. As long as the team is just successful enough to make money, what you think beyond that doesn't actually matter to the equation. Personally, I'm glad it makes these type of fans frustrated.