My favourite part of Nick Bonino's success during this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs is the superstar treatment that he receives from play-by-play announcer Harnarayan Singh over on the Punjabi feed of Hockey Night in Canada.
Here's how he called last night's game-winning goal:
Bonino's goal on Monday was his second game-winner of the playoffs, and keeps him tied with Sidney Crosby for eighth place in the playoff scoring race. He now has 16 points and will have a real shot at passing the all-time best postseason of the man that the Anaheim Ducks coveted so desperately in an attempt to improve their playoff fierceness. Ryan Kesler put up seven goals and 19 points 2010-11 with the Canucks and managed 13 points in 16 games with the Ducks last spring.
Bonino was certainly a versatile player here in Vancouver—good defensively and on the penalty kill, and solid offensively when he played with Radim Vrbata late in the 2014-15 season. The biggest knock on him was his lack of speed, and somehow that has become a non-issue in Pittsburgh since he has been lined up with two terrific skaters, Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel.
Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan had plenty of kind words for Bonino after Monday's game—but skating does not make the list of his many talents.
“He’s a terrific player in every aspect of the game,” Sullivan said. “We use him in so many key situations both offensively and defensively. He’s a guy who has a real high hockey IQ and sees the ice really well. He has real good hands, and his awareness defensively and the use of his stick to take passing lanes away is impressive. He’s brave, he blocks shots, he’s one of our better shot blockers, he’s a good faceoff guy, so he’s done so much for this team to help us get to this point. I don’t know what other praise I can shower on him right now.”
I was impressed with Bonino's fire when I saw him play for Team USA during the 2015 World Championship. Here's what I said last year, after the Americans were shut out 4-0 by Team Russia in the semifinal:
Bonino was not in a good mood when I spoke to him after the loss to the Russians. He felt his group had played well enough to win and was beyond bitter that the opportunity to play for gold had slipped away.
Bonino turned that frustration into a player-of-the-game performance in the 3-0 U.S. win over the hometown team from the Czech Republic to claim the bronze medal. Bonino opened the scoring with what proved to be the game-winning goal and later added an assist.
This year marks the first time that Bonino has been past the second round of the NHL playoffs, but he's trying to treat the experience like any other game:
“Just the biggest thing for me is to try and stay even keel and not change my game, whether it’s game 1 of the season or the Stanley Cup final,” Bonino said. “That allows me to stay in the moment there.”
In the Canucks' current situation, I'm still okay with the idea of Brandon Sutter down the middle instead of Bonino, going forward. Sutter's play was just fine when he was in the lineup, and the Canucks were a better team with him than without him. I won't succumb to the temptation of seller's remorse but I am happy for Bonino for all his success this spring.
I'm not taking a real strong side, either way, in this Final.
I have been a Pittsburgh fan at times over the years. I liked Mario Lemieux better than Gretzky, especially considering all the challenges that he endured, and I always liked the decidedly non-aggressive skating penguin logo—I'm glad they use it again, instead of that "ferocious" Penguin from the mid-90s.
I have also rooted for Sidney Crosby to prove the doubters wrong after all the chatter over the past couple of years about how his best days are behind him.
And—I'm leaning towards favouring Pittsburgh because they've won a Cup before. Since the Sharks are a fellow member of the Canucks' never-won-a-Cup club, I'd like to keep them there. I don't want to see other teams having first-time success before Vancouver does—I kinda feel the same way about the other longstanding Cupless franchises like St. Louis, Washington and Buffalo.
That being said, I wouldn't be crushed if San Jose comes back to pull out the win. Again, I wouldn't mind seeing Thornton and Marleau prove their critics wrong after all these years, and I bet this group of players would do some epic partying with the trophy this summer.
For me, the best part of Game 1 was that it was played by two teams that are fuelled by offense. The Penguins and Sharks were both going for it last night. That made for high-energy, fun-to-watch hockey. More than anything, I'm hoping for more of that, in a competitive series that goes six or seven games.
Jared McCann a Bad Teammate?
He's no longer a teenager. Today, Jared McCann celebrates his 20th birthday—as the subject of some trash talk on Twitter.
Andrei Pedan to Sport-Express: 'McCann was the only guy in #Canucks I couldn't get along. Sometimes he acted like he's the lonely star here'
There have been unsubstantiated rumblings floating around before this that McCann wasn't the greatest teammate in the world. His commitment has been questioned ever since his "It is what it is" comment when he was first drafted by the Canucks two years ago.
As well as training camp and preseason, Pedan was with the Canucks during three separate call-ups this year—from November 23 to December 2, December 12 to January 12 and March 15 to the end of the season. McCann's role on the Canucks certainly diminished over the course of the year—it wouldn't be a surprise to me if he was feeling bitter in the late stages, when he was in and out of the lineup, playing on the fourth line and shifted to the wing against his will. Perhaps that's the perception that Pedan has carried in his head since the end of the year?
There's no doubt that Thatcher Demko likes McCann a lot. Granted, they've only spent time as teammates at the Canucks' development camp, but he lit up when I asked him about McCann during our conversation at the World Championship, calling their relationship "a bromance."
When (the Canucks) came to Boston this year I went out and had dinner with him, went back to his hotel, saw Virtanen and a couple of other guys. That first year, Canner and I kind of took off. He actually came and visited me in San Diego after the development camp so we've remained good friends.
We've talked about maybe hooking up again this summer after development camp and hanging out again. It's gonna be good, going into training camp, it'll be good to have a familiar face there.
Demko and Brock Boeser did not end up facing each other as opponents in the Frozen Four. I wonder if they'll be the next prospects to form a strong bond at this summer's development camp?
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»