Right now there is a problem, 6'5" of it! Yep, three games in and I'm calling out Mats. Against St. Louis he took a dumb penalty that caused the game winning goal. Then the next night he took a ridiculously sloppy high sticking penalty on Grier that led to the go ahead power play goal. Oh he scored too, who cares when they lose because of him though.

Call out #2- Alexander Edler. Go to the press box and watch a game. Look down from above and watch only the defensive play of the two teams. Look how the puck gets moved from the net out. Look at how the puck is cleared from the net. Look at how experienced D men keep things simple instead of doing too much. Edler needs to be pulled aside and mentored by Ohlund, Willie, hell even Davison could talk to him for all I care.

Call out #3 Alain Vigneault. AV you are too predictable. Every coach in this league knows how your team moves the puck out of your own zone. It is the same each time, you could be using a Magic 8 ball for line combos but it does not change the strategy you employ. Frankly, it sucks. You need to change. Right now we have the addition of a 6'5" centre and we do not use him up the middle to carry the puck, why? You have your wingers standing 2 feet in front of the opposition's blue line and ask your defense to make passes to them from the top of our circles and then wonder why they can't control the puck?

It's over, like our playoff hopes will soon be if you do not change the break out strategy of this team. I have never see a defense turned around so many times trying to pass the puck up the ice. How can this possibly be ignored by the coaching staff in Vancouver. Canucks' fans used to tout our D as one of the best in the league. It is the best....at passing the puck to from one of our circles off the boards behind the net to the other circle and back again. No other team does this more often and with such precision as the Vancouver Canucks.

Was there anything to like this weekend? Yes. Kevin Bieksa. Right now he is the only guy I see on this team playing to do something. He is the only D man to rush with the puck he is playing with confidence. It helps right now that he is not spinning out on his turns 60% of the time too.

Right now this team looks like the Canuckleheads of the 80's. Blundering fools who are playing for themselves and have no faith in the system they are given. Reminds me of the song Larry and Willy, when they still mattered, used to play back on C-FOX, it was by a guy called Black Bart- a country bumpkin kind of guy. The first line of the song went like this:

"I'm a loyal hockey fan I love the Vancouver Canucks
I don't care if they lose they're always worth the bucks"

Basically if this is the mess Canucks fans are going to be dealt with this season the above better be your attitude as a survival guide.

So what is the solution? AV needs to be put on notice. The team needs to watch a video shot at overhead level (press box), and see how the current break out is completely ineffective. I harped on the D but they can only pass to what the forwards give them. Our forwards need to stop worrying about making 4 passes for a pretty goal and just get the puck into the offensive zone. If a line makes more than 3 passes before shooting the last person in shooting position needs to be benched. This is how big the problem is with Vancouver.

For the past month I have at times screamed at my TV whilst watching Vancouver blow pass after pass on the breakout. It looks something like this:

Remember Rocky's trainer Mick- that crotchety old geezer with the hearing aid? Well I don't look anything like him and am 50 years younger at least. I think it was in Rocky II where his strategy was for Rocky to fight right handed even though he was a southpaw. Then later in the fight he was going to switch back to southpaw and catch Apollo unaware.

In the fight they show Mick on the mat in his corner slamming his hand down and screaming "Switch, switch switch!!!!" Face beet red, hearing aid flying around and spit shooting everywhere. That is how I am minus the hearing aid while watching the Canucks break out. It's time to switch AV, every team in this league knows what is coming and they are beating you because they know.

It's bad right now folks. Really bad. To compound the problems mentioned above are the 3rd period brain farts. This team loses focus in the 3rd more frequently than 4 year old at Disneyland. Wasn't Ryan Walter brought in to motivate and guide this team? Maybe we should sign Tony Robbins for a Reg Dunlop role?

Devils tomorrow and I don't know what's in store. I want to be surprised but I don't think that is going to happen.

PS

I made an offer in the last blog about a season ticket I will get to that winner, if there is one later today.

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