Hello everyone! I said last week that I would talk about these guys: goalies.  I was able to get this nice snapshot at a practice a few weeks back before the lockout started.  You could try to pick "who is going to be Vancouver's goalies this season?" and truly it is anyone's guess.  Instead of talking about everything we have read before, I am going to talk about what I see at practice when these guys are on the ice.  I had the wonderful opportunity last season to attend a lot of the Vancouver Canucks home practices.  It was an amazing experience and I learned more watching the players day in and day out, working at getting better and better.  I also got to see the camaraderie between the players first hand.  After a few practices I could begin to tell which players seemed like they were friends off the ice, which ones joked around the most and how much the players communicate which each other.

Watching the goalies was always fun.  They don't really get to take a break like the forwards or defence do when coaches are running certain drills.  They man their nets the entire practice.  Most certainly 2 of the hardest working players on the team.  Roberto Luongo was particularly fun to watch.  He does have this incredible focus. He was also one player who would stop and sign multiple autographs for lucky fans who were at practice.  It didn't matter if only 2 people were there or 20 he always stopped.  Even if he had a bad practice or a bad game the night before Luongo always stopped to talk to the fans.  He was never shy about engaging in conservation with people and always had a smile on his face.  It was interesting to see that Lou, then I would be at home later that day, turn on the news and see him shift to interview mode in the locker room.  Not so smiley, not so relaxed and not looking like he was enjoying himself nearly as much when he was talking to fans only a few minutes before.

People in this city give Luongo a hard time and I get it.  Every Vancouver Canuck hockey fan wants a Stanley Cup.  But sometimes people seem to forget that if the opposing team has a chance to take a shot on Lou, the Canuck forwards and defence have made a mistake somewhere.  Vancouver has an amazing goalie in Roberto Luongo, his Canuck stats alone are eye popping.  In his 6 season donning the Canuck jersey Lou has played 386 games.  Of those 386 games Lou has won 224, lost only 115, 41 overtime wins and 33 shutout alone.  Lou has allowed 883 pucks sneak by him but he has stopped a whopping 10,985 shots!  Lou's save percentage has never averaged below .913 in the regular season and his highest save percentage year was in the 2010-11 season when it was .928!  That is also the year Lou helped his team make it Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final.  Lou is also the guy who replaced #1 Canadian netminder Martin Brodeur in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.  Lou went undefeated in that tournament leading the Canadian Men's Hockey Team to a GOLD MEDAL after a spectacular OT golden goal by Sidney Crosby.  That is all I have to say about Lou.  If he does end up getting traded, I have to say part of me is going to miss him.

Cory Schneider on the other hand looks like he is in Vancouver to stay.  At least for 3 more years.  Cory Schneider spent the last 2 seasons backing up Roberto Luongo.  He is the only goalie since Lou became the #1 to do that.  All the other backups Lou has had, play a single year and move on.  That is saying something about Cory.  Altogether Cory has played 68 games in a Canucks jersey. With 38 wins, 17 loses and 4 overtime wins plus 4 shutouts.  In Cory's 68 games he has allowed 136 goals but stopped 1,880.  Cory also has a save percentage you know other teams in the NHL have their eye on.  In the 1st 8 games Cory was called up for in the 2008-09 season his save percentage was .877 but in the years following it has never dipped below .915 (Cory only played 2 games that season at the NHL level).  In both the years he has backed up Lou his save percentage has been .929 and .937!  WOW!  Like Luongo, Schneider does have a focus and intensity on the ice forwards and defence don't.  Cory playing back up to Lou was also one of the last guys off the ice at every practise.  Always staying so guys could take shots on him.  That being said if Schneider was getting the start one night in Vancouver Lou would stay on the ice longer at practice.

Cory is also great with the fans at practice.  He always stops for autographs.  There is also one little boy I would see at practice quiet often.  Cory must have met this little guy on some other occasion because every time Cory saw him watching practice by the tunnel he stopped to talk and say hi.  You can only imagine how over the moon this little boy was that Cory Schneider remembers his name and stops to say Hi, ask how his skating lessons are going and ask when he is going to start playing on a team. Cory has also handled himself beautifully in front of the cameras.  I know the media like to make a big deal and create a Roberto/Cory standoff in the press but at practice they are nothing but supportive to one and other.  When they do get waterbreaks they chat, the goalie coach gives both of them the time they need and both players seem to have a huge respect for one and other.  Cory gets to backup one of the best and Lou knows he has a #1 backup.  

As for Eddie Lack the Swedish Chicago Wolves main netminder.  He was a breath of fresh air at practice a few weeks back.  He would rotate between the pipes with both Lou and Cory.  He took his instruction well and seemed only a little nervous at times.  Eddie was all smiles and seemed to enjoy that the Vancouver fans watching out at UBC and how excited they got when he made a save.  

It will be interesting once this lockout situation is cleared up who will be the goalies on the Vancouver roster.  Personally I think any 2 of the 3 would be great.  And that is all I have to say about goalies!  Enjoy X

Above you can view a video I took at practice today.  I know the lightning isn't great but when the players started doing this drill at the end of practice I found it so interesting.  Mason Raymond, Chris Higgins and Willie Mitchell all stayed on the ice after picking up the pucks for just shy of 10 minutes.  They took turns skating while someone held them back.  I guess it is an exercise to help them be able to pick up and skate faster.  It is for sure a drill you can teach your youngsters at practice!!

On Tuesday I headed out to UBC with my friend Tanya who is in her last semester to get her BFA in Art History. We decided to pop by the rink to see if any Canucks were skating.  Tanya is also very familiar with UBC hockey, her little sister LIsa Bonang use to play for the women's hockey team.  Tanya was kind enough to show me the workout facilities and introduce me to a few of the UBC strength and conditioning employees.  Once we returned to the rink practice was clearly over with a Sedin leaving the ice, Lapierre giving an interview to a camera crew, Schneider skating off the ice and a few prospects hoping for a spot on the team next year cleaning up pucks. Jordan Schroeder has gotten a lot of press over the summer.  With Ryan Kesler not able to centre the 2nd line until December (that being if the lockout ends) Vancouver is looking for someone to fill that spot. You've got Henrik Sedin centring the 1st line, a Kesler absent 2nd line, Max Lapierre vying for the 3rd line centre position after Sammy Pahlsson left the Canucks last season to play in Sweden and then you have Manny Malhorta centring the 4th line.  Jordan Schroeder's odds of grabbing a spot on the 2nd line are looking up.  Of course Mike Gillis might be waiting to pull the Luongo card with a team and make a trade after the lockout ends and get a power forward centre? No matter how is ends up Schroeder is proving he has a solid work ethic and the skills to land him a roster spot this year.  

One of my favourite things to watch at practice is grown men, professional ice hockey players still respecting the rules like they did when they were young boys.  Get down on one knee when you are listening to instructions from a coach, wait your turn in line to run a drill, pick up the pucks after practice and push the nets to the edges of the rink so the Zamboni driver can clean the ice. After my one minute in the rink grabbing this photo I couldn't waste the stunning day outside it was in Vancouver and having never really wondered the grounds at UBC, Tanya was kind enough to show me everything.  I had only ever been out to UBC to watch rugby games, hockey games, concerts at Thunderbird Stadium and also outside concerts as well as a few plays over the years.  But walking through the Arts Department was truly inspiring.  The imagination and creativity that begins to flow when I am around that kind of energy gives me the biggest high.  Below I have chosen a few photos to share with you from my tour yesterday.  Enjoy X