Ballard | Rob The Hockey Guy

Canucks Lose Game 5… PANIC!

April 21, 2011 Rob 0 Comments Game Recap

Well, did anyone see that coming? After spanking the Canucks 7-2 in game 4, they followed that up with another beat down in game 5. So here we are, nervous, panicking. Is it justified? Absolutely yes. Chicago has all of the momentum and Vancouver will need to turn it around.

Are the Canucks Tough Enough? The Myth of the Heavyweight and the Role of the 4th Line

February 11, 2011 Rob 1 Comment Game Preview, Special Feature

There has been a lot of nonsense spewing from the airwaves of the Team 1040 radio station in the last few days. You see, the Canucks have suffered a few injuries and in turn a few on air radio personalities (and callers) have decided that they need a heavyweight enforcer! I, for one, think it’s a gross overreaction.

Time to load up? Would you trade Raymond, Ballard and Schneider for Iginla?

December 30, 2010 Rob 0 Comments Rumours, Trades, Twitter Tracker

Let me immediately state that this is not a trade rumour. Nobody has suggested that the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are talking trade or that Mike Gillis is shopping Mason Raymond, Keith Ballard or Cory Schneider. Even new Flames general manager Jay Feaster has said that he is not interested in trading the face of the franchise, Jarome Iginla. While we can choose to believe or not believe Jay Feaster, it’s still unlikely that he would trade Iginla to Vancouver given that they are a division rival. The point of asking this question centres around a bigger question. When (if ever) is the time to load up, trade for a player to put your team over the hump, while sacrificing some of your future? I think this year might be the year and a Raymond/Ballard/Schneider for Iginla deal is at least worth a thought.

The Canucks Defense is Overrated.

November 21, 2010 Rob 6 Comments Game Recap, Injury, Special Feature

First of all, let me start off this article by stating that this is not a knee jerk reaction article because of last night’s 7-1 debacle against the Chicago Blackhawks. I have been thinking about writing this article for some time now, and last night just cemented my feelings on this.

Vigneault doing the defenseman shuffle while Ballard sits and waits

November 15, 2010 Rob 2 Comments Game Recap, Special Feature

Keith Ballard sat out his fourth consecutive game this evening and it has Canucks nation puzzled. Fans and media alike have questioned this move by Vigneault which at first appeared to be a case of a coach sending a message to a player. That theory was largely thrown out after it became evident that this was more than just a couple of games in the press box. The theory also didn’t make sense to me because this was a player that got into a spirited fight in his last game and hasn’t hesitated to block shots in his first eight games.

Kevin Bieksa: The good, the bad…

October 13, 2010 Rob 0 Comments Game Recap, Special Feature

Let me first start off by saying this is not a blog entry bash Kevin Bieksa. I’ve done plenty of Bieksa bashing in my day, and I was not in favour of bringing him back to the team this year (until Sami Salo had his “floorball” incident). That being said, he has all the tools to be an excellent defenseman.