Come for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles onesie. Stay for his list of challenges.
Roberto Luongo did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Friday at the behest of Canucks' goaltender Eddie Lack:
Leave it to Luongo to nominate John Tortorella, Mike Milbury and Mike Keenan. I'd love to see all three of those.
Ice Storm Imminent
Looks like we'll have an interesting diversion to pass the time just before the Young Stars tournament. Veteran hockey writer Bruce Dowbiggin's new book on the Canucks hits shelves on September 6.
Here's the synposis from Amazon.ca. Briefly, "
Ice Storm follows the journey that led the Canucks from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the abyss in six short years."
I'm curious to see what new tidbits Dowbiggin adds to the familiar lore of the Mike Gillis era. I think it's a good strategy to get the book out before the season starts, while the new regime is still looking at a reasonably blank slate.
Who Wore It Best?
With overwhelming support in our vote, Thomas Gradin does indeed get the nod at No. 23.
Some good food for thought in this video: When Gradin arrived in Vancouver from Sweden and joined a line with Stan Smyl and Curt Fraser, all three were rookies! Could this serve as inspiration for Willie Desjardins when mapping out his lineup for the upcoming season?
Here are our nominees for today, at No. 24:
Garry Monahan: Monahan holds the honour of being the first player ever drafted into the NHL. As a 16-year-old in 1963, he was the first-overall pick of the very first draft, chosen by the Montreal Canadiens.
Monahan had brief stints in Montreal, then Detroit and Los Angeles before spending several years in Toronto. He was traded from the Leafs to the Canucks at the beginning of the 1974-75 season and became a key part of an improved Vancouver team, which finished first in the Smythe Division and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Monahan was more of a two-way centre—never a big scorer. He hit his career high with Vancouver in 1976-77 when he scored 18 goals and 44 points. During four seasons with the Canucks, he totalled 58 goals and 140 points in 287 games.
Monahan played one final season in Toronto before retiring in 1979. In the '80s, he came back to Vancouver as colour commentator next to Jim Robson for five years on CKNW radio and one year on BCTV.
Jiri Slegr: Drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1990, Jiri Slegr is a second-generation Canuck—the son of Czech defenseman Jiri Bubla. Slegr had a rocket of a shot from the point but had some issues with control. In the days before the protective netting, I remember him firing pucks right into the concession concourse at the Pacific Coliseum on more than one occasion.
Slegr joined the Canucks in 1992-93 and was traded to Edmonton for Roman Oksiuta at the 1995 trade deadline. A decade later, he was signed once again by Vancouver as a free agent in the summer of 2003 and played 16 games with the Canucks before being traded to Boston.
All told, Slegr had 12 goals and 77 points in 154 games in a Canuck uniform.
He had a very impressive international career and is a member of the IIHF's Triple Gold Club, with gold medals for the Czech Republic from the 1990 World Juniors, 1998 Winter Olympics and 2005 World Championships. Slegr served as an elected official in the Czech Republic for three years before stepping down in 2013.
Scott Walker: Drafted in the fifth round in 1993, Scott Walker was a gritty winger who stirred the pot during the Canucks' years in decline in the late '90s. At 5'11", he wasn't the biggest guy, but he was a fearless fighter who eventually added some scoring to his repertoire.
After leaving the Canucks, Walker would go on to have three 20-plus goal seasons. With Vancouver, though, he was limited to a role as a bottom-six forward. He topped out with three goals and 18 points in 1996-97, but put up well over 100 penalty minutes during each of his three full seasons in Vancouver.
Walker was left unprotected by the Canucks in the 1998 expansion draft and was claimed by the Nashville Predators, where he enjoyed seven successful seasons. His time with Barry Trotz likely served him well: Walker is now the coach of the OHL's Guelph Storm, who reached the Memorial Cup Final in 2013-14.
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