Ryan Johnson could not have picked a better time to score.
The Vancouver Canucks checking specialist netted his first goal in 82 games Thursday night. It also happened to be the winner as the Canucks edged the Sharks 3-2 at General Motors Place.
“I’ve wanted to bury one,” said Johnson. “But like I’ve always said, I’d rather have a big one, and it was.”
Johnson's second-period marker, which gave the Canucks an insurmountable 3-1 lead, was his first goal since January of 2009 against Nashville. It helped the Canucks redeem themselves after an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the lowly New York Islanders on Tuesday.
“After a disappointing effort against the Islanders, we knew that this was a big game for us to get back to the basics,” said Johnson. “We did a lot of things not very well in that game, and I thought tonight we got back to the identity of the team we are, that goes on the attack and makes a lot of teams play in their own zone for critical time.”
Johnson also re-established his identity as a role player who could score timely goals, which he was not able to do while suffering from two fractured feet that have limited him to 49 games this season.“By no means am I ever going to judge myself as a stats guy who looks at all the numbers,” said Johnson. “I know the little things that I do well throughout a game and the value that I bring to the team. At the same time, I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t want to chip in, because I know I’m very capable of it and have the ability to do it.”
He was feeling refreshed after the Olympic break allowed him to recover more fully. He has played hurt most of the season.
“Physically, I needed to get my feet back,” said Johnson. “In hindsight, playing through what I was playing through was really stupid, and I certainly learned something from that side of things. It hurt myself. It was hurting my line. It was not hurting the team in that sense, but I was not myself and what they needed me to be.”
He was also his usual checking self as he kept San Jose's top line of Canadian Olympians Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley off the scoresheet. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native hopes his fourth line can produce another timely goal when the Canucks enter the playoffs.
“We have the ability to do it,” said Johnson. “We’re going to have to do it.”
Friday, March 19, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Canucks add to Sens' woes
If you're looking for an example of an enigma, look no further than the Ottawa Senators.
The Vancouver Canucks, playing at home for the first time since before the 2010 Winter Olympics, whipped the Sens 5-1 on Saturday night in a game that was over after Alex Burrows scored a shorthanded goal midway through the second period.
“That was the turning point, the shorthanded goal against,” said steely-eyed Ottawa coach Cory Clouston, trying hard to stifle his anger. “It just seemed to really deflate us. We had started to gain some momentum and that took it away from us.”
The Olympic break has had a similar effect.
The Sens were cruising along before the Games began, posting an 11-game win streak and winning 14 of 16. However, they have won just one of their six games since the NHL season resumed.
“We can’t rest on our laurels on what we did before the break,” said Jason Spezza, who scored Ottawa's lone goal Saturday. “It’s time to start peaking and getting ready for the playoffs. If we don’t watch it, the teams are going to be coming pretty quick. That’s something we definitely need to address.”
Spezza's goal three minutes into the second helped the Senators briefly forge a 1-1 tie after the Canucks outshot Ottawa 17-2 in the first period but could only beat goaltender Pascal Leclaire once. Leclaire hesitated a little bit when Ryan Kesler lofted a lead pass that landed in no man's land between him and an onrushing Burrows.
The Ottawa goaltender started to come out for the puck but then, respecting Burrows' speed, retreated to his net. Leclaire could not recover in time – and neither could the Sens.
“We get outplayed in the first period, we come back and make it 1-1 and then we give up a shorty,” said Spezza. “After that, we’re not even in the game.”
Now, they have to salvage a season and rediscover their once potent offence that has dried up.
“I can’t put my finger on anything specific, but obviously we’ve got things to work on,” said Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson. “We know we have to be a lot better going down the stretch. We’re definitely not where we want to be right now.”
The Vancouver Canucks, playing at home for the first time since before the 2010 Winter Olympics, whipped the Sens 5-1 on Saturday night in a game that was over after Alex Burrows scored a shorthanded goal midway through the second period.
“That was the turning point, the shorthanded goal against,” said steely-eyed Ottawa coach Cory Clouston, trying hard to stifle his anger. “It just seemed to really deflate us. We had started to gain some momentum and that took it away from us.”
The Olympic break has had a similar effect.
The Sens were cruising along before the Games began, posting an 11-game win streak and winning 14 of 16. However, they have won just one of their six games since the NHL season resumed.
“We can’t rest on our laurels on what we did before the break,” said Jason Spezza, who scored Ottawa's lone goal Saturday. “It’s time to start peaking and getting ready for the playoffs. If we don’t watch it, the teams are going to be coming pretty quick. That’s something we definitely need to address.”
Spezza's goal three minutes into the second helped the Senators briefly forge a 1-1 tie after the Canucks outshot Ottawa 17-2 in the first period but could only beat goaltender Pascal Leclaire once. Leclaire hesitated a little bit when Ryan Kesler lofted a lead pass that landed in no man's land between him and an onrushing Burrows.
The Ottawa goaltender started to come out for the puck but then, respecting Burrows' speed, retreated to his net. Leclaire could not recover in time – and neither could the Sens.
“We get outplayed in the first period, we come back and make it 1-1 and then we give up a shorty,” said Spezza. “After that, we’re not even in the game.”
Now, they have to salvage a season and rediscover their once potent offence that has dried up.
“I can’t put my finger on anything specific, but obviously we’ve got things to work on,” said Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson. “We know we have to be a lot better going down the stretch. We’re definitely not where we want to be right now.”
Monday, March 1, 2010
Iginla excels again eight years later
Post-Olympic blog items that will never grow up to be columns . . .
Jarome Iginla withstood a test of time Sunday. Iginla's assist on Sidney Crosby's winning goal in overtime as Canada claimed the Olympic gold medal with a 3-2 victory over the United States, evoked memories of Salt Lake City eight years earlier, when he scored two goals in another golden triumph over Uncle Sam's team. To play in three different Winter Olympics is an accomplishment in itself. To figure in gold medal wins eight years apart ranks as a rare feat. Iginla, who led the 2010 Winter Games in goal scoring, has another Olympic gold to go along with a world championship at the senior level; two world junior crowns, when he was also a dominant player; and two Memorial Cup crowns. Now, he just needs another Stanley Cup, although he did help his Calgary Flames reach the 2004 finals, only to lose in seven games to Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, the way things are going for Calgary, it might take the Flames another eight years to get back there.
* * *
Women's hockey players can play the game like men, but they are not allowed to celebrate gold medals the same way. The International Olympic Committee pooh-poohed on Canada's gold-medal-winning femal squad after players celebrated by smoking cigars and getting crazy enough for one to try and drive a Zamboni. The celebration was not in public, but a wily photographer caught some of the antics. (Which just goes to prove that the camera, not the pen, is mightier than the sword.) Never mind countless tales of Stanley Cup champions doing zany things with Lord Stanley's chalice when they take it back to their hometowns every summer. The IOC likes to talk about doing its thing for gender equality. (And, a big hello to you, too, lady ski jumpers!) But, when push comes to shove, Olympic power brokers would probably prefer that women athletes just go home, cook and make babies for their men folk after getting this thing for competition out of their systems.
* * *
If you build it, they will come.
Medals, that is.
Canada did not own the podium, because no country truly does. The absurd slogan for an even more ridiculously-marketed program was rightly panned during the Vancouver Games. Some Canadian political types thought a bit of government money (which you can bet your last loonie will not be available for the next quadrennial) would help us conquer the world in just four years. Canadians did set a record for gold medal victories during a Winter Olympics, but only because the athletes had facilities where they could train. Medals (gold or otherwise) in bobsled, speedskating and freestyle skiing, among other sports, can be traced to facilities that were built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
These facilities also spawned programs and dreams that spawned medal winners. (For proof on the dreams claim, look up Hughes, Clara.) Money always helps, but the truth is that medals take decades to produce.
Alex Bilodeau, the first athlete to win a gold medal on Canadian soil, was right when he said more would come during the 2010 Games. And even more will come in the future, because many of the world-class athletes that you see now will become world-class coaches and world-class sport association leaders that Canada never had before. In addition to them, the legacy will be in the facilities that do not become white elephants like the ski jumps at Canada Olympic Park, since Vancouver will not produce the same athlete-development fund that the profitable Calgary Games did.
* * *
Thumbs down to the IOC for not making more of an effort to raise the profile of Right to Play during the Games. The organization goes out of its way to make sure that kids in wartorn and poverty-stricken regions just have a chance to play pick-up games of soccer and other playground games. Sponsorship politics got in the way of doing good deeds for kids who face more hurdles than even an Olympic champion can imagine. Right to Play has a major sponsor that is a rival to one of the official Olympic supporters. The right thing would have been to highlight Right to Play without playing up the sponsorship angle. Right to Play agreed to such a plan, but the pooh bahs did not.
* * *
Kudos to Hughes for giving her $10,000 bonus from the federal government for winning a bronze to a group on Vancouver's poverty-stricken Downtown Eastside that promotes physical activity. Who's willing to bet that Ottawa probably does not give that much to the group. Her unselfishness again has spoken volumes. Hughes probably has more cash these days than she did when she donated 10 grand to Right to Play from her own bank account four years ago. But most Olympic dream chasers do not have deep pockets at the best of times. Which makes you wonder what the Tories could have done if they had used the money for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's vacation in Vancouver on athletic development instead.
* * *
Quick, somebody give Alex Burrows a Swedish passport. As they did for many years with the Vancouver Canucks, Daniel and Henrik Sedin were in desperate need of a gifted linemate during the Olympics. Burrows has proved to be the answer with the Canucks. Now, if he can just learn a little Swedish and apply for citizenship . . .
* * *
Still in the linemates department: Pavol Demitra showed what he can do when he has real talent (Marian Hossa, etc.) playing alongside him with Slovakia during the Olympics. Despite missing most of the NHL season because of shoulder surgery, Demitra dominated as Slovakia came within Roberto Luongo's glove length of upsetting Canada in their semi-final. The speculation has already started on how long the likes of Darcy Hordichuk, Tanner Glass and Steve Bernier with last as Demitra's linemates with the Canucks. At any rate, Demitra increased his trade value before Wednesday's deadline.
* * *
Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter is probably wondering who he can get to play with Iginla, too. The Calgary captain proved that his recent struggles in the NHL can probably be attributed to a poor line combination. Let's hope Matt Stajan does a reasonably good Crosby impression.
Jarome Iginla withstood a test of time Sunday. Iginla's assist on Sidney Crosby's winning goal in overtime as Canada claimed the Olympic gold medal with a 3-2 victory over the United States, evoked memories of Salt Lake City eight years earlier, when he scored two goals in another golden triumph over Uncle Sam's team. To play in three different Winter Olympics is an accomplishment in itself. To figure in gold medal wins eight years apart ranks as a rare feat. Iginla, who led the 2010 Winter Games in goal scoring, has another Olympic gold to go along with a world championship at the senior level; two world junior crowns, when he was also a dominant player; and two Memorial Cup crowns. Now, he just needs another Stanley Cup, although he did help his Calgary Flames reach the 2004 finals, only to lose in seven games to Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, the way things are going for Calgary, it might take the Flames another eight years to get back there.
* * *
Women's hockey players can play the game like men, but they are not allowed to celebrate gold medals the same way. The International Olympic Committee pooh-poohed on Canada's gold-medal-winning femal squad after players celebrated by smoking cigars and getting crazy enough for one to try and drive a Zamboni. The celebration was not in public, but a wily photographer caught some of the antics. (Which just goes to prove that the camera, not the pen, is mightier than the sword.) Never mind countless tales of Stanley Cup champions doing zany things with Lord Stanley's chalice when they take it back to their hometowns every summer. The IOC likes to talk about doing its thing for gender equality. (And, a big hello to you, too, lady ski jumpers!) But, when push comes to shove, Olympic power brokers would probably prefer that women athletes just go home, cook and make babies for their men folk after getting this thing for competition out of their systems.
* * *
If you build it, they will come.
Medals, that is.
Canada did not own the podium, because no country truly does. The absurd slogan for an even more ridiculously-marketed program was rightly panned during the Vancouver Games. Some Canadian political types thought a bit of government money (which you can bet your last loonie will not be available for the next quadrennial) would help us conquer the world in just four years. Canadians did set a record for gold medal victories during a Winter Olympics, but only because the athletes had facilities where they could train. Medals (gold or otherwise) in bobsled, speedskating and freestyle skiing, among other sports, can be traced to facilities that were built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
These facilities also spawned programs and dreams that spawned medal winners. (For proof on the dreams claim, look up Hughes, Clara.) Money always helps, but the truth is that medals take decades to produce.
Alex Bilodeau, the first athlete to win a gold medal on Canadian soil, was right when he said more would come during the 2010 Games. And even more will come in the future, because many of the world-class athletes that you see now will become world-class coaches and world-class sport association leaders that Canada never had before. In addition to them, the legacy will be in the facilities that do not become white elephants like the ski jumps at Canada Olympic Park, since Vancouver will not produce the same athlete-development fund that the profitable Calgary Games did.
* * *
Thumbs down to the IOC for not making more of an effort to raise the profile of Right to Play during the Games. The organization goes out of its way to make sure that kids in wartorn and poverty-stricken regions just have a chance to play pick-up games of soccer and other playground games. Sponsorship politics got in the way of doing good deeds for kids who face more hurdles than even an Olympic champion can imagine. Right to Play has a major sponsor that is a rival to one of the official Olympic supporters. The right thing would have been to highlight Right to Play without playing up the sponsorship angle. Right to Play agreed to such a plan, but the pooh bahs did not.
* * *
Kudos to Hughes for giving her $10,000 bonus from the federal government for winning a bronze to a group on Vancouver's poverty-stricken Downtown Eastside that promotes physical activity. Who's willing to bet that Ottawa probably does not give that much to the group. Her unselfishness again has spoken volumes. Hughes probably has more cash these days than she did when she donated 10 grand to Right to Play from her own bank account four years ago. But most Olympic dream chasers do not have deep pockets at the best of times. Which makes you wonder what the Tories could have done if they had used the money for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's vacation in Vancouver on athletic development instead.
* * *
Quick, somebody give Alex Burrows a Swedish passport. As they did for many years with the Vancouver Canucks, Daniel and Henrik Sedin were in desperate need of a gifted linemate during the Olympics. Burrows has proved to be the answer with the Canucks. Now, if he can just learn a little Swedish and apply for citizenship . . .
* * *
Still in the linemates department: Pavol Demitra showed what he can do when he has real talent (Marian Hossa, etc.) playing alongside him with Slovakia during the Olympics. Despite missing most of the NHL season because of shoulder surgery, Demitra dominated as Slovakia came within Roberto Luongo's glove length of upsetting Canada in their semi-final. The speculation has already started on how long the likes of Darcy Hordichuk, Tanner Glass and Steve Bernier with last as Demitra's linemates with the Canucks. At any rate, Demitra increased his trade value before Wednesday's deadline.
* * *
Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter is probably wondering who he can get to play with Iginla, too. The Calgary captain proved that his recent struggles in the NHL can probably be attributed to a poor line combination. Let's hope Matt Stajan does a reasonably good Crosby impression.
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