[GDT] Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks, Nov 2 7:30 PDT, SAP Center ...

[Rocket-68]

A Random Hockey Story

Continuing the ten greatest years in NHL history

6. 1971

Phil Esposito may have put up ridiculous numbers during the 1971 calendar year, but it also marked the dawn of the Ken Dryden era. Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images

 

Remember that "Dawn of the Dead" remake, which might still stand as the only truly good movie Zack Snyder has directed? The remake has its virtues, but couldn't quite top the gory glory of the George Romero original.

 

This is, in essence, why 1971 was ranked ahead of 1986.

 

Like Gretzky's points explosion in 1985-86, the 1970-71 season saw one of the single greatest offensive seasons up to that point in NHL history: Phil Esposito's 76 goals for the Boston Bruins, which is tied for the fifth-highest total ever for a single season. But within context, it's even greater: Before Espo's 76 goals, the highest total was Bobby Hull's 58 goals in 1968-69. So this was unprecedented.

 

Esposito was simply dominant throughout the 1971 calendar year, scoring a league-best 72 goals and 146 points. The only player who had more assists than his 74 in that span was teammate Bobby Orr, with 96. Esposito had the most power-play goals (25), power-play points (52) and game-winning goals (18) that year as well. The Bruins finished the season with 399 goals, most in a season at that time.

 

It was a remarkable year for the Hall of Famer, but ultimately a disappointing one, as Montreal stunned the Bruins in seven games during the quarterfinal of the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs, a series that included the classic Game 2 that saw Montreal rally from a 5-2 deficit with five goals in the third period.

 

And while Patrick Roy's run to the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe was great, you still can't top the original: Ken Dryden, having played six regular-season games in his career, played 20 in the 1971 playoffs and won the postseason MVP for Montreal after a Game 7 Stanley Cup win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

5. 1980

Due in part to Team USA's legendary Olympic triumph, there was no way 1980 was going to be kept off of this list. Steve Powell/Getty Images

 

It would take a miracle for the Miracle to not make this list.

 

The U.S. men's hockey team upsetting the heavily favored Soviet team and then winning gold against Finland in Lake Placid wasn't just one of the most memorable events in hockey history, but in sports history. Sure, some of its aftereffects and influence may have been exaggerated through the years -- did the Miracle on Ice or Wayne Gretzky have more to do with the growth of hockey in the U.S.? -- but there's no getting around the idea that it's the single most epic moment in international hockey history, with apologies to the Canada vs. Russia battles in the 1970s.

 

The enormity of that event obviously fuels 1980 as one of the greatest hockey years, but let's not sleep on the NHL's momentous year. In 1979-80, there was another round of expansion, as the WHA's Edmonton Oilers, New England "soon to be Hartford" Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets joined the fray. Because of that, there was a change in the playoff format, as it was expanded to 16 teams for the first time and without regard for conferences and divisions; hence, the top-seeded Flyers faced the No. 16 Oilers in the first round. It was nutty.

 

(Those Oilers had a 19-year-old player named Gretzky, who won his first Hart Trophy in 1980. He would win eight more.)

 

But in the end, history was made: The New York Islanders won their first of four straight Stanley Cups, defeating the Flyers in overtime in Game 6 on a Bobby Nystrom goal.

In the process, Ken Morrow became the first player in hockey history to win Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Yeah, 1980 was good to him.

4. 2006

The 2005-06 season saw the dawn of the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin rivalry. Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

 

There will never be another season like 2005-06 in the NHL. And by that, we're of course referencing our undying hope that the owners never cancel another full season, even if doing so led to a slew of rules changes and the league basically pounding the "reset" button to get rid of the malaise of the trap years.

 

The 2005-06 season brought us many new rules, from the legalization of two-line passes to the death of tie games via the shootout to the crackdown on obstruction that led to the highest goals-per-game average in the NHL (3.08) in a decade. It brought us the dueling rookie seasons of Sidney Crosby and Alex OVechkin; Joe Thorton getting traded from the Bruins to the Sharks and then edging Jaromir Jagr for the scoring title and the Hart Trophy, while fueling one of the most inexplicable goal-scoring seasons in NHL history -- Jonathan Cheechoo leading the league with 56 goals.

 

It also brought us a wild postseason, including the Cinderella run by the No. 8 seed Oilers through the Western Conference and two epic seven-game series. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Buffalo Sabres faced off in the Eastern Conference finals, and then the Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup over the Oilers thanks to rookie goalie and Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward.

 

The unpredictability of 2006 spilled over to the Olympics, with Canada and the U.S. being eliminated in the quarterfinals and Sweden topping Finland for the gold. The Swedish team faced allegations of throwing its game against Slovakia in the preliminary round in order to draw the Swiss in the quarterfinals.

In the women's Olympic tournament, Canada claimed gold with a win over Sweden, who handed the Americans their first loss in international competition to a team other than Canada.

 

Source: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21778530/nhl-ranking-top-10-greatest-hockey-years-100

 

************Now for the Game Day Thread**********

 

Overview

San Jose is looking to stop their nine-game skid this game taking on the high-flying Canucks who are firing on all 8 cylinders although bad gas must be in the tank as they seem to sputter a bit now and then. With Elias "da Alien" Pettersson picking up a hat trick and Quinn Hughes padding his stats with 3 apples in the game versus the Preds, Tocchet the Rocket still wasn't enamored with the teams play despite the 5-2 win.

Quote of the day:

"That's not our brand of hockey. We were pretty loose. Too many turnovers. It wasn't a great game for us identity-wise," Tocchet said. "We got to be careful we don't get fat and happy around here."

 

Coach Tocchet was even pissed during the game as he had JT manning the bench door for the last 5 or 6 minutes of the second period to have a think about the brain farts that crept into his game. However, all was forgiven when the third came along and JT rotated back into the game. Expect the Canucks to be more focused against the Sharks which bodes well for a road W.

 

The Sharks are still looking for their first victory lounging at the very bottom of the league standings. With a sparkling 3 goals scored during their recent 5-game road trip and a total of 9 goals in 9 games, the Sharks should be spanked by the Canucks which is exactly why the Canucks cannot take them for granted. The Sharks will wake up at some point and play like they at least belong in the AHL and if the Canucks mail it in, this might be the game where the Sharks surprise the Canucks.

 

The Sharks are without captain Logan Couture all season *ouch* and vet Alex Barabanov is out with a broken finder. The Sharks blue line is missing Matt Benning and Nikita Okhotiuk is expected to draw in with his first game of the season but won't be moving the defensive needle all the way over to replacing Matt Benning. 

 

The Sharks should be easy pickings for the Canucks, but still, the game needs to be played to be sure.

 

By the Numbers

• Tonight marks the first of four meetings between the Canucks and Sharks this season: Nov. 2 (road), Nov. 20 (home), Nov. 25 (road), Dec. 23 (home).
• Vancouver is 65-55-9-7 all-time against San Jose, including a 35-29-5-2 record on the road.
• The Canucks are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games against the Sharks (5-0-0 in their last five).
• Among active skaters, J.T. Miller (7-13-20 19 GP) leads the team in career scoring vs San Jose.Casey DeSmith posted a 3.45 GAA and .898 SV% in five career games (2-3-0) against the Sharks.
• In eight career games (8-0-0), Thatcher Demko has a 2.24 GAA and .923 SV% all time against San Jose.

 

• Elias Pettersson has 16 points (5-11-16) in his last nine games, ranking him 2nd in the league for points.
• Brock Boeser has posted 10 points (6-4-10) in his last nine games.
• J.T. Miller has 13 points (5-8-13) in his last nine games and is currently on a three-game point streak (3-2-5).
• Quinn Hughes has 11 points (3-8-11) in his last nine games.
• Thatcher Demko posted a .935 SV% and has a 1.92 GAA in his last six games (4-2-0).

 

 

 

Media

You know the drill, GO BUY A TICKET AND throw random objects at the opposing team - just kidding, no violence please, just your best one-liners hurled at the Ranger bench, and the zebras as needed. Otherwise go to your local watering hole and support your team and swill some beer.

 

TV: Sportnet Pacific, NBC Sports California

Radio: SportsNet 650

Streaming: lots on various Reddit threads 

 

Matchup Info

Source: https://www.dimers.com/bet-hub/nhl/schedule/2023_24_sj_van  ... lots of fun stuff on this site if betting / gambling is your thing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure why Matt Benning is listed as he is on the Injured Reserve

 

 

 

Da Zebras

 

 

 

Player Spotlight

 

HISTORIC PETEY

• Elias Pettersson was named October’s NHL second star of the month after recording 16 points (5-11-16) through his first nine games of the season. Pettersson (16) currently ranks 2nd for most points in the 2023.24 season, trailing only Jack Hughes (18).
• On October. 31/23 vs NSH, Pettersson (3-0-3) recorded his second career hat trick. His three-point game ranks him t-3rd for most points through the first nine games of a season in franchise history (16). Tony Tanti (19, 1983.84) and Patrik Sundström (17, 1983.84) top the list.
• Pettersson is the first player in Canucks history to record 15 or more points before his 10th game of a season multiple times (15 in 2018.19).
• Pettersson (23) passed Trevor Linden (22) for third all-time amongst Canucks players for most career multi-goal games prior to age 25. He trails Pavel Bure (40) and Tony Tanti (37).
• After collecting two assists on Oct. 27/23 vs STL, Pettersson matched the Canucks franchise record for fewest games into a season needed for a player to reach 10 assists (7 games). Other notable players who accomplished the same feat are Thomas Gradin (1980.81), Jiri Bubla (1983.84) and Paul Reinhart (1989.90).
• With his two-point game (1-1-2) on Oct. 21/23 at FLA, Pettersson now ranks t-3rd (52) all-time amongst Canuck centres with most career games with at least one goal and one assist. He trails Thomas Gradin (60) and Henrik Sedin (91).

 

CAPTAIN QUINN

• After posting three assists on Oct. 31/23 vs NSH, Quinn Hughes (19) ranks third in Canucks franchise history for most career regular season or playoff 3+ assist efforts. He trails only Henrik (38) and Daniel Sedin (20). Hughes (60) also ranks third in Canucks franchise history for most multi-point performances by a defenceman, only Alexander Edler (68) and Jyrki Lumme (67) are ahead of him.
• On Oct. 31/23 vs NSH, Hughes reached 250 career points in 292 career games ranking him t-5th for the fewest games from the start of a players NHL career to reach this milestone in a Canucks uniform. Other notable names include Pavel Bure (207) and Elias Pettersson (270).
• Hughes (3-8-11) currently ranks t-1st for most points by a defenseman in the 2023.24 season.
• Hughes currently leads all defenceman in assists since the 2019.20 regular season (220).

 

BROCKTOBER

• Brock Boeser currently ranks t-9th in the league for most goals scored in the 2023.24 regular season.
• With his sixth goal of the season, registered on Oct. 21/23, Boeser currently ranks third all-time amongst Canucks skaters for most goals through the first five games of a season. Tony Tanti (7 goals, 1983.84) and Alexander Mogliny (7 goals, 1995.96) are tied for first.
• Boeser recorded a new career high with four goals on the season opener, Oct. 11/23 vs EDM, marking his third career hat trick. His four goals made him the 10th player in NHL history, including two other Canucks (Rick Blight and Greg Adams) to score four goals in a season opening game. Boeser also led the team with shots (8) in the Canucks season opener and became the second player in Canucks history to score four goals against the Oilers.

HATS OFF

• With Elias Pettersson’s hat trick on Oct. 31/23 and Brock Boesers 4 goal outing on Oct. 11/23 vs EDM, the Vancouver Canucks became the first team this season to have multiple players score a hat trick.

MILLER THE MAGNIFICENT

• J.T. Miller (1-2-3) recorded his sixth three-point period with the Canucks on Oct. 27/23 vs STL. With this feat he tied Henrik Sedin for the fourth most in Canucks history behind Pavel Bure (8), Trevor Linden (8) and Markus Naslund (7).

GO SHORTY

• After posting his fifth SHG of his career on Oct. 28/23 vs NYR, Tyler Myers now ranks t-2nd for most SHG among active defensemen, trailing only Mark Giordano (13). This marked his third SHG with the Canucks ranking him t-3rd for most SHG by a Vancouver defenseman in franchise history. Jyrki Lumme (6) and Mattias Ohlund (5) top the list.

Now for some fun stuff

Bieksa 2OT Series Winner

 

Kevin vs Patrick Fight - a bit of a mismatch but have to give Marleau full marks for answering the bell and taking on a much tougher opponent.

 

Sharks 'Nucks Brawl in 1992 ... even Pavel got into it

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Rocket-68

[PistolPete13]

My Shark hatred has waned now that they are in full rebuild mode. I still mildly dislike them and nothing would be better to see the boys pummel them, say 7-1.
 

It should be a good opportunity to pad the stats, which could mean that it ends up being a low scoring game. Take the two points and come home to take care of business against the Stars on Saturday.

[Rick_theRyper]

These games worry me, a team we should beat. Biggest game of the season so far let's go! Don't let off the gas. Go for the kill.

[Sophomore Jinx]

This one has to be a shit-kicking by us, but we've seen the ugliness many times before when they mail it in and lay an egg....hopefully they're strong enough mentally and mature enough as a team to take it seriously and get the job done. 

 

I think they are, and they will.

[Coconuts]

Should be a pretty easy win but we have a history of playing down to the level of lesser teams, guess we'll see

 

For funsies let's just say Pettersson gets back to back hatties 

[Jess]

Easy win in theory.

 

Meaning it will be tougher than it should be.

[ice_eight]

This is the type of games I am worried about, just like the game against the Flyers. Gotta win it.

[cripplereh]

I agree have to come out strong and not stop.

[Miss Korea]

I hope I'm not jinxing things

 

[Rubik]

Giving SJ their first win of the season would be the most Canucks thing ever... sorry, I'm still scarred by the past decade lol

Edited November 2, 2023 by Rubik

[Curmudgeon]

Just noticed that the Canucks play 9 of their 15 November games against divisional opponents, including 3 against San Jose. Six of those nine games are home games. By the end of the month we should have a good idea about how this team will stack up for the rest of this season. 

[Squirter]

TLDR these gdts are taking up the entire first page 

 

[cripplereh]

I think RT will have a few words for the team pre game.

 

Plus benching Miller last game should make sure we play hard.

[wai_lai416]

Mackenzie Blackwood owns a perfect record against the canucks 5-0 with 2 shutouts, goal against under 1.. and a .962 sv%.. this was done while the new jersey was rebuilding too.. hopefully the canucks do some film studying and figure out a way to solve the goalie.. he already took colorado all the way to the shootout with a 51 sv performance.. 

[I.AM.THE.WALRUS]

6-0 Canucks 

Go Canucks Go!!!

Miller has something to prove 

 

[PeteyBoeser]

Their goalie loves playing us… we can’t beat him 

[Goal_thecup]

2 hours ago, Squirter said:

TLDR these gdts are taking up the entire first page 

 

Agreed.  I didn't read either; just skipped past the whole thing.  Appreciate the work though, thanks.

And I had to look it up, but I learned what TLDR means: The Last Defenceman Righty.

Or: The Little Dudes Remain (Gnarliest and Le Beau Visage) still here.

OK, enough BS: Lets Go!

[Zodiak]

Play smart play hard! Don’t take the start to season for granted ! 4  1 Canucks 

[DelPiLeo]

No game is easy to win, take the opponent lightly is always a dangerous thing to do.  
 

Get the 2 points tonight 

 

Go Canucks Go !

[Canuck You]

Mik should be on the PK, But I get it..easy'n him in.

[IBatch]

No easy games in the NHL .... well maybe except SJ.   Wow.  Couture out for the season, Meier traded to NJ, EK traded to PIT.   Can you try and tank harder?.   SJ was better when they first joined the league then they are now lol.   Glad we have Tochett on the case.   SJ is the only easy win in our division, hope we come out like it's playing a contender.    We've had teams in the past, that would only show up against the best and let the easy ones beat us ... this team had a little bit of that in it, hope Tochett squeezes all of that out and we run over them.   We should. 

[IBatch]

2 hours ago, I.AM.THE.WALRUS said:

6-0 Canucks 

Go Canucks Go!!!

Miller has something to prove 

 

Yep but never say that.  Even in numerical values.   Jinx'ed us!  6-1 Canucks now. 

[DownUndaCanuck]

Don't want to be the ones who hand them their first win, that'd un-do a lot of the good we've done this season. Really want to see some scoring from our depth guys for a change. Beauvillier, Suter, Lafferty, Garland etc. should really get on the board here and we can have a chance to rest our starts if we get out to an early lead.

 

4-1 Canucks

[Bure10Kuzmenko96]

Come on Canucks do not take the Sharks for granted! No game is an easy win. I just want a win tonight!

[Baratheon]

I don't think they'll overlook this game.  They weren't happy with their play in the last one.  They'll come out determined to play a stronger game.  Unfortunate news for a pretty bad SJ team.