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Cam Barker. Yes THAT Cam Barker.

January 10, 2013 Mitch 0 Comments Free Agency

Hey everyone! Been a while since I’ve posted on here. Hell, it’s been a while since I’ve had anything post anywhere! With “lockout out this” and “hockey related revenue that”, it felt like hockey would never be back and I would never get to post another one of my grammatically incorrect blog posts on to Rob’s wonderful website.

Roberto Luongo Trade Rumour – Toronto Maple Leafs Edition

January 10, 2013 Rob 2 Comments Rumours, Trades

It’s been a slow past few months here at RobTheHockeyGuy, but we are BACK! Though the season isn’t scheduled to start until January 19th, we have actual hockey news to talk about! And none more interesting than the news out of Toronto today: Brian Burke has been fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This is a Canucks blog, so I won’t spend too much time analyzing Burke’s failure in Toronto, or the timing of this move. I’ll just say this: when you are in the beginning of a rebuilding program, you don’t trade away multiple first round picks. If Burke never made the Phil Kessel trade, their future would be a lot brighter and he might still be the general manager of the Leafs.

So how does this move affect the Canucks? Well, as you may know, Brian Burke is a stubborn fellow. He is also a hot headed fellow. Those two traits will assuredly affect trying to trade with adversary Mike Gillis to acquire a player with the type of long contract that he has criticized. I’m speaking of course about Roberto Luongo, who has been rumoured to be heading to Toronto.

Is Steve Pinizzotto the next Jason King? A lesson for locked out players

January 4, 2013 Rob 1 Comment lockout

Remember Jason King? The unheralded 7th round pick from Corner Brook, Newfoundland was a pleasant surprise for the Vancouver Canucks in the early 2000s. After one and a half impressive seasons with the Manitoba Moose, King was solidifying a role in the NHL during the 2003-04 season. At age 22, he played 47 games for the Canucks, playing mostly alongside Daniel and Henrik Sedin. King made the most of his time in the NHL during that season, scoring 12 goals and looking like the best fit with the Sedins since Trent Klatt (Anson Carter and Alex Burrows had not arrived on the scene at this point in time). The line even got catchy nickname, the mattress line (two twins and a king).

Then the lockout happened.

Canucks Prospect Roundup: Just who is Frank Corrado?

December 15, 2012 Rob 0 Comments Prospect Roundup

While the NHL and NHLPA fumble and bumble away the 2012-13 season, I have decided to look to the future. More specifically, the future of the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are an aging team and they will need young players to step in and make a difference soon. One player that might find himself in Canucks blue and green in the not so distant future is Frank Corrado.

So who is Frank Corrado? Well, he’s a guy that not a lot of people had heard of before this week’s World Junior selection camp, but his stock has skyrocketed.

Corrado, a 19 year old defenceman with the Sudbury Wolves was a 5th round draft pick by the Canucks in 2011. He is a 6’2″, 191 lbs good all-around defenceman. Last season as an 18 year old in the OHL, he had 26 points in 60 games, and had a +26 plus-minus rating. After his junior team was eliminated from the playoffs, he joined the Canucks farm team in Chicago for six games.

Three Steps to End the NHL Lockout

December 11, 2012 Rob 0 Comments lockout

Just over a month ago I wrote about the NHL lockout, brimming with positivity, believing that it would end and we would get to see NHL hockey this season. Well, I’m still positive, but this time I’m also angry.

I still believe there will be NHL hockey this season. The owners and players are simply too close to cancel a season. It could still happen of course (anything is possible), but I don’t think it would be in either side’s benefit to do so.

So why am I angry this time you ask? Well, because the solution to the lockout is so obvious now! How both sides could break off talks at this juncture and continue to waste more time when the finish line is in sight is ridiculous. Neither side is likely to win big at this point, so they might as well be deal makers.

Will there be an NHL season? Rob thinks so

November 14, 2012 Rob 0 Comments lockout

It’s been a while since I’ve written about the NHL lockout. Almost two months in fact. But in case our loyal readership is wondering, yes, I’m keeping a close eye on the proceedings. And I’m feeling positive.

Lets skip the whole outrage thing. Everyone’s mad that there’s no hockey and so am I. Lets just get down to the nuts and bolts as to where we stand.

Here’s a quick recap of the NHL lockout extravaganza, 2012:

-The NHL and the NHLPA have agreed to split league revenues 50/50. Essentially that means that the sum of the 30 teams’ salary caps will equal 50% of the hockey related revenue that the NHL produces.

Hockey Hall of Fame Ignores Goalies

November 13, 2012 Rob 0 Comments Special Feature

The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted four more players today, including two former Canucks, Pavel Bure and Mats Sundin. Bure, Sundin and the other two inductees, Sakic and Oates are all full marks for their induction, but does anyone else find it odd that the Hall of Fame ignores the most important position in hockey, the goaltender?

Unless you’re the among the elite of the elite, you’re not getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a goalie. Consider this: since Billy Smith (the Islanders star goalie of the late 70s and 80s) was inducted in 1993, only three goalies have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those goalies are Grant Fuhr, Patrick Roy and Ed Belfour.

Canucks Set to Wrongfully Retire Pavel Bure’s #10

November 10, 2012 Rob 2 Comments Special Feature

Gino Odjick spilled the beans to Jason Botchford of the Province a few days ago, Pavel Bure will indeed see his #10 jersey hang from the rafters. Apparently Francesco Aquilini will meet with Bure during his Hall of Fame induction on Monday.

First of all, congratulations to Pavel Bure. He is set to become the first true Vancouver Canuck player to make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s well deserved, he had a spectacular career with Vancouver, Florida and the Rangers. He was one of the game’s best pure goal scorers, and one of the most exciting players to ever play the game. Certainly he was the best pure goal scorer the Canucks have ever had and without a doubt their most exciting player of all-time.

But the decision to retire Pavel Bure’s number is wrong.

Dale Weise Signs Overseas

October 10, 2012 Mitch 0 Comments lockout, Random

According to Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) Vancouver Canucks winger and all-star twitter user Dale Weise has signed to play in Tilburg in the Dutch Pro League.

In any event Weise is headed overseas, the first of the Canucks to do so. Hopefully his “hash and whores” mantra keeps him over there. This is as sad as it gets. I’m really, really reaching with this one. Dale Weise? I’m almost ashamed of myself for even posting this. I was going to use a picture of Rocky Dennis to lead this post off, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Pass it to anyone but Bulis: a vengeful top 50 list

September 28, 2012 Rob 5 Comments Random

The other day I was going through one of the blogs that I read on a semi regular basis, Pass it to Bulis, and I came across this. It was a list of 50 people to follow on Twitter for Canucks fans. Now, just like any good self centered blogger, I of course immediately looked for the mighty @RobTheHockeyGuy account. To my dismay, it was nowhere to be found!

Now, to their credit, the guys over at Pass it to Bulis qualified their list by saying that it wasn’t necessarily a “must follow” list or something like that, but come on. We all know what’s going on here. Rob The Hockey Guy was snubbed!

So rather than sulk about this omission from one of Vancouver’s most read hockey blogs, I have decided to snub Pass it to Bulis right back! That’s right, I’m coming up with my own list. But not a list of Twitter accounts, that’s been done already. I need something more random.

Ladies and gentlemen, don’t pass it to Bulis. Why not? Because his name’s not even that cool. Jan Bulis… Come on. Here’s my list of the top 50 Canuck players with cool names, past and present (listed in alphabetical order):