Quick Hits (From Behind): Scrabble Edition

Quick Hits (From Behind) is an irregular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

With the inaugural Scrabble Battle now in the books, and the surreal fog of yesterday's visit to Canuck Place now worn off (aided by the fact I overslept for work this morning), it seems the only thing left to do is file and alphabetize the memories.

PITB will have a full write-up with photos and video with all our thoughts and observations on the event sometime next week (and Skeeter is furiously preparing an IWTG) but, for now, we'll leave things in the hands of the capable writers at the Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, and Canucks.com. After the jump, a special Scrabble edition of the Quick Hits (From Behind):

Quick Hits (From Behind)

Quick Hits (From Behind) is an irregular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Hi there! Do you like links? Because PITB's got a handful of good reads to help you with your chronic e-somnambulism. But come back here when you're done. We need you.

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• The Eh Factor - I Have a Confession Regarding Matt Cooke

Nowadays, he's a gutless puke, but there was a time when Matt Cooke was a fan favourite player in Vancouver. Give Charron credit for bravely being the first former Cooke acolyte to admit the dirty truth:

I used to be a huge Matt Cooke fan when he was with the Canucks, but that was before he morphed into the Matt Cooke he is today. There was a time when he was a pest, but he didn't hit dirty, he just annoyed. There was a time when, in the wake of the Todd Bertuzzi suspension, Matt Cooke was moved to his spot on the Canucks' top line with Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund and scored three goals and was a +9 during a six game winning streak which won the Canucks the division title

[...] Matt Cooke was once what Alex Burrows is right now: a marginal top line player who was a fan favourite. Burrows isn't dirty, just annoying if you're wearing a different jersey, and this is what Matt Cooke used to be, and, while I hate the 'pest' role, a lot of players do it very effectively without putting anyone but themselves in danger.

Oh my, Matt, how things have changed.

Charron is spot on about Cooke once being what Burrows is now, and fans love those sorts of players: underdogs who find chemistry with the stars and find an invaluable niche filling gaps. I've gone on record that Alex Burrows is my favourite player (or was, before a certain fourth-line winger agreed to Scrabble me), and Matt Cooke once was for a lot of the same reasons. I'm not so into him now.

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Quick Hits (From Behind)

Quick Hits (From Behind) is an irregular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.


Perhaps you've noticed the influx of Canucks-related stories on NHL.com. It'd be hard not to, especially since the team has been featured in numerous stories. Why is this? Well, it might be because the Canucks are the best team in the NHL, and deserving of the coverage; or maybe because the Canucks recently had three players named to the All-Star game; or maybe it's because the NHL (and NHL.com) offices are in New York, and it's easier to cover a team when they come to you. Hint: it's the last one. If you're too busy to navigate NHL.com, PITB's collected all the Canucks coverage for you right here:

Quick Hits (From Behind)

Quick Hits (From Behind) is an irregular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.


So I'm sick today, which means I don't have the energy for my daily dose of supreme bloggery. Instead, here are some links from around the blogosphere to entertain you in my time of illness.

• P.K. Subban Benching a Shame as NHL Conformity Wins Out -- Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun

Cole hits the nail on the head with regards to the P.K. Subban situation. As I and Angie Lewis debated, even though Darren Pang's slip of the tongue doesn't make him a racist, there are still some lingering problems with the way Subban's being handled. Cole:

He was quotable. He was fun-loving. He was cocky. He chirped at opposing players more famous than himself. He refused to bow and kiss the hems of their robes just because he was a rookie. He drew the ire of Sidney Crosby and Mike Richards and eventually — though he was playing like a Calder Trophy candidate most nights — this outrageous non-conformity of his could no longer be tolerated by the world's dullest hockey coach, Jacques Martin.

So off to the Habs' press box went P.K. Subban, and let that be a lesson to him.

When he returns, hopefully it will be with no personality at all.

For the man who loves more sports than just hockey:

• The 2011 NFL Lockout: When America Descended Into Madness -- Jon Bois, SB Nation

Having just gone through this as a hockey fan, I can understand the apprehension of football fans, taunted with the terror of a football-less season. I understand it more since there's talk of another NHL lockout soon. Bois:

Eli "Hot Rod" Manning sniff't the November airs for sign's of distress. Every city needs a hero, and as though a hero store that was out of heroes, Gotham City was in need of a hero.

Suddenly: Bedlam. The shrieks of a thousand crying childs, emanating from Death Street. (It isn't actually called Death Street; however; metaphor.) Hot Rod Manning got in his Hot Rod and Hit The Gas. His tires produced a Literal plum of smoke as he careened toward the scene of the crime.

And then there's this bizarre thing:

• Hockey Cats Are Back! -- Scott Herkes, Houses of the Hockey

I recommend this for the following reasons: first, one of the photos features Keith Ballard. Second, that photo looks like this:

Quick Hits (From Behind)

Quick Hits (From Behind) is a semi-regular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

• Those Sexy, Sexy Green Men

Wait, that should read "sexual."

Interesting read from Russell Smith of the Globe and Mail that turns the newfound obsession with the Green Men and their ilk into an article on fetishism, public exhibitionism, and social mores. I pointed out the oddity of the "green girl" on HNIC being on the receiving end of a sexual comment while the males have not a little while back, but Russell Smith has pulled the sexuality right out into the open.

• Why Tony Gallagher's "Wonderings" Are Not News

You know what happens when you assume things, Tony? Assumptions. Huzzah for more pointless speculation from Tony "Debbie Downer" Gallagher.

• SOB Promises a Meaner Performance

I should hope so. But keep it between the whistles; don't respond to the garbage after the whistle, the stuff that's just meant to rile you up. But lay out some hits, get mean in front of the net, and battle hard along the boards. Both SOB and Kevin Bieksa need to step up their physical game. Bieksa is at his best when he's pissed off: hopefully the Monday night loss will be enough to get him angry.

• Vancouver Cabbies, Beware

Vancouver 24 Hours is getting some attention for their amusing front page news encouraging Vancouver residents to tip their cabbies in dimes so they'll have the correct amount in change if Patrick Kane happens along. Adam Johns calls it "outdated and unnecessary," but if that's the case, so are references to Luongo's tears and Wellwood's weight, and you don't see those stopping any time soon.

• HNIC is Falling Apart and Don Cherry's the Only One Who Cares

Spot on blog post from Jonathan Willis at Hockey or Die. Quite frankly, Hockey Night in Canada coverage has been slipping for years. The fact that Mike Milbury still has a job in hockey is baffling to me. The fact is, CBC lacks legitimate hockey analysts, ones that can break down a play in an informative, yet entertaining way. Hardcore hockey fans will not learn anything new from the between-period segments: Harrison and I would frequently just fast forward through them when watching a game on PVR until we started watching them more often for the blog. Things haven't changed.

Hrudey occasionally has something interesting to say, but his dalliances with the CNN-style video screen are more distracting than anything else. The iDesk is a poorly conceived attempt to incorporate new media, more frequently leading to the pointless e-mail quoting that led to Don Cherry's mini-rant. PJ Stock is sometimes entertaining, sometimes grating, but he's not being paid to be an analyst. Mike Milbury, the worst GM the NHL has ever seen, is. Hockey Night in Canada is CBC's flagship program, their big draw on Saturdays, and it doesn't reflect that fact.

Quick Hits (From Behind)

Quick Hits (From Behind) is a semi-regular feature on Pass it To Bulis, wherein two hockey fans chip in their thoughts on current hockey news and get assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

• Mayor Gregor Robertson declares April 27th Canucks Day

While it's certainly not as bad as planning a Stanley Cup parade route after a first round victory, these kinds of proclamations are usually saved for league champions or record-setting regular seasons. While it's always nice for the city to show support for the home team, they rightly deserve the mocking they will receive.

• Alexandre Burrows Plans on Not Being Invisible

Let's start with the obvious: I love Alexandre Burrows. You, if you're a Canucks fan, love Alexandre Burrows. But he may as well have been Alexandre Bolduc in that last playoff series (you knew there was a reason I spelled out "Alexandre"). It's long been acknowledged that players need to find an extra gear in the playoffs to perform well. That's why Joe Thornton does not succeed: he coasts in the playoffs like it was the regular season. The problem, however, is that Burrows operates at playoff-level at all times, which is why he's managed to battle his way from the ECHL to the best line in the NHL. It seems like Burrows just doesn't have that extra playoff gear because he's already gunning it throughout the regular season. Fortunately, Burrows has a wide range of ways that he can impact a game, ways that don't appear on the scoresheet.

• Foundation Award Finalists Announced

This is one of the big reasons why I love hockey. In general, hockey players are some of the most charitable people in the world of sports. It's why Trevor Linden wasn't just a great hockey player but a legend in Vancouver and why I was impressed and touched, but not surprised, by the Sedins recent donation of $1.5 million to BC Children's Hospital. This year, the finalists are Dustin Brown, Mike Green, and Ryan Miller. These kinds of things can even make me like a diving, conniving punk like Dustin Brown. At least for a little while.

• Paging Checking From Behind...Checking From Behind, Please Come to the Customer Service Desk

Finally, with an appropriate topic for the inaugural Quick Hits (From Behind), an article on the absence of Checking From Behind calls this season and the rise of Boarding calls. It's an interesting article, well worth the read. The issue is that every single Boarding call seems to be a hit from behind as well, which makes it difficult to know where to draw the line. It's also interesting to note that the Checking From Behind penalty is an automatic 5-minute major and a game misconduct, meaning hits like Hossa's on Hamhuis, which was called boarding, could have resulted in a game misconduct for Hossa, meaning he's not on the ice to score the gamewinner in overtime. Instead, he was assessed a 5-minute major for boarding with no game misconduct.

It's likely that no game misconduct (and no suspension) was assessed because Hamhuis wasn't injured on the play, yet another absurdity of the current NHL's system of punishment. The question is, should more Checking From Behind penalties be called or is the NHL's emphasis on Boarding penalties enough to dissuade these kinds of hits? Feel free to chip in your comments on the issue.