ARE THE KIDS ALL RIGHT? CANUCKS FANS HOPE SO
But so far, youth movement has been disappointing for rebuilding franchise
Can’t say I’ve paid a lot of attention to Major League Baseball this season, but that will change tout de suite if the Red Sox meet the Yankees in the post-season. While we wait for that meeting between good and evil, here are the Monday-morning musings and meditations on the world of sports:
For over a year the faithful have insisted that they’re fully on-board the rebuild train; that the Vancouver Canucks’ wonloss record is of secondary importance to the development of their young players.
In theory, it’s a noble sentiment, but when your team’s facing seven more months of uninterrupted losing, it can be difficult to keep the big picture in focus.
As they prepare for the start of the NHL regular season, that’s the position in which the Canucks find themselves. It’s just not very comfortable. After a pre-season in which a) they looked overmatched and b) they didn’t offer a lot of opportunities to their young players who aren’t Elias Pettersson, the Canucks open against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. At this point only the most optimistic of their fan base can foresee a competitive season from their heroes. But the larger issue for this organization is how the kids will develop in 2018-19.
Except for Pettersson, that group demonstrated they weren’t remotely ready for the NHL. That’s OK. No one was expecting a complete turnover of the Canucks’ roster.
But it was still disappointing that Adam Gaudette, Olli Juolevi, Jonathan Dahlen and some of the others didn’t announce their presence more emphatically.
They’ll now get that chance in Utica, N.Y., which makes the next three to four months crucial for this organization.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, it isn’t important what the Canucks lineup looks like on Wednesday night. It’s what it looks like in mid-February.
If the Gaudettes and Dahlens of the world develop to the point that they can make an impact on the NHL team, this season will be considered a qualified success.
But it won’t play well if we’re sitting here at Game 60, watching Tim Schaller and Tyler Motte on a 28th-placed team.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took great umbrage with the B.C. Lions’ dancing ritual in Friday’s walk-through before Saturday’s game in Hamilton, but it now appears their outrage wasn’t entirely manufactured.
After the Lions’ 40-10 loss, Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence became involved in an altercation with Lions receiver Shaq Johnson around the Lions team buses outside Tim Hortons Field.
With fans watching, players from both teams arrived on the scene before order was restored. But, for a moment, the situation was volatile and had the potential to turn into something dangerous. The Lions say they’re willing to let it end there. The CFL might have a different view.
The tension between Carl Robinson and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ front office has been obvious for most of this season. As such, the coach’s ouster last week didn’t exactly come as a surprise.
But this is still a crucial moment for the Caps. Robinson was the face of the franchise and a tireless worker who generally got the most out of his roster.
Yes, he had a huge say in the makeup of that roster, but Robinson bristled at the financial limitations he was under.
Whoever succeeds him will likely be facing a similar situation. You can win in MLS with a middle-of-the-pack payroll, but the margin of error is microscopic. Coaching can make up a part of that, but only a part.
At some point you have to find players and that’s been the Whitecaps’ failing.
Robinson got whacked the same week as Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and there were distinct similarities between the two men. Neither registered as brilliant strategists, but both were well-liked by their players and both coaxed the maximum out of their lineups.
They were also able to build a genuine relationship with the fans and the media in their respective cities. That’s not always important — see Belichick, Bill — but it does buy a lot of goodwill for the franchise and that’s important.
And finally ... There are times that you wish the Ryder Cup would tone down the partisanship. The singing, the chanting, Patrick Reed, Johnny Miller can be a little much. But, in the end, that charged atmosphere helps create the drama around the event and the Ryder always delivers something memorable.
Which brings us around to Ian Poulter. The Englishman wrote another chapter to his improbable Ryder Cup history in France, beating World No.-1 Dustin Johnson in Sunday’s single matches, while running his record in the event to 14-6-2. That’s a higher winning percentage than Ryder Cup legends Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo, and higher than any number of Hall-of-Famers.
Poulter, to be sure, has had a distinguished career. But he’s never won a major and has just three PGA Tour victories on his resumé. He was also scuffling heading into this year’s Ryder, but when the bright lights went on, there he was again.
Throughout the history of sports, there have been uncelebrated athletes who have carved a defining moment on the biggest stages. But Poulter established his record over six Cups.
Somehow, someway he’s able to plug into the electricity this event produces and use it as his superpower. Some of the game’s great players — hello Tiger Woods — have wilted under that pressure. Poulter has drawn strength from it.
Can’t really explain why, but it’s damned impressive.