Yes, last night was great, and yes tonight is gonna be awesome, but here at Nucks Misconduct we've got something else on our minds. Tonight we're calling on you to help those devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines as we raise money for the Canadian Red Cross's relief fund.
The sheer scale of the destruction is unimaginable. Even seeing it on tv doesn't give you the true magnitude of it all. Typhoon Haiyan laid waste to a good portion of the Philippines, an area still recovering from a significant earthquake in October, and while the relief effort is well under way, there's still lots to be done, and more help needed. We at Nucks Misconduct pride ourselves in taking something as trivial as a social media platform like this and using it for good, having raised money for a number of charities over the years by donating 10 cents per post, and tonight, we're calling on everyone in the SBN family to join us as we raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross. The beauty of this, is that whatever donation we're able to make at the end of the night, that total will be doubled thanks to the pledge from the Canadian government to match all donations to the fund. And, you can also donate directly: http://www.redcross.ca/donate/donate-online/donate-to-the-typhoon-haiyan-fund . So please, join us in tonight's game thread, and help us help those who can really use a hand right now.
Now, onto the task at hand for the Canucks. We'd all been saying (team, media, and fans who weren't looking for a suitably high perch to launch themselves from) that the Canucks were doing a lot of things right, and the goals would come. So, we're all geniuses or something. Last night was the explosion we'd been waiting for, and while it came from some of the expected names, it was extremely encouraging to see some others getting in on it. Goals from Zack Kassian, Alex Edler and Jeremy "You're not a red shirt anymore, laddie" Welsh, plus the Sedins splitting 3 goals (and you know they fought all the way home about Hank's outright theft of Daniel's 300th goal) were wonderful to see, and while some threw in the disclaimer (coming against an injured Blue Jackets team without their top 2 scorers) after numerous losses where the Canucks were flat out the better team, it really was nice to see the hard work pay off. In this era of parity (manufactured through Bettman points or not) you still have to play the games, and for a change the score reflected the dominance the Canucks showed on the ice against the Blue Jackets.
And then there's tonight. Will playing the defending Stanley Cup Champions on the tail-end of a back to back hurt or help? Sure there might be a fatigue factor, but just from the history between these two teams, there's little doubt the guys will be jacked up. Roberto Luongo had a relatively easy night in goal, so seeing him possibly start isn't that much of a concern, not to mention being the competitive guy he is, you know he wants this one.
Our bitter rivals are looking very much like they did last season, and you can't help but respect a defending Champion who continues to look like the team to beat. While we may have shifted our focus to a couple other thorns in our side (San Jose and LA), to me the rivalry with the Blackhawks is still the most important, and their Cup win in June just re-emphasizes that. You always want to see how your team measures up against the best, right? And the respect, begrudging as it is, both of team and fan base (though it is discouraging to see them rid themselves of noted Delta Bravo Dave Bolland, only to welcome back mouth-breathing pond scum Kris Versteeg with open arms), is another great aspect of this rivalry.
Had the Canucks lost last night, or had the game been on Thursday, I'd be feeling a lot less confident about their chances tonight. The feeling of having that weight off their backs is huge, and they're going to taking that confidence into a game against a team they know so well. Sure, it could all go south on them, but it's nice to know that they don't have the cloud of frustration that's been hanging over the team for days. They can score again, they've got a goalie who, and this is gonna come as a shock to a lot of people, has been playing pretty damn good all season long (2 goals or less in 10 of his last 11 starts is impressive as hell, yet getting so little play). Relatively healthy, goalie in the zone, and scoring woes, at least for one night seemingly solved. If they can just solve the dreadful power play, and somehow get David Booth to be reborn as an NHL player, they're in pretty good shape to get back in the dog fight that is the Western Conference.
Kickass Metal Tune Of The Day
When people think of The Philippines and metal, the conversation usually goes something like "Hmmm... well the guys from Death Angel are Filipino, right?". And while there's not been a band that's really leapt out from that region, I did come across one band that's promising. Mass Defect play some death-tinged thrash in the style of Revocation or Skeletonwitch, and if they're to be judged by this track, they might be worth a further look.
More from Nucks Misconduct:
- Blackhawks At Canucks Preview: A History Revisited
- Canucks End Losing Streak With 6-2 Win Over Blue Jackets
- Video: Jeremy Welsh Scores His First NHL Goal
- To Score or Not To Score...
- Canucks Brunch- Perception Versus Reality Or Something...