Everyone Loves Krog: I officially don't understand the Russian leagues. Jason Krog, who just signed with the Canucks, supposedly had a seven figure offer from a Russian team. Krog took considerably less (he signed for $750,000) to play for the Canucks. But had...... , posted on July 16, 2008 more

Witt Touched; Golbez Ecstatic: I was originally going to write something sarcastic about the Islanders giving 33-year-old defenseman Brendan Witt a two-year, $6 million contract extension when he still has another year left on his deal. Committing to a player of that age before...... , posted on July 11, 2008 more

C. Everett Koop: 'Don't Split the Sedins!': I wish I could get more into the NHL draft. It all seems so speculative. You won't know which teams won the draft for years. It does seem fairly certain Evgeni Malkin isn't getting traded to the Kings for a...... , posted on June 20, 2008 more

Return of the Mac: I've been heavy with Wings news this week. I'm not sure why. Actually, I think a lot of it is just being excited for Darren McCarthy's seemingly successfully mounting an NHL comeback. The guy just belongs in Detroit. It looks...... , posted on February 20, 2008 more

Panthers: 'Of Course We'd Love to Own the Brooklyn Bridge. This Sounds Like a Very Exciting Opportunity': Say what you will about the Florida Panthers, you have to love any team that admits a certain trade is horrible. You know. Like an injured Todd Bertuzzi for goalie Roberto Luongo. For such a great goalie, Luongo sure does...... , posted on October 08, 2007 more

Read This Post or PuckUpdate is Over!: Somebody call a wah-mublance! Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo says he'll retire from the NHL if the league makes the nets bigger. If someone had asked him about the league using a smaller puck, he probably would have said he'd set...... , posted on September 26, 2007 more

Blades of Steel: Pop Jocks has some nice details on NHL 08. I didn't love NHL 07, but I've really loved a lot of the earlier versions. And 08 lets you also manage an AHL team, too, meaning you can actually develop a...... , posted on August 30, 2007 more

Free Agents: 'How About a Free Paella Clause?': OK. So those Michael Nylander to Vancouver rumors were more than rumors. The Oilers seem pretty mad, too. I love the thought of Nylander getting like 10 or 15 contracts and then just playing in a different city every night....... , posted on July 04, 2007 more

Clutch Turco: Whatever happens tonight in Vancouver, Dallas fans pretty much have to agree that Stars goalie Marty Turco isn't the playoff albatross they've long complained he is. Three shutouts in the series so far? A lot of Stars fans seemed pretty...... , posted on April 23, 2007 more

Three Simple Rules: ESPN's Terry Frei wants a 'Doug Weight Rule' for the NHL. The rule would ban traded players who are becoming free agents from re-signing immediately with the team that traded the player. St. Louis traded Weight to Carolina last year...... , posted on February 23, 2007 more

Tanguay Represses: OK. I was fairly shocked to learn Alex Tanguay is mad the Avs didn't re-sign him. Why is he just talking about it now? It seems so random. Why didn't he say anything when he was traded? I apologize if...... , posted on November 30, 2006 more

Panic Button: Wow. Could the Coyotes be pressing any more panic buttons? I'm not saying they're scared, I'm just saying if Jody Foster ever does a sequel to one of her movies, she might want to hang out by the Coyotes' bench...... , posted on October 30, 2006 more

Chelios: 'I Can Play Until 2058': Chris Chelios: A million years old and still very useful. He doesn't need a lot of minutes but he can play them if they're there. That's a great option to have with your fifth or sixth defenseman. The crazy thing...... , posted on September 26, 2006 more

Pacific What Zone?: Barry MacDonald has an interesting column about how the Canucks won't play the Penguins, Senators, Habs, or Leafs at home this season. It's all a part of the NHL's plan to build rivalries. And it's not a bad plan. But...... , posted on September 01, 2006 more

The Death of the Vancouver Canucks: The Globe and Mail looks at the new direction the Canucks are taking. On the plus side, they've finally got a happening goalie. On the minus side, one of the league's most exciting teams is no more. Coach Marc Crawford...... , posted on July 27, 2006 more

License to Thrill: Free agent season. I'm not into hunting, but if I were, I imagine I would be just as excited about the start of hunting season. Or maybe, if I were into fashion, I'd be this excited about fashion week. Although,...... , posted on July 03, 2006 more

Draft Dodging: I'm not much of a draft person, but I love me some trades! Todd Bertuzzi for Roberto Luongo? The most shocking part of that trade was that Luongo was actually looking to sign a contract in Florida (login info.). Hasn't...... , posted on June 26, 2006 more

Hockey Smorgasboard: First, some non-Stanley Cup stuff: Larry Brooks runs some interesting scenarios, trying to figure out what it takes to keep Patrik Elias in New Jersey (login info.). Brooks suspects Elias is looking for a deal that will let him play...... , posted on June 19, 2006 more

How a Bill Becomes a Scorer: I'm not sure why, but Bill Guerin fascinates me. Actually, I am kind of sure why. For some reason, I'm captivated by athletes who implode for no real reason. Guerin spent his first chunk of time in Dallas injured. Later...... , posted on April 21, 2006 more

Changing Channels: The funniest thing about LA King Sean Avery being crazy (login info.)? It forces HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA's Kelly Hrudey to go off on a rant about Avery and respect and hockey and how Avery's antics are somehow destroying the...... , posted on April 10, 2006 more

Things I Wonder About: I don't watch a lot of OLN. In fact, I try and avoid OLN whenever I can. But they had Rangers-Bruins last night, and it was blacked out locally, so I watched OLN. The video quality was shockingly good. Everything...... , posted on March 21, 2006 more

Trade Is Over: Geez. I find the trade deadline so draining. The big shocks: Florida hanging on to Olli Jokinen and Chris Gratton, while not dealing goalie Roberto Luongo. So apparently they really want to keep together this core that has produced 24...... , posted on March 10, 2006 more

Heal Me Up: Can anything stop Scott Niedermayer? His knee is supposed to be in bad shape, yet it's had just about no impact on his ability to play. Apparently coach Randy Carlyle is prepared to ride the knee until it breaks (login...... , posted on February 06, 2006 more

¿Dondé Está Forechecking?: Ross McKeon had an interesting piece on how teams with less talent are learning to survive in the new NHL. He says pouncing on mistakes is the new trap (the defensive system — not what you use to catch bears)....... , posted on January 06, 2006 more

Goalie Sweepstakes: So the big rumor going around is that Florida is ready to move goalie Roberto Luongo, now that he's good and mad about his team's a) screwing him over in arbitration and b) refusal to win any games. The teams...... , posted on November 28, 2005 more

Franchises Moving?: The NHL is expected to fine LA Kings President Tim Leiweke for predicting the Penguins are going to move to Kansas City. I'm not cynical, but a lot of people were a bit surprised when the Penguins ended up with...... , posted on November 14, 2005 more

Cam Muscles: It's funny how people are using Cam Neely's Hockey Hall of Fame induction to point out how a tough guy like Neely would never make it in the current NHL. I think it's because so much of the NHL braintrust...... , posted on November 08, 2005 more

Slide, Baby, Slide: Larry Brooks, as is his way, weighs in on the state of the NHL (login info.). He talks about the lack of fighting and checking and intimidation in the game. But I'm guessing he filed before Calgary's 1-0 win over...... , posted on November 07, 2005 more

Watch This!: If you have Center Ice, I highly recommend staying up to watch Blackhawks-Canucks tonight. The Canucks blew my mind Sunday night against Dallas. Their forecheck is so aggressive, even the Dallas powerplays looked like penalty kills. I found myself counting...... , posted on October 18, 2005 more

Addition by Omission: Everyone is still talking about Todd Bertuzzi being allowed back into the NHL. And I certainly don't want to add to the chaos. But there is a really interesting aspect to his return that I didn't notice until SI's Truth...... , posted on August 10, 2005 more

Bertuzzi's Back: Todd Bertuzzi is back in the NHL. I'm not surprised. He's one of the league's more interesting players, a great mix of selfless fury and actual offensive talent. The NHL needs him almost as much as he needs hockey. It's...... , posted on August 09, 2005 more

Carnival of the NHL #3: Welcome Carnival of the NHL #3. I'm Steve Ovadia. You might remember me from blogs like PuckUpdate and PopUpdate Daily. Today, I'll be your host as I take you around the hockey blogosphere, from its beautiful hair, to its seamy...... , posted on July 29, 2005 more

Locked Out? Start a Band: You know who's really hating the lockout? The Canadian beer companies. You know why? Without hockey, they don't have a way to reach their core audience. Another sad side effect of the lockout is that Canadian TV is showing more...... , posted on November 30, 2004 more

XHA: The WHA is going to be like the XFL of hockey. Moe Mantha, the coach of the Detroit Gladiators picked Atlanta's Dany Heatley in the WHA realistic fantasy draft. Then he grabbed Alexander Perezhogin, last seen brutally attacking Garrett Stafford...... , posted on July 23, 2004 more

Vancouver Returns Sanderson: Back in March, which feels like years ago to me, for some reason, I wondered about the backdoor deals that teams made before the deadline. Like supposedly Vancouver had agreed to place Geoff Sanderson on waivers after the season. Columbus...... , posted on June 29, 2004 more

Headline: State Something Painfull Obvious: I love this headline: "Legal Experts: Bertuzzi Case Complex." Um. Yeah. In case you haven't heard, the Canadian government is charging Canuck Todd Bertuzzi with assault in his on-ice attack of Steve Moore. It's a messy situation. The NHL has...... , posted on June 25, 2004 more

Naslund Doomed: Markus Naslund better watch out. He's the coverboy for EA Sports' NHL 2005. So they'll be some hockey next season. You just might have to control it yourself. You might remember that Dany Heatley was last year's cover. He would...... , posted on June 23, 2004 more

Cloutier Plays Through Pain: Canuck goalie Dan Cloutier is a trooper. He's got a hip flexor issue, but he's playing past it. And it's actually sharpening his game. He shut-out LA last night. The Canucks were wrecked by Todd Bertuzzi's suspension. Their top line...... , posted on March 25, 2004 more

The Deals Behind the Deals: Stephen Cannella has an interesting piece about the backdoor deals associated with the trade deadline moves. Cannella mentions the Geoff Sanderson trade. Sanderson was sent to Vancouver from Columbus. Reports said that if Vancouver decided they were done with him...... , posted on March 25, 2004 more

Hockey's Image Problem: Obviously, Todd Bertuzzi's attack on Steve Moore had implications for the league. Not just for fighting and not just for the unwritten rules, though. Bertuzzi also attacked the very image of hockey: Bertuzzi's sucker punch was a star attacking a...... , posted on March 19, 2004 more

Predators Not Ready for Golf: What's going on with the Predators? They grabbed Steve Sullivan from the Blackhawks. He's a great pick-up for them. And they got him for just two second-round draft picks. The Predators also extended original Predator Scott Walker's contract. How sad...... , posted on February 18, 2004 more

Slegr a Bruin: Interesting move in Boston. They grabbed Jiri Slegr from the Canucks. The move is interesting becuase Boston is really in need of an offensive defenseman. Slegr doesn't really fit that mold. Boston also needs some kind of powerplay specialist. Either...... , posted on January 19, 2004 more

Espo: Canucks to Brazil?: I totally missed this. Canucks Corner has the link (and rebuttal) to the insane rumor, started by Phil Esposito, that the Canucks are moving to Houston. Pure insanity....... , posted on November 26, 2003 more

Bertuzzi Better or Worse?: A sharp PuckUpdate reader sent me a link to this article about how Todd Bertuzzi hasn't been playing well lately. This is on the heels of an ESPN.com article talking about how well Bertuzzi is playing since he signed his...... , posted on November 21, 2003 more

Bertuzzi's Money For Nothing: ESPN.com has an interesting piece on Canuck Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is fascinating in that he actually started playing better after he got his big, new contract from Vancouver. Most players would have started coasting. Although, really, Bertuzzi is just too...... , posted on November 19, 2003 more

Canucks Gamble Their Reputation: Geez. The Canucks haven't been sold to the Russians. Nah. Ownership is just using the Canucks, and the individual players, to promote gambling. The Canucks were supposed to make a big announcement yesterday. A lot of people thought the team...... , posted on September 30, 2003 more

Canucks Corner: Hey! Why not check out the Canucks Corner Weblog? It's new and it's pretty good. You'll thank me for it....... , posted on September 29, 2003 more

The Russians Are Coming...To Vancouver...Maybe...Who Knows?: So the big question is "Is Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich buying the Canucks?" The Canucks say no. Rumors in Russia are that he is. But rumors out of Russia are always pretty crazy. Their press can get a little, um,...... , posted on September 26, 2003 more

Being Johan Hedberg: Wow. This is everything (and more) you'll ever want to know about Canuck goalie Johan Hedberg. Seriously. I'm tired from reading it. Hedberg didn't really work out for Pittsburgh. I think a lot of people are wondering if he'll do...... , posted on September 19, 2003 more

Canucks Get Deeper: Wow. The Canucks signed Magnus Arvedson. And as good as Arvedson is, he'll probably only play on Vancouver's second line. Of course, that money might have been better spent getting Vancouver a more consistent starting goalie. But I don't want...... , posted on September 11, 2003 more

Penguins Stock Up on Goalies: Don't be like me. I took my eyes off of Pittsburgh for like two minutes and all this crazy stuff happened. First they gave Sebastien Caron a four-year, $3.2 million deal, which is a lot for Pittsburgh. I mean, their...... , posted on August 26, 2003 more

Dom Back?: As usual, Larry Brooks over at the New York Post has some great Sunday dish. This week, he reports that the Canucks and the Flyers should go after the retired Red Wing goalie Dom Hasek. Our Mr. Brooks has sources...... , posted on May 12, 2003 more

Wild Ride Over Canucks: Geez. The Wild are down three games to one. They're down two goals in game seven. And they win. Vancouver and Colorado (who the Wild also beat after being down three games to one) aren't just co-presidents of the Choke...... , posted on May 09, 2003 more

Wild Rile Canucks: What is it about the Minnesota Wild that makes teams lie down and die? Vancouver has just given up. How else could the Wild, down three games to two, destroy the Canucks 5-1? Well Vancouver goalie Dan Cloutier isn't helping...... , posted on May 08, 2003 more

Twice As Much Goalie to Love: Has anyone else been loving Minnesota's two-goalie rotation as much as I've been. Dwayne Roloson returned to the nets for the Wild Sunday, holding Vancouver to two goals and helping the Wild tie the series at one apiece. Roloson was...... , posted on April 29, 2003 more

Canuck Blues: The Blues are playing the Canucks in the first round. Jeff Gordon (not the racecar driver — at least I don't think so) says that's a good thing. Why? Mostly because it means they're not playing the Avalanche first. Honestly,...... , posted on April 08, 2003 more

Tonight's Episode: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served On Ice: Geez. Canuck captain Markus Naslund better watch out. St. Louis is gunning for him. They're still pissed about the season-ending hit on their captain Keith Tkachuk, and they might be looking to go eye-for-eye, captain-for-captain. Especially since Brad May (didn't...... , posted on March 18, 2003 more

Homecoming Curse: OK. I'm calling it "The Curse of the Homecoming." Dean McAmmond gets traded back to Calgary and the league tells him he can't play due to some Collective Bargaining Agreement violations. Brad May comes back to Vancouver from Phoenix, and...... , posted on March 17, 2003 more

Canucks Lose. People Cry: Sigh. I suppose on some level we all knew the Canucks would one day lose on the road. But no one expected it. Vancouver's nine-game unbeaten-on-the-road streak is over. Philly blanked them 3-0. Prior to this game, Vancouver had just...... , posted on March 05, 2003 more

Bertuzzi: 'Where's My Nestle's Commercial?': Flyers coach Ken Hitchock said Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi is the Shaq of the NHL. What a nice thing to say! And what an interesting thing to say. Bertuzzi is a typical Eastern-style player (big and bruising) who's thriving in the...... , posted on February 04, 2003 more

Still Angry After All These Years: So Canuck coach Marc Crawford is really good, but really angry. I always get upset by coaches like this, but I'm beginning to think it's the only way to get results in the NHL. At least for a season or...... , posted on January 03, 2003 more

Vancouver: Hot Team, Cold Sport: Why are the Canucks so good? Here are some theories. One of them is that Vancouver is deep. I like that theory. The Canucks are a great model for making a team work without a lot of cash or superstars....... , posted on December 03, 2002 more

Canucks Looking Good: Vancouver is looking good again. Who knew? They have a strong enough team, but not much character or personality. There's nothing that defines them, really. It probably doesn't matter, though. Just as long as they keep lighting the lamp. And...... , posted on November 21, 2002 more

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: In the NHL, it seems that coaches see only one cure for anemic offense — break up the big line and spread the wealth. It's working for New Jersey, although their offense is pretty weak. But maybe it'll work for...... , posted on October 30, 2002 more

Fedorov Fever: It's official. Vancouver has Fedorov fever. Fedor Fedorov (brother of Red Wing Sergei) played less than 10 minutes against the Flames with only one shot on goal, but it's enough for the Sun to write about. The Province had a...... , posted on October 14, 2002 more

Brothers: Did anyone else know Detroit Red Wing Sergei Fedorov's brother plays in the NHL? Right now, he plays for the Canucks, but the 21-year-old Fedor Fedorov was signed by Tampa bay in 1999, going 182nd overall. They couldn't decide on...... , posted on September 30, 2002 more