Fort Nucks

Top 20 moments: You make the call Nearly three weeks have passed...

Mon, 27 May 2013 11:52:00 -0700

Top 20 moments: You make the call

Nearly three weeks have passed since the Vancouver Canucks were rudely bounced from the NHL playoffs by the San Jose Sharks. If time supposedly heals all wounds, enough time has not passed because the shark bite I suffered is a festering mess; it’s oozing some kind of lime green puss and is definitely infected.

I haven’t watched a wink of the playoffs since May 7th and I don’t plan on tuning in until the Canucks are back on the ice this fall, which will be here before we know it.

Until then, I plan on exploring nature with my family, catching up on a lot of reading, testing out my jump shot, baking, surviving Tough Mudder, reconnecting with friends, looking up at the stars, watching Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake bring down BC Place, passing Kathy Anderson in number of Twitter followers (@NoJoryous!!!), preparing for fantasy football season and working on a new karaoke go-to song (I’m told singing the Ken part of Barbie Girl by Aqua isn’t cool anymore…).

Before all that, we’ve got a list to come up with and I know how much you love lists. Last year I reached out to you, beloved Canucks fans the world over, to help compile a list of the Top 20 Canucks Plays of the Year. Anyone whose suggestion was used was entered to win a team signed Canucks stick; that format worked so well, I say we do it again.

The floor is yours: comment below with what you think belongs in the Top 20 Canucks Plays of the Year.

Oh and if anyone can suggest a new karaoke song for me, I’m all ears!

Enough is enough Johnny is fed up. No more getting pushed around...

Tue, 07 May 2013 14:29:01 -0700

Enough is enough

Johnny is fed up. No more getting pushed around by Jaws.

Game 4 is five hours away, cheer like you’ve never cheered before.

Check out more of Derek Toye’s art here

Speechless Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows I’m not...

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:33:06 -0700

Speechless

Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows I’m not silent all that much.

Right now, I don’t have much to say.

I’m as shocked as you are the Canucks trail the Sharks 3-0 in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, it’s literally mind numbing.

Discussing how we got here, as Joey said back on Friends, is a moo point.

Huh?

“Yeah, it’s like a cow’s opinion. It just doesn’t matter. It’s moo.”

The focus going into Game 3 was winning the first five minutes and taking it a period at a time. Game 4 that changes again and goes down to shift by shift. Win as many shifts as possible.

The task is tall. Vancouver needs to win four of the next five games to comeback and win the series. We were here last year and couldn’t get it done. Chicago was here two years ago, against us, and nearly got it done. It can happen, it can definitely happen.

There’s nothing else to say.

Time for the Canucks to let their play do the talking.

Derek

P.S – I repeat: There will be a Game 5, get ready to cheer your heart out.

Bizarro Derek Traveling with the Vancouver Canucks took an odd...

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:48:00 -0700

Bizarro Derek

Traveling with the Vancouver Canucks took an odd turn today.

I was happy as a clam – hold up, what does that even mean? Why are clams so happy? Last time I checked they were being rounded up to make Clamato juice, no?

Let’s try this again.

I was happy as a youngin’ getting his allowance (better but still not great – step it up Jory) when I was told there was room for little ol’ me on Air Canucks to travel to San Jose for the first round.

When I got on board I found myself in first class seated across from Dave Tomlinson at one of two tables at the front of the plane, meaning I was flying sitting backwards. Tomlinson in front, Jeff Vinnick to my left and John Shorthouse across from him.

(Shorthouse would like me to put – the dashing John Shorthouse.)

“Oh and add in that Vinnick and I have the same birthday, but he was born wayyyy before me.”

This is already the worst blog I’ve ever written and I’m only 171 words in.

Can I restart this?

We can restart this series?

The answer to both questions, unfortunately, is no. Both the Canucks and I have to dig ourselves out of this hole.

It all starts, as Henrik Sedin said this morning, with the first five minutes of Game 3 Sunday night in San Jose.

For me, it’s all about the next five words: INSERT SOMETHING CLEVER BEFORE POSTING.

If I can deliver, so can the Canucks.

(Shorthouse just shared his Welch’s Fruit Snacks with me – he is such BFF material!!!!)

This is by no means the situation Vancouver wanted to be faced with, but it’s by no means insurmountable, it’s totally mountable, he typed awkwardly wondering if that had ever been written before.

Win the first five minutes of Game 3. Then the first period. Then the second. Then the third. Score a few goals along the way, bruise a few bodies and make plenty of saves – it’s actually quite easy when you break it down.

Wait - I just remembered San Jose wants to win the series as well. Okay, it’s maybe not quite as easy as I had outlined earlier.

Either way I’m happy as a clam getting his allowance to tell you the mood around the team is light. Their body language suggests an eagerness to return to the ice, perhaps for revenge, by no means are they hanging their heads.

You, yes you, no hanging your head either, wherever you are, unless you’re getting a haircut and the barber asks you to.

This blog is as off the wall as that Michael Jackson album, I can’t remember what it’s called. Riding backwards on an airplane is clearly producing Bizarro Derek.

No worries, it’s nothing some ~~lounging by the pool at the hotel~~ hard work at the hotel won’t fix.

May the 4th be with you and May the 4th be with us in San Jose.

Derek

P.S. – There will be a Game 5, get ready to cheer your heart out.

#DearCanucks II We put out the call for #DearCanucks submissions...

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:11:00 -0700

#DearCanucks II

We put out the call for #DearCanucks submissions and a few creative Canucks fans out there responded.

We’ve received a handful of pictures and they’re getting better as we go; check out Cole and Bode (above) at the beach in Vancouver.

As I mentioned here, we’ve got three hard copies of the Dear Photograph book up for grabs with my top three favourite photos taking home prizes.

#DearCanucks will end on May 10th, so hurry up and take a picture of a picture, from the past, in the present, then tweet it or post it on Instagram using the hashtag #DearCanucks.

Good luck!

Mail Bag - May 2, 2013 The Canucks community department recently...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:27:00 -0700

Mail Bag - May 2, 2013

The Canucks community department recently received the following letter from Patrick Young, principal at Seaview Elementary School in Lantzville.

As the Canucks approach the playoffs, I wanted to pass along the emotional and passionate support of the Canucks shown/felt by our school.

Our school has just completed the fundraising and installation of a memorial playground that was built for two young boys who died in a tragic fire last year. In celebration of the boys’ love of the Canucks, the playground is painted in Canuck blue and green.

The boys were not alone in their love for our hometown Canucks. Our halls and classrooms regularly have students wearing their Canuck Blue and Green.

In celebration of the completion of the playground, and in recognition of the boys’ and our school’s love of the Canucks, we held a Canuck green and blue day; we took a photo to commemorate the moment (above). Although the playground is barely visible due to the mass of blue and green clad bodies, it reminds us of the excitement that is brewing as the playoffs approach.

So … from the Students and Staff of Seaview Elementary - Go, Canucks, Go!

What fantastic support! All of us at Canucks Sports & Entertainment appreciate it.

Playoff mullet Zack Kassian has gone and done it. He’s business...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:22:00 -0700

Playoff mullet

Zack Kassian has gone and done it. He’s business in the front and party in the back right now with a fresh playoff mullet.

I’ve never been one for mullets, too many family reunions maybe, but Kassian is wearing it like a pro.

****UPDATE****

I spoke to Kassian post-practice and he couldn’t be prouder of the masterpiece hairdo he’s currently sporting.

“It’s playoff hockey, you’ve got to have fun with it, it’s a fun time of year,” he smiled. “The guys and I were talking about what I could do, obviously my hairstyle wasn’t the best before, so the mullet couldn’t have made it any worse. I just went with it.”

Despite kind offers from teammates to help cut his hair, Kassian went to a professional and got it done right. The reviews have been positive so far - “the guys like it, but I don’t know if they’d do it” - so Kassian is moving on to ensure the reviews are equally as good for his playoff performance this post-season.

Kassian is set to line-up with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins on Vancouver’s second trio.

“Nothing is written in stone, but I’ll take it a shift at time and show that I can play there, contribute and play my role.”

-Derek Jory

#DearCanucks It always amazes me when a wacky idea works out. As...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:52:00 -0700

#DearCanucks

It always amazes me when a wacky idea works out.

As I wrote a few days ago in the Canucks.com feature Dear Photograph, I’m a huge fan of the website Dear Photograph, where people take a picture of a picture, from the past, in the present. It’s simple, yet sophisticated - like me, no one would say.

To make a long blog short, I exchanged a few emails with Taylor Jones, Founder & Chief Memory Curator for DearPhotograph.com, and, despite being a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, he loved our Dear Photograph tribute.

He and I are both interested to see what Canucks fans produce in the #DearCanucks contest; for anyone new, we’re asking for you to put the Dear Photograph formula to work on your own pictures. Find a Canucks themed shot from the past and shoot it in the present, then tweet it or post it on Instagram using the hashtag #DearCanucks.

Taylor, along with Dear Photograph book publisher Harper Collins Canada Ltd, have offered up three copies of the hardcover book Dear Photograph as prizes for #DearCanucks entries. Submit yours today and I’ll post them here on Fort Nucks and they’ll be featured in a gallery on Canucks.com.

Happy photographing!

Trying to make sense of it all You reach a certain point on a...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:16:00 -0700

Trying to make sense of it all

You reach a certain point on a lengthy road trip, such as the one the Canucks are on right now, where things stop making sense.

Up is down, left is right, blue is yellow, Ke$ha’s music sounds amazing and The Big Bang Theory tickles your funny bone.

You start to ponder things like why are pizza boxes square, pizzas round and pizza slices triangular? Why do dragonflies have legs, but they can’t walk? Why do I eat chips like a human in public, and like a savage, starved looney toon alone?

Don’t even get me started on the Internet. What is it? Where is it? How does it work? Think about that too much for too long and you’ll go all primal like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander.

I passed the point of no return early Tuesday morning when I woke up and couldn’t remember what day it was, what city we’re in or what my room number was. It’s a little like being kidnapped, except without the terror and ransom and Liam Neeson and all that. The helplessness and confusion is truly bizarre and it’ll only get worse Wednesday.

We woke up in Nashville Monday, St. Louis Tuesday and Wednesday it’ll be rise and shine in Dallas. Time travel is trippy; I’ve learned to just enjoy the ride. Be at the team bus 15 minutes early, eat when there’s food and smile – life’s too short to let the grind get you down.

There are plenty of people void of smiles today after what went down Monday at the Boston Marathon and my thoughts are with everyone affected by this senseless violence. The more details that surface, the sicker I get, especially being a father myself, knowing that a young boy was taken from us moments after hugging his dad at the finish line.

Sports always take a backseat when tragedy strikes, and for good reason. Sports are here to take our minds off the mundane, fill us with hope, joy and surprise and simply give us an outlet for the passion we are all filled with.

A tragedy like this puts everything in perspective and that’s important, especially come playoff time.

The Canucks and Blues faceoff tonight in St. Louis and it’s a potential post-season matchup; emotions will be running high with both teams in search of two points, but it’s not life or death, we’ll fly to Dallas post-game regardless of result and St. Louis will wait the arrival of Phoenix.

To all those feeling the affects of Monday’s violence, hopefully sports will act as a return to normalcy, as impossible as that will ever be again.

Vancouver’s roster features Massachusetts native Cory Schneider, a product of Marblehead, who has likely taken this to heart more than anyone else on the team. Look for him to play with a little more gusto tonight in memory of the deceased and all those impacted.

Derek

P.S. – Hug someone you love. I’ll be giving out some big ones when I get home. I miss you.

Music City men It’s time for me to come clean: I love...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:59:00 -0700

Music City men

It’s time for me to come clean: I love Nashville.

The Music City is among my favourite to visit for many reasons and that was before I actually got the chance to really do some exploring, which I did Sunday.

After practice I was wandering around the main strip downtown looking for a good place to eat when I ran into Kevin Bieksa and Cory Schneider. They were also on a hunt for grub, so the three amigos went on an adventure.

Nashville is a lot like Las Vegas (they actually call it Nash Vegas) in that every restaurant boasts having THE GREATEST ___________________ EVER. We ended up at the Paradise Park Trailer Resort, which was actually a burger joint and not a resort at all, thankfully. And, although I was hungry enough that the tongue of an old shoe might have been tasty, I can honestly say I had one of the best burgers ever. The tater tots on the side we’re pretty scrumptious as well, I even put some in my pocket for later on – GOSH!

We walked back to the hotel afterward and I was in my room cutting Monday’s Behind the Lens all afternoon. Then I looked outside. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining a brilliant shine. I was swift to close my laptop and bolt out the door.

Live music is everywhere along the main strip making for a very lively atmosphere. Most people are here for a good time, not a long time, so there are characters everywhere; I stuck to myself mostly, had some fantastic ice cream and just soaked it all in.

WHAT THE WHAT? YOU WERE WALKING AROUND LIKE A DORK EATING ICE CREAM WHEN THE FINAL ROUND OF THE MASTERS WAS PLAYING OUT?!?

Yes, yes I was.

The Canucks were not.

Nearly every member of the team was hankered down in front of a TV somewhere; Keith Ballard stayed in his room at the hotel and said he didn’t move for roughly six hours, he enjoys watching golf in peace and quiet.

Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo, Jason Garrison, Alex Burrows and Bieksa wanted the opposite, so they all gathered at a restaurant downtown, a restaurant that shall go unnamed - you’ll understand why in a second.

The boys had been there most of the afternoon taking in the action and when it came down to Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera in a playoff hole, tensions were high, according to Bieksa.

Then, with Cabrera lining up to putt, the TVs went black. All of them. Throughout the entire restaurant.

Not panicking, the guys turned to their phones for updates and knew within minutes Scott had won to become the first-ever Australian Masters winner.

Bieksa said they laughed off the timing of the blackout, but they were the only ones that did.

“The older gentlemen watching were pretty angry,” laughed Bieksa. “So we told them who won and they kept questioning how we knew that. I told them you can get updates on your phones these days. Still, there was one guy who did not believe us. ‘Scott won? Scott won? How did that happen??’ It was hilarious.”

After that it was a quiet night across the board in preparation for the Nashville Predators this evening. Expect to see a different Canucks team out there tonight.

Derek

P.S. - Our bucket list is getting long, but add Nashville!

On to the next one… Well that happened. The Canucks, who held a...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:55:11 -0700

On to the next one…

Well that happened.

The Canucks, who held a 3-2 lead in the third period during Saturday afternoon’s game in Denver, ended up losing to the Avalanche 4-3. Bonkers, blarg and bummer.

We’re halfway to Nashville as I write this and the plane is noticeably quieter than normal. That was an uncharacteristic loss for the guys, so I think they’re all taking a little time to reflect. Or I can’t hear them because I have noise-cancelling headphones on. Either way, I’m sure the ride will get livelier as we get closer to the Music City.

Post-game a lot of reporters were quizzing the Canucks on if they took the Avalanche lightly and from what I observed, they most certainly did not. I’ve never seen a team so focus on a common goal than this squad; I even think it trumps the preparation I saw during the incredible run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2011. (Ugh – sorry to bring that up out of nowhere. Makes me punchy.)

Anyways, all I’m saying is that when it’s time to focus, these guys lock into the zone and become robots – think Terminator, not Johnny Five. BUT when it’s time to play, they play.

Friday was a great example of that. Soccer is normally the team’s warm-up game of choice, yet for whatever reason, when we arrived to the rink for practice, the Sedins, Edler and Hamhuis (who had all taken a cab to the Pepsi Center ahead of the team bus), had created ‘volleysoccer’ and were in the middle of a heated game.

Two players to a side, kick to serve, ball can hit the ground upon service, then three dribbles or less and it had to be over the net, constructed of three long pieces of blue foam padding. The Sedins beat Hamhuis and Edler and it looked like the game was over when Kevin Bieksa came in and kicked the net over in a hilarious half-kidding fit of rage that more players couldn’t play. Henrik told him he could play, Kesler too.

Game on.

Kesler joined the Sedins, while Juice partnered with Eager and Hammer and the World Championship of Volleysoccer played out, much to the amusement of everyone.

Teammates, pretending to stretch and prepare for practice, stood around and watched the back and forth battle; Derek Roy, riding an exercise bike behind the makeshift halfway court, laughed and laughed and laughed. He admitted being a bit caught off guard with the level of competitiveness in pre-practice warm-up – apparently they play nice in Dallas?

The game came down to a thrilling final point and after Hamhuis blazed a serve over the net, he got a toe under Daniel Sedin’s header of a return, allowing Edler to wallop the ball onto the ground past Kesler for the point and the win and a little celebratory hoorah.

Moral of the story: the Canucks compete hard at everything and I mean everything. They don’t even take warm-up lightly.

Sunday is a practice day in Nashville, then this trip gets real, like really really real, with three games in four nights beginning Monday.

Vancouver’s final game of the regular season plays out two weeks from now, and then it’s playoff time. The Canucks will be ready, what about you?

Time to get honk tonk!

Cheers,

Derek

P.S. – Say whip. Whip. Now say Cool Whip. Cool WHip. Whip. Whip. Cool whip. Cool WHip. Bahahahahha.

Clever girl Greetings from Denver! It’s Friday morning and the...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:39:00 -0700

Clever girl

Greetings from Denver!

It’s Friday morning and the sun is shining, the Canucks are on a four-game winning streak and there’s an Urban Outfitters at the mall across the street. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Thursday was a travel day for the team; we took off at noon and got to the hotel around 3 p.m. Poof, just like that, everyone went their separate ways and I didn’t see any of the team, other than coach Vigneault in the gym, for the rest of the night.

That being said, I had plenty of interaction with the guys prior to our free evening in Denver. Here are some tidbits, just for you.

-Had a good chat with Cory Schneider in line at a coffee house before getting on the bus in Calgary. He said he’s feeling a lot better and he looked it. Said he slept and slept and slept before he woke up to watch the Canucks play the Flames and, as luck wouldn’t have it, the game wasn’t televised. He listened to the call on the Team 1040.

-There was a lively card game on board Air Canucks and although I didn’t see who won, I’m assuming it was Roberto Luongo. When I turned to see what all the commotion was about, he was pumping both arms in the air while swivling his head side-to-side. Happy dance?

-Apparently yesterday was my first time flying. We went through customs in Calgary and, being a full-on genius, I had a bottle of water in my laptop bag and had my toiletry bag with me, filled with liquids and gels over 100 ml. Move over Alicia Silverstone, I’m the clueless one.

-It was Alex Burrows’ birthday yesterday and he got a nice gift from Seattle Seahawks all-pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman, who was in town last Monday on a scouting mission, sent shirts for Burrows, Schneider and Pinizzotto, the three who took part in the shtick. Those three are going to look killer at the beach this summer, amiright? Wicked shirts, thanks Sherman.

-Häagen-Dazs ice cream tastes better 35,000 feet in the air. Don’t ask me why.

-Jeff Vinnick and I went to Jurassic Park 3D last night, do yourself a favour and go as well. After waiting in a huge line, we finally got into the theatre and found two seats – wait, I forget you can’t see me winking – we were the only two people in the theatre. It was an impromptu man date, whatever. Anyways, I was 10 when that flick first came out and 10-year-old Derek was in awe once again. That movie gets me every time. Then I had trouble sleeping after eating popcorn, Milk Duds and drinking a slurpee, I don’t remember that happening back in 1993. Getting old rules.

Practice day today, we’re headed to the rink shortly. I’ll check back in this afternoon if there’s anything noteworthy of note for your notes. Until then, happy Friday!

Derek

P.S. – While I agree with the masses the T-Rex making the water shake in the cup on the dash scene is the best in Jurassic Park, it’s pretty sick when Robert Muldoon, Jurassic Park’s game warden, thinks he has a raptor in his sights and is then attacked from the side. “Clever girl” is one of my favourite lines ever. Oh and every time I eat Jello I shake it on my spoon like Lex Murphy when she sees the raptor come into the main complex. I guess the truth is out now: I’m a massive Jurassic Park/dinosaur nerd. We can still be best friends, right?

Butler shines I think we’re leaving Calgary just in the nick of...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:45:00 -0700

Butler shines

I think we’re leaving Calgary just in the nick of time – there’s an odd white substance falling from the sky.

The only snow I like came up with the genius lyrics A licky boom-boom down, good thing we’re now headed to Colorado where there’s ~~no snow~~ tons more snow. Dang it. I didn’t think this opening through at all.

Thinking things through, it would seem, isn’t the way to go about anything these days. Take Dustin Butler, for example. The University of Calgary goalie got the call of a lifetime yesterday that the Vancouver Canucks required his services.

Had the 25-year-old taken even a second to fully digest what was about to come, he’d have gone mad from nervousness. The butterflies in his stomach would have turned on each other; it would have been a rainbow of carnage.

Butler didn’t over analyze anything, he just rolled with it and what a day the kid had. When we talked to him post-game he was still a little shaky and rightfully so, he is the talk of the town, a real feel-good story in an NHL city that won’t have playoff hockey again this year.

His parents and sisters and fiancé and friends all attended the game and before getting on the bus to head back to the team hotel, Butler got a rousing send off from a group of amazing Canucks fans gathered outside.

The support the Canucks get in Calgary is second to only Vancouver; this is a home away from home. Thank you for that.

Now we’re off to Denver. I’ll touch base when we land with any in-flight news you may need to know. Like what movie Keith Ballard watched. Or who cheated at the card game Alex Burrows or Roberto Luongo. Or what snacks I wolfed down while getting the stink eye from Dale Weise.

My favourite part about going to Denver is when I call home and talk to my almost three-year-old son Denver. He asks where I am, I say Denver, he says ‘no, daddy, I’m Denver,’ I laugh and we do it all over again until I crack roughly two minutes later.

Talk soon,

Derek

P.S. - I was in room 1111 at the hotel in Calgary and, not reading too much into that whatsoever, I believe that counted for a wish. I’m glad you agree because I made a gooder!

C’mon Man! Anyone else think Derek Roy needs some new...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:49:00 -0700

C’mon Man!

Anyone else think Derek Roy needs some new luggage? Possibly of the Vancouver Canucks variety?

Maybe he can make a trade with Aaron Rome for his old Canucks gear when we’re in Dallas…

Here we go again. It feels like just yesterday I was blogging...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:35:00 -0700

Here we go again.

It feels like just yesterday I was blogging from the road with the Vancouver Canucks and somehow I’m miraculously back with the boys again as we jetset out on a five-game trek beginning in Calgary.

Fort Nucks, as I hope you know by now, is your one-stop-shop for everything behind the scenes Canucks when I’m on the road, but I have to apologize for my lack of bloggage whilst at home. That will change come playoff time, then it’s 24/7 Fort Nucks – you’ll be all like “nooooo, no more I can’t handle any more incredible photos and stories” and I’ll be like “ohhhhh ya, here’s another and another and another… muah ha ha ha” (that’s my evil laugh).

Back to the main event.

Not much to report right this second, we just took off from Vancouver and it’s too bright to look out the window. For a second I considered putting on sunglasses, buuuuut I have to be aware of Kevin Bieksa, the phone on his camera and his ability to humiliate me on Twitter. I can’t make it that easy for him. I actually got off lucky last road trip, he had a picture of me ready to tweet, but didn’t pull the trigger. Maybe we’re BFFs after all?!?

Oddly enough I’ve never seen or covered a game in Calgary, so I’m excited to jump a province over and enter Flames Territory. That and three of my really good buddies live in Cowtown, so, if it’s alright with you, I may meet up with them for root beer floats tonight.

This is a great trip in terms of cities: Calgary, Colorado, Nashville, St. Louis and Dallas; I’ve visited them all at least once before, but I’m always open to exploring new areas and trying new things. For those familiar with these cities, if you could recommend I do or see or try one thing in each place, what would it be?

And just like that my introductory road trip blog is complete, time for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Game of Thrones.

Derek

P.S. - Jeff Vinnick is on this trip as well and we’ll be collaborating on some Behind the Lens galleries. I know, I know, include as much Dan Hamhuis as possible. I’ll try.

The Legend of Johnny Canuck - Part 2 Johnny Canuck is back....

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:17:00 -0700

The Legend of Johnny Canuck - Part 2

Johnny Canuck is back. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been awaiting the fifth short film in the My Name Is Johnny Canuck series with bated breath.

The new short film will debut Saturday night before the Vancouver Canucks, sporting special Vancouver Millionaires jerseys to honour the 1915 Stanley Cup champion team, take on the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena.

I was lucky enough to see a rough cut of the film and it’s amazing, as they’ve all been. This one is truly unique though, it’s got a lot of heart and brings the story of Johnny Canuck full circle.

Johnny himself is quite a swell guy. How swell you ask? Well he cut an exclusive teaser trailer just for Fort Nucks, sent in behind the scenes photos AND he’ll be debuting the short film on Canucks.com as soon as it’s shown in arena Saturday night.

Here’s what he had to say about his latest piece of brilliance:

In this HD short film we flashback into Johnny Canuck’s oldest memory, on an outing with his father. On their journey, we discover the moment he finds his calling as a lumberjack, to learning his destiny as a man.

A new character emerges in “The Millionaire”, as we follow his life story from having it all to being marooned of his riches.

The My Name Is Johnny Canuck film series reinvented the historical Johnny Canuck character as a gritty and real personification of the 140 year old icon.

Enjoy your exclusive first look.

Blast from the past There’s just something amazing about...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:13:26 -0800

Blast from the past

There’s just something amazing about Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

I was sitting on the old creaky wooden visiting team bench early this morning when Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis walked out. He took a deep breath as his head rose up looking at all the banners in the rafters.

By my count there are 61 banners, 11 honouring Stanley Cup Champion teams. The Joe, as it’s known, is literally oozing in history and, as it turns out, memories are a plenty from playing in his building.

“I played in one of the first ever games here,” Gillis said.

“When was that,” I asked.

“I don’t know, late ’70s, early 80s sometime.”

“I wasn’t even born yet!” I chuckled.

“Thanks, that makes me feel better.”

There’s smooth and then there’s Derek Jory smooth. Nothing like insulting the general manager before the morning paper has even been delivered.

If you haven’t been to The Joe, I highly recommend it. It’s a very unique place and was state of the art when it was built; I wouldn’t call it rundown now, it’s steeped in character.

One by one Canucks made their way out onto the bench to have a look around. Kevin Bieksa, wanting to test a new stick, walked onto the ice in shorts, a t-shirt and flippy-floppies with an ear-to-ear grin.

“I scored a couple of big goals here,” he boasted. “Final Four against Ryan Miller, that was a big goal. It’s definitely what got me drafted to the Canucks.”

When the Canucks took to the ice for morning skate after a gravel truck of a zamboni cleaned it, there was an energy in the air no one could explain. “The guys are flying out there,” assistant GM Lorne Henning said to Gillis. “It’s this place,” he replied, “it’s like the old Chicago Stadium or the Boston Garden.”

New memories will be made tonight for Zack Kassian, who grew up just across the water in Windsor, Ontario.

“Take a good look boys,” he said, looking across the war, on the bus ride to the rink. “That’s paradise.”

Kassian will have roughly 50 family and friends in the stands cheering him on tonight as he plays his first ever game at The Joe. He’s watched more games than he can remember in the legendary arena and is ecstatic he’ll be supported by his loved ones tonight - everyone except his mom actually.

“She’s in Cabo,” he laughed. “She booked the trip during the lockout, I guess she didn’t have any faith we’d be back playing!”

Yes, everyone has a memory of The Joe. Roberto Luongo played his first game with the Canucks here, Ryan Kesler remembers his first time playing in his hometown like it was yesterday, Mason Raymond said Joe Louis Arena has the best boards in the league and Chris Higgins, who played his first NHL game in Toronto, will play his 500th career game tonight.

“Think you can get to 1,000?” I asked as we walked to the bus post-skate.

“Ask me after tonight,” he laughed.

This is my third time at Joe Louis Arena and for me, it’s a very emotional place. After my brother Kurt had his jugular severed while playing hockey for the Brock Badgers in a game against the Windsor Lancers at Windsor Arena in late 2008, his life was saved at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor.

I flew out to see him as soon as I could and it just so happened the Canucks were playing in Detroit while I was with Kurt. He was able to get a pass to come to the game, and, joined by our dad Wayne, they watched the game together. Afterwards they came down to meet some of the guys, including Luongo, who pepped up Kurt like only he could.

I tear a lot up just thinking about how I almost lost my baby brother and The Joe is where I saw him really smile for the first time after the freak accident. I knew then he was on the road to recovery. Kurt is maybe 90-95% healed from the injury, the only thing he seems to have lost is the ability to beat me at tennis.

I love you brother bear.

Derek

P.S. - We fly home tonight. You have no idea how much I missed you!

Blame Jory And now we’re in Detroit. Actually,...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:10:00 -0800

Blame Jory

And now we’re in Detroit.

Actually, that’s a lie. We’re halfway to Detroit from Nashville. It’s Saturday at 11:42 a.m. CST as I type this, we’re about to lose another hour heading into the Eastern time zone. Then we’ll reclaim three hours Sunday when we fly home post-game. Time travel is crazy. I feel like Marty McFly.

Another day, another win for the Canucks Friday. The game against the Predators was a snoregasbord (just made that up - I’m smarter above the clouds), but the boys pulled it out and now have five of a possible six points heading into the final game of this road trip.

Game days are truly a different beast. The guys are in the zone, so I don’t speak unless spoken to for the most part, heck I don’t even make eye contact in fear of throwing them off their game. I dread the day the Canucks drop like a 9-0 game and afterwards they ask Henrik Sedin what happened.

“Jory. Blame Jory.”

To prevent that, I’m a fly on the wall. Out of sight, out of mind. But with everything being so serious, I don’t get much colour to blog about. And here we are. Not much colour to blog about.

I did get insight into coach Alain Vigneault yesterday afternoon though. In an attempt to rid of myself of the muffin top I rock like wolf on my noggin, I put on some short pants and a long sleeve shirt with short sleeves and discovered this mysterious place called a gym. It was like Narnia.

Running machines, oversized bouncy balls and free weights that aren’t actually free at all. You pick them up and then put them down. And repeat. Anyways, the only other person in this land of sweat and grunts was coach V, who was on an elliptical, doing his thing while watching a little CNN.

I’ve always had mad respect for coach V. And from what I hear from the players, he’s a phenomenal coach. I was really impressed that he was leading by example and sweating one out pre-game. Says a lot about his leadership to me. Love it.

Then assistant coach Newell Brown came in for a workout. Then assistant general manager Lorne Henning. Then I had a flashback to the old Sesame Street segment One of these things is not like the others, which one is different, do you know, can you tell which thing is not like the others, I’ll tell you if it is so.

If you guessed the writer whining uncontrollably while curling 7 pound weights, you’re correct!!!

Your prize is my humiliation. Enjoy.

And, just like that, I’m at the hotel in Detroit. It’s lil’ chilly out, so I’ll likely keep to myself this evening, hopefully catch some Kings of Queens or something. No players in the building right now, they all took off to Chez Kesler for the afternoon.

My invite must have gotten lost in wherever invites that aren’t sent go to!

Derek

P.S. - If you can guess what artist I’m listening to in the photo above, you win some karma…crazy bonus karma if you can name the song.

Nightlife What a monster win that was last night in Dallas. The...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:42:00 -0800

Nightlife

What a monster win that was last night in Dallas. The Canucks have three of a possible four points so far and we’re now in Nashville hunting for more tonight.

How did we get to Nashville so quickly? Time travel, no biggie.

Having to fly post-game is truly one of the most unique aspects of traveling with the team. It’s hurry up and wait at its finest. Game ends, players do media, change and go through security before getting on a bus headed to the airport, before getting on a plane headed to the next city. Same for the rest of the staff.

It’s all a blur. Cities blend together, if you’ve kept a room key from a past hotel you’re doomed to get mixed up and really, by this point in the trip, you have no idea what day it is or where you are.

We got to the hotel in Nashville around 2 a.m. and I couldn’t help but chuckle when the doorman said “good morning!” - I was all like c’mon man, I look like a walker, do you think I’ve slept yet?

Then it was the ol’ elevator crunch where 50 exhausted people just want to get to bed and there are only two creaky elevators and no one is crazy enough to take the stairs eight floors.

Note - If you’re not an actual player, you wait until the end. The very end. The sun was almost up. First. World. Problems. The trainers have it the worst. If I ever man up, I’ll follow them for a night. Their work never ends.

Once in my room it’s time to check Canucks.com and make sure everything is tickety-boo. Last night it was, but I made the grave mistake of turning the TV on. NOTHING GOOD CAN COME OF TURNING THE TV ON AT 2 A.M.!!!! First up, Fraser. Martin Crane accidentally ate the pot brownie Roz had left for Niles and that led to a world of hilarity (NOT), then on The King of Queens, ~~oh you’re going to laugh~~, Carrie was wearing her hair in a bun and Doug didn’t like it!!! LOL x 1,000 - I KNOW!!!

I repeat - NOTHING GOOD CAN COME OF TURNING THE TV ON AT 2 A.M.!!!!

Moving on.

Do you eat at 2 a.m. if you’re hungry? I feel like no, but my grumbly tumbly was yelling at me. I shut it up with some Twix, they’re basically celery sticks.

When the website is good and the belly is full and the non-stop laughter of late night TV ends, it’s finally time to sleep. Last night that was easier said than done when I realized that since I left Vancouver, my loved ones back home have gone to bed earlier and gotten up later than me every single day. So much for some R&R on the road.

Then I started thinking about how if I ever started a band, I’d name it Free Beer. We would sell out every show ever. Then I planned out Friday morning and realized I could kill two birds with one stone on something I’m working on, then had a chuckle thinking about someone at PETA using that saying in a meeting.

It was good times at 3 a.m. in Nashville, let me tell you!

That’s about all the news I’ve got for you. It’s 2:20 p.m. and I’m in my hotel room having just mangled a sub, my third of the trip, with game time in less than five hours. I’ll likely spend that time trying to figure out how to get past security at the arena to meet Taylor Swift, she’s rehearsing crazy close to the Canucks dressing room.

Taylor, I know you said we are never ever ever ever getting back together, but you haven’t seen me since I got a haircut! I’ve been mistaken for an actual NHLer twice - once was me looking in the mirror and the other was Malia who cut it complimenting her own work, but it allll counts!

Derek

P.S. - 11 days…

Guess who’s perdy again! Believe it or not, but I’ve...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:05:00 -0800

Guess who’s perdy again!

Believe it or not, but I’ve been asked quite a few times if I got a haircut yet since mentioning that I needed one yesterday. Apparently my bird’s nest was worse than I thought!

The answer will sadden Kevin Bieksa and his hedge trimmers - I got it cut!

No more wearing Mason Raymond’s helmet to cover my hair now, I’m back to looking human-ish.

Big shoutout to Malia from Salon Twenty Two in Dallas. She took good care of me, didn’t cut either ear, annnnnnnd I got a wicked sandwich nextdoor. Everything is coming up Milhouse today!

Next on the list is apparently getting a new jacket. I’ve been told by my wonderful fashionistas back in Vancouver that I’ve been photographed too much in the ol’ gray beauty. And here I thought I was on a hockey road trip not some kind of style-update-get-a-haircut-get-a-new-jacket-make-me-change-my-face-next-probably-go-to-the-gym-while-you’re-at-it trip…

Big game tonight. Talk soon.

Derek

P.S. - When I was buzzing my hair I picked up the nickname Jarhead, as in I looked like Jake Gyllenhaal from the movie Jarhead. It stuck with Mason and he calls me Jarhead to this day.