This year’s start was another rough one. It was taking the Canucks a bit longer than their opponents to gel as a team. There were a lot of lazy mistakes, players simply were not working hard enough. There was no passion or intensity. We were a step behind losing many important battles all over the ice. No one was hitting, no passes were connecting in the neutral zone. There was a lot of dumping and no chasing. Forwards were not back checking. To make matters worse our defense was being depleted by injury. No back checking by our forwards resulted in our defence having to scramble and take unnecessary risks which resulted in the loss of our top guys! It was sloppy and lazy hockey out there! We as a team hit rock bottom. There were games where we couldn't even fire 20 shots! We were blown out several times, we were getting beat up and dominated all over the ice. The fans on the radio call in shows were not happy! 
Kesler had taken a disgusting cheapshot on October 10 from a guy who almost killed someone in Major Junior. Jesse Boulerice is a name that lives in infamy along with Claude Lemiuex, Brian Marchment, Ulf Samuelsson, etc. (Next month on the Highlightreel, I have an article about cheapshot "artists")
Kevin Bieksa had a scary cut to the back of the leg and Sami Salo took two serious pucks to the face, resulting in some young defenceman having to step up. Mattias Ohlund was injured with concussion like symptoms, but that was after the team had started to turn the corner. Brendan Morrison also sustained an Ironman streak ending wrist injury with an indefinite return. Morrison's league leading consecutive games streak ended at 542 games. Most other teams would collapse under this kind of adversity, but with great credit due to the coaching staff, this team was able to grasp the gravity of their situation and do something about it!Basically Nonis, Tambellini and the scouting staff had done a great job over the last few years with their draft picks and transactions. Going down the list of the Manitoba Moose's roster (AHL Farm Team) we have a crop of some great youngsters! The Canucks's amazing November wouldn't have happened without the passion of that group of kids.
There’s always something to learn, there’s always a chance to improve, you just can’t win them all! Or in the Canucks case we just couldn't seem to win any…or so it seemed at home in October. Sure things may have looked bleak, but with all of our hard working players still creating opportunities here and there, there was a sense that they could turn the corner and pull off another run like last year. The callups of players like Raymond, Jaffray, Edler, Bourdon, and Brown added much needed grit, intensity, and speed.
I went back to an archived post game interview of Luongo and he was very optimistic about eventually turning the corner. This is where you see the professionalism of Luongo and his leadership qualities. He is passionate and he is a great example of how a Pro Athlete should remain dedicated to their craft even when everything is going wrong and they are facing a lot of criticism.
Seeing the dejected looks on the players faces at the end of the games wasn’t very reassuring, but you knew that it all had to get better. And that is exactly what happened. This team showed us how to overcome some real adversity. This team has shown their fans that it has the heart of a champion. The challenge now will be to maintain this energy keep building towards the playoffs.
Nashville came to town on November 1st and destroyed the Canucks 3-0. That was the day I met Nonis and Tambellini while I was stationed in the Media Elevator Pre Game.
“I’m a patient fan! I remember last year, I’m in for the long haul, the glass is ¼ full”, I told them as I introduced myself, trying not to come across as a brown noser. Looking back, I can see how they really appreciated me saying that. We had a good chat and I wished them good luck! I know for sure that they will remember me the next time I meet them! That day I also met Dave Williams and a Team of NASA Astronauts, all the Nashville Predators Brass, a bunch of great reporters so I wasn’t totally bummed out about yet another Canuck loss and perhaps another tough month.
Then on November 3rd in Denver, the “2nd Annual Canuck Turnaround” began! On November 8 in Calgary they were looking more like a team other than that 10 seconds where they allowed 2 quick goals. Then back home to answer the Fans here on November 9! They owed us big time and they knew it! It was coincidentally my Birthday which was made even more important because of the Remembrance Day theme they had that night. There were a lot of clips of Canadians serving in Afghanistan from all the branches of the Military. General Hillier was there and got a standing ovation during the opening ceremonies. The Canucks video team put together great tributes to our Veterans.
It was a close game with Burnaby Joe Sakic putting on a show as usual when he comes to town. The Canucks looked solid as well as the 1-1 deadlock went into overtime. Hank Sedin then tried a pass to brother Danny that went in off of a Colorado defenceman...and “Happy Birthday to me!”, I said as I experienced the icing on the cake of yet another awesome birthday! Many fans wanted to buy me drinks but I had to obviously decline, so a bunch of them sang happy birthday. It sounded more like a drunken rambling , but hey it’s the thought that counts!
The Canucks won 9 out of 13 games in November! Now in December they have steamrolled through the opposition and are 21-14-4 at the end of 2007. I predict they will stay consistent going into the spring '08. When some key injured players return later in the season, the Canucks will have enough depth to make some power moves in the Western Conference and challenge for the Stanley Cup!
Sid the Kid came to town on December 8 and fans at GM Place and on Hockey Night in Canada witnessed and epic showdown! Roberto Luongo shut the door in an overtime penalty shot and again in the shootout. (Chris Letang, former Canadian World Junior Champ, won it for Pittsburgh later on in that shootout)
Shootouts have been a weakness for the Canucks with several losses not only to Pittsburgh, but 3 losses to Edmonton. (The Oilers are second last in the Western Conference) The first shootout win didn't come till late in December in Phoenix. Each point is crucial and each squandered point could come back to haunt teams fighting for the top 8 seeds near the end of the season.
So the moral of the story is, don’t give up! Certainly if you are a Canucks fan, but I’m also talking about life in general! There are many more reasons to stay optimistic when things are not so great. Just ask a season ticket holder who had to "ride out the storm"! Life in the NHL is a marathon of mental and physical effort. We can learn a lot from these incredible athletes who crisscross the Continent and compete in hostile buildings against some excellent teams! The Canucks compete every night and as a result own teams like the Ducks, Flames, Stars, many eastern teams and our future playoff opponents.
I sense that this is going to be a unique year in the history of this team...GO CANUCKS!
Photos: Canucks.com, Roneil G.
