Sturm looks for redemption with Canucks

It’s redemption time for the Vancouver Canucks – in more ways than one.
While the Canucks look to make up for a loss to the Boston Bruins in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and claim the crown, several players – newcomers and returnees alike – are looking to redeem themselves after an injury riddled season.
Marco Sturm is a prime example. The Canucks’ top free agent acquisition, he is looking to revive his career after two knee operations in the past three years.
“I just want to be the player I was before my injury,” says Sturm. “That’s gonna be my goal. Right now, the knees feel great. I’m just trying to get in a rhythm again.”
Sturm had trouble finding a rhythm last season. The Bruins traded him to Los Angeles in December while he was still hurt, and then the Kings waived him and he was claimed by the Washington Capitals, who subsequently let him go after the playoffs.
He produced 16 points in 35 regular-season games with the Kings and Caps and furnished three post-season points with Washington – not bad considering his injury ordeals.
“I had to start pretty much at zero, because my strength was not there,” says Sturm. “My fitness wasn’t there all last year, so I started from zero. But the main thing was to get my strength back, so I did a lot of weights and, of course, a lot of outside running to get my conditioning.”
Signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract, he could play a critical role as the Canucks contend with early-season injuries. The 33-year-old native of Dingolfing, Germany could play a key role as Vancouver looks to atone for the absences of second-liners Ryan Kesler (hip) and Mason Raymond (back).
“I can play on any line and, also, left wing or right wing,” he says. “It doesn’t really matter. Of course, I want to be in the top six, but I’m here to help the team out.”
Chances are he will, to some extent. Sturm has recorded seven straight 20-goal seasons, including a 2004-05 lockout season he spent play in Germany. So why did he decide to sign with the Canucks?
“I’m at that age now – I want to win – and this team’s got everything,” says Sturm. “They showed in the last two years how good they are, and I want to be in that good team, good organization, who knows what it will take to win it all, and it was a big issue.”
Other players attempting to redeem themselves are veteran goaltender Manny Legace; former No. 1 draft pick Owen Nolan, who played in Switzerland last season; enforcer Todd Fedoruk, who has been quite outspoken about his substance-abuse problems; and journeyman forward Steve Begin, who spent most of last season in the minors. All are in camp on professional tryouts with no assurance of a contract.
Meanwhile, returnees to the organization, such as Cody Hodgson, who split the season between the NHL and the minors, and Jordan Schroeder, who spent all of last season in the AHL, also have something to prove. With most of the roster set, the reclamation projects will have a hard time cracking the lineup. But coach Alain Vigneault hopes at least some will help shore up a fourth line that revolved and struggled most of last season. The Vancouver bench boss hopes to close the revolving door and go with more of a set fourth unit.
“I think if we can find an identity there for that fourth line, an identity that would help us win games, we would definitely go in that direction,” says Vigneault. “Last year, it took us quite a long time to figure out which pieces were going to go there, and it was still up in the air going into the playoffs.”
Some of the newcomers – and prospects – might also help the Canucks make up for the departures of defenceman Christian Ehrhoff and gritty winger Raffi Torres, due to free agency. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who redeemed himself last season after his future with the Canucks was uncertain at the outset of camp, believes they will find suitable replacements.
“That’s what good teams do, and they adapt and they have guys step up and fill holes” says Bieksa.
Great teams challenge for the Stanley Cup year after year. While many a predicting the Canucks will regress, Bieksa believes the newcomers can help Vancouver back to the finals. There’s no doubt the veterans have the desire to return.
“It’s early in camp, but you can still kind of see the hunger out there,” says Bieksa. “The thing is, with last year and the success, we know it’s attainable now. If we play the same way and we play the right way, we’re going to be back there.”