Ed Willes talks Canucks ahead of camp

opening

Staff Sports Reporter - The Province

“This team is built to win right now, ”says Ed Willes. “They need to jell. It all needs to come

together.”

And yes, says the Province Sports columnist in a video previewing the Canucks’ training camp,

the window may well be closing.

With camp opening Wednesday — the players doing their physicals at Rogers Arena— there are

many issues that have quietly simmered in the summer that will suddenly be brought to a boil.

And Willes discusses them at

provincesports.com. Among the issues:

Roberto Luongo: How will he do? What’s his true frame of mind? Because the Canucks need

standout goaltending if they’re going to win, particularly in amuch tougher division.

Zack Kassian and David Booth: We’re waiting for these guys to showup. They need to score.

Twenty apiece doesn’t seem unreasonable. Can they do it?

Ryan Kesler: “Ryan Kesler needs to be 2011 Ryan Kesler, ”says Willes. We knowwhat he’s

talking about.

Is it too late?: “Are (the Canucks) stale?” asksWilles.“Are they shopworn?”

Well, maybe that’swhy John Tortorella’s in charge now.

Look for continued coverage from camp at thewhitetowel.ca from Jason Botchford, Ben Kuzma,

Steve Ewen, Tony Gallagher and EdWilles.

Ten issues to watch as players return

Brad Ziemer – The Vancouver Sun

It’s up to new boss John Tortorella to get more out of a fairly familiar cast of characters

Meet the new boss. He’s definitely not the same as the old boss. It shouldn’t take the Vancouver

Canuck veterans long to figure that out once John Tortorella gets them on the ice at training

camp.

The players report Wednesday for fitness testing and Tortorella promises he will be testing that

fitness in a camp that figures to be more intense than the ones run by former coach Alain

Vigneault.

Tortorella inherits a team that has changed very little from the one that four months ago was

swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the San Jose Sharks.

General manager Mike Gillis promised a “reset” after the team’s second straight first- round

playoff exit, but Tortorella’s hiring and the stunning trade of goalie Cory Schneider were really

the only significant off- season moves made by the team.

So it will be up to Tortorella to get more out of a fairly familiar cast of characters.

All eyes will be on Tortorella during camp — and all season for that matter — to see how he gets

along with the Canuck veterans and, of course, the media. But there’s lots more to watch at

training camp, including these 10 issues:

ARE THE KIDS ALL RIGHT?

Tortorella is on record as saying he hopes a couple of kids come in and steal jobs from veterans

and he had a good record of developing young players with the New York Rangers. So it’s safe

to say youngsters like Bo Horvat ( above), Brendan Gaunce, Nicklas Jensen and Hunter

Shinkaruk are going to get very long looks during the preseason.

WHERE’S THE BITE?

Tortorella says the Canucks have to become a more difficult team to play against. To use his

words, he suggested the team needed “more bite.” Well, it really wasn’t added in the off- season,

so it’s going to have to come from within. Can the new coaching staff convince the veterans to

play with more of an edge?

BACKUP BLUES

Last season’s backup, Roberto Luongo, is once again the starter. So who backs him up? The job

is Eddie Lack’s to lose, but Lack ( above) is coming off serious hip surgery and hasn’t played a

game since late 2012. Fellow Swede Joacim Eriksson is Option 2, but like Lack has no NHL

experience. The Canucks appear to be a Luongo groin strain away from a goaltending crisis.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION

The No. 3 centre position is wide open and the battle to fill it figures to be one of the most

intriguing stories of camp. Jordan Schroeder, with a one- way contract in his back pocket, could

be the favourite. But he will be pressed by fellow first- rounders Brendan Gaunce ( above) and

Bo Horvat, who physically both seem better suited as third- line pivots.

CAN BOOTH BOUNCE BACK?

The Canucks are praying ( pun intended) that David Booth can become the player he was once

rumoured to be. You know, a big, physical power forward with great speed and a nice scoring

touch. Booth has been a bust as a Canuck, is coming off a serious ankle injury and as of last

week had still not been cleared to play. The team desperately needs his offence.

BIG ZACK ATTACK

It’s not hard to imagine Zack Kassian becoming a primary target for Tortorella. Canuck fans

have grown tired of hearing how young Kassian is and how he needs time to develop. Tortorella

will undoubtedly get in his face and challenge the big winger. It will be interesting to see how

Kassian responds.

WHO’S NO. 6?

The big battle on defence figures to be for the No. 6 spot, where Andrew Alberts, Yannick

Weber and Frank Corrado ( above) will battle it out. There may be no clear winner here, but

Weber will improve his chances considerably if he can live up to his billing as a guy who can

help run the power play.

SEDIN, SEDIN and ?????

Who will play right wing with Henrik and Daniel? Alex Burrows has done a solid job there, but

it would not be a surprise to see Tortorella give Kassian a look on the top line if he shows well

early in camp. That would allow Burrows to drop down and play with Ryan Kesler on the second

line. One other Sedin- related note: Don’t be surprised if they sign contract extensions before the

regular season starts.

LIFE OF RYAN

For the first time in a long while, Kesler will be coming to camp feeling 100 per cent. A healthy

Kesler, like the one who scored 41 goals and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2010- 11, could

do wonders for the Canucks. There’s an interesting sub- plot here. Kesler has never responded

particularly well to criticism and he’ll inevitably get some from Tortorella. How will he handle

it?

POWER UP

The Canuck power play, so good in the not- too- distant past, was an absolute mess most of last

season and finished 22nd in the NHL. Getting it back on track will be one of the keys to the

season. Expect Jason Garrison ( above) and his hard shot to get a better look on the power play

from a new coaching staff and new defenceman Yannick Weber will also be given an

opportunity to run things from the point.

Canucks retreat to northern locale as quest

for elusive Cup begins

David Ebner – The Globe and Mail

The pounding of Haida drums, and the rising chorus of chants, reverberated in the confines of the

Tluu Xaada Naay Longhouse in the village of Old Massett. It was a traditional song, one of hope,

and happiness.

The longhouse, on Tuesday morning, was a hockey arena in miniature, the Vancouver Canucks

at centre stage, Haida dancers and singers cheering – urging – on a team that two years ago

almost grasped the Stanley Cup and since have churned through a soap opera on ice.

It has been a story of wrenching plot twists, punctuated by playoff failures, the arrival of a fierce

new head coach, and, above all, the return of a familiar goaltender.

So before the NHL preseason begins Wednesday across North America, the Canucks retreated to

the north country.

It was a journey to leave the past behind. The Canucks came to a distant corner of Canada, a wild

place where the sense of spirit feels as though it permeates all things, the land, the air and the

circling ravens and bald eagles above, the immense sea. The spirit echoes in the beating of drums

and chants.

After ensconcing themselves in a posh fishing lodge on a small nearby island, looking to forge

new bonds, the players, executive and new coaches, led by the firebrand John Tortorella landed

Tuesday to a rapturous welcome in Old Massett.

It is a poor village at the tip of the Haida Gwaii archipelago and some 100 kilometres off the

northwestern British Columbia mainland. The celebrations shut down the village and

neighbouring Masset and the crowd of upwards of 1,000 people numbered more than the

population of Old Massett itself.

“This place bleeds blue,” declared Peter Lantin, president of the Council of the Haida Nation, at

longhouse welcome before a community barbeque. “Words can’t express how much this means

for these islands and our people.”

For a team that two years ago was by far the best in Canada and near the pinnacle of the NHL,

and now finds itself in the position of just another contender, there is the sense that the moment

for these Canucks is vanishingly small, if not passed already.

The pillars of the team, the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, turn 33 later this month.

The goaltender, spurned and returned, Roberto Luongo, is 35 in April. It was Luongo, however,

who roused the biggest cheers from the Haida, long bellows of “Luuuuu,” an emphatic embrace

from fans after the grinder he has been through.

Vancouver is not where he wanted to be. Luongo had severed himself emotionally. But he is,

however, back among friends. And the only thing left to do, in lieu of a future that did not

emerge for anybody as desired, is redemption, the long season to unfurl and the 2014 Olympics

this winter. What is left behind is “that stuff.”

“We’re friends, all these guys,” said Luongo, a carved Haida necklace on his neck and relaxed

after playful games of ball hockey with locals in the gymnasium and table hockey outside, in

between dozens of pictures and autographs.

“It makes it a lot easier. I just want to play hockey and move on and not worry about that stuff.

It’s an important season for all of us, as a group, and myself especially.”

Redemption is the narrative of this place. In the late 19th century, the Haida were nearly

demolished by the arrival of Europeans and the diseases of small pox and tuberculosis. Ancient

village sites were abandoned and the survivors retreated to and regrouped in Old Massett and,

further south, Skidegate. In the century-plus since, as residential schools came close to

eradicating the language, and cultural cornerstones such as potlatches were banned, the Haida

persevered, and their art became iconic.

The struggle goes on. The economy barely exists. Census figures have pegged unemployment at

more than 30 per cent among Old Massett’s 600 or so residents. Colloquially, the figure cited is

more than 50 per cent.

A seemingly desperate $2.5-million project last summer to revive the fishery, by dumping iron

sulphate in the ocean to encourage the growth of plankton for salmon, drew worldwide scorn,

leaving the community riven.

“We all manage here,” said retired social worker Crystal Robinson, alongside her 89-year-old

mother, Mary Swanson. Hockey is a welcome reprieve. And Robinson was not short on advice

for the team.

“They need one mind and one spirit,” Robinson said. She knows the squandered chance at the

Cup in 2011 sits like an anvil. “You’ve got to reach higher above that. It’s about wanting. I know

that they’ll get there.”

The man to help conjure and corral such a force is himself one who seeks redemption. Tortorella

is on his third NHL head coaching job, almost a decade removed from the Stanley Cup and fired

from New York, profane entrails in the wake, fights with players and media that left him with the

reputation, in his words, of “that lunatic.”

His 55th birthday in late June, came the day before the official announcement of his hiring in

Vancouver.

It is not, precisely, a kinder or gentler John Tortorella – but, possibly, one with less-wild

bombast. The escape north is the right prelude.

“Instead of being in the pressure, in between periods or at practice, it starts off this way,” the

coach said.

“Just so we understand one another a little bit better, as far as the people we are. It was really

good. And I’m anxious to get to work.”

New faces, new hopes for Canadian-based

NHL clubs

Eric Duhatschek – The Globe and Mail

NHL free agency started on July 5, later than usual duo to fallout from the lockout-shortened

2012-13 season; and all the off-season moves were filtered through a $6-million (U.S.) reduction

in the salary cap for 2013-14.

Still, that didn’t much affect the pace of change. When the dust settled, here is how the Canadian

teams look (alphabetically) after a summer of upheaval:

CALGARY FLAMES

New faces: Brian Burke, president of hockey operations, above; Karri Ramo, G; Reto Berra, G;

Shane O’Brien, D; David Jones, F; T.J. Galiardi, F; Kris Russell, D

Going, going gone: Miikka Kiprusoff, G; Alex Tanguay, F; Cory Sarich, D; Roman Cervenka, F;

Steve Begin, F

Synopsis: The major exodus out of Calgary occurred at the trading deadline, when Jarome Iginla

and Jay Bouwmeester were sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, respectively,

signalling the start of what could be a challenging and time-consuming rebuild. Kiprusoff, the

team’s long-serving No. 1 goalie, decided to retire Monday, rather than play out the final season

of his contract. A long year is in the offing.

EDMONTON OILERS

New faces: Craig MacTavish, general manager; Dallas Eakins, head coach, above; David Perron,

F; Andrew Ference, D; Denis Grebeshkov, D; Boyd Gordon, F; Jason LaBarbera, G; Jesse

Joensuu, F; Philip Larsen, D

Going, going gone: Shawn Horcoff, C; Ryan Whitney, D; Mark Fistric, D; Nikolai Khabibulin,

G; Magnus Paajarvi, F; Theo Peckham, D

Synopsis: MacTavish promised bold moves to expedite the Oilers’ progression, but was unable

to do more than just tweak the roster, after attempts to trade Ales Hemsky failed. Any strides the

Oilers may eventually make hinges on how quickly their core of young players – Jordan Eberle,

Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – matures into front-line NHL players. Nugent-Hopkins

is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, and the Oilers plan to go slow with him. Depth at

centre could be an issue.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

New faces: Daniel Brière, F, above; George Parros, F; Douglas Murray, D

Going, going, gone: Michael Ryder, F; Colby Armstrong, F; Tomas Kaberle, D; Yannick Weber,

D

Synopsis: In Brière, the Canadiens added the primary small forward on the free-agent market to a

team already considered a tad short and light. On the plus side, Parros should free up Brandon

Prust to play more and fight less, while Murray is a brute on the back end, even if speed is not

his strong suit. Unexpectedly getting Andrei Markov back for all 48 games last season, plus P.K.

Subban’s emergence as a James Norris Memorial Trophy winner on the blueline, keyed

Montreal’s surge. In the Canadiens’ scheme of things, they are close to irreplaceable.

OTTAWA SENATORS

New faces: Bobby Ryan, F; Clarke MacArthur, F; Joe Corvo, D

Going, going gone: Daniel Alfredsson, F; Sergei Gonchar, D; Jakob Silfverberg, F; Guillaume

Latendresse, F; Andre Benoit, D, Peter Regin, F

Synopsis: Injuries – and how well they responded to them – was the primary storyline for the

Senators last season, as they qualified for the playoffs against daunting odds. If any or all of

Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek and Craig Anderson can limit their time in sick

bay this year, the additions of Ryan and MacArthur should compensate for the losses of

Alfredsson and Silfverberg up front. The 24 minutes of playing time per game Gonchar logged

will be harder to replace.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

New faces: Jonathan Bernier, G; Dave Bolland, F; David Clarkson, F; T.J. Brennan, D; Paul

Ranger, D

Going, going gone: Ben Scrivens, G; Mikhail Grabovski, F; Matt Frattin, F; Clarke MacArthur,

F; Mike Komisarek, D; Leo Komarov, F

Synopsis: The Leafs primary off-season goals were to add grit and toughness and to stabilize

goaltending. In Bernier, they have one of the premier, untested prospects in the game, who was

second in the NHL in goals-against average last season (1.88), albeit playing behind a stingy Los

Angeles Kings defence. Bolland is an agitating, if injury-prone winner/pest and Clarkson should

provide a strong physical presence, with a decent scoring touch. A full year out of Joffrey Lupul

(limited to 16 games by injury) will only enhance one of the league’s more prolific offensive

teams. Free-agent winger Mason Raymond is in camp on a tryout.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

New faces: John Tortorella, head coach; Brad Richardson, F; Mike Santorelli, F; Benn Ferriero,

F; Yannick Weber, D; Eddie Lack, G

Going, going gone: Alain Vigneault, coach; Cory Schneider, G; Derek Roy, F; Mason Raymond,

F; Cam Barker, D; Manny Malhotra, C; Andrew Alberts, D

Synopsis: It is difficult to assess which change will have the greater impact: Schneider’s

departure, which leaves Roberto Luongo the undisputed No. 1 goalie, or Tortorella’s addition

behind the bench, where he will change the tone significantly from the Vigneault era. Thinking

he was on his way out of Vancouver, Luongo tweeted last season he would play for free to

witness Tortorella’s press conferences. Instead, he will get to watch them, up-close-and-personal.

With an aging core, the hope is there’s at least one final championship push.

WINNIPEG JETS

New faces: Devin Setoguchi, F; Michal Frolik, F; Adam Pardy, D; Matt Halischuk, F

Going, going gone: Alexander Burmistrov, F; Nik Antropov, F; Derek Meech, F

Synopsis: With conference realignment, the Jets will not be able to break up the winter with

multiple visits to Florida any more. The hope is last season’s 11th-hour push for a playoff spot is

not an aberration, but a sign that they’re starting to mature as a team. The complexion of the

team changed in the off-season, with Setoguchi and Frolik essentially replacing Burmistrov and

Antropov, but the foundation of this team is its defence corps. The Jets desperately need to get

full, healthy seasons out of Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian to pose a

legitimate postseason threat.

NHL training camps: Reasons to pay

attention to (almost) every team

SeanGentille – TSN.com

Ah, NHL training camps open beginning Wednesday. You'll hear about a lot of players showing

up in "the best shape of his life," or some variant. Some guys earn jobs. Some rookies open eyes.

New jerseys for new players. Contract disputes come to their conclusions (or not). It's

predictable—and not all that interesting.

It's also a little nicer this year, if only by comparison. Last season, camps opened in January and

lasted, oh, 15 minutes or so. That's what work stoppages will do.

It's only been 79 days since the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, which makes it the

shortest NHL offseason in a long time. It hasn't always felt that way—we remember lots of

jersey-related news, for example—but it's certainly better than 2012. The big news on Sept. 11,

2012: that the KHL would only accept "top-level" talent, and that the lockout would begin in less

than four days.

"I think for us, it's a short offseason, but we're excited to go back to camp and be together with a

team again, get things started and just get back to our daily job as hockey players," Blackhawks

captain Jonathan Toews told reporters last week.

So that's settled: Training camp good! Lockout bad! Here's what to watch at the three most

interesting (non-Toronto Maple Leafs) camps, with some one-liners for the rest.

Vancouver Canucks

John Tortorella ran some famously rough camps with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay

Lightning. He's at least prepping his new players on what to expect, sending them letters and

videos. He's super-chill now, remember?

"I heard we need two ice sheets just for the tests," center Ryan Kesler (whose health is a major

X-factor this season, by the way) said, according to The Associated Press. "I heard it's tough. It's

going to be rigorous, he even says that. I've been doing it this summer and, yeah, it's not fun. I

think that's going to be the mindset, though. We're going to work hard, some days aren't going to

be fun, but it's for the better of the team."

What would be even better for the team—if Roberto Luongo comes to camp happy enough and

ready to roll. He has said that'll be the case, which is cool; parsing what, exactly, happened to

him over the last year was more of a summer thing. Maybe ol' @strombone1 was, too.

“There better be nothing coming out of our locker room, as far as what goes on (on Twitter),"

Tortorella told Sportsnet.

That could be why TSN's Bob McKenzie said on Tuesday that he sensed "a lot of anxiety"

around the team. It's not necessarily Tortorella's job to nuke that, but it is his first shot to show

the Canucks that hiring him was the right move, and getting the players to buy in early would be

a positive for him.

New York Rangers

This combines the best of Vancouver and Toronto. In Alain Vigneault, you've got a new coach—

albeit one with a different style—taking over a team with high expectations. You've also got

Derek Stepan who, thanks to Nazem Kadri's contract, will the highest-profile player to skip part

of camp.

Stepan deserves a bigger deal than Kadri, but he's unlikely to get it. Not a significantly larger

one, at least. An deal will likely get done, because that's how these things work, but the New

York Post at least raised the possibility of an offer sheet from the New York Islanders. That

makes sense on paper despite there being "no indication" that it would actually come to fruition.

Still, the longer Stepan goes without a contract, the more of an issue it'll become—and there's not

much more entertaining than the Isles poaching the Rangers' No. 1 center.

Dallas Stars

Yes, Tyler Seguin plays for them now, and his on- and off-the-ice selves are going to get

attention throughout the season, but the Stars are intriguing in other spots. Seguin's presence

means Jamie Benn can move back to wing, presumably around the same time he's named captain

and pulls on that green jersey with the weird logo.

Most interestingly, though, is Valeri Nichushkin. The 2013 first-rounder is an offensive monster,

and he's expected to start the season in the NHL. The hype—and the highlights—are there.

Watching his practice tape could be fun.

Time for everyone else—again, except the Leafs. They've done enough.

Anaheim Ducks: We're waiting on the first photo of Teemu Selanne giving pointers to Jakob

Silfverberg.

Boston Bruins: Their second run at Jarome Iginla worked. Now all he has to do is prove he's

still a top-two right winger on a good team.

Buffalo Sabres: Maybe they'll turn what look like the world's ugliest practice jerseys into the

world's ugliest practice jerseys. Also, center Cody Hodgson is unsigned.

Calgary Flames: Will the team tank intrasquad scrimmages, too?

Chicago Blackhawks: Has Andrew Shaw's face healed? Will Patrick Kane wear that unicorn

mask on the ice, then pretend it was someone else?

Carolina Hurricanes: Does the team get decimated by injuries now or later?

Colorado Avalanche: Patrick Roy has had lines in mind since the team drafted Nathan

MacKinnon. Also, Patrick Roy is an NHL head coach.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Remember Ryan Murray? The No. 2 pick in 2012 is back from his

shoulder injury.

Detroit Red Wings: Daniel Alfredsson will be there, and that's weird.

Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall is going to practice at center while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins rehabs.

What if he's good at it?

Florida Panthers: Choose Tim Thomas. Choose Ilya Bryzgalov. Or choose both, and pitch the

ensuing TV show to USA.

Ottawa Senators: That Bobby Ryan-Jason Spezza-Milan Michalek line will be fun. Daniel

Alfredsson won't be there. Probably. Because that would be weird.

Nashville Predators: Seth Jones should practice in a red, white and blue jersey. Go Perds.

Los Angeles Kings: Maybe they'll practice outside.

Montreal Canadiens: Watch the next chapter in P.K. Subban's quest to become the first NHL

player to sign a billion-dollar contract.

Minnesota Wild: Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund, two promising young players, might

battle it out for the second-line center job.

New Jersey Devils: What will Jaromir Jagr do when Lou Lamoriello makes him wear Ilya

Kovalchuk's old No. 17?

Philadelphia Flyers: Hey, Dan Cleary's "tryout" will start! Bet it goes well.

Phoenix Coyotes: With their future finally secure, maybe the Coyotes won't practice and just

hang out, or something.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Who plays on the Evgeni Malkin-James Neal line? Beau Bennett and

Jussi Jokinen get the first shot.

San Jose Sharks: Please keep Brent Burns on the wing. Please. Please. Please.

St. Louis Blues: How much money does Alex Pietrangelo eventually get? "A lot" is not specific

enough.

Tampa Bay Lightning: They have two unproven goalies now instead of one. Either Ben Bishop

or Anders Lindback has to be OK, right?

Washington Capitals: Mikhail Grabovski makes their lines click. Adam Oates has tons of

options, and seeing how he uses them will be fun.

Winnipeg Jets: More attention means more chances for Evander Kane to get ripped for

something fairly innocuous.