No team is more disappointed about how last season ended than the Western Conference Champions Vancouver Canucks. After an embarrassing 4-0 Game 7 loss to the Bruins on home ice, which was followed by outside riots that resulted in millions of dollars in damages, the Vancouver Canucks begin a long and more difficult road to return to the Finals and seek redemption. There is no doubt in my mind or anyone's in Canada, that the Canucks are still Canada's best hope to bring the Stanley Cup back to its country. The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the cup in 1993.
2010-2011 began as a year of destiny for Vancouver. They had a very busy offseason which brought them the biggest defenseman on the market in Dan Hamhuis as well acquiring Keith Ballard from Florida. The Canucks thought they finally had the toughness and depth to win the cup. They easily won the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL, but it was a late season injury to its biggest checking center Manny Malhotra that made fatigue set in a bit quicker.
The Canucks added forward depth at the trade deadline getting Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins in separate deals. The additions helped them in the playoffs. After exorcising their playoff demons the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1, it seemed the story would end perfectly with the Canucks winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup in its 40th anniversary season. They managed to overcome a hot goalie in Pekka Rinne in Nashville in Round 2 and exorcised their 2010 nemesis in Antti Niemi in the conference finals against San Jose, who I will write about sometime this week. But, on their road to the final they suffered key injuries and some players were not 100% like Ryan Kesler and even the Sedin's.
However, the Finals presented their biggest test in Tim Thomas of the Bruins. The Canucks jumped out to a quick 2-0 series lead against Boston after winning the first two games on home ice. However, the Canucks barely won their two home games and the Bruins actually managed to play well in Vancouver and never seemed to lose any confidence heading home. Also, the Canucks lost their #1 defenseman in Dan Hamhuis to injury. During period 1 in Game 3, both teams were even in the frame, but after a hit to the head of Nathan Horton by Canucks Aaron Rome, the series seemed to change. The Bruins felt motivated and Tim Thomas started to play out of his mind, stopping shots a great NHL goalie would not stop. Boston trumped Vancouver 8-1 in Game 3 in Boston and the Canucks confidence began to suffer. Rome would be suspended for the rest of the final. They followed up a Game 3 overwhelming victory with a 4-0 shutout of Vancouver in Game 4. Roberto Luongo's confidence was simply shattered.
In Game 5, the Canucks returned home determined to go back to Boston up 3-2 with a chance to close out the series. They did just that, but yet again it was only a 1-0 victory so Boston was still confident. Despite an extra day to prepare for Game 6, the Canucks lost Game 6 in Boston 5-2 and the rest of the story told itself.
So, now comes the healing and redemption part. The biggest question is can Luongo rebound from a terrible series against Boston as well as the Canucks. As mentioned above, they still are Canada's best hope for a Stanley Cup, but it will be more difficult for them. They did add some toughness and lost toughness. Torres, Ehrhoff, Bolduc and Glass are gone. In come Marco Sturm, Andrew Ebbett and Byron Bitz. They also brought in Owen Nolan and Todd Fedoruk for a professional tryout. Nolan if healthy and effective can be a 20 goal scorer although with his age those days are likely over. But if he can get at least 15 it will be good for Vancouver. Fedoruk is an enforcer and will be a plus for Vancouver along with Bitz. Ebbett is also a physical presence.
Luongo can bounce back and I think he will feel more motivated than ever. He does have a large cloud of pressure on him to win the Stanley Cup for Vancouver and prove his long-term contract is worth it, otherwise Cory Schneider is ready to step in at any moment. One person who should feel a lot of pressure and motivation is Head Coach Alain Vigneault, who was out-coached by Claude Julien in the Finals. But, why is there pressure on him? Well the Canucks have hired former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish to be the Head Coach of their minor league affiliate in Chicago. MacTavish led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and was a finalist for many coaching vacancies this year. If the Canucks get off to a rough start or are not in the right state of mind to go for another cup run or victory, Vigneault could be on the chopping block and MacTavish will most likely be his successor.
However, I think their road back to the finals will be much more difficult than what they went through this year. I think teams like Chicago, Detroit and San Jose got better and they are the #1 target in the tough Western Conference. But, they have another very good chance. If they can avoid the Blackhawks in the playoffs, they can certainly return to the finals and if they do, I think they will win the cup even if this years final is a rematch of this past years.
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