Game Number Three: Flyers 8 Canucks 2

As a Canuck fan, I am happy this little wrinkle of a BLOW OUT occurred only three games into the season. It’s like the Canucks just sent an important memo to themselves:

TO: The Canucks

FROM: The Canucks

No more blow outs for the other team. A shorthanded goal when we had a five on three?? We can do better than this. Go through locker room, find heart. Look elsewhere, if necessary.

After such a stinky loss, Canuck fans everywhere are complaining and questioning their team’s grit and toughness. Maybe pre- season yoga training wasn’t such a good idea. I smell another memo:

TO: Alain Vigneault:

FROM: Dave Nonis

No more yoga. Although this is Vancouver, we have yoga on every corner in this town.

Okay, yoga, but only the tough, gritty kind of yoga.

Canucks fans are now concerned. Other teams will hear about this game. They might even read the memo:

TO: Other teams

FROM: The Canucks

It might be apparent to all of you that we do not have a suitable enforcer to prevent opposing players from running our goal tenders and such. On the flip side, Vancouver is a very pretty city.

Hmmm, an 8-2 embarrassment on home ice, complete with a vicious cross check. Strangely enough, it wasn’t a Canuck attacking a Flyer; it was a Flyer attacking a Canuck.  So much for the losing team gooning it up. Not only did Jesse Boulerice crosscheck Ryan Kesler in the face, Boulerice was actually preparing to drop his gloves to fight Kesler. But Kesler, who at this point was lying on the ice, didn’t get up to defend himself, because well, his face just broke a hockey stick!

Horrible Canucks game aside, what sort of message are the Flyers sending out to the hockey planet? Flyers rookie, Steve Downie is now serving a 20 game suspension for his dangerous hit on Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond in a pre season game. The NHL was sending a message with that suspension. Did that message prompt a memo from the Flyers?

TO: Everyone

FROM: The Flyers

It may seem like we don’t receive messages or read memos. However, we always apologize when we’ve been bad. On the bright side, we sure are happy to get this western road trip out of the way. Whistler was fantastic!

We’ve all witnessed some ugly moments in hockey over the years. And Wednesday’s cross check probably won’t be the last incident we’ll see around this league. We’ll continue to hear the phrase “It has no place in our game”, followed by a message sent in the form of a suspension, and most likely, it will fall on a few deaf ears.

TO:    The NHL

From: Lisa

I know you mean well, but maybe it’s time to try something different. Take your Downies, your Simons, and your soon to be suspended Boulerices, and send them on a little trip. Have them visit every team. They can face all of their co-workers. They can talk about their momentary lapses of reason and how they forgot about respect. Think of it as a new way to send a message. Suspension time well spent.