Phoenix: Veteran Graveyard?

This year has seen a lot of speculation suggesting that Gretzky may in fact be mortal. A canadian superstar in the NHL, a gold medal Olympic coach, and a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. But it appears that this NHL season holds a twist for Gretzky. Since the last Olympics in Turin and Canada's fall from gold, Gretzky has seen some rough times. Throughout these times not many have doubted him. In light of Phoenix's poor performance this year -last in the entire NHL with a mere 6 points- people are beginning to suspect that Gretzky is human after all. Perhaps some of the blame for the team's 3-10-0 record can be placed upon trades made in the pre-season. Acquiring Jeremy Roenick, Owen Nolan, and Georges Laraque. With Phoenix last in their conference in the 05-06 season with 81 points, it is a wonder that managment did not acquire any scoring power. The only good acquisition made was getting Yanic Perreault as a free agent in October. Perreault is turning out to be a great fit for the Coyotes. What boggles my mind most is why management picked up Roenick, Nolan, and Laraque. While each of these players was once great in their own accord, none can save the Coyotes from floundering back into last place this season, which seems to be exactly where they find themselves. The only theory that comes to mind with the Coyotes' acquisitions is a sort of player loyalty. Perhaps Gretzky felt sympathy for these men. Men who were once excellent players, but not since 2000 have Nolan and Roenick seen great stats. Could Gretzky be attempting to give these players one last chance at glory? Is this why Dallas took Eric Lindros? Perhaps Phoenix does not care about winning anymore and has adopted a new game plan: give the ol' veterans one last shot to prove themselves. Turning Phoenix into a Veteran Graveyard.

NHL Brief

Tonight saw three different games end in a 5-2 outcome: The Canucks loss to the Wild, Tampa Bay ousting the Flyers, and the Islanders over New Jersey. Luongo took a puck to the shoulder in the Canucks loss to the Wild. Referees made a debatable decision that put the Wild's first goal on the board. Originally it was ruled no goal, stating Todd White had kicked the puck in. After review it was determined that White did not kick the puck and it was allowed. By looking at the game footage it looks as though White lifts his foot in order to kick the puck in. After the game White stated, "I didn't think I kicked it. I'm not that good." This goal and a possible injury lead to a lacklustre performance by the Canucks. With Sami Salo missing from the already depleting blue line, and Mattias Ohlund, Kevin Bieksa, and Lucas Kracijek picking up more ice time, there were no fresh legs to help out Luongo. Throughout the course of the game Luongo let in three questionable goals including a slap shot on a penalty shot by Brian Rolston. In other NHL news, the Canadiens whomped the Hurricanes in a 4-0 shutout. Despite the Canadiens taking more penalties and producing less shots, they maintained pressure throughout the game. Thanks to a stellar performance by Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet, who earned his first shutout of the season, the Canadiens were able to avenge the constant losses they suffered to the Hurricanes last season. The Canadiens saw goals from Micheal Komisarek, Saku Koivu, Mike Johnson, and Tomas Plekanec. Other scores throughout the NHL tonight: Buffalo 5 - Boston 4; Florida 4- Toronto 2; St.Louis 4 - Colorado 1; Detroit 2 - Chicago 1; NY Rangers 3 - San Jose 1.

Canucks: My two cents

The Canucks hit the ice tonight in Minnesota versus the Wild aiming to avenge a shoot out loss the last time these two met. The Wild are currently on the top of their division with 18 points while Vancouver lags just behind with 15. The Wild just came off a 4-1 loss to Colorado so the Canucks should be prepared to face a motivated team. The Canucks have won four of their last six and are looking strong. Although it is only the beginning of a long stretch of season, the Canucks have many who have called them a .500 team eating their words. The Canucks are finally displaying a strong work ethic, and it appears that this is the key to success the boys have been lacking all along. Not since their '94 run at the cup with the NY Rangers have fans seen such intensity on the ice. Every battle for the puck is played like it may be a player's last. Even Markus Naslund, who played hurt last season, is finally becoming a true captain. He is not just wearing the 'C' on his jersey, he is finally setting an example. Perhaps this is why the Canucks have been doing so well this season. Naslund has vastly improved his defensive game, which is important within the new system the Canucks have adopted this year. Naslund who was a minus 19 last season is a plus 4 this season. That is a huge improvement. Hurt, Naslund managed to tally 79 points which was his lowest in five years. This year Naslund has managed 11 points in 13 games and if he is able to keep it up, he is well on his way to another huge season. Daniel Sedin is at 14 points in 13 games and Henrik is tied for third with assists in the NHL (13) and is at 15 points in 13 games. The boys are looking good thus far. But one player who does not seem to be living in the limelight this season is Canucks golden boy Trevor Linden. Linden who has never been sat out in over 1,000 games has seen his first benching. In a deal discussed before the season started Alain Vigneault, Dave Nonis, and Linden discussed the likelihood of Linden sitting out the eleven back-to-back games this season. Disappointed but wanting to play Linden agreed. Not only is Linden getting benched 11 games this season he is also seeing a large reduction in playing time. This season Linden averages under 10 minutes per game. Linden has never played below the double digit mark in his 18 seasons in the NHL. Always a fixture on the penalty kill, Linden has only seen 46 seconds of power play time this season. Which is not surprising considering his offensive flair is floundering. Although Linden has never reached an 80 point season his true offensive glory was amassing 25 points in 24 games in the '94 Stanely Cup series. With Linden's reduced playing time, an improvement has been seen on the ice. He looks faster and well adjusted to the new NHL compared to last season and his constant falling behind in the play. Perhaps the reduced playing time, while not good for the ego, is just what the doctor ordered to improve Linden's readjustment to the new NHL. With the Canucks new defensive style of play matching Linden's strong points, it is only a matter of time before Linden's play improves even more. Look to see more ice time and a stronger role on the ice from Linden in the future. With the Canucks 5-3-1 on the road and Chouinard back in his old stomping grounds perhaps the Canucks can teach Jacques Lemaire and the boys of Minnesota a thing or two about how to be a defensive team without playing the trap. Should make for an interesting game if either team can score more than two goals.