2010 Canucks Training Camp Report - A Fan's Perspective

From Canucks fan and former PJ columnist Ted Hagmeier who lives in Penticton, BC where Vancouver is holding their training camp:

"I attended the first day of Vancouver Canucks training camp. The players were divided into two groups, each group on the ice for 90 minutes, each group doing the same drills. The first ice time was at 9am, the second at 11:30am. I watched both groups. Players were out skating around beforehand and each practice started promptly. Vigneault ran the practice but Bowness often did the shouting during the drills to keep players moving. The other coaches were pretty invisible. There were no special team drills. Everything was designed around north-south hockey: transition and break outs with full ice flow. There was an ice clean half way through each practice. Here are my observations:

· Luongo let in lots of soft goals during the drills. Wow

· During practices coaches will put in breaks. Often, a coach will bang his stick, blow the whistle and everyone does a hard lap then goes for water. Luongo's 'hard lap' is from blue to blue cause he is slower than everyone else - even the best goalie in the world skates like a goalie! Then he goes for water.

· The coaches didn't do a lot of talking to explain the drills and never used the dry erase board.

· Towards the end of the practice some of the players were looking tired. During a 2 on 2 drill, Vigneault yelled at Dan Hamhuis, "Push it, Hammy"

· Schaefer did extra stretching while his group was on the benches for an ice clean. He looked a little sore, not surprising since he was out of hockey last year. But he looked good in the drills and he has a heavy wrist shot

· O'Brien seemed to be the team funny man - laughing and bear hugging some of the players in between drills.

· He also took a few shots at Sergei "The Sheriff" Shirokov during some 5 on 5 drills in the defensive zone

· The 'Sheriff' impressed me with his speed

· Morrison looked okay but it’s hard to see where he is going to play

· He made a lovely deflection, directing a shot along the ice to score off the crossbar

· Bieksa is a very smooth skater and puck handler, maybe the best among d-man and tops in the team

· The goaltenders, except Luongo, took extra coaching at the end of practice.

· Malhotra, Kessler and Rypien practiced face-offs at the end of practice

· Janik Hansen is a terrible skater. He is fast but no points for style

· Often, it’s the captain who leads the team during stretching in games and practices. Sedin led his group. Malhotra led the group that included Kesler. Sort of odd, if Ryan is being considered for captain

· Both squads got applause when they came on the ice and when they left

· O'Brien was in the second group and came out before his ice time to sign autographs. He might have been the only player to do that.

· Between drills Vigneault spotted someone he knew by one of the gates to the ice (so it was a restricted area). He skated over to him with a broad smile and tapped on the glass to say high. I think that guy was a person with special needs. Otherwise he showed no emotion at all.. Didn’t even tap a player on the pads.

· Schneider looked good in his first practice as the "it's my back-up goaltender job to lose” guy

· In drills the Sedins don't really stand out. Neither has great speed, size or shot. I didn't even recognize Daniel until half way through his session. But in 3 on 3 drills cycling the puck they stood out, even though they were playing without each other

· Bill Sweat, who they just signed, looks like a player. He was one of the best forwards during the 'Young Guns' game I watched and he didn't look out of place with the big boys. I am not saying he'll make the team but he is a good addition for the farm

· Schneider took a puck off the melon. It was a drill early in the practice to warm up the goalies and the skaters. The skater attacks the net with the puck, shoots, and then screens the goalie for a point shot. The point shot had players ducking and we heard the 'doink' as the puck hit mask. The d-man yelled, 'Sorry'

· Henrik badly missed the net on one shot and held both arms up in mock celebration. The players around him laughed. Everyone cheered.

· In the same drill a prospect I don’t know made a nice play to score on Luongo. When he went back to the corner to wait his turn in the drill Henrik tapped him on the pads as if to say, ‘nice play.’

If you ever get a chance to see training camp - do it. Go Canucks Go."