Sport-scan daily brief

Washington Post LOADED: 10.06.2013

719870 Winnipeg Jets

Finnish Flash finished? Jokinen not convinced

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 10/5/2013 2:01 PM | Comments: 1 | Last Modified: 10/5/2013 4:10 PM | Updates

Teemu Selanne is one of Winnipeg’s hockey royalty and the red carpet will be rolled out for the Finnish Flash when his Anaheim Ducks arrive in town for Sunday’s match-up with the Jets.

But even though the 43-year-old Selanne has indicated this will be his final season before retirement, fellow Finn Olli Jokinen isn’t quite convinced his second return to the place where his storied NHL career began will be the last.

"I’ll believe it when I see it that he’s done," said Jokinen with a grin after Jets’ practice Saturday. "He’s been saying this for seven-eight years now that it’s going to be his last season.

"He’s the type of guy that loves the game and is still able to play at a high level so why not keep playing?"

Selanne isn’t expected to be in the lineup tonight in Minnesota when the Ducks face the Wild as head coach Bruce Boudreau is attempting to pace his star during the course of the 82-game season. But he will play against the Jets and if the night is even half as electric as his first visit back in the fall of 2011, then it will be special.

"I wasn’t here for that, but that’s what Teemu’s wife was saying," said Jokinen. "Sirpa (Selanne’s wife) was here as well with the kids and it was good for his kids to actually see where he started playing and how much the people here really love him.

"But like I said, this could be the last regular-season game, but there’s a possibility we’ll see him in the playoffs. And," added Jokinen with a smirk, "there’s a possibility he could still play five more years."

The Jets will attempt to push their record to 3-0 to open the season against the Ducks while, at the same time, soak up some of the atmosphere that comes with Selanne’s return.

"It's kind of cool. He's one of those guys that I watched when I was really young and he's still in the league and still a pretty good player," said Bryan Little. "It's always fun playing against guys you looked up to and you watched as a kid. It should be fun and I'm sure the fans are going to make him feel at home out there, too."

"He's been such a dominant player and had such an impact here in Winnipeg... he's a guy that has made a big contribution to not only the NHL, but the NHL here in Winnipeg," added head coach Claude Noel "His numbers both internationally and in the National Hockey League speak volumes for the player. This is a guy that performs. You watch him play at his age... it's just a marvel. For me it's always been a pleasure to watch him play but even to continue to play at this level like he does is something else.

"I just hope we win the game as we marvel."

Of note at Jets practice, defenceman Grant Clitsome was back on the ice but Toby Enstrom was absent. Noel said Enstrom missed the workout because of maintenance and listed him as day-to-day but expected he’d play on Sunday. Clitsome, Noel said, will be evaluated again Sunday and "may be a player as well."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.06.2013

719871 Winnipeg Jets

Venerable Flash needs his rest

Cautious Ducks will give Selanne plenty of it

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

It's not like Teemu Selanne will need a team of masseuses and the aid of a walker to get him ready for tonight's game against the Winnipeg Jets.

But the Anaheim Ducks are being cautious about how they use the 43-year-old this season. That's why he was to sit out Saturday night's game in Minnesota against the Wild and why head coach Bruce Boudreau plans to rest Selanne in at least one of the Ducks' 12 back-to-back games this year.

"Winnipeg might be a pretty big night for him," Boudreau told NHL.com. "They love him there and rightfully so. They should love him."

Earlier this week Selanne, in an interview with Scott Burnside of ESPN, spoke of what will be a season of goodbyes and farewells.

"This time when I announced right away (he was retiring) it almost felt like a big thing in my chest just disappeared," said Selanne. "You can just enjoy every day and have approach that you don't get this day back anymore.

"In the past, I tried to live the same way and I think that really helped me. By the same hand, you were still thinking, 'when is going to be the last one?' But right now, I have a really good feeling."

QUOTABLE: "I doubt I'll keep that pace... Maybe if half of them are empty-netters." -- Jets' centre Bryan Little when it was noted that with two goals in the first two games, he is currently on pace for an 82-goal campaign.

NOTABLE: Olli Jokinen's goal against Los Angeles Friday night was the 300th of his NHL career.

"It means I've been playing a long time," said Jokinen. "I've been playing with really good players. But at the end of the day it's just a number. Any time you score it's all about your linemates and the people around you. I think it just shows that I've been blessed to have good linemates through my career."

FYI: The last time the Jets opened a season 2-0 was 2009-10 as the Atlanta Thrashers. In 2006-07 the Thrashers opened with a shootout loss before banging out three straight wins, but never in the franchise's history have they piled up three straight victories at the start of a campaign.

"There's a lot of confidence in here right now, but we've got a lot of work to do," said Little.

Added Noel:

"There's a couple of things I've liked. We've played two different teams with two different styles. We had a fairly long way to go from the first game... there were a lot of breakdowns because of a lot of different factors. The second game was a way different game. L.A. plays in straight lines and more physical and I thought we responded well with the way we played. We did some things way better from a breakout and support-the-puck standpoint. We adjusted in getting more shots to the net and made some adjustments that we got rewarded for.

"But I liked the fact that we tried to change our body of work foundation-wise. And that would be trying to become a hard team to play against. We're a ways to go yet, but we've taken some steps."

OUCH REPORT: D-man Toby Enstrom did not skate on Saturday -- Noel called it a "maintenance" day -- but it's expected he'll be good to go against the Ducks. Meanwhile, defenceman Grant Clitsome returned to work on Saturday and will be evaluated again today.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.06.2013

719872 Winnipeg Jets

You'll be a Jets legend forever

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Teemu SELANNE will always be hockey royalty in Winnipeg, right up there on the Jets' Mount Rushmore alongside Hull, Hawerchuk, Hedberg and Nilsson.

So, yeah, Olli Jokinen -- a fellow Finn who has trained, skated against and with Selanne during his own long NHL and international career -- is cranked up a bit for the return of the Finnish Flash tonight.

He's just not sure it will be Selanne's final farewell, though.

"I'll believe it when I see it that he's done," said Jokinen after Jets practice Saturday. "He's been saying this for seven, eight years now that it's going to be his last season.

"He's the type of guy that loves the game and is still able to play at a high level so why not keep playing? This could be the last regular-season game (here), but there's a possibility we'll see him in the playoffs.

"And," added Jokinen, with a grin, "there's a possibility he could still play five more years."

Not likely, although hockey fans have seen this script before. It was in late August when Selanne, now 43, announced he would return for his 22nd and final NHL season -- a career that began with the Jets in 1992-93.

His first visit to Winnipeg in the Jets' rebirth, back on Dec. 17, 2011, had fans lining up in the middle of the night to greet the Ducks' bus when it arrived at the team hotel. Selanne got a standing ovation in the warm-up and was cheered every time he touched the puck during the game, won by the Jets 5-3.

In a season that was all about comebacks and reconnections, Selanne's return ranked among the most memorable nights on a calendar full of them.

"That's what Teemu's wife was saying," said Jokinen, then a member of the Calgary Flames. "Sirpa was here with the kids. It was good for his kids to actually see where he started playing and how much the people here really love him."

Selanne's skills have been on display for over two decades in the NHL, and even longer to fans in Finland. But what Jokinen sees as the secret to his longevity is his zest for life and his pure love of the game. That approach, as Winnipeggers well know, is infectious.

"He's the player that any player can learn from every day. He never has bad days," said Jokinen. "He truly loves the game. Being 43 years old and playing this level... that's pretty amazing.

"The one thing he has is a passion about the game. Whatever happens the night before, he comes with a big smile on his face to the rink the next day. His attitude is whatever happened in the past doesn't really matter any more. It's a new day. That's probably one of the reasons he's still able to play.

"The last five, six, seven years I haven't really been to Finland that much, but the summers before he was always the guy -- and still is -- who organizes the skates back home. He's the one who starts sending you text messages the first week in July... 'Let's start skating.' It tells a lot that he wants to get better.

"Anyone who has been playing that long, you have to love the game, you have to have the passion. It's not rocket science... once you lose that you're not going to be able to compete. He wants to win."

Selanne sat out Saturday night's game against the Minnesota Wild.

THREE JET TAKES ON SELANNE'S RETURN

"It's kind of cool. He's one of those guys that I watched when I was really young and he's still in the league and still a pretty good player. It's always fun playing against guys you looked up to and you watched as a kid. It should be fun and I'm sure the fans are going to make him feel at home out there, too." -- Bryan Little

"I'm not trying to be mean but me, personally, I couldn't care less about that now to be honest. It was kinda cool when he came back two years ago. But that means absolutely nothing to me now. It's about us winning the hockey game and playing well and getting the two points." -- Evander Kane

"He's been such a dominant player and had such an impact here in Winnipeg... he's a guy that has made a big contribution to not only the NHL, but the NHL here in Winnipeg. His numbers both internationally and in the National Hockey League speak volumes for the player. This is a guy that performs. You watch him play at his age... it's just a marvel. For me it's always been a pleasure to watch him play but even to continue to play at this level like he does it something else.

"I just hope we win the game as we marvel." -- Claude Noel

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.06.2013

719873 Winnipeg Jets

TaitSelannebythenumbers

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

1,430 -- Career points, 15th all-time.

3 -- Seasons leading NHL in goals.

4 -- NHL teams played for: Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks.

10 -- Appearances in the NHL All-Star Game: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007.

22 -- Age when he joined the Jets following his required military service in the Finnish army.

8 -- Number of NHL players, including Selanne, who have scored 70 or more goals in one NHL season. The others: Wayne Gretzky (92 in 1981-82; 87 in 83-84; 73 in 84-85; 71 in 82-83); Brett Hull (86 in 90-91; 72 in 89-90; 70 in 91-92), Mario Lemieux (85 in 88-89; 70 in 87-88); Phil Esposito (76 in 70-71); Alexander Mogilny (76 in 92-93); Jari Kurri (71 in 84-85); Bernie Nicholls (70 in 88-89).

22 -- Career hat-tricks, most among active players.

132 -- Point total (76 G, 56A) as a rookie, good for a tie for just fifth in the NHL scoring race that season with Pierre Turgeon (NYI) and behind Mario Lemieux, Pitt. (160); Pat Lafontaine, Buf. (148); Adam Oates, Bos. (142) and Steve Yzerman, Det. (137).

SELANNE'S HARDWARE

Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year), NHL All-Rookie Team, 1993

NHL First All-Star Team, 1992-93; 1996-97

NHL Second All-Star Team, 1997-98; 1998-99

NHL All-Star Game MVP, 1998

Bill Masterton Trophy (perseverance, dedication, sportsmanship), 2006

Finnish ice hockey player of the year, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006

Stanley Cup champion (Anaheim), 2006-07

Olympic silver medallist, 2006

Olympic bronze medallist, 1998, 2010

IIHF world championship tournament all-star team, 1999

IIHF world championship tournament MVP, 1999

2006 Winter Olympics all-star team

2006 Winter Olympics, best forward

THE SELANNE TIMELINE

Some key moments in Selanne's career:

July 3, 1970: Teemu Ilmari Selanne is born in Helsinki, Finland to Liisa Viitanen and Ilmari Selanne.

June 11, 1988: Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, 10th overall.

Oct. 6, 1992: Selanne plays first NHL game against Detroit in a 4-1 Jets' win.

Oct. 8, 1992: Selanne scores first goal against Jeff Hackett and the San Jose Sharks.

March 2, 1993: Tips a puck past Quebec Nordiques goalie Stephane Fiset for his 54th goal of the season to eclipse Mike Bossy's rookie record.

Feb. 7, 1996: Traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with Marc Chouinard and a fourth-round pick in the 1996 NHL entry draft (Kim Staal) for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and a third-round pick in 1996 (Per-Anton Lundstrom).

March 5, 2001: Traded to the San Jose Sharks for Jeff Friesen, Steve Shields and a second-round pick in 2003 (Vojtech Polak).

July 3, 2003: Signed by the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent.

Aug. 22, 2005: Signed by the Mighty Ducks as a free agent.

January 30, 2006: Recorded his 1,000th NHL point against the Los Angeles Kings, becoming the 70th player and seventh European player to do so.

Feb. 19, 2010: Became the all-time leading scorer in Olympic men's hockey in a game against Germany (20 goals, 17 assists in 31 career games), surpassing Valeri Kharlamov (Soviet Union), Vlastimil Bubnik (former Czechoslovakia) and Harry Watson (Canada).

March 29, 2010: Is honoured in Anaheim for scoring his 600th goal and his No. 8 jersey is raised to the rafters, the first in club history.

Oct. 8, 2011: Scores twice and adds two assists in a win over Washington, becoming the oldest NHL player to collect four points in a game since Tim Horton had four assists Jan. 15, 1972.

Dec. 11, 2011: Returns to Winnipeg for the first time since the Jets' rebirth and receives a standing ovation and loud cheers every time he touches the puck. Finishes the night with two assists as the Jets win 5-3.

Feb. 19, 2012: In a 2-0 win over Florida, becomes the oldest NHL player to collect 20 goals in one season since Johnny Bucyk during the 1976-77 campaign with the Boston Bruins.

July 12, 2012: Signs a one-year contract with the Ducks worth $4.5 million.

Aug. 30, 2013: Signs a one-year contract with the Ducks worth $2 million, and announces he will retire at the end of the 2013-14 NHL season. He makes the announcement official by posting a funny video on You Tube: http://youtu.be/429SNIHJE7Q

-- compiled by Ed Tait

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.06.2013

719874 Winnipeg Jets

With glowing heart

Stacey Nattrass went from small jazzy coffee houses to lead the loudest anthem choir in the land

By: David Sanderson

Posted: 10/5/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 10/5/2013 7:05 PM | Updates

On June 23, Taylor Swift played for 33,000 people at Investors Group Field. Two months later, Paul McCartney drew 31,200 fans to the same venue. Impressive numbers, for sure, but if you're wondering who has performed in front of the most Winnipeggers this year, the answer is Stacey Nattrass.

Nattrass is the anthem singer for the Winnipeg Jets. Since January, she has appeared at 28 National Hockey League games, including Friday night's home opener versus the Los Angeles Kings. With sellout crowds of 15,004 per tilt, that adds up to a combined, live audience of 420,112 -- more if you include players, coaches and Dancing Gabe.

Nattrass with her husband, Damian, four-year-old Max and Jackson, 1.

Just don't let those gaudy totals trick you into thinking the married mother of two is leading a lifestyle befitting a country diva or ex-Beatle.

An hour before a recent, pre-season match between the Jets and visiting Edmonton Oilers, Nattrass is scrambling around her kitchen, trying to get dinner on the table for her sons, Max, 4, and Jackson, 1. After wolfing down a few forkfuls of chicken and broccoli, Nattrass fetches her purse, reaches for her car keys -- no limo waiting outside AGAIN -- and rushes downtown in a bid to get to the MTS Centre 30 minutes ahead of the opening faceoff.

"I suppose there's some notoriety associated with singing the anthem," says Nattrass, who in her "real" life teaches choir at Garden City Collegiate. "Sometimes when I'm out shopping for groceries a person will come up to me and say, 'Good job last night,' which is really sweet. But for the most part, I live pretty anonymously."

Sixteen years ago, Nattrass, 36, was studying music at the University of Manitoba. On weekends, she handled lead vocals for a smallish, jazz ensemble that performed in lounges and coffee shops around town. One evening, the group -- minus Nattrass -- was booked for a show in support of the Manitoba Moose's Yearling Foundation. Between sets, a person associated with the then-IHL squad approached the band. He said the team was in the market for a regular anthem singer and asked if they knew anybody who might fit the bill.

A couple of weeks later, Nattrass was standing at centre ice at the old Winnipeg Arena, belting out O Canada for a half-dozen interested on-lookers.

"They didn't really say too much but they seemed to like it," Nattrass says.

True that: within days, Nattrass was summoned to sing the anthem for a Moose game. One turned into two, two became three, and so on and so forth.

Nattrass sang for the Moose for 14 years. Twenty-six days after her last appearance on May 6, 2011, Mark Chipman announced that True North Sports and Entertainment had purchased the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, with the intent of moving the team, hook, line and Slater, to Manitoba. Like every other hockey fan around these parts, Nattrass was thrilled by the news. Within a week or so, though, she started to wonder how the switch to the bigs would affect her personally.

"I never assumed but I hoped," Nattrass says. "By mid-summer, I was contemplating emailing my contact and saying, 'So what are you thinking?' But luckily they beat me to it." (In August 2011, Nattrass topped a poll that asked "Who do you think should sing the anthem at Jets games?" Among the nominees she beat out were Burton Cummings, Maria Aragon and the Weakerthans' John K. Samson.)

"Stacey had been with us for years and she deserved the gig," says Kyle Balharry, True North's director of event production. "I think the best thing about Stacey is that she sings the anthem the way everybody in the crowd sings it themselves. What I mean is, she's not out there trying to change it up with all these weird parts, or going all operatic. Stacey sings it exactly how we all learned it in school."

That said, it's a safe bet nobody who attends Jets games nowadays -- not Second World War veteran Len Kropioski, not the fellows dressed like Don Cherry, not the "Queen" -- grew up yelling "True North" at the top of their lungs, during O Canada's second verse.

"The first time that happened was at the very first exhibition game against Columbus," Balharry says, referring to the now-famous shout-out. "A few of us looked at each other and said, 'What was that?' The second game it got a little bit louder and by the time opening night rolled around, it was thunderous. Now it's become a part of the whole brand."

Balharry gets calls and emails on an almost daily basis from people who are interested in singing the anthem prior to a Jets game. He has a couple of back-ups in case Nattrass is unavailable -- or adds to her family. Two seasons ago, Nattrass sang the anthem on Dec. 9, gave birth to Jackson on Dec. 14 and was back at the rink on Dec. 31 -- a feat that earned her a spot on Ace Burpee's 2011 list of outstanding Manitobans.

"There are always a couple of times during the year when we do a special anthem. This month, for example, we have a Kenyan boys' choir coming in as part of We Day," Balharry says. "But I'm not a big fan -- and I know our ownership's not a big fan -- of having different singers every time out."

For her part, Nattrass is willing to sing at Jets games for "as long as they'll have me." Sure, she'd love to get back on stage one day: in the past she has worked with Danny Schur in Strike!, performed at Rainbow Stage umpteen times and was called upon by filmmaker Guy Maddin for a live version of his feature Brand upon the Brain! at the 2008 New Music Festival. (Better still: when Nattrass was a member of the Winnipeg Youth Chorus, she sang on a trio of Fred Penner records: Happy Feet, The Season and Fred Penner's Place.)

But until Nattrass lands her dream role -- that would be Elphaba from Wicked -- singing for the Jets is as perfect a fit as the aviator-blue jersey she sports on game-night.

"I realized just how much singing the anthem meant to me during last year's lockout," says Nattrass, whose aunt is opera singer Tracy Dahl and whose brother is actor/singer Carson Nattrass.

"Don't get me wrong: I have a busy life with two little ones at home. Plus I absolutely love being a teacher. But deep down I'm a performer. And if I wasn't performing somehow, somewhere, I think I would really miss it."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.06.2013

719875 Winnipeg Jets

Teemu Selanne's top 5 moments

By Ted Wyman ,Winnipeg Sun

First posted: Saturday, October 05, 2013 05:45 PM CDT

In those three seasons, Teemu Selanne captured the hearts of the city's sports fans, setting a rookie scoring record that still stands today and showing a combination of skill and speed that few hockey observers had seen before.

After being traded in a colossal blunder by the soon-to-relocate Jets in 1996, Selanne went on to a brilliant career with the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche and represented his country in five Olympic hockey tournaments.

He finally returned to a hero's welcome with the Ducks two years ago and will make his Winnipeg swan song Sunday night at MTS Centre. Selanne, 43, says he is finally retiring after this season, and, at least in Winnipeg, that means a goodbye of Mariano Rivera-like proportion.

Here's a look at some of Selanne's greatest moments and achievements in hockey:

1. LIFTING STANLEY

Selanne was playing his 15th season in the NHL and was already one of the most popular players in league history when the Anaheim Ducks went on a great playoff run and won the Stanley Cup in 2007. After a great season, during which he scored 48 goals and 94 points, Selanne scored five goals and 15 points in 21 playoff games and got a chance to lift Lord Stanley's Cup over his head when the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators in five games. He talked about retiring after that moment, but has kept on playing for another seven years.

2. GREATEST ROOKIE

Selanne's first season with the Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93 was magical. He obliterated all of the NHL's rookie scoring records, scoring his 54th goal to pass Mike Bossy on March 2, 1993. He went on to score 76 goals and 132 points, records which will almost certainly never be broken unless the NHL changes its rules. Since that season, no NHL players has scored as many as 70 goals and only Mario Lemieux, Pavel Bure, Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos have scored as many as 60.

3. MEDAL MAN

Selanne has played in five Olympic Games and has won two bronze medals (1998, 2010) and a silver (2006). He is the all-time leading scorer in Olympic tournaments with 37 points. Selanne could become just the second player to compete in six men's Olympic hockey tournaments if he plays for Finland in February.

4. THE RETURN

On Dec. 17, 2011, Selanne and the Anaheim Ducks paid a visit to the recently revived Winnipeg Jets and it was a special night. Winnipeg fans poured on the love for the former Jets superstar, cheering each and every time he touched the puck and standing for repeated ovations. An emotional Selanne seemed to not want to leave the ice after the Jets won 5-3 and called it one of the most memorable nights of his career.

5. LOCKOUT LONGEVITY

While hockey fans lamented the loss of the 2004-05 season to a prolonged labour dispute between players and owners, Selanne took the year off to recover from knee injuries that made him a marginal player in his won forgettable season with the Colorado Avalanche. Selanne came back refreshed after the lockout and proceeded to score 40 goals and 90 points with the Ducks. He continues to be a productive player well into his 40s and entered this season as the 15th leading scorer in NHL history with 1,430 points. He needs 25 goals to become the seventh player in NHL history to record 700 goals. The others are Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Brett Hull, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito and Mike Gartner. Yup, he's in elite company.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.06.2013

719876 Winnipeg Jets

Jets avoid overconfidence while Scheifele gets more comfortable

By Ted Wyman ,Winnipeg Sun

First posted: Saturday, October 05, 2013 03:31 PM CDT | Updated: Saturday, October 05, 2013 03:37 PM CDT

The 2-0 record has everyone around the Winnipeg Jets smiling, but doing so with words of caution.

“In this league I’ve learned over my six years that you have to stay as level-headed as you possibly can,” Jets right-winger Devin Setoguchi said. “The second you get overconfident is when things start going wrong.”

Jets coach Claude Noel said he liked the fact the Jets have beaten two very different teams in the first two games.

“We had a fairly long ways to go from the first game, but the second game was a way different game and I thought we responded well,” he said. “We made some adjustments that we got rewarded for.”

Defenceman Toby Enstrom did not participate in practice Saturday, though Noel said it was just a maintenance day and expects him to play Sunday. Grant Clitsome, who started the season on injured reserve, skated Saturday and could return to the lineup Sunday.

SCHEIFELE SHINING

Rookie centre Mark Scheifele picked up his first career assist Friday, to go along with the goal he scored Tuesday in Edmonton.

“Every game I get more confident and more comfortable,” Scheifele said. “I thought I played well. I thought I was in position, I thought I was reliable and I thought it was a good all-around game.”

Noel liked what he saw as well.

“Mark is playing more straight lines, more of a pro game right now, starting to understand,” Noel said. “He’s a very good student of the game and he reads of our centres and he watches and he’s very coachable that way.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.06.2013

719877 Winnipeg Jets

Selanne’s latest farewell tour stops in Winnipeg

By Ted Wyman ,Winnipeg Sun

First posted: Saturday, October 05, 2013 01:20 PM CDT | Updated: Saturday, October 05, 2013 03:29 PM CDT

When Teemu Selanne comes to town Sunday for his latest final NHL appearance in Winnipeg, fans will not be the only ones in awe of one of hockey’s all-time great players and ambassadors.

Quite possibly the most popular athlete ever to play in this town, Selanne is just as highly thought of among players and coaches in the league.

“I just hope we win the game, while we marvel,” Jets coach Claude Noel said after the team practised Saturday at MTS Centre.

The Jets have rocketed out of the gate and have a 2-0 record going into Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, but for many Winnipeggers, the attraction of this game is a chance to say goodbye to a player who scored 76 goals here as a rookie and went on to a 20-year, surefire Hall of Fame career with Anaheim, San Jose and Colorado.

Playing what he has said is his final season in the NHL at age 43, Selanne is just starting a farewell tour that will surely be celebrated on every one of the Ducks stops.

“He’s been such a dominant player and had such a big impact here in Winnipeg,” Noel said. “He’s made a huge contribution to the NHL. His numbers both internationally and in the National Hockey League speak volumes for the player and this is a guy that performs — you watch him play at his age, it’s just a marvel. For me, it’s always been a pleasure to watch him play and continue to play at this level like he does.”

Selanne’s Finnish countryman, Jets centre Olli Jokinen, says he’ll believe it when he sees it, but if this is indeed the last appearance in Winnipeg, it will be special.

“This could be the last regular season game, but there’s a possibility we could play in the playoffs or that he’ll still play five more years,” Jokinen said.

“He’s a guy that loves the game and enjoys the game and is able to play at a high level so why not keep playing?”

Selanne was not expected to play Saturday night in Minnesota as Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau plans to limit his games this season, but he will suit up Sunday in his first game in Winnipeg since his magical return on Dec. 17, 2011, when the Jets beat the Ducks 5-3.

“He’s the player that any player can learn from every day,” Jokinen said. “He never has bad days. He truly loves the game. Being 43 years old and playing this level is pretty amazing. I think the one thing that he has is a passion for the game. Whatever happens the night before he comes with a big smile on his face to the rink the next day. His attitude is, whatever happened in the past, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Jokinen said Selanne has become one of the greatest sports heroes in Finnish history.

“Probably No. 1, No. 2 … top 3 for sure,” said Jokinen, pointing out Selanne has played in five Olympics for Finland and won three medals. “We have a few Formula One drivers and Jari Kurri. But Teemu’s right there. Hopefully he’ll play one more Olympics too, which would be six for him, which is pretty amazing.”

Jokinen said what has always impressed him most about Selanne is his dedication.

“In the summers he’s always the guy that organizes the skates back home. He starts sending text messages at the beginning of July saying, ‘Let’s start skating.’ Anyone who has been playing for that long, has to love the game. You have to have a passion because it’s not rocket science. Once you lose that, you are not going to be able to compete.”

Jets on Selanne:

MARK SCHEIFELE:

“Obviously he’s an unbelievable player and has had an unbelievable career. I haven’t heard one bad word about him. For a guy that I grew up watching, it will be a pretty big honour to have a chance to play against him.”

DEVIN SETOGUCHI:

“I actually got a chance to skate with him during the lockout and he was in better shape than three-quarters of the guys that were on the ice and, for his age, that’s incredible.”

OLLI JOKINEN:

“He’s a great player, one of the greatest of all time.”

SETOGUCHI AGAIN:

“He’s got this energy around him and he’s always got a positive attitude about things. He still skates faster than I do so for his age, that’s incredible.”

BRYAN LITTLE:

“It’s always fun playing against guys you looked up to and watched as a kid and I’m sure the fans here are going to make him feel welcome out there too.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.06.2013

719878 Vancouver Canucks

Burrows sidelined by foot injury ‘for couple of weeks’

October 5, 2013. 12:14

Posted by:

elliottpap

The Canucks will attempt to win their first game of the new National Hockey League season Saturday night without one of their most valuable players. Winger Alex Burrows, who skates on the first line with the Sedin twins, kills penalties and centres the second power-play unit, is out with a foot injury, suffered when he blocked a shot against the San Jose Sharks in Thursday’s season-opening 4-1 loss.

Canuck head coach John Tortorella wouldn’t admit that Burrows has a fracture in his right foot but the player was seen wearing a ‘moon boot’ and on crutches in a Rogers Arena hallway this morning. The Canucks meet the Edmonton Oilers tonight at The Rog. Both teams lost their first game.

“Alex Burrows is out and he’s probably going to be out for a couple of weeks,” Tortorella said. “I know you’re probably going to ask about 15 questions about shot blocking. Alex Burrows made the right play and if he doesn’t make that play, he’ll probably never kill a 5-on-3 again here. So don’t turn it into that. It was the right play to be made. Injuries happen in a lot of different ways. So we’ll continue to play defence, not just shot block, the way you are supposed to.”

Asked specifically about a fracture in Burrows’ foot, Tortorella replied: “I just don’t think we need to give out that information. He’s going to be out for a couple of weeks and that’s the way we’re going to leave it for right now.”

Burrows was not made available for interviews.

The Canucks didn’t have a full morning skate so it was impossible to determine who might play alongside Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight. The most logical candidates are Jannik Hansen and David Booth.

With Zack Kassian still suspended, Tortorella doesn’t have any extra forwards either and will have to dress a seventh defenceman to round out his 18 skaters. Yannick Weber and Andrew Alberts are the only ones available and Weber is expected to get the call.

“I played some shifts at forward when I was in Montreal,” said the ex-Canadien.

Henrik Sedin, meanwhile, conceded the Canucks will miss Burrows. “He’s a big part of our team and he plays in every situation so we’re going to miss him, for sure,” said the captain. “I mean, he’s a really good player. But it’s a chance for other guys to step up and that’s what’s going to happen every time you get an injury. We’ll see who plays with us. I don’t think (Tortorella) is afraid to move players around. He did it in the first game and I’m sure that’s going to happen again.”

Henrik attempted to downplay the shot-blocking angle that has been a trademark of Tortorella-coached teams. Burrows is the second Canuck to suffer a foot injury blocking a shot. Centre Jordan Schroeder fractured his left ankle during a pre-season game two weeks ago.

“Shot blocking has always been part of the game,” Henrik said. “Just because he is re-emphasizing it doesn’t mean we didn’t do it before. It’s bad luck.”

Henrik has had nothing but good fortune himself when it comes to injuries. His ironman streak will reach 631 games tonight, passing Andy Hebenton for sixth longest streak in NHL history behind Doug Jarvis (964), Garry Unger (914), Steve Larmer (884), Craig Ramsay (776) and Jay Bouwmeester (635). Henrik hasn’t missed a game since the 2003-04 season.

“Just lucky, I guess,” he said with a smile while looking for a place to knock on wood.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719879 Vancouver Canucks

Gallagher: Aggressive style looks like it will pay dividends

Strong forecheck befuddled the Oilers, and could be the Canucks’ calling card this year

By Tony Gallagher, The Province October 5, 2013 11:00 PM

Every team in the NHL tends to play better at home than on the road, but in the case of the Vancouver Canucks this season, that trend is apt to be accentuated.

While most home games won’t be as easy as Saturday night’s win over the young and confused Edmonton Oilers, who looked like they’d never seen a team forecheck in such a way before, there’s no question it will be a considerable advantage for coach John Tortorella to be here getting the last change.

That will be an advantage that will better allow him to protect his highly questionable third and fourth lines — the ones he doesn’t seem to want to use unless he can choose the players they play against and his team boasts a comfortable lead.

On the road, of course, as soon as he puts his third or fourth line out, the opposing coach is going to counter with three of his top six if the game in San Jose was any indication, and sadly, we saw the results of that against one of the strongest teams in the West.

There will be another immediate test of this theory tonight in Calgary when this team plays the first of its 17 back-to-back games, an inordinate number brought on by the Olympics, and evidently something of a brain lapse on the part of the front office which permitted such a schedule for a team as old as the Canucks. Carolina has 22 such back-to-backs, but it’s a lot easier in the East than out here.

To be sure, the locals were very much on their game Saturday, however, which after Thursday night, had to be a relief for the Canuck faithful. But then they almost always are at Rogers Arena when the Oil comes calling, the Sedin twins particularly enjoying the arrival of this team without a great back end. Led by the 18 points of Henrik, the Canucks are 10-1-1 in their last 12 at home over the past four plus seasons against this team — which everyone keeps predicting will get better, although signs of that happening have been markedly absent. And leave it to the Oil to get Daniel out of his scoring slump, the veteran winger bagging his first goal of the season and adding an assist to bring his career total to 13 goals and 11 assists in 19 career home tilts against Edmonton which hasn’t been a playoff since the twins became superstars.

At times last night the only thing missing was the Sweet Georgia Brown theme music used by basketball’s Globetrotters, such was Vancouver’s control of the puck and dominance of the game. Tortorella’s idea of hounding the puck all over the ice certainly produced the turnovers this team is looking for against a learning back end the Oilers have, the question being whether they can achieve this type of success against the better teams in the league when it matters.

“It’s nice to see that after they scored the first goal we were able to come back and get three before the end of the first period,” said Henrik. “That’s the way we want to play and we came close to playing 60 minutes that way. Maybe we weren’t going after them as much as we normally would if we weren’t up but our reads are really easy this way. We put a lot of pressure on their Ds and we didn’t really play this way for the past couple of years. We sat back a little bit more and played a bit more on the safe side. That’s what you get when you are aggressive, you turn pucks over and you get those second chances.”

“That’s the way we want to play, we kept coming at them, coming at them, and we shot a lot tonight and when you shoot that much you’re going to get six goals,” said Ryan Kesler who added he thought it wore down the Oiler goaltenders.

“I think it’s the way we play, we’re aggressive and it’s turning pucks over,” said Daniel Sedin of he and his brother dominating in such a fashion, something that had been absent for too long and certainly welcome relief for a team looking to extend the contract of the twins.

“Our reads are really easy in this system and you saw glimpses of it in San Jose for 30 or 35 minutes. It wasn’t our forecheck which stopped working, it was all the turnovers that we made which hurt us.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719880 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks on song in 6-2 home opener victory over Edmonton Oilers

By Jason Botchford, The Province October 5, 2013 11:34 PM

It could have been better, maybe, if the Rolling Stones showed up and played in the second intermission.

It could have been improved, possibly, by an impromptu Louis CK set or the Black Keys playing Vancouver’s goal song live six times.

Save that, you weren’t enhancing John Tortorella’s fireworks-like home debut behind Vancouver’s bench.

Consider just a few of the things that went down Saturday. Tom Sestito nearly scored. Twice.

Brad Richardson scored on a shorthanded breakaway, his first as a Canuck. Dan Hamhuis scored on an airball from the blueline. Ryan Kesler fought Will Acton.

Then, on the bench, Tortorella unloaded verbally on Acton’s dad, Keith, an Edmonton assistant coach.

Then, on Hockey Night in Canada, Glenn Healy tore into Tortorella, saying the Canucks coach needs to shut up. Always the Canucks fault, right?

That, Canucks fans, was all in the first period.

You probably could have gone weeks last year without getting this kind of entertainment.

Oh yeah, it was fun to watch hockey again throughout a 6-2 Canucks win. And it was fun, too, after the game when Tortorella dismissed the CBC.

“I don’t care what CBC says, or what anyone says quite honestly,” Tortorella said. “They don’t know what happened. I don’t really give a s--t what they say.”

Keep up with that and he’ll fit right in here.

How impressive all of this was depends on your thoughts about the quality of the Oilers. They sure haven’t convinced anyone they’re a playoff team yet, but they were without two of their top players, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sam Gagner.

The Canucks dominated the depleted squad and did it without Alex Burrows, unofficially listed a victim of Vancouver’s blocked shots era. Burrows hurt his leg in the San Jose game and Tortorella suggested Saturday he’ll be out 2-3 weeks.

For one game, he wasn’t missed. Henrik Sedin had three assists and Jannik Hansen scored a goal, taking Burrows spot on the top line.

The Canucks jumped out to a three-goal lead midway through the second, but did not let up. Even the third line was forechecking with three forwards willing to dip below Edmonton’s goal line.

“It was great,” Roberto Luongo said. “It wasn’t my best game. I was fighting the puck.

“Maybe in prior years we come out flat in the second and they get back in the game. We just stayed on them and got a couple more goals.

“It was pretty to watch.”

Henrik was asked if it was fun.

“I think so, it was very easy reads for the forwards,” he said. “We’re not sitting back.

“In the past, when we lost the puck we tend to skate backwards into our own end, giving up too much room. That’s a big difference this year.

“We didn’t really play this way for the past couple of years. We’d sit back more.”

If there’s a team in the conference Tortorella’s hard, aggressive forechecking is built to exploit, it’s a team like the Oilers, who make building a defence look like developing a search engine to overtake Google.

In the scope of a season, beating the Oilers can hardly be deemed a big game. But it was a significant one. It managed to run questions lingering from a disappointing loss in San Jose out of the rink, right along with the Oilers.

The Canucks had 44 shots to the Oilers’ 23.

Vancouver spotted Edmonton the first goal. Defenceman Jeff Petry played “Run around Eddie,” blowing by Alex Edler before sliding a sharp angle shot under Roberto Luongo. It was a bad goal and it was on Edmonton’s first shot 1:58 into the game.

Hamhuis scored a softie 18:27 into the first, when he launched a floater which deflected off Petry before it drifted into the net by a bewildered Devan Dubnyk. Hansen’s goal was just 18 seconds later.

What followed was the beauty of the night. With the Sedins having their way with Edmonton, Henrik pulled off one of his blind, spin passes through the slot. Daniel one-timed it in for his first goal of the game.

If you were looking for an exclamation point, that was it.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719881 Vancouver Canucks

The block talk stops here: Alex Burrows sidelined

Canucks forward sits out Saturday, will miss ‘a couple of weeks’ after getting injured blocking a shot

By Steve Ewen, The Province October 5, 2013

John Tortorella did his best to block the shot-block brouhaha.

“I know you’re probably going to ask about 15 questions about shot-blocking,” the Vancouver Canucks coach told the assembled media Saturday morning after announcing that Alex Burrows would be joining fellow forward Jordan Schroeder on the sidelines as the result of stepping in front an opponent’s attempt at goal.

“Alex Burrows made the right play. If he’s doesn’t make that play, he’d probably never kill a 5-on-3 here again. So don’t turn it into that. It was the right play to be made. Injuries happen in a lot of different ways. We’ll continue to try to play defence — not just shot block.”

Here’s betting we all haven’t heard the last of that.

Blocking shots was a major talking point the second Tortorella signed on with the Canucks this season. He answered questions about it readily to start. Much has been made of the fact that his old team, the New York Rangers, came in sixth in the NHL in that category last season, compared to 27th for Canucks.

Oddly enough, according to www.mangameslost.com, a website that claims to track such things, Vancouver was seventh in the NHL last season in games lost to injury, with 159. The Rangers were 11th, at 132.

Schroeder, a centre, suffered a hairline fracture in his foot stepping in front of an Edmonton Oiler shot in a Sept. 21 pre-season game. There’s no word on when he might be back.

Burrows was hurt Thursday in the regular-season opener versus the San Jose Sharks, seemingly while diving to knock down a shot with San Jose on a two-man power play in the second period. He finished the game, playing 11 minutes, 18 seconds, but he didn’t skate Friday at practice and there were reports Saturday that he was spotted wearing a walking cast on his right foot.

Tortorella wouldn’t elaborate on the injury, only saying that Burrows would miss a “couple of weeks.”

“I don’t think we need to give out that information,” said Tortorella. “So that’s where we’re going to leave it for right now.”

When he was the one noted absence on Friday, Tortorella called it a “body maintenance day,” and said that he thought he’d be ready to go Saturday, although he also admitted he needed to speak with team medical staff. Suspended winger Zack Kassian skated with Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Burrows’ usual top-line spot, on Friday, and it’s safe to suggest that Tortorella would have used someone eligible to play in that spot if he was certain that Burrows would be sidelined.

Vancouver’s morning skate Saturday was an optional, so there were no hints about their line-up against Edmonton.

Tortorella would say that Vancouver hadn’t called up another forward for the game against the Oilers in Saturday’s home opener, meaning that they would dress seven defencemen instead.

He wouldn’t divulge who would line up with the Sedins. David Booth skated there some in the third period against San Jose and Jannik Hansen has been used there in the past.

“We’re used to switching around the lines,” said Hansen. “We’ve been doing that for a long time here.”

It’s hard to guess what move the Canucks might make on the roster. Centre Zach Hamill was recalled from AHL’s Utica Comets when Kassian and fellow winger Dale Weise were suspended after that Sept. 21 Oiler game. Hamill was shipped back a few days later.

Kassian is suspended for three more games after Saturday night.

Burrows’ biggest loss could be on the penalty kill. Among returning forwards, he was second in ice time with the man short last season, at 2:01 per game. Only Hansen, at 2:10, was greater.

Some of that could go to the Sedins, who are getting a chance to penalty kill under Tortorella after not being used in that capacity by former bench boss Alain Vigneault.

Burrows in the line-up has been a constant during his time in Vancouver. Over the previous seven seasons, he’s missed a mere 14 games.

“He brings a lot of energy and can do a lot of good things on the ice,” said defenceman Jason Garrison. “He brings a lot of different aspects. But we’ve got guys who want to play his role. Hopefully they can step up and do it.”

Weise added: “He’s kind of been the straw that stirs the drink for us up front. He helps the twins. He PKs. He’s a huge leader for us.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719882 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Gameday: Tortorella show arrives home with potentially retribution-minded Oilers in town

By JASON BOTCHFORD, The Province October 5, 2013

EDMONTON OILERS AT VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena

TV: CBC; Radio: TEAM 1040 AM

- - - - - -

THE STORYLINE:

It will be some time before the Canucks play a “big game,” but this will be a significant one.

It’s the home opener for John Tortorella’s re-imagined Vancouver Canucks.

After looking overmatched in 4-1 loss to San Jose, the Canucks are out to show that was more about how stacked the Sharks are, rather than their own inadequacies.

The Canucks were nothing if not entertaining versus San Jose, sometimes for the wrong reasons.

Without question, they are still struggling with Tortorella’s new systems and demands to be aggressive, especially when they are under stress.

“We’re confident we can learn this style and excel at it,” Kevin Bieksa said.

“If it’s difficult (learning it) or not, that’s what we’re faced with.

“You can’t think it will be perfected in the first week of the season. It’s going to take some time. We showed some good strides.

“We were happy with the way we played at times. Other times, we’d like to play differently.

“We understand where we want to be, but I think at different times in the game, you’re tired, you’re at the end of a shift, maybe you took a puck off your foot and you’re hurt. When you’re not thinking clearly, you revert to old habits.

“That’s going to take some time to get it where it’s second nature.”

THE CANUCKS’ BIG STORY:

Down goes Burrows.

The Canucks will be trying to win this one without Alex Burrows, who blocked a shot with his leg during a Sharks two-man advantage Thursday.

Burrows could be out a couple of weeks.

Along with Jordan Schroeder, that’s two Canucks players lost to blocking a shot.

That’s just one game into the Tortorella era.

THE LINEUP:

Without a callup and with Zack Kassian suspended, the Canucks likely will play a defenceman on their fourth line.

It probably makes sense to bump David Booth up with the Sedins, and Dale Weise to the third line.

THE OILERS’ BIG STORY:

After a preseason game in which Zack Kassian’s stick broke Sam Gagner’s jaw and Dale Weise hit Taylor Hall with his elbow, the Oilers vowed retribution.

The Oilers quickly claimed super heavyweight Steve MacIntyre, seemingly in preparation for games like this.

Ben Eager then essentially threatened the Canucks’ skilled players.

But Eager was put on waivers and MacIntyre was injured.

Edmonton head coach Dallas Eakins has been saying the page was turned when the league handled it. Weise and Kassian were suspended and Eakins said that negated any desire for retribution.

We’ll see.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719883 Vancouver Canucks

Gallagher: Get out with the ‘poor Cory’ story, he’ll do just fine

By Tony Gallagher, The Province October 3, 2013

It’s nice to see Cory Schneider get the opportunity to start the season for the New Jersey Devils Thursday night for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is this endless chorus of ‘poor Cory’ we’ve been hearing ever since he was traded by the Vancouver Canucks.

It has been felt that because he was moved to this location, he was somehow unfortunate because he was once again behind a great goalie, this time the greatest of all time to date in Martin Brodeur. And the wailing on his behalf only increased a couple of weeks back when it was announced the Devils would stick with tradition in their opener and go with their living legend.

But step back and look at the fortunate situation in which Schneider has landed. He lands with a team with a tremendous defensive tradition and he’s now pretty much neck and neck with a fellow whose time really has passed.

Virtually nobody in the game plays goal the way Marty does anymore, new and better techniques being developed and advanced by the more modern practitioners.

And consider what happens when Brodeur retires, which is entirely likely to be at the end of this season.

Schneider will have one year to establish that he can in fact be a very strong starter in this league, something that is right now unknown although strongly suspected to be the case.

At that point, he will be an unrestricted free agent, which will mean a massive windfall of money for our poor downtrodden Marblehead Red Sox fan, at the very latest.

In all probability after this season,the Devils will come cap in hand to him with the intention of extending his contract, Phil Kessel style or better, as he enters his final year before becoming unrestricted.

After all, this will be a somewhat desperate franchise which, for as long as anyone can remember, relies to a massive degree on goaltending to backstop their approach to the game.

The Devils without great goaltending is like the Habs without a great atmosphere at home or the Leafs without their jerseys. It’s become one of the sport’s most established traditions thanks to Brodeur.

This is a team that not only can’t consistently keep its star players when they gain the capacity to free themselves, it can’t even keep the players they have under contract as the Ilya Kovalchuk experience underlines.

If Schneider says no thanks to their offers at this time next year, the Devils will have very little option but to increase the numbers on what will be a maximum eight-year offer because to see him walk away is not an option. It would be the essence of the franchise’s approach walking away, and that’s without even considering the waste of a very high (for New Jersey) first round draft pick they gave up to get him.

Again assuming Schneider is able to play at roughly the same level we have seen him perform so far, there’s a good chance he’ll sign when the Devils do indeed come out of their financial boots. But if he really dislikes the place — a strong possibility given the number of stars who have bailed on the Lou Lamoriello regime — there could be any number of takers, albeit the CBA restricting them to seven-year offers.

Consider Philadelphia will still be looking for a goalie and may have saved up enough cap room by then to make another big money stab at scratching the franchise itch.

Henrik Lundqvist is finishing up his deal in New York this season and the Pens will be free of the $5 million they are paying Marc Andre Fleury by then.

Calgary has no goalie at the moment at least, and acres of cap room going forward just like Colorado, which could step up in class at this position, Patrick Roy not terribly likely to be patient for long with what management has furnished.

It goes on and on really, with no real way of predicting that far down the road other than to suggest Schneider appears to have the potential to be a franchise-altering player.

So if the man who is still rightfully so loved and respected in this town really is as good as he seems to be, there will be no need for sympathy.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719884 Vancouver Canucks

Dale Weise says “I’ll guess we will see what happens,” in first meeting with Oilers since Hall hit

October 5, 2013. 1:19 pm

Posted by:

Steve Ewen

Dale Weise said after the morning skate that he wasn’t sure whether he’d get extra attention from the Edmonton Oilers in the Vancouver Canucks’ home opener Saturday.

Weise was suspended for the final three preseason games for his hit to the head on Edmonton star Taylor Hall in a Sept. 21 exhibition encounter. He received a minor penalty on the play. He fought Mike Brown later in that game.

That was the same night that Zack Kassian broke Sam Gagner’s jaw with an errant yet reckless high stick. Kassian was suspended the three preseason games and the first five of the regular season.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Weise said when asked whether he was going to be targeted by the Oilers. “I guess we will see what happens. I’m going to go out and play the same way. Regardless of whether it’s Taylor Hall or someone else, I’m going to finish that check every time.

“If I have to answer the bell, it’s part of the game.”

Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins told the Edmonton Journal that he feels the league has dealt with it, saying, “We’ve instructed our guys to play hard ever night and every shift but we’re not going to look for guys who have made dumb plays. The league handled it and we’re good with it.”

After that game, though, the Oilers claimed tough guy winger Steve MacIntyre off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins. When he hurt his knee, they added another physical customer in winger Luke Gazdic, plucking him off the waiver wire from the Dallas Stars.

“It’s not a matter of head hunting guys,” said Gazdic. “If there is an opportunity for me to finish a clean check on any player, I am going to take it, whether it is Henrik Sedin or Dale Weise. It doesn’t matter. If I have somebody lined up, I am going o finish the check because that’s the way I play.

“I’m not going to slow up for different guys or head hunt for different guys. I just play 100 per cent all the time. It’s the only way I know.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719885 Vancouver Canucks

John Tortorella: ‘I know you’re probably going to ask about 15 questions about shot-blocking’

October 5, 2013. 12:53 pm

Posted by:

Steve Ewen

John Tortorella did his best to block the shot-block brouhaha.

“I know you’re probably going to ask about 15 questions about shot blocking,” the Vancouver Canucks coach told the assembled media Saturday morning after announcing that Alex Burrows would be joining fellow forward Jordan Schroeder on the sidelines as the result of stepping in front an opponents’ attempt at goal.

“Alex Burrows made the right play. If he doesn’t make that play, he’d probably never kill a 5-on-3 here again. So don’t turn it into that. It was the right play to be made. Injuries happen in a lot of different ways. We’ll continue to try to play defence — not just shot block.”

Here’s betting we all haven’t heard the last of that.

Blocking shots was a major talking point the second Tortorella signed on with the Canucks this season. He wasn’t shy about it. Much has been made of the fact that his old team, the New York Rangers, came in sixth in the NHL in that category last season, compared to 27th for Canucks.

Oddly enough, according to www.mangameslost.com