It was not a good night for the Canucks Young Stars as they fell to their Oiler counterparts 7-2 in the Young Stars Tournament.

Darren Archibald opened the scoring for Vancouver, but the Oilers rebounded with seven unanswered goals. Six of those goals came in the second period, during which the Canucks were outshot 25-12.

Ouch.

With the ugly, lopsided score in tact for the third period, the Canucks tried to get some tough stuff going. Adam Polasek dropped the gloves with Edmonton’s Colten Teubert at the beginning of the third, with Polasek getting a quick one on Teubert to end the match. Sawyer Hannay and Cameron Abney also exchanged five-minute fighting majors.

David Honzik was Vancouver’s starting goalie, but was relieved by Karel St. Laurent after the weak second period.

Vancouver’s most recent first-rounder, Nicklas Jensen, has been blogging for Canucks.com during the rookies camp and tournament. He admitted to having some pre-game nerves, but considers it a “good lesson and good to get the first one out of the way”. Jensen recorded an assist in the game, setting up Archibald’s opening goal.

Leave it to the coach to try to get something positive out of a 7-2 loss. “It’s a good lesson for everybody, you have to play the game the right way and we obviously didn’t do that in the second period,” said Craig MacTavish (via Canucks.com). “We played a lot more intelligently in the third period, got pucks in deep.”

Jensen finished his blog by writing, “We’ll get some rest tonight and look to perform better tomorrow against the Sharks.” Better double check that schedule, young Dane. the Canucks actually take on the Flames next on Monday, 4:00 PM EST.

One by one, the players are trickling back into town — it’s a treat for the hockey-deprived souls. Over the last few days, Canucks players have been skating at the University of British Columbia.

Today, these Canucks were joined by a few outsiders. Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Manny Malhotra, Jannik Hansen, Mikael Samuelsson, Cody Hodgson, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, Sami Salo, Andrew Alberts, and Chris Tanev formed the group of Canucks. Joining them were Brad Winchester and Kyle Turris, leading to some pointing and whispering.

Rumours of Winchester joining the Canucks have been going on since midsummer, but the left winger had his lips sealed today. According to Jim Jamieson, Winchester said (with a smile) that “he can’t talk about whether [he is] in talks with Canucks.”

Hometown boy Kyle Turris is a restricted free agent of the Phoenix Coyotes, but negotiations for a new contract don’t seem to be progressing well. ESPN’s Scott Burnside reported that Turris is asking for a three-year contract worth $4 million per year or a two-year contract worth around $3 million. In other words, that’s big money for a young player who still has much to prove.

Before Canucks fans start to salivate at the thought of Turris being traded to Vancouver, know that the Coyotes have had chances to trade the youngster before, but refused. There are also reports that the Calgary Flames are interested in acquiring Turris.

It appears Victor Oreskovich will remain a Canuck. Ian Walker spoke with Oreskovich’s agent today, and reported on Twitter that we can expect a one-year extension to be announced within the new few days.

The Canucks have also released further training camp details, with two open practices for fans to attend. The camp officially opens on September 16 at Rogers Arena; the camp roster  includes the addition of two NHL players who are trying out for the team: centre Steve Begin and goaltender Manny Legace.

Oh, that unclassy Ryan Kesler. Shouldn’t he be focused on his training and post-surgery rehab? Instead, he’s been on Twitter more than ever in the past week. Yesterday, he took a jab at New York Jets center Nick Mangold:

Having no knowledge whatsoever on the world of sports outside of hockey, I had to ask a fellow Aerys writer who this guy is. All that it tells me on his Twitter profile is “I try to find the humor in everything while promoting the virtue of being manly.”

Fellow Aerys writer tells me it’s all probably in jest, since Mangold and Kesler both attended Ohio State University. Mangold’s tweets in defence of Kesler’s finger-pointing, though, don’t seem to be the friendly kind we hockey fans see between Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson.

Imagine my surprise! He thinks Kesler is a nobody, and I, a Kesler fan, think Mangold is a nobody! Who wants to get started on this Hollywood screenplay? Mangold’s defensive tweets didn’t end there, though. He also replied to several other fans who defended his stance, and to a Canucks fan, he tweeted, ”I wasn’t the one who started this whole mess”.

Mess? What mess? Ryan Kesler to aisle 3. So sorry (as Nathan Horton’s ears perk up), but Kesler appears to be busy. He hasn’t tweeted about the incident in 16 hours, and today is his birthday, so he must be going around partying hard, interview bombing anyone he can, starting more feuds…

Not enjoying a day off on his birthday? That Ryan Kesler, doesn’t he do anything right?

After Fort Nucks blogged about the amazing and adorable Teo (see below), we went on a hunt to look for more of the same fans — the little ones with a big load of spirit.

Five-year-old Teo is a shoo-in for this list. Do you know any other kid who can recite several minutes of play-by-play from double overtime? Beginning with “Kevin Bieksa… Ryan Kesler dives in…” down to Jim Hughson’s famous line, “It’s a wonderful day for an exorcism!” after Burrows ends the Vancouver/Chicago series, Teo has got it all down.

Let Teo charm you with his pronunciation, pauses, and proud grin at the end of it all. Think about how many times he must have watched that sequence to remember everything! True Canucks fan, through and through.

» Continue reading “The Biggest Canucks Fans… Who Aren’t So Big”

Fans and tourists alike will now be able to pick up their official merchandise at the Canucks Team Store’s second location, smack in the middle of Vancouver’s most popular shopping street. Located on trendy Robson Street, the store is more accessible and likely to get more foot traffic than the flagship store in Rogers Arena. The Canucks did open a pop-up shop during the playoffs on Granville Street, and clearly see the potential in such a prime location.

Vancouverites tweeting about the grand opening seemed pretty impressed – the store played playoff highlights on TV, and even had mock Kesler, Luongo and Bieksa stalls set up to give you the vibe that you’re really in the locker room. The store looks gorgeous, with an all-glass exterior, painted with the Canucks signature blue and green stripes.

I have to say, though, I would love to see a Canucks store at the airport! Although I would never shop at the Flames store at YYC (or any of their other locations), I think it is a great idea. People always buy shirts with the city’s name on it anyways, why not official Canucks merch? And if they sold inflatable neck pillows and earbud headphones, I bet they’d make a killing.

The new store is located at 1151 Robson Street, between Bute and Thurlow.

Fan's messages, photos, and flowers left at Rogers Arena, in memory of former Canuck, Rick Rypien.

Rick Rypien was remembered by Canucks fans on Wednesday, by a humble pillar outside Rogers Arena. After the news of Rypien’s death broke out on Tuesday evening, fans began to surround the pillar with messages, photographs, and candles. Wednesday’s somber event was arranged via Facebook by high school student Alex Ransford.

Ransford also brought condolence books for others to sign. “I really want the family to get the book,” she said. “I think…I’d feel like his family knows that Canucks fans really liked Rick and are really upset about this…” (Canucks.com)

Another fan, Dave Morgan, also has something he would like the Rypien family to have — the jersey Rypien wore in his last game with the Manitoba Moose.

“This jersey has great hockey memories for me, with the Moose watching Rick play, and if it brings me that many memories, I’m wondering if it would bring those memories as well of seeing him on the ice,” Morgan told Canucks.com.

Failing to win the Stanley Cup is but a bee sting compared to the tragedies this organization has had to endure in the past few years. In 2008, young defenceman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle collision. Less than a year later, Taylor Pyatt, a Canuck at the time, lost his fiancee, who was killed in a car accident during a Jamaican vacation.

Although Rypien had already moved on with Winnipeg, fans here will definitely remember his days here, and miss him. One fan created a sign for Rypien’s memorial featuring photos of the enforcer together with Bourdon, with the message “Take care of him, Luc.”

Ian Walker talked with the Regina Pats (Rypien’s junior hockey team of the WHL), and the Pats confirmed that Rypien’s girlfriend of the time passed away in an accident on her way to Regina to see him play.

“You could tell he was hurting after that but he was just very stoic — he just kept so much to himself,” Parker said, via Walker’s piece from the Vancouver Sun. “I don’t want to say he was guarded, but he was very private, almost shy. But he seemed to deal with it as well as anyone could. You know it was certainly something I thought of when I heard the news… You start wondering was that a trigger point? Was there something we should have done more at that time or did we miss something? Did we miss some signs? You just question all aspects of it.”

Yet when you remember Rick, remember the times he was happy, living his dream of playing in the NHL. I went through some newsclippings to find this blurb from January 2007, demonstrating a more playful side of Ryp:

[Willie] Mitchell and Rypien are in the far corner with strength and conditioning coach, Roger Takahashi. Before the drills get started, Mitchell is practicing lifting the puck onto the blade of his stick, skating out front and roofing it lacrosse style.

Takahashi and Rypien watch, and finally Rypien shouts, ‘OK, Ovechkin, let’s go!’

Former Canuck Rick Rypien has been found dead in his Alberta home. Details regarding his death are not yet known, but according to Farhan Lalji of TSN, the RCMP of Crowsnest, Alberta have confirmed the report.

The 27-year-old spent the last ten years with the Vancouver Canucks organization, spending his career between the NHL and AHL (Manitoba Moose). Last season in November, he took a leave of absence due to personal reasons. Neither Rypien or the Canucks revealed the reason(s), but there was speculation that Rypien was dealing with mental health issues, namely depression. That leave of absence was his second with the Canucks.

Things seemed to take a turn for the better when, in March 2011, Rypien returned to play for the Manitoba Moose. He parted ways with the Canucks organization when he signed a one-year deal earlier this summer with the Winnipeg Jets.

Both the Jets and the Canucks released statements regarding Rypien’s death.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm Rick’s passing…. Rick was a talented player with an extremely bright future. His hunger for the game made him a valued team member both on and off the ice. This loss has impacted us as more than just a hockey team.” — The Winnpeg Jets

“It is with tremendous sadness that the Vancouver Canucks confirm the passing of Rick Rypien. Rick has been a beloved member of the Canucks family for the past six years. Rick was a great teammate and friend to our players, coaches and staff. We send our deepest condolences to the Rypien family at this most difficult time.” — The Vancouver Canucks

This tragedy comes only three months after the NHL lost enforcer Derek Boogaard. It’s time for the NHL to take mental health issues seriously before it claims the life of another member of the hockey community.

Thoughts and prayers are going out to Rick Rypien’s family and friends from all of us at Aerys Sports. Rest in peace.

Time for an odd version of “This or That?”/”Which Would You Rather…?” Canucks fans may be in for some brooding after all that is being said and done this week.

Maybe we should be used to it (haters gonna hate) by now, but whoever said words don’t hurt like sticks and stones never had to deal with Daniel Carcillo. You might think taking a goon like him seriously is just nonsense, but come on, we’re just sitting here, in August, still unable to speak of losing the Stanley Cup, and this guy takes advantage of it during a media conference with his new team.

Carcillo didn’t even bother being subtle when it came to name-dropping. He said that he watched the Vancouver/Chicago series and thought that “certain guys that don’t play the way they usually play can get away with it in the playoffs because there is no fighting in the playoffs… I’m going to have to try and get them to answer the piper. There is a few guys that played outside their shoes. I think I can keep most of those guys in check when we play them this year” (via ESPN).

The new Blackhawk went on to name Maxim Lapierre, Tanner Glass, and Raffi Torres as guys on “the list”. Maybe someone should have been keeping track of the off-season moves; Glass and Torres are no longer Canucks, so Jets fans and Coyotes fans, y’all better watch this hooligan, too.

Let’s face it. No matter how much intense hate from the rest of the league you put up with in the playoffs, it is never going to get any easier to sit there and just ignore all the people who can’t just worry about themselves, feeling the need to gain attention through negativity.

What is even more difficult to take is this — the Stanley Cup is in British Columbia as you read these words. And Canucks fans in the province are reminded again of the terrible truth… it is not here for Dan Hamhuis or Jeff Tambellini. It is here for Cam Neely, Mark Recchi, and Milan Lucic.

Ouch. Need I even say more?

I remember being so happy for Lucic when I got to see him raise the Memorial Cup, right here in Vancouver. How things have changed in four years. I have a friend who has swallowed his pride, just wanting a glimpse of Lord Stanley during Lucic’s day with the trophy. When he asked if I’d be interested, I couldn’t bring myself to say yes.

So this is what they call the beginning of a rivalry…

The Canucks will potentially add some experience to their lineup at training camp this year, after signing veterans Owen Nolan and Todd Fedoruk to professional tryout contracts. Both players will be given the opportunity to earn a contract and a spot on the Canucks roster. Canucks fans are, of course, familiar with the PTO contract after the excitement (and subsequent letdown) we had last year surrounding Brendan Morrison.

Owen Nolan, a #1 draft pick over twenty years ago, was unable to secure an NHL contract during the 2010 off season and wound up playing in Switzerland. He’s played in five NHL All-Star games, won an Olympic gold medal for Canada, and has never won a Stanley Cup. The Canucks would benefit from his experience and grittiness.

Todd Fedoruk, a good Albertan boy who’s played for six NHL clubs since 2006, would be a feisty, scrappy addition to our fourth line. He has never scored more than six goals in a season, but he loves to fight (seriously, look him up on Youtube – the entire first page is fight videos), which we lost a little of in Tanner Glass and Raffi Torres. Fedoruk likely wouldn’t be a gamechanger for the Canucks, but since we need to beef up the fourth, he might be worth a shot.

PS. Hi, I’m Emma – I’ll be joining the lovely Emily and contributing a bit about here! I’ve been a Canucks fan since the West Coast Express Days. My favourite current Canucks are Alex Burrows, Sami Salo, and slightly Keith Ballard thanks to Emily’s influence. My all-time faves are Todd Bertuzzi and the amazing Artem Chubarov. If you’d like to chat feel free to tweet me: @iemcanadian

The Canucks announced today that Ryan Kesler underwent successful hip surgery last Monday.

Wait, back up, surgery, what? Did anyone else see this one coming? General Manager Mike Gillis told media after the season that Kesler had a “hip problem” but no one said anything about surgery. According to Jason Botchford, both Kesler and the team were hoping to avoid surgery. Apparently, his kind of hip injury wouldn’t just heal with time, not even for an American hero.

“You don’t want to jump in there,” said Gillis. “He was working on a program… We decided it was the best for all of us to get it done now.”

Kesler is expected to miss 10-12 weeks, which means he will miss training camp and the start of the season. Kesler joins Mason Raymond, Dan Hamhuis, and Mikael Samuelsson as key Canucks who are likely to miss the early regular season with injury.