Why Torts will be awesome for Vancouver

Last week, the Vancouver Canucks announced former Rangers' head coach John Tortorella is to be the new head coach.  I should have made a blog post about this the day after we got swept out of the first round; I told my husband, "How awesome would it be - if AV gets canned - if they hire Torts as the new head coach?  I would never be happier to see a post game wrap up!"

Those of you who are avid hockey fans know of Tortorella's, um, tenuous relationship with reporters... or fans... or his players (see here, or here, or here, or here).  He's not known for subscribing to Thumper's mother's philosophy of, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." and this leads me to the three reasons why I think he'll be great for the Vancouver organization.  Despite these reasons being numbered, they are listed in no particular order.

#1.  He's going to keep the Vancouver sports reporters in line.

For years now, I think our local reports have received some special treatment (or think they're entitled to special treatment) by the players, the coaching staff, and the franchise as a whole.  Recently, the hubs came up with a phrase: "Can you get this knife out of my back?  I need it for something else." This seems to sum up the relationship the Vancouver organization has with the reporters here.  As a fan, it seems as though the franchise gives the reporters far more access than any other franchise gives their local reporters.  Now, I don't think this entitles the franchise to receive rose-coloured reporting, but Botchford and the like often seem to forget that they have it pretty easy with the Vancouver Canucks organization.  I imagine it wouldn't be that way in any other market.
Tortorella will probably have a lot of fun reminding our reporters what it's like in most other markets, and I will have a lot more fun watching this happen.  He'll have them whipped in shape in no time.

#2. He's going to keep the Vancouver fans in line.

Vancouver NHL fans are known for being band wagon fans. If you google "vancouver bandwagoners" you'll see blog entry after blog entry, and news article after news article detailing just how notorious we are for hopping on and off the bandwagon.  Remember that phrase the hubs came up with? Yeah, that applies to Vancouver Canucks and their relationship with us fans.  When we're winning, all we can holler about is how this year is our year (2013/14 season is TOTALLY our year.  I can feel it!).  The minutes we lose a game... scratch that, the second we miss a shot, we all scream from the mountain tops (and we have a lot here) about how we knew that was a bogus trade deal; how he's not won a face off in 10 games; how, if we'd kept the last guy with the softest hands in the league, that puck most definitely would have found the back of the net.
Torts won't put up with that mess.  He will call us out on that, and have fun doing it. He'll have us whipped into shape in no time.

#3.  He's going to keep the Vancouver players in line.

As with every franchise, we have some prima donnas on our team. We have The Twins who can only pass to each other (amazing passes though they sometimes are), Kesler who seems to be made of glass, and Bieska who talks too much (I adore him, but seriously, the man jaws himself into the sin bin far too many time) to name a few players who have probably been treated with kid gloves (especially The Twins, I bet).  Bieska stating that they don't need someone to crack the whip tells me that that's exactly what the team needs.  GM Mike Gillis probably recognized this as well I bet is the very reason he courted Torts. 
Vancouver players are treated well.  They have some ground breaking fitness and training philosophies; they really get down to the science of fitness and nutrition with the players, and tailor a regimen to suit each individual players needs.  They have a support staff that I doubt can be rivaled by any other team in the league (save perhaps some of the Original Six teams... but even then, I'm not too sure).  They live in the most beautiful city in the world.  Life is good, if you're in the NHL and you're playing for Vancouver.  Sure, you'll get swept out of the playoffs one season, and then get frustratingly close to the Cup in subsequent seasons, but you're living the good life here. With that, however, comes complacency.  This is where Torts comes in. He's going to make some players very non-complacent.  He'll have them whipped into shape in no time.

I know there are a number of sport journalists, fans, and players who aren't too comfortable with this new development, but I know one player and one fan who can't wait.   

 
 









This is going to be an awesome season.

Welcome home, Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are returning to the NHL.  There still are some hoops that need to be jumped through, namely approval by the NHL Board of Governors but it looks like it's pretty much a done deal.  Mark Chipman and David Thompson, with True North Sports and Entertainment have, just hours ago, finalized the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers franchise.  The new franchisees are hoping to get 13,000 season ticket holders by the time the BoG meet on June 21.  Personally, I think this is a bit of a lofty (though not at all unachievable) goal as the seating capacity in ice formation at the MTS Centre is just over 15,000 but the ticket prices are quite comparable to that of the Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.  My concern with have so many season ticket holders is that it will make it exceedingly difficult for those who can't afford season tickets to purchase (through legal means) tickets for the odd game here and there, thus causing them to feel a bit disenfranchised.  We're seeing that a lot here in Vancouver.  Because there are so many seasons ticket holders, and the wait lists for them are insanely long, the franchise owners know that the market can bear an exorbitantly high price tag for the remaining tickets.  As a result, the "true" fans of the sport are left watching the game at home or at the bar, while the corporate types take whoever they're trying to sell something to to the games and just click away on their smartphones while top grade hockey is unfolding right in front of them.  What do you mean, "you sound bitter?"  I have no idea what you're talking about *wink* 

Getting back on topic.  Obviously, Winnipeg residents are over the moon but I would like to think the rest of Canada, and serious hockey fans everywhere are equally as excited; I know my partner is probably doing jumping jacks right now (in his head, as I texted him at work to let him know about this announcement).  The idea of another NHL team coming out of the country that invented the sport pleases me greatly, and the Jets were a tremendous franchise.  People are now wondering, "Where will the next Canadian franchise be?"  Gary Bettman (for those uninitiated folks, he's the commissioner of the NHL.  Loved by all.  Yup.) seems increasingly loathe to even consider the idea of possibly speculating the potential of another Canadian team, but that's his MO really.  In the press conference today, he was asked if the possibility of Quebec City getting an NHL franchise once more was worth mentioning and he looked almost angry at even having to justify that with an answer.  After hedging for a few sentences, he basically answered with (I'm paraphrasing here), "Don't get your hopes up."

To Bettman I say, "Screw you, I'm getting my hopes up!" What is so wrong with wanting more Canadian franchises in a Canadian sport?  What's so wrong with wanting to find ways of stimulating our economy by creating jobs and driving tourism the way hockey towns (Phoenix and Atlanta being the exception, but they're not really hockey towns.  Let's get real here.) have been known to do?  I, personally, would love to see an NHL team in Saskatoon or in the Maritimes.  I don't want to see yet another team in Ontario.  They have two, and both are a bit of a joke these days.  I want to see an NHL team in a province where the majority of it's citizens have never had the opportunity to see a live NHL game and who feel like the likelihood of a team showing up in their province is about as probable as a black presi....wait, that's been done!
 

Stanley Cup 2011 Playoffs - Round 1 Predictions

No preamble, just predictions.
Eastern Conference:

Washington vs. New York – Washington in 5 April 23rd, Washington wins series in 5

Philadelphia vs. Buffalo – Philadelphia in 6 April 24th, Philadelphia forces game 7

Boston vs. Montreal – Boston in 6

Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay – Tampa Bay in 7

Western Conference:

Vancouver vs. Chicago – Vancouver in 6 April 24th, Chicago forces game 7

San Jose vs. LA – San Jose in 7

Detroit vs. Phoenix – Detroit sweep April 20th, Detroit wins series in 4

Anaheim vs. Nashville – Anaheim in 7 April 24th, Nashville wins series in 6

My partner's predictions are here: http://cowmanx.blog.friendster.com/2011/04/2011-playoff-predictions/