CrashingTheGoalie

by Bill Heintz

The problem is like an old episode of King Of Queens.

Remember the one where Doug Heffernen is coaching Deke’s boy Kirby (“Can I take off my football costume now, Dad?”)?

During the practices, Doug runs wild. He is unstoppable at the line of scrimage, bowling over nine year olds in his quest for glory. Typically, Doug decides he should follow that dream and tries out for a semi-pro team on Long Island. The result is predictable and Doug is left crying like a little girl.

Kind of like the Canucks in pre-season. We ran roughshod over the AHL opposition on a nightly basis. And even when we lost, we managed to tie the score up and grab a point. The problem wasn’t that it was just pre-season. The problem was the bad habits that were setting in.

Blindly throwing the puck up through the center in your own zone is going to cost you when the other guys are skating a bit faster than ¾ speed.

You thought those other guys were legitimate opposition? Well, they weren’t.

And now they are.

courtesy of media.herald-dispatch.com

Calgary had an opening night and loads of revenge in their game this year.

First, there was last year’s opener to atone for…and also the theft of the division title when they iced a roster of fifteen skaters near the end.

Calgary was pissed off and we paid for it. Well, no problem we’ll get it back against Colorado, right? All the pundits said they’d be one of the worst teams in the league. Except the pundits missed the fact that the Avs added Craig Anderson in net…the guy who’d made Florida’s run to the post season a possibility last year.

And apparently our scouts didn’t notice, or forgot, that Colorado was decimated by injuries last year and had very few healthy bodies the last third of the season. Add in a touch of youthful speed and suddenly our Canucks looked like the Washington Generals playing against the Harlem Globetrotters.

So, heads held low and tails between the legs we limped home. I say that because I don’t hear any angry growls coming from the Canuck room. Just a lot of platitudes about attention to detail, tightening up and righting the ship.

No one is panicking they say.

Well, that’s great. But I’d like to hear some passion in those voices. A little early season desperation. Be nice to hear some of that instead of talk about a Stanley Cup.

Hopefully it won’t take a nine game losing streak for that to happen.