Hockey is such a great sport to watch.  It really is a beautiful game.  The skating, passing, checking, goalies making amazing stops.  It takes a lot to win a hockey game.  Now that we are nearing the 1/2 way mark of the NHL regular season you can really start to tell the difference between the stronger teams and the weaker teams.  The greats are starting to emerge and take leads in divisions and conferences.  With the World Juniors gong on in Edmonton right now you can see what a few years of training at the NHL level does to a player.  Most of Team Canada has been drafted into the NHL and you can only wonder how great theses guys will be after NHL training.

The Canucks beat the Ducks last night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.  Last time these 2 teams met up in Anaheim, it was a scoreless game after the 1st period, 4-0 Ducks after the 2nd and the final was 4-3.  Cory Schneider got the start.  Schneider often gets at least one start in back to back games for Vancouver.  It probably surprised nobody.  Luongo has been on fire lately but Luongo will be in net in Los Angeles on New Years Eve.

Henrik Sedin, assisted by Alex Burrows start of the 1st, Canucks are in the lead 1-0.  Keep in mind Vancouver is about 17-1 or so when scoring the 1st goal (17 wins-1 lose).  Cutie Cody Hodgson scored his 8th goal of the year to make the score 2-0 end of the 1st.  Lightning fast Mason Raymond scored the 3rd goal for Vancouver, and a few minutes later Daniel Sedin scored the 4th goal and the 16th goal of the season for him.  The Sedins collected 5 points total during this game.  In the 3rd Cutie Duck Bobby Ryan snuck one past Cory Schneider 4-1 Canucks.  Anaheim got one more by Nick Bonino, but Daniel Sedin sealed the deal with his 2nd goal of the night, his 17th this season and 5th that night for the Canucks.  Final score 5-2.

On to the World Juniors.  Canada beat Denmark.  Canada remains undefeated at the the WJC.  Canada has played 3 games so far.  Russia also has 3 wins.  Russia won the WJC last year, defeating Canada 5-3.  Russia may be a force again this year, they beat Latvia yesterday 14-0!  Back to Canada, again Mark Stone scored, twice actually.  Canada's Brandon Gormley also scored twice.  Mark Visentin was back in net for Canada.  He stopped 24 of 26 shots.  This was his 2nd win.  Watch Canada play the USA New Years Eve, a game not to be missed!

For the 1st time since hiring Darryl Sutter as head coach the Kings lost.  1-0 to Winnipeg in overtime.  The game was scorless the entire regulation then shortly into the OT Evender Kane (former Vancouver Giant) scored.  The game was played in Winnipeg which currently holds the title of LOUDEST arena in the NHL.  Winnipeg has possibly the best fans right now.  Minnesota snapped a 9 games losing streak, as they beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3.  As for the points race Vancouver and rival Chicago are tied for 1st each with 50 points, Boston has 49. 

Head down to Red Card Sports Bar New Years Eve for You CAN 2012.  A fundraiser for the Canucks Autism Network!  $30 a ticket all proceeds go to CAN.  Midnight Pizza Buffet, Bubbly and party favors at Midnight!  Watch the game, win prizes and have a ton of FUN!  Happy New Year 2012!

Alrighty, with the NHL back in full swing after the holiday break and the World Juniors in full swing in Edmonton,  hockey is in the air.

Last night, the Vancouver Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in OT.  The teams met for the 2nd out of 4 meetings this year. These two teams are always fun to watch play.  Very evenly matched.  San Jose seems to always be leading their division and makes it into the playoffs every year.  Vancouver did bump San Jose out the their Stanley Cup run last year in game 5 round 3, with a double overtime winner by Kevin Bieksa.

Last night it started with Daniel Sedin scoring 1/2 way through the 1st period.  The lineup looked a little different this game. With Chris Higgins out, Mark Mancari was called up from the minors. At the start of the 2nd period Ryan Kesler scored on a powerplay, 2-0 Vancouver.  San Jose then came back with a goal by Logan Couture midway through the 2nd, then 5 minutes later San Jose Captain Joe Thornton scored to tie it up.  It was lucky goal #7 for Thornton.  No scoring in the 3rd period or in overtime.  With the 5 minute OT winding down Vancouver started to take shots and dominate in the San Jose zone.  Bieksa, who had just been in the penalty box for high sticking, took a shot from close to the blueline, the puck deflects of Andrew Ebbett's stick and in!  Final 3-2 Vancouver.  It was Ebbett's 4th game winning goal!  Ebbett was out of the line up for about 2 months with a broken foot and only returned over a week ago.  This is Ebbett's 3rd goal in 2 games.  The best part is Ebbett told reporters after last night's game that he is "having fun right now and it is fun to play."  Love Ebbett!  Check out Ebbett's game winner in "If You Need a Visual."

Team Canada took their 2nd win yesterday vs the Czech Republic.  Canada has never lost to the Czechs.  With #2 goalie Scott Wedgewood getting the start it was going to be a good game.  Mark Stone opened up the scoring and that was that.  The hottest stick in hockey just scored for the 4th time in 2 games.  The team collected 4 more goals and Wedgewood made 26 saves in the win.  The most heart warming part of the game? Devante Smith-Pelly staying in Edmonton to support his team after his foot was fractured in the 1st game.  Smith-Pelly is a guy with heart and truly loves the game.  Keep an eye on Smith-Pelly after he recovers, he was drafted to the Anaheim Ducks and will have a fantastic career with that heart.

Some streaks are starting in the NHL.  With Boston's OT win over Phoenix last night, Boston is on a 7 game winning streak.  It was the 2nd sellout in Phoenix this year with fans packing the arena to see the Stanley Cup Champs.  Boston now leads the league with 24 wins.  Minnesota, which was off to such a great start this year, is now no longer the leader in the Northwest Division.  Minnesota lost last  night and now are on a 8 game losing streak.  Jonathan Quick helped his team, the Los Angeles Kings, beat the Chicago Blackhawks last night.  Final score 2-0.  It was Quick's 5th shutout of the year and the most for a goaltender in the league this year.

Women's Only Fantasy Hockey Draft Results:
1st place Juliet with 379 points
2nd place Bonnie with 376 points
3rd place Sam with 375 points
4th place Roz with 373 points
5th place Josie with 364 points  Way to go Ladies!

Don't forget to get your tickets to You CAN 2012 at Red Card Sports Bar.  All proceeds support the Canucks Autism Network.  With the Los Angeles Kings vs Vancouver Canucks game on 18 TVs, bubbles and a pizza buffet at midnight it is a party to be at.  Plus you could win jerseys, sticks and posters signed by the Vancouver Canucks!  Happy New Year 2012!

Alright, now is when things have started to heat up in the NHL. The strong teams are pulling ahead while winning and losing streaks are beginning and ending every night.  In the points race, the leaders are forming a clear pack.  Injuries are affecting almost every team and viewers are seeing a lot of call ups from the AHL playing.

After a 2 day holiday break for NHL players, coaches and anyone else involved in the league, it was back to work Boxing Day.  Ten games were played last night.  Some good battles were won.  Vancouver beat the Edmonton Oilers.  Andrew Ebbett opened up the scoring early in the 1st.  Daniel Sedin scored his 14th goal of the season shortly after and brother Henrik registered his 32nd assist!  Then to end the 1st period Andrew Ebbett scored again!  The end score was 5-3 Vancouver.  Vancouver's Alex Burrows and and Ryan Kesler showed up to score the 4th and 5th goals.  Edmonton's Jordan Eberle, Ryan Jones and Corey Potter all scored for Edmonton.

A few records were set in this Vancouver/Edmonton match up.  This was the 1st time Andrew Ebbett scored two goals in a NHL game.  Henrik Sedin surpassed former Canuck Brendan Morrison for the Canucks Iron Man record, dressing in his 535 consecutive game.  Funny enough, Henrik tied the record friday the 23rd when the Canucks played Brendan Morrison's team the Calgary Flames.  And lastly, The 2 points the Vancouver Canucks earned for last night's win put them into the #1 spot in the Northwest Division.  Passing the current leaders Minnesota Wild.  The Wild did play last night against the Colorado Avalanche.  Final score 4-2 Colorado.  The Wild have lost their last 7 games, 5 in regulation and 2 in shootout. The Avalanche on the other hand are on a 5 game win streak. And finally Carolina Hurricane's #1 goalie Cam Ward was credited with his 1st ever goal last night against the New Jersey Devils.  In the final minute of play New Jersey had an empty net.  New Jersey was in the Carolina zone and Cam Ward was making saves.  In a strange pass New Jersey's #17 Ilya Kovalchuk passed to #14 Adam Henrique, Henrique completely misses the sloppy pass and it heads right into the New Jersey net.  NHL rules state that the LAST Carolina Hurricane to touch the puck will get the credit for the goal.  In the video replay it shows Carolina's Brandon Sutter reaching for the puck but never actually making contact with it, so after video review it was awarded to Carolina' Goalie Cam Ward!  Ward is the 10th goalie in NHL history to register a goal and the first goalie since Chris Mason 2006!  I hope Ward got to keep the puck!

The World Junior Championship started yesterday in Edmonton.  This tournament is broken up into 2 groups.  
Pool A is Sweden, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Latvia.
Pool B is USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland and Denmark.

Two games were played in each pool.  In Pool A Sweden beat Latvia 9-4 and Russia beat Switzerland 3-0.  In Pool B USA beat Denmark 11-3 and Canada beat Finland 8-1.  As far as Team Canada is concerned, #16 Mark Stone scored a hat trick (Stone is the scoring leader in the WHL), Smith-Pelly is out with injury for 4-6 weeks with a fractured foot and returning goalie Mark Visentin stopped 24 of 25 shots.  Go Team Canada!

Watching a World Junior game might look a little different.  I will point out 2 differences between WJCs games and NHL games.  The NHL uses the "trapezoid", where the goalie is not allowed to touch the puck behind the red line and outside the trapezoid lines. There is NO trapezoid in WJCs.  Second, in the NHL to get an icing call the puck must be shot passed the goal line from the opposing end by a defending player, then be touched by a player from the other team.  An example say the Vancovuer Canucks are playing the Edmonton Oilers.  The play is happening in the Edmonton zone, and an Edmonton player shoots the puck into the Vancouver zone past the goal line.  If a Vancouver player gets to the puck 1st it will be an icing call, if an Edmonton player gets there 1st the play will continue.  In the World Juniors there is "no touch icing" which means if the puck is shot to the other end by a defending player, if the puck crosses the goal line it is automatic icing. This is to avoid injuries when two players are racing for the puck, and one loses an edge and goes violently into the boards.

Lastly I know this is not about hockey but a 27 year old record was broke last night in the NFL.  Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints is now the record holder of "5000+ yards" for passing in a single season.  Brees broke Dan Marino's record set back in 1984.  Brees happened to break to the record on a touch down and it was cause for celebration. This record is equivalent to someone in the NHL today breaking Wayne Gretzky's 163 assist record that he set in 1985/86

Check Out Andrew Ebbett's goal, Cam Ward's goal, Team Canada highlights at WJCs and Drew Brees record breaking pass all in "If You Need A Visual"

The Canucks took home a big win last night against the Detroit Red Wings.  What a game it was !  You can always expect a good match up with these 2 teams.  Detroit it one of the best in the league and has been for years now, plus they are an original 6.

Canucks were deadly early on, scoring the 1st goal.  Good Lookin Chris Higgins is now in the double digits in goals with his 10th goal last night 1/2 way through the 1st period.  21 seconds later Cutie Cody Hodgson hit lucky number 7 in goals.  It was a night of 2 goals in 21 seconds.  Vancouver's Higgins and Hodgson were matched in Chicago earlier in the evening as Andrew Brunette and Patrick Sharp scored 21 seconds apart against Montreal to take a 2-1 lead in literally seconds.  (Side Note: Patrick Sharp became a father 13 days ago to a lovely little girl named Madelyn, Happy Holidays!)  Back in Vancouver, former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi scored to get Detroit on the board.  It wasn't over yet for Vancouver as Alex Burrows scored 2 minutes later with assists to Daniel and Henrik. By the end of the 1st it was 3-1 Vancouver and not a single penalty was given.

The Vancouver Canucks returned home to play their 1st of 4 home games here at Rogers Arena.  What a game it was.  North West Division rivals and current leaders the Minnesota Wild were 1st on the list.  It started out like any other game between these 2 teams.  Fast and ruthless.  It was starting to look like a 0-0 score at the end of the 1st period before the top line lit it up.  Henrik Sedin notched his 9th goal of the season, while twin brother Daniel snagged his 23 assist.  The 2nd assist was given to defenceman Alex Edler making it his 18th of the season!  End of the 1st 1-0 Canucks.

With another power play middle of the 2nd period, Ryan Kesler found the back of the net for his 8th goal of the season.  Both Daniel and Henrik picked up the assists.  The Canucks power play is nothing to be messed with.  It is #1 in the league right now.  Again the top line lit the lamp late in the 2nd as handsome Alex Burrows grabbed his 12th goal of the season and again the Sedin brothers grabbed the assists.  Is it starting to become more clear why the Sedin brothers are always in the race for the Hart Ross Trophy?  Daniel won it last year, Henrik the year prior.  End of the 2nd period 3-0 Canucks.

It was a great game to watch but again one of my personal favourites Jannik Hansen found the back of the net late in the 3rd period with a pass from cutie Cody Hodgson.  It was Hansen's 11th goal of the season, surpassing his all time season high of 9 goals!  Way to go Hansen, keep you the good work.  The final, 4-0 Canucks.  Making it Luongo's 1st shut out of the year, his 56th of his career and his 29th as a Canuck.  Way to go BOYS!

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout last night.  Captain Dustin Brown scored the game winner.  Team Canada 2010 and current LA Kings defenceman Drew Doughty also grabbed an assist in this game.  The Dallas Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks last night.  Cutie and Victoria born NHL dark horse Jamie Benn nabbed an assist in this game.  Surprisingly the Edmonton Oilers gave the Detroit Red Wings a run for their money last night in Oil Country.  It was back and forth scoring all night.  Detroit's Dan Cleary opened up the scoring, then Edmonton's Ryan Jones tied it up early in the 2nd.  Detroit scored again but want to hear the best part of the night?  Edmonton's Jordan Eberle scoring with a 1/2 second left at the end of the 2nd to tie up the game!  Detroit's Drew Miller got the game winner late in the 3rd but Edmonton played hard.  Check out Eberle's goal in "If you need a Visual"  And of course Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up the assists on Eberle's goal.


Alrighty, the Calgary Flames haven't been setting many records lately but #4 Jay Bouwmeester is the ironman leader in the league right now.  Bouwmeester has played 539 consecutive games in the NHL!  WOW!  He set a new NHL record last season when he played his 496th consecutive game.  Bouwmeester became the defenceman with the longest record beating Karlis Skrastins record of 495.  Since then Bouwmesster has added 43 games to the total.  The 2nd in line for iron man is Henrik Sedin only behind by about 6 or so games.

One last thing, as of last night it is now a 3 way tie for 1st place in the points race.  Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs is back on top with 39 points.  Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers is out with a concussion but still has 39 points, and as of last night Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks has 39 points!  Points means goals and assists combined so here is how the 3 players look
Phil Kessel has 19 goals and 20 assists
Claude Giroux has 16 goals and 23 assists
Henrik Sedin has 9 goals and 30 assists.
One more fun fact, Daniel Sedin is 4th in the scoring race!  Daniel has 38 points.  13 goals and 25 assists.  WOW!  The points race just got exciting!

Don't forget to come down to Red Card Sports Bar on New Year's Eve for the You CAN 2012 fundraiser.  Buy your tickets through Red Card Sports Bar or Clubzone.  Happy Early New Year 2012!

The Canucks end a 5 game road trip with a win!  They beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3.  That means the Canucks pick up 7 out of a possible 10 points on this trip.  The 4 forward lines in this game looked sharp.  Head Coach Alain Vigneault seemed to finally be getting his groove back, after a shoot out loss in Columbus and a 4-3 loss in Carolina.  The 1st line was Daniel and Henrik Sedin with Alex Burrows on the right wing.  After last nights game you may be able to call Burrows the triplet Sedin.  Burrows can play with those twins like no tomorrow.  The American Express Line was 2/3s there with Chris Higgins and Ryan Kesler but injured David Booth was replaced by Canadian Mason Raymond.  The 3rd line had staple Cody Hodgson, Jannik Hansen and Maxim LaPierre who was bumped up to this line.  The 4th line was the wonderful Manny Malhotra, tough guy Dale Weise, and Chicago Wolves call up Mark Mancari.

Good Lookin Chris Higgins opened up the scoring 1 minute into the game, then Toronto's Joffrey Lupul tied the game a few minutes later.  End of the 1st period 1-1.  49 seconds into the 2nd  period the American Express's Canadian line mate Raymond scored.  Followed again by Toronto to tie the game but this time by Tyler Bozak. With less then a minute left in the 2nd Daniel Sedin pots one to make it 3-2.  While the top Canuck line is still hot going into the 3rd period, Alex Burrows rang one off the bar and in to make it a 4-2 lead.  Then as luck would have it, Phil Kessel, who is currently 2nd in league scoring right now would add another, and made the game 4-3, with just under 3 minutes left.  Then literally from out of nowhere 1 minute later handsome Danish Jannik Hansen scored an absolute beauty to make it a 5-3 final.

All in all it was a fun game to watch.  Luongo stopped 26 out of 29 shots and Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped 31 out of 36 that came his way.  Only 4 penalties were taken in total.  Two by Vancouver, two by Toronto.  Check out the Great Dane Jannik Hansen's goal in "If you need a visual"

There were 11 other games last night and it was another NUTTY night in NHL hockey.  The Boston Bruins beat the Flyers 6-0.  Four goals came in the 1st period, then 1 each in the 2nd and 3rd.  What caught my eye on in this game was the number of penalties.  Thirteen total for both teams.  Everything from 2 minute minors, 5 minute major and game misconducts were handed out.  The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabers 8-3!  The fun thing about this game was Russian Hot Shot Evgeni Malkin scored his 7th career hat trick (3 goals in one game) and picked up 2 assists, for a total of 5 points last night!  Detroit beat Los Angeles 8-2.  Cory Emmerton and Drew Miller both scored twice in this game.  The Washington Capitals are still trying to get their wheels rolling. They lost to the Colorado Avalanche 2-1.  The Edmonton Oilers had Taylor Hall back in the line up, playing along Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.  These 3 have lovingly been dubbed "the Kids Line"  They are one of the best parts of NHL hockey right now.  Some might be willing to say hockey has retired the Great One Wayne Gretzky, the Next One Sidney Crosby is out with a concussion and possibly the Next Next One Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?  BC born from Burnaby Ryan is the one to watch.  Probably the most heart warming part of Saturday evening in hockeyland was the welcome back Teemu Selanne received in Winnipeg.  Selanne used to play for the original Winnipeg Jets from 1992-96. In Selanne's rookie season with Winnipeg, he set a very impressive NHL record with 76 goals as a rookie, a record most believe will never be broken.  Nick-named the "Finnish Flash" Selanne won a Stanely Cup with Anaheim in 2007, is one of the highest scoring players ever in NHL history and possibly one of the oldest as he was born on 1970!  What an amazing career and wonderful welcome home to Winnipeg.  Can I please also point out how good looking Teemu Selanne is!  Check out Selanne's Welcome Back to Winnipeg in "If you need a Visual"

Ok Ladies I know you are all wondering who is where in the draft?  Well here you go!
1st place Juliet: 343 points
2nd place Bonnie: 336 points
3rd place Roz: 327 points
4th place Sam: 319 ponits
5th place Sharon: 317 points
6th place Sasha: 317 points
7th place Amy: 316 points (Amy from Winnipeg)
8th place Mary: 315 points
9th place Vanessa: 314 points
10th place Josie: 311 points
11th place Lexine: 311 points
12th place Jill: 307 points
13th place Stacey: 305 points
14th place France: 303 points
15th place Tanya: 303 points
16th place Amanda: 300 points
17th place Liz: 298 points
18th place Susan: 296 points
19th place Amie: 296 points (Amie from Red Card)
20th place Joanne: 296 points
21st place Teagan: 296 points
22nd place Catrina: 292 points
23rd place Jean: 290 points
24th place Gina: 290 points
25th place Courtney: 288 points
26th place Candice: 282 points
27th place Michelle: 270 points
28th place Joanne: 263 points (customer at Joes)
Please note I do not have stats for Sabina or Sarah in here yet.  There are 30 women total!

Don't forget to get your tickets for You CAN 2012!  Purchase them at Red Card Sorts Bar or Clubzone.  Happy early New Year 2012! 

Hello Viewers, I am sorry it didn't get a chance to blog about the last 2 Canuck games.  It was a busy week in the hockey world.

I am officially hosting You CAN 2012 at Red Card Sports Bar.  Everyone is invited.  This evening is hockey filled.  The Canucks play the Los Angeles Kings that night.  It is a fund raiser for the Canucks Autism Network.  With raffles and trivia games, there are lots of great prizes to be won.  Including a team signed jersey by the Canucks, signed sticks and a grand prize: tickets to a game, over night at the MODA hotel and dinner at Red Card.  Purchase your tickets at Red Card or through clubzone.com.  Plus check out episode 5 of "Hockey Talk with Courtney" I interview Lindsay and Emily from the Canucks Autism Network.

What a week in hockey it has been.  The Vancouver Canucks played the Montreal Canadiens last thursday.  What a game it turned out to be.  The Montreal Canadiens took an early lead less then 5 minutes into the 1st period.  By the end of the 1st period Montreal had a 2-0 lead thanks to a late goal by Raphael Diaz.  Start of the 2nd and Montreal had a 3-0 lead thanks to an unassisted goal by  Erik Cole.  It wasn't looking good for the Canucks.  Then a 1st of the season.  Having just returned to the line up since his injury in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Mason Raymond scored his 1st of the season.  What makes this goal even more special is that Raymond scored it short handed (Montreal was on the power play), the 1st short handed goal for the Canucks this season.  3-1 end of the 2nd.  Then one of my absolute favourites Cody Hodgson scored unassisted early in the 3rd to make it 3-2.  Fianlly Sami Salo sniped a 3rd goal late in the 3rd to make it 3-3.  Salo has what some might call a signature move.  One of Salo's teammates will pass the puck to him by the blue line and without stopping the puck Salo like a sniper aiming for his target, shoots the puck at full speed and the goalie has no chance.  The game went into overtime and then to a shoot out.  Now I have been hoping to see some fresh players in the shoot out.  The Canucks have strong players but I wanted someone new.  Finally after months of wanting to see Cody Hodgson go in for the shoot out, it finally happened!  Cody ended up scoring the winner!  Canucks come back to win 4-3!

Next up the Ottawa Senators.  Ottawa doesn't have the best record this year and it is their 2nd meeting with Vancouver.  It all started just over a minute into the 1st period after a face off the puck ended up on Alex Edler's stick and with a quick shot the Canucks were up 1-0.  I think Edler was the most shocked that that had just happened.  Next up Ryan Kesler with a beauty to make it 2-0.  Kesler's goal was assisted by amazing and wonderful Jannik Hansen and the fast and hard working Mason Raymond.  Next up Kesler again with his 2nd goal and 3rd point of the night.  This time assisted by Henrik and Daniel Sedin.  Ottawa did manage one goal late in the 2nd but that was it.  Finally why not have a 4th line grinder chip in a goal.  Dale Weise did just that on even strength to make the final score 4-1 Canucks.  This game had a lot of other factors going on.  It was physical.  I saw more chirpping by players and pushing each other around then normal.  Ottawa was trying to bring their A game.  With a hit to Cody Hodgson by Nick Foligno early in the 1st, Hodgson was done for the rest of the game.  Dale Weise dropped the gloves with Foligno shortly after and both ended up with a 5 minute fighting major.    Kesler and Burrows were also targets in this game.  Both receiving hits that some might say where targeted to the head.  Hits to the head are a big NO NO in the hockey world.  Chris Neal of the Senators was doing his best to get under the skin of the Canucks but it was useless. Nick Foligno was trying as well.  But in the end the Canucks get the win 4-1.

Up next the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4:00pm.  Go Team!

Instead of recapping other games in the NHL this week.  Lets recap teams and players.  The Minnesota Wild are #1 in the league collecting 43 points over 30 games.  The Chicago Blackhawks have 40 points and then in the east the Philadelphia Flyers have 39 points and the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins are tied with 38 points.

Phil Kessel has for the time being lost his points lead.  Claude Giroux of the Flyers is leading with 39 points.  Kessel is sitting at 36 points.  Rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers is 8th in the NHL for scoring!  The kid is 18!  He has an invite from Canada to compete in the World Juniors.  This kid is amazing.  They only players in front of him: Claude Giroux, Phil Kessel, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Steve Stamkos, Joffery Lupul and Jonathan Toews!  The Vancouver Canucks are on a hot streak.  They are 18-10-1 (18 wins-10 loses-1 in OT or SO lose).  Out scoring their opponents 41-15 in their last 10 games, winning 9 out of the 10 games.  They have the top ranked power play and and their penalty kill is amazing.  The Canucks have not allowed a goal on a power play in their 9 wins.

Women's Only Fantasy Hockey Pool Leaders!
1st place Juliet with 305 points

2nd place Bonnie with 303 points
3rd place Roz with 299 points
Way to go Ladies!

I love a hockey win.  Yesterday the Canucks did just that against the Colorado Avalanche.  This game had a little bit of everything.  A shut out, penalties ranging from 2 mintue minors, 5 minute majors and misconducts.  We saw the #1 goalies and both back ups, and last but not least one player got his 5th career hat trick!

It all started when Daniel Sedin opened up the scoring a few minutes into the 1st period.  That was it for scoring.  David Booth was taken to the ice in this period by Kevin Porter and Booth's night was done.  Booth was helped off the ice by teammates and medical staff.  He did not return.  We did see a few penalties Porter and Kesler.  Then in the 2nd Jannik Hansen made it 2-0 Vancouver.  Only a couple penalties in this period.  Then in the 2nd period Roberto Luongo took a puck to the face/neck area and it caused him a breathing difficulty for a few seconds.  Not taking chances Cory Schneider took over in net. 

Into the 3rd period and Vancouver went on a scoring rampage.  Daniel Sedin potted his 2nd goal of the evening 5 minutes into the period, then 44 seconds after that Jannik Hansen grabbed his 2nd goal!  The crowd was on their feet!  Just over a minute after that goal Daniel Sedin potted another for his 5th career hat trick and the baseball caps and santa hats hit the ice.  Henrik Sedin also picked up an assist on every goal his brother got.  Team Work Boys!  All these goals were scored at even strength, then on a power play swedish defence Alex Edler got the puck in the back of the Avalanche net.  6-0 Canucks!  A slew of penalties were handed out in the 3rd period between both teams.  After the 6th goal Colorado pulled their goalie and put in the back up.

You might be wondering who gets the win and who gets the shut out for Vancouver?  Well Luongo is credited with the win.  If Colorado had scored a few times and gotten 3 goals and Vancouver still won, Schneider would have gotten the win.  Luongo gets the win because Colorado did not score more goals then Vancouver had at the time of his injury.  Got it?  They share the shut out but it won't count in their official records.

The Calgary Flames on the other hand had an interesting game last night.  They played the Carolina Hurricane and the final score 7-6 Calgary but read this.  Iginla opened up the scoring early in the 1st.  One more goal for Calgary to end the 1st period 2-0.  Brendan Morrison scored early into the 2nd period to make it 3-0.  Carolina came back to score 2, then Calgary got one more to end the second period 4-2.    Start of the 3rd period and once again Morrison potted one, 5-2.  Carolina answered with another 5-3.  Back and forth Calgary, Carolina, Calgary, with just over a minute left in the 3rd Iginla nabbed the last Calgary goal the score on an empty net 7-4.  Amazingly Carolina scored 2 goals in the dying minute of the 3rd period making the final score 7-6.  Did you keep up?  Here is the the funny stat from this game.  Carolina pulled their #1 goalie and put in the back up Mike Murphy, this was Murphy's debut in the NHL.  Eventually Murphy was pulled for the empty net and extra attacker toward the end of the game.  Murphy never did actually allow any goals when he was in net (all 6 goals were scored on Cam Ward's time in net) but when Murphy was pulled and Iginla scored on the empty Carolina net, Murphy was the goal tender credited with the loss because he was the goalie on record having replaced Ward.  Funny but sad.  Your debut as a goalie and you get the loss on your record and you never actually let a goal in?!  Maybe this is the kind of story were you get off to a bad start but Mike Murphy will be a amazing goalie with a fantastic career.  Go Mike Murphy!

I also love love love a Winnipeg Jets WIN!  The Jets beat the Bruins last night 2-1 in Winnipeg.  Jets Captain Andrew Ladd scored the opening goal of the game late in the 1st period and that was it for a while.  No scoring in the 2nd only a couple penalties for both teams.  Then early in the 3rd Boston's Thornton scored to tie it up.  Boston couldn't celebrate for to long because under 2 minutes later Winnipeg's Bryan Little scored the game winner.  Final score 2-1 Jets.  Take that Boston.  This is the 1st time Boston have lost in regulation since October 29th.  Jets goal tender Ondrej Pavelec made 39 saves.  Also this puts Winnipeg one point behind Ottawa meaning Winnipeg could claim a spot in the playoffs.  They are 9th in the east.  Wouldn't it be amazing for Winnipeg to get into the playoffs!  The best and most loyal fans in the league right now are the Winnipeg fans and I think they deserve it!

Women's Only Fantasy Hockey Draft Results:
1st place Juliet with 287 points
2nd place Bonnie with 283 points
3rd place Roz with 275 points
I am in 25th place with 238 points
Director of the show Gina is in 23rd place with 242 points

Roberto Luongo got his first start since being back up to Cory Schneider while Schneider was on his winning streak.  What a game it was.  The final score 5-1.  The Flames scored 1st and then Vancouver potted 5 after that.  Mason Raymond made his return after not playing since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final and he received a warm welcome by the fans on his first shift.

Alex Tanguay of the Flames opened up the scoring with just under 2 minutes left in the 1st.  Kevin Bieksa went on to tie it up with assists by the American Express line Chris HIggins and David Booth.  Then with 59 seconds left in the 2nd period Chirs Higgins scored and the Canucks took the lead!  Again his American Express line mate David Booth pickup an assist and BC boy Dan Hamhuis the other assist.

Start of the 3rd and the American Express Line scored a again.  This time David Booth getting the goal and Ryan Kesler and Chris HIggins grabbing the assists.  Quiet confident Jannik Hansen scored the 4th goal one minute and 40 seconds after Booth.  This goal was special because it was assisted by Mason Raymond.  Then last but not least Daniel Sedin from a strange  angle scored on the power play assisted by Ryan Kesler and brother Henrik Sedin making the end scored 5-1. 

Vancouver did beat the Flames last month as well 5-1 but the scoring was reversed.  The Canucks scored 5 and the Calgary notched one goal in the dying minutes of the 3rd period.

Canucks play the Colorado Avalanche tuesday at Rogers Arena.  Welcome back former Canucks Shane O'Brien!

Women Only Fantasy Hockey Draft.
1st place Bonnie with 272 points
2nd place Juliet with 269 points
3rd place Rox with 265 points
Way to go Ladies!

As I like to say it was another nutty night in NHL hockey.  The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Nashville Predators.  Vancouver had a 5 game win streak snapped and Nashville won their 2nd game in 7 games.  

It all started with a Nashville goal by Legwand, then a Mike Fisher goal.  2-0 Nashville.  Then Cutie Cody Hodgson scored and made it 2-1.  Then Nashville Captain Shea Weber scored to make it 3-1 to end the 1rd.  As Vancouver can do (which is be an amazing hockey team) they came out in the 2nd period and tied it up with help from Daniel Sedin and Aaron Volpatti.  The best part of the Volpatti goal is he wasn't even suppose to play last night.  Mason Raymond was suppose to be in the line up, for the 1st time since fracturing his back in the playoffs.  Paper work with the league is what they say the hold up is.  Volpatti got the phone call at about 3:30pm that he was playing and then scored his 1st goal of the season to tie up the game.  Then Alex Burrows and one of my favourites on the team Jannik Hansen scored to make it 5-3.  The Canucks scored 4 goals in just over 7 minutes.  Now do you see what this team is capable of doing?  The weird thing is Nashville tied it up with goals from TooToo and Wilson.  The 2nd period ended 5-5.

Nashville ended up winning when Mike Fisher scored with just over a minute left in the 3rd period.  Final score 6-5.  There were not fights in this game and only a few penalties.  Also both "back ups were played".  Cory Schneider got the start for the game but then after letting in 3 goals on 5 shots on the 1st period it was time for Luongo.  Luongo hadn't played since injuring himself against the New York Islanders and then with Schneider's winning streak Luo was back up for a few extra games.  Expect Luo to get the start Sunday against the Calgary Flames.  Then Nashville pulled their goalie Pekka Rinne shortly into the 2nd period.  Anders Lindback was in net for the rest of the game.  It is odd you see 4 different goal tenders all in one night.  You also don't often see a player climb over the net the avoid running over a goalie?  Ryan Kesler did just that last night, when he climbed on top of the net last night to avoid running over Nashville's goalie!  How polite.  Maybe Milan Lucic should take a polite lesson from Kesler?  Check it out in "if you need a visual"