We Don't Deserve to Win... || November, 21, 2011

Sure, Cory Schneider beat the Senators.  The Canucks, however, didn't.

As a team, Vancouver has probably been outplayed in 75% of their games so far.  The fact that the Canucks are sitting only 6 points out of first in the west (who is Minnesota, by the way), is almost a miracle.  Too many times have the Canucks been out worked and beaten to the puck.  They know this too, it's not like they think everything is going well, and they're playing to the best of their ability, they know that they need to play better.  They know, that if they do, they would have only a handful of losses this season...maybe not even that many.  Take the Ottawa game for example, the Senators outplayed us almost the entire game.  There was the odd Sedin shift where it would be about 3 minutes of pure domination, but that's only two of the five players on the ice.  It's hard to win all the time when you have two forwards and a goalie playing and the rest watching.

When Crosby first had the press conference at the beginning of the season, and all the doctors and staff came out and explained what was what, they made a good point.  Crosby is like a Ferrari, so his 75% might be better than other players 100%, because he is that good.  That's kind of how I see the Canucks.  Right now, they aren't playing to their full potential and they still have a winning record.  Imagine, if they played like they did in mid-January.

Brooklyn Decker

Part of it is injuries - Kesler coming back, Raymond is out, Manny isn't quite right yet - but I think the main reason for their lackluster start to the season is desire.  They just came off one of the top two most exciting seasons in franchise history, now they have to come back and try to match that?  It's like going from being with Brooklyn Decker with no strings attached, to being on a deserted island with nothing but Good Housekeeping magazines.  It's hard to keep your energy and spirits up when you know that it's damn near impossible to replicate near perfection.  That's what separates good teams from great teams, and great teams from storied franchises.

Look at the Detroit Red Wings, what they have been able to do over the last 10 years is nothing short of amazing.  It's because they have the desire year after year, to compete to be the best in the league every season.  It starts from the top, all the way down to the Zamboni driver.  Now, I'm not saying that Vancouver is lacking passion - the Canucks are probably one of the more passionate franchises in the league - it's just they don't have the drive and desire at this point, to sacrifice what is needed to be dominant.  That's all.