Total Eclipse of the Splash

 

Listen, I understand that spending a week in January in the Midwest can bring anyone down a bit, so I'm not going to make light about the Canucks fighting some seasonal depression as noted in the headline, but I would like to call out the reverse side of the "West Coast swing". Oh no, we have to stay up late to catch the end of the game against the Ducks? Well, in Vancouver, you better hope the games are on the weekend, because otherwise your kids won't be home from school until the 2nd period if the game is on the East Coast. 

A Monday game at 430 in the afternoon is crazy, is all I'm saying. 

(Tweet of the Moment is no more, because social media is a hellscape, and not every team is yet on BlueSky. I still like a random, quick peek at hockey online, so now, we are looking at team home "splash" pages and turning that into whatever this is. Welcome to 2025) 

Tweet of the Moment

 

It's the offseason, which means it's the time of year that the marketing team needs to work the hardest. It's summer, people aren't really thinking about indoor sports, and this year there are the Olympics to consider. Let's give a little appreciation to the Canucks marketing team, who probably have a fairly easy job, selling hockey tickets in Vancouver, going through their toughest times of year.

End of the season rooting interests

 There is a wide Gulf between the best teams in the NHL and the next tier. There is a long standing observation over how difficult it is to sustain the success of a season in which you won the President's Trophy, and carrying that through to success n the Playoff. At this point, since the team with the most points doesn't ever win the Cup, I think we can be happy if a team from this upper echelon wins it. 

There are 11 teams with more than 88 points, and 0 teams with between 83 and 88 points. There is also a gap between 89 to 93 points, and there are 8 teams with 93 points or more. Let's hope, then, that one of these 8 teams can win the Cup, and render the entire, long winded regular season valid. If you are a fan of one of the other 24 franchises, this is probably going to be difficult. To help, I have come up with 1 reason to root for every one of the top 8 squads.

1: Bruins - Do you like consistency? Well, these Bruins, like Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy have all been a part of the Bruins organization since 1976

2: Panthers - Last year, I picked the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup, feeling their all in attitude was laudable. Now a year later, I would still feel pretty good about myself if they won it all, and don't you want me to feel good about myself?

3: Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist still has close ties with the Rangers. Maybe you could get his number if he knows you are cheering for them? Or maybe you are just a fan of bad nicknames, then you can cheer for the Breadman, Artemi Panarin.

4: Hurricanes - Brent Burns  is still around and generally kicking but. He's been growing a playoff beard since he was 19, and it would be great to see if he would shave upon winning it all.

5: Avalanche - This is purely an "I like Denver" play, because Denver is lovely. The Avs won it two seasons ago, and the town got a little high on themselves, but still, a lovely town.

6: Stars - This is a tough sell for a fan from Minnesota, given the history, and the fact that the Wild aren't going to be in the postseason either, but here goes. Jake Oettinger and I have some common acquaintances, so that's pretty neat. 

7: Jets - This is the team for nearly every Canadian outside of Vancouver.

8: Canucks - This is the team for fans inside of Vancouver, or people who remember their last trip to the Final and the chaos that ensued in the city. Be safe, Vancouver.

So there you go, maybe you can use that handy guide to find the right choice for you. Or you can be a traditional Flyers fan and root against everyone. 

Hughes Brothers meet in the NHL for the first time

 

Last night, all three Hughes brothers were in the same arena as the Devils and Canucks played to a 6-5 victory for New Jersey. Luke and Jack had to be separated on the bench by Lindy Ruff, allegedly because Luke was sitting "too close" to Jack, and Jack didn't like that Luke was "touching his stuff". At one point, Jack laid his stick sideways on the bench to create appropriate distance between the two brothers. 

On the ice, Quinn was often in the ear of the officials, particularly when his brothers skated near him. "LUKE HIT ME!" Quinn could be heard loudly yelling on the ice, and helpfully shouting later "JACK WAS OFFSIDES, HE WAS OFFSIDES! 

Tweet of the Moment

 Before we go anywhere, I want to make sure we pay tribute to the man who inspired the original iteration of this site.  Barry Melrose announced his retirement as the season began, owing to a Parkinson's Disease diagnosis. We wish Barry and those who know and love him well during this tough moment, and thank him for the memories, the inspiration, and all the mullet jokes.

Now, the Tweet, or X or whatever. 

Canucks Captains Henrik Sedin, Trevor Linden, Stan Smyl, and Orland Kurtenbach pass the torch to the newest leader, Quinn Hughes. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dLmESeYerh

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 13, 2023

Another former stalwart of the site were the Sedin Twins. Twins. the Sedin Twins. Where is Daniel? Is Daniel OK?