Saturday is open practice day down at Rogers Arena. Doors open at 10 a.m. and the Canucks will hit the ice at 11.
It's a free event, but you do need a ticket to enter. If you're heading down today, drop us a note in the comments about what you see.
There was plenty of news from practice yesterday, including unexpected appearances on the ice from both Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin. Elliott Pap has
all the details in the
Vancouver Sun.
It sounds like both could play on Sunday if they have another good practice today.
Kesler says, "I knew from Day One it wasn't go to be long. The next day I wasn't that sore. When you take a hit like that, you never know what happens, right?"
And here's Daniel, on the collision with Ottawa's Marc Methot that put him out of action at the Heritage Classic:
He had no intention of hurting me. I fell and he was right behind me. I never really had one of these injuries before and, of course, it was frustrating. But there is not much you can do. I've been taking it step-by-step in the gym and on the ice and everything has gone accordingly. It's been getting better each and every day.
Meanwhile, Alex Burrows didn't skate on Friday after taking a slash to the thumb from Shea Weber against Nashville on Wednesday. He's questionable for Sunday's game. Here's Torts:
With Burr, it's just been one of those years for him. He has spent a lot of time with the trainers. He finds his game and then this happens. I'm not sure if he misses and, if he does, how many, but it has been a very difficult time for him.
Burrows' hand is bandaged, but he wasn't wearing a splint or cast on Friday, so that's somewhat positive.
Injury Reports:
I covered the March Madness game between Iowa State and North Carolina Central last night for Bleacher Report. In addition to play-by-play announcer Marv Albert inexplicably referring to Iowa State's DeAndre Kane at one point as "Patrick Kane," I also had hockey on my mind when the team's big forward Georges Niang suffered a foot injury midway through the second half.
Within minutes, the sideline reporter told us that Niang was undergoing X-Rays. Less than half an hour after the game's conclusion, Iowa State held a press conference to announce that Kane had a nondisplaced fracture of the fourth metatarsal in his right foot, and would be out of action for four to six weeks.
I was stunned—both by the team's openness, and the speed with which it was able to deliver this information. Contrast this with Mike Gillis' prognosis for Burrows, two days after he was injured:
“We don't have a final medical report yet but it doesn't look good,” Gillis said as he watched the Canucks practise at Rogers Arena. “The preliminary analysis is not positive.”
I know the Canucks like to play their cards close to the chest, but why does it take so long for a "final medical report?" And why were we never told the nature of the injury that kept Brad Richardson out of the lineup for two weeks?
Weekend Papers:
I don't think this is news to any of you smart hockey fans here at HockeyBuzz, but Cam Cole
has issued a warning reminding us not to get too excited about the Canucks' improved play of late.
The key points, in my mind:
- Vancouver's wins have come against Calgary, Winnipeg, Florida and Nashville. All non-playoff teams, and still not even two wins in a row. After Sunday's game against Buffalo, the competition stiffens up next week with a quick trip to Minnesota and Colorado before returning to Rogers Arena to play Anaheim next Saturday.
- These dog days of the season don't bring out the best in many teams. Boston, San Jose and Los Angeles have been sizzling since returning from the Olympic break, but even powerhouses like Chicago and Anaheim have had their struggles.
The big question for me: Will this late-season surge be enough to save jobs at the management level? As Cole points out, this scenario has played out in the NHL many times before.
The Leafs, to cite but one, did it for years — play just well enough after they’d been eliminated to lose a good position in the entry draft.
Teams win down the stretch, players save their jobs, maybe save their coaches’ jobs, and then turn out to have all the same old problems when they tee it up for the following season.
The Canucks haven't been in this position for awhile. I'm not saying it's the right move, but if the team can stay at its current level—playing .500 hockey while giving fans a chance to feel good about the future—I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see both Mike Gillis and John Tortorella return to the team next season.
What do you see when you look into your crystal ball? Who do you expect will be running the show for Vancouver next year?
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