[GDT]Vancouver Canucks vs Da Steaming Coilers, Rogers Arena, 7PM PST (10PM EST), Nov 9 | The If We Don't Win by 5 Goals it is a Loss Game

[Rocket-68]

A Random Hockey Story (story up, proud Canadian moment)

Spoiler

THE LOONIE THAT TURNED TO GOLD!

 

“Should we tell him about the Loonie?” Trent Evans asked Dan Craig. Dan was head of the Green Team, the icemakers responsible for all the hockey
rinks at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

“You know I can’t officially know anything about that Loonie,” replied Dan. He turned to me with a huge smile and unzipped his green Salt Lake parka to proudly display his Roots Team Canada T-shirt. As he turned and left, the twinkle in his eye was unmistakable. 

 

“I have to check on the temperature of the ice,” he announced, evading my questioning eyes.

 

Now I’m no investigative reporter, but something was clearly up. I was working at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, as a TV features reporter for CBC Sports. My assignment was to profile Olympians by actually trying their sport for a day—the kind of opportunity television people dream of. It allowed me to spend time with Canada’s best and brightest as they prepared for their events. From skating with Catriona Le May Doan to playing goal with the women’s hockey team, from rocketing headfirst downhill at breakneck speed (hopefully not literally) with the Skeleton Team to being a brakeman with the bobsled team, I was amazed as I played with Canada’s best. But there’s more to an Olympic performance than the athletes. There are so many exceptional people who make things work behind the scenes, and I got to meet a few of them as well.

Back when Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers were winning all those Stanley Cups, they were known as the fastest team with the fastest ice. The crew making that ice was run by Dan Craig. Dan rose up the ranks to eventually oversee ice-making operations for the entire NHL. Taking over for him in Edmonton was the rising star of ice-makers, Trent Evans. Just like the athletes who work and train for years hoping to qualify for the Olympics, Dan, Trent and their team had become the icemakers to call if you needed the best. Here in Salt Lake, because of their green jackets, they were known as the “Green Team,” and this would be their Olympics.

It was my day with the Green Team. We had started our “typical day in the life of an ice-maker” early that morning. With fifty-five games and even more practices in four different arenas, all needing perfect ice, the Green Team regularly put in sixteen-hour days during these games. It was hard work, but they had a lot of fun, too. While they were teaching me to drive a Zamboni, I was so busy watching all the dials and levers and gauges I forgot about the driving. Fortunately, one of them was holding a sign at the end boards that read “TURN.” After I parked the Zamboni, the guys gathered around to demonstrate how to tell if we’d done a good job. “Eat some of the snow out of the Zamboni,” they told me. “It should taste clean and melt in your mouth.” I dutifully obeyed, searching for the right taste and texture. When I saw them all laughing so hard they had to hold each other up, I realized I’d been had.

After a busy morning, we had to put the finishing touches on the E Centre, the gold medal hockey arena. We arrived at the rink just as rehearsals for the gold medal presentation ceremony were finishing. To our chagrin, the organizers were practicing as if the USA had won the gold. Maybe that’s what prompted Trent to tell me about the Loonie. We were standing behind the Zamboni, as the strains of the “Star-Spangled Banner” died out, when he began.

The first thing ice-makers do before making any ice, Trent told me, is to mark out the surface of the rink, starting at the centre. That marker becomes the face-off circle, and everything else is measured from there. Usually they just painted a dot, but there was no paint handy, so Trent reached into his pocket, came up with a dime, and put it down to mark the exact centre. Then they began the flood. But it was actually the next day when Trent had his real flash of inspiration. 

It was a slightly beat-up 1987 Loonie, but it was all Trent had left in his pocket. He put it down on top of the dime and finished flooding the ice. As he drove the Zamboni late into the night, putting layer upon layer of ice over it, he hoped the Loonie would bring good luck to the Canadian hockey teams. He also knew that if anyone were to find out, he would not only have to remove it, he would probably be on thin ice with the Olympic organizing committee. A couple of days later the rink was nearly done when Trent’s worst fears
were realized. The Loonie had been spotted by one of the Americans on the crew, who promptly reported it. Trent was ordered to change the marker. His good-luck talisman was finished.

As Trent began to dig out the coin, he was upset, knowing the Canadian hockey teams could use all the good luck they could get. The women’s team had lost eight games in a row to the powerhouse Americans in pre-Olympic tournaments. The men’s team hadn’t won the gold medal since 1952. In that moment, Trent made a decision that seemed small at the time, but would change his life forever. He left the coin where it was and covered it up with a splotch of yellow paint.

“Now,” explained Trent, “came the really hard part, keeping it a secret.”

All the Green Team knew because, well, they were in on it. The two Canadian hockey teams knew as well. “And now,” he said looking at me intently, “so do you.”

 

The games were about to start, and the Green Team agreed to let the CBC tell Canada about the Loonie under the ice, as long as we waited until just before the final game. So, as the games got rolling, as Jamie Salé and David Pelletier skated a gold medal performance and were awarded silver, then later gold, as Catriona dominated on the longtrack in speed skating, the Loonie story sat locked in a producer’s desk at the CBC. But every day was agonizing for Canada’s icemakers as more and more attention was directed
towards centre ice at the hockey arena.

The women’s hockey tournament really got going with country after country being eliminated until the final confrontation— Canada versus the United States. The Loonie remained buried under the ice, but the secret was slowly beginning to surface. After playing shorthanded for most of the game, the Canadian underdogs won 3–2. In the exuberance of the moment, members of the Canadian Women’s Gold Medal team fell to their knees and kissed centre ice to thank the lucky Loonie.

Trent panicked, thinking for sure the jig was up. There were still three days to go before the men’s final. But somehow, the secret held. The entire country watched as the Canadian Men’s Team faltered, recovered, then won a place in the finals. Once again, it would be Team Canada against the undefeated Americans. Was the Loonie really a good luck charm? One thing was clear, the miracles never ceased. The gold medal game was incredible! Wave after wave of the world’s best hockey players skated over centre ice in end-to-end, fastpaced hockey, just as it should be. While the world watched, Team Canada skated to a decisive 5–2 victory in front of a screaming crowd and a jubilant Wayne Gretzky. Later, captain Mario Lemieux, wrapped in a Canadian flag, called the triumphant team to centre ice for a picture that would go down in history.

While the team was celebrating in the locker room, Trent Evans ran onto the ice and dug out his coins. The dime he slipped into his pocket. The lucky Loonie he presented to the members of Team Canada 2002. Later that day, Gretzky held it up at a post-win news conference, proclaiming it to the world as a symbol of Canadian victory.

The last time I saw Trent was on the front page of the newspaper. He was touching that 1987 Loonie one more time. But this time it was in its new home at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Loonie rests in a case and is prominently displayed between pictures of the two gold medal teams. There is a hole in the glass so visitors who are touched by the Loonie can reach through and touch it themselves. Trent looked so proud and more than a little surprised. I’m sure he had no idea his good luck charm would end up in the

Hall of Fame. I also remember thinking how amazing it was that one person’s inspired moment could become a national symbol signifying the Olympic spirit.

It became the Loonie that turned to gold!

 

Author: Peter Jordan, CBC, Winnipeg, MB

 

Overview

At the last GDT I posted, Canucks @ Quackers, I mused going 3 straight in Cali would go a long way to righting the ship. WELL, THE SHIP BE RIGHTED BABY! 

 

The Coilers special teams are struggling a bit lately. Last couple of games the Oilers' PP is rather limp, with the PK not stiff enough either. Lacking lead in their pencils, the Oilers scored a whopping 2 goals over the last 2 games going down 3-0 to the Devils and 4-2 to the Knights. Should that trend continue the Canucks PK alone should carry the day. GO CANUCKS GO!!! The Steaming Pile of Moose Droppings from Northern Alberta have managed 2 goals or less in 8 of their 14 games. This "should" bode well for the Canucks coming off a successful road trip.

 

Why we will beat the Coilers this game:

• The Canucks have won each of their last four games as home underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Oilers have lost seven of their last eight games at Rogers Arena against opponents on a winning streak.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Canucks’ last 11 games at Rogers Arena.
• The Oilers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games at Rogers Arena.
• The underdogs have won the third period in each of the Canucks’ last seven games at Rogers Arena.
• AND LET's FACE, WE ARE A BETTER TEAM!

 

Quote of the day:

"When you only score two a game, it's tough to outscore a mistake you make in the game." Coach Knoblauch explaining why the Coilers suck frozen donkey ass.

 

"Next man up, you know, Brock is a big part of our team ... thought guys did a nice job filling in ... had to put some different guys up there and I hope Brock is okay!" Opined Coach Canuck who at end of interview said, "when I find that puta #10, I am gonna beat the wheels off his wagon myself." ... okay, that last bit is a bit of embellishment on my part, okay, okay flat out lie.
 

 

Special Numbers Section

Spoiler

Last season the Canucks vs Coilers

 

With Oilers struggling to score and the Canucks trending upwards, let's hope this is repeated this season. 

 

@JamesB will add something spectacular I am sure  ... 

 

Media

Spoiler

Just check, seats left all over the place. Screw watching it on TV! Get down to the Arena, bring your VuVuZeLas, Cow Bells, Bongo Drums, whatever you can and CHEER ON OUR Beloved Canucks! If that is out of the question, make your way down to your local establishment and tip back a few in solidarity. 

 

TV: Sportsnet Pacific, SN, CBC HNIC, CityTV

Radio: SportsNet 650

Streaming: Fuck Sportsnet+ lots on various Reddit threads, here are a few sites (results may vary)

https://reddit.nhlbite.com/live

https://nhlwebcast.com/

https://v2.sportsurge.to/nhlstreams

https://nhlstream.net/

 

DA Roster

 Will Post Canucks Lineup here tomorrow once Tocchet advise me pre-game

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the Numbers

Spoiler

Source is below the picture for a really nice overview of our Beloved Canucks.

 

 

Source: https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/team/vancouver-canucks-20/stats/2025

 

What the Bookies are Saying

Spoiler

 

 

Matchup Info

Spoiler

 

 

                         

 

 

Da Zebras

Spoiler

 

 

 

Now for some fun stuff

Canucks Spanking the Steaming Pile 8-1 Oct 11, 2023 ... ahh the memories

 

 

 

Canucks vs Coilers Brawl 2007 / 2009 - quite the bruuhahahahaaaaa

 

Connor McBitch Tantrum Moments

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2024 by Rocket-68
Refs Added

[Rocket-68]

       

 

Rules: for the dimmer bulbs amongst us and well, the lawyers say I have to, LOL

1) Must be posting here in THIS thread to be considered for a piece of the big enchilada - hitting 6/6

2) I am the sole arbiter of who get what - no appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada or the BC Court of Appeals - but I am a generous sort

3) ... umm, see #2 if confused about the split of any prize

4) I reserve the right to add someone to my ignore list at any time, for any reason such as I don't like the cut of your jib!

 

Now for those poor souls laminated on my Ignore list, how the hell did @stawns and @Canuckfanforlife82 weasel their way off of my esteemed ignore list. Will wonders never cease, oh well, for the two that ARE on my list ...

 

Edited November 9, 2024 by Rocket-68

[Believe In Blue]

I want a rout. Embarrass the hell out of them.

 

I hope the following happens:

 

Someone clobbers both Nurse and Kane. 

 

Mcbaby throws a major tantrum 

 

Crysaitl whines about posts not being “good goaltending”

Skinner sieves out 5 + goals 

 

 

[Ghostsof1915]

I want a win by a touchdown. 

[Reg]

Listen the boys have to be prepared for these guys. They are hungry and are due to break out any game now.

 

We need to focus on McBitch and limit his end-to-end rushes whenever possible. Second, pay attention to the German and limit his backhand passes.

 

Hit Ekholm at every opportunity, and close on Bouchard to limit his point shot.

 

Play your game boys and don't take any prisoners.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

Here's a look at Coilers lineup

Edited November 9, 2024 by AlwaysACanuckFan

[GrammaInTheTub]

16 minutes ago, Rocket-68 said:

A Random Hockey Story

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Overview

At the last GDT I posted, Canucks @ Quackers, I mused going 3 straight in Cali would go a long way to righting the ship. WELL, THE SHIP BE RIGHTED BABY! 

 

The Coilers special teams are struggling a bit lately. Last couple of games the Oilers' PP is rather limp, with the PK not stiff enough either. Lacking lead in their pencils, the Oilers scored a whopping 2 goals over the last 2 games going down 3-0 to the Devils and 4-2 to the Knights. Should that trend continue the Canucks PK alone should carry the day. GO CANUCKS GO!!! The Steaming Pile of Moose Droppings from Northern Alberta have managed 2 goals or less in 8 of their 14 games. This "should" bode well for the Canucks coming off a successful road trip.

 

Quote of the day:

"When you only score two a game, it's tough to outscore a mistake you make in the game." Coach Knoblauch explaining why the Coilers suck frozen donkey ass.

 

"Next man up, you know, Brock is a big part of our team ... thought guys did a nice job filling ... had to put some different guys up there and I hope Brock is okay!" Opined Coach Canuck who at end of interview said, "when I find that puta #10, I am gonna beat the wheels of his wagon myself." ... okay, that last bit is a bit of embellishment on my part, okay, okay flat out lie.
 

 

Media

Just check, seats left all over the place. Screw watching it on TV! Get down to the Arena, bring your VuVuZeLas, Cow Bells, Bongo Drums, whatever you can and CHEER ON OUR Beloved Canucks! If that is out of the question, make your way down to your local establishment and tip back a few in solidarity. 

 

TV: Sportsnet Pacific, SN, CBC HNIC, CityTV

Radio: SportsNet 650

Streaming: Fuck Sportsnet+ lots on various Reddit threads, here are a few sites (results may vary)

https://reddit.nhlbite.com/live

https://nhlwebcast.com/

https://v2.sportsurge.to/nhlstreams

https://nhlstream.net/

 

DA Roster

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

By the Numbers

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

What the Bookies are Saying

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Matchup Info

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Da Zebras

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Now for some fun stuff

Canucks Spanking the Steaming Pile 8-1 Oct 11, 2023 ... ahh the memories

 

 

 

Canucks vs Coilers Brawl 2007 / 2009 - quite the bruuhahahahaaaaa

 

Connor McBitch Tantrum Moments

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Heck yeah! Excellent GDT @Rocket-68

thanks! 
 

[JoGuitar]

 

which is what we’re going to do to the Oilers tomorrow night!

Edited November 9, 2024 by JoGuitar

[Jaimito]

Game 8

 

Silovs back in or Lanky? 

 

DJ back?

 

BB likely out.  

[The Brock Star]

Big test here. I anticipate tomorrow's game will be a blood bath. We have to come prepared, the Oilers are desperate.

[Trebreh]

The greasers will face a Canuck team not at full strength again. What a lucky team.

 

I'm hoping for a blowout win with Petey breaking out. 

[Rounoush]

A lot of questions.

 

How is Boeser?

Are we calling up Lekkerimaki?

Is Joshua playing next game?

Can we start playing better on home ice?

[ronning4center]

Yahhh first page of the GDT...big posting moment.   Ummm go canucks?

[ronning4center]

4 minutes ago, Rounoush said:

A lot of questions.

 

How is Boeser?

Are we calling up Lekkerimaki?

Is Joshua playing next game?

Can we start playing better on home ice?

Quadrelli saying boeser out at least a week with concussion.

[swimmer]

Keep applying the energy and gel more and more. Play hard to the system and we will get the W.

[Slegr]

When they defeated us in Game 7, we said “just wait til next year when we have Demko and Boeser back!”

Although we’re still waiting on that now, let’s just destroy these losers. It’ll be a tough one - they’re going to “dig the fu#% in, right now!” But we’ve got some good mojo happening.

Edited November 9, 2024 by Slegr

[Fan Abroad]

Edmonton has lost 2 and Canucks are heating up. Let's help them get on a roll,    down a hill

Edited November 9, 2024 by Fan Abroad

[cripplereh]

Let the bodies hit the floor

[Canuck You]

I'm already drunk at the fact that we might see Liquormaki in the line-up..Might see double sometime down the line when I see Pettey X2 !

[igorwasgreat]

To top off my birthday , my kids and better half gave me tickets to this game. woohoo. Coming over from the Island , me and the kids planning to see a 5 - 2 Canucks dusting of those coilers. 

[YourHuckleberry]

I hope we get to hear some:

 

Skiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnneerrrrr

 

Skiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnneerrrrr

 

Skiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnneerrrrr

 

[NoCupSyndrome]

Is it too early to suggest the Canucks should try and extend Lanks? Would 3x3 get it done?

 

Protection for when Demko's deal is up in a year and a half and would only be $8M for the two goalies anyways. 

[Hairy Kneel]

27 minutes ago, NoCupSyndrome said:

Is it too early to suggest the Canucks should try and extend Lanks? Would 3x3 get it done?

 

Protection for when Demko's deal is up in a year and a half and would only be $8M for the two goalies anyways. 

We made a mistake letting DeSmith go I don't think they'll make that mistake again. 

[Toni Zamboni]

[BPA]

Just win.

 

Let’s go!!!