Canucks Skate: Hughes Covid, Canada-USA, Fun Fai, VANs ex AZ

The Vancouver Canucks will conduct their first home game-day morning skate since January 25th and only their fourth at Rogers Arena since December 14th. We’ll update the line-up and have comments a wee bit later. For now, you need to put on your blades …

Let’s Skate ! …

‘Huggy’ Gets Hugs

It appears the Quinn Hughes to San Jose for the Vancouver Canucks visiting the Sharks on February 17th is a realistic scenario if he’s involved in a ten-day American Covid quarantine. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet reported the 22-year-old defenceman is in Michigan where he went home to relax for the All-Star break. I reckon he’ll enjoy some Mama Hughes home cooking and will have plenty of opportunities to skate.

I get the feeling Oliver Ekman-Larsson is looking forward to some additional ice time and responsibilities. It couldn’t come at a better time since this will be the very first time the left-shot 30-year-old defenceman has ever faced his one-and-only former NHL club, the Arizona Coyotes. Same dealie for the man he arrived here with last summer, former desert dog and the man in our headline photo, a clean-shaven Conor Garland.

After the very long-weekend break, the coaches had the Vancouver Canucks get some conditioning in at the end of practice Monday, thus the video. Feel the burn.

Fee Fai Fo Fum

Not sure how you spell any of those but I know you pronounce the second one “Fay”, as in Rob Fai. The Vancouver sportscaster does an excellent job with his “Sports Bar Radio” podcast and I’m very pleased to join him every Monday. He must ask great questions because it seems like whatever we talk about becomes the topic-de-jour for a couple days around the Vancouver Canucks rink and we’ve usually answered everything ahead of time.

Bravo Roberto. https://t.co/PaREBj8S9l to give the latest a whirl.

Canada Beats USA

The Canadian ladies defeated the Americans 4-2 on Tuesday (Monday night in North America) to remain undefeated and capture the top spot in Group A at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. There were some monumental moments outside of the fact Team Canada scored three goals in a 5:25 stretch in the second period to come from behind and go on to win.

Canadian teams, men or women, are not used to giving up 53 shots in a game. That was the case in this one as the Americans consistently fired the vulcanized rubber at goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens. She set a Canadian Olympic record for men’s or women’s hockey by making 51 saves.

Also, Marie-Philip Poulin scored on a shorthanded penalty shot. It was the first successful Canadian women’s penalty shot conversion in Olympic history.

The Canadians opponent for the Quarter Finals will be determined shortly.

Enjoy the Hockey Action !!