I think we were flat

"I think we were flat, and it's happened way too many times for us this year," Marcus Naslund

That pretty much sums it up. Twas a difficult day as Canucks lose to the worst team in the league, the Irish lose to the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl. Well, lets roll...

Blue Christmas Indeed

The Canucks have been buried in a Christmas hangover and they have officially hit rock bottom losing to the lowly St. Louis Blues 4-1. Ed Jovonoski was sidelined for a 2nd straight game with the groin injury. Sammi Salo was hit by a puck in the face in the first period and did not return. Down early again 3-1 after the first, the Canucks slept their way through the 2nd period before waking up for the 3rd. Too little too late, Blues Goalie Sanford was up to the task making 12 saves in the 3rd. It's clear they missed their solid defenseman tonight, Nolan Baumgartner had to play 20+ min. Marcus Naslund is clearly still bothered by his previous injury. Cooke had some questionable hits, from behind etc.. , trying to get his team back in the game. Bottom line, the Canucks are spectators right now. They're not playing the game, they're watching the game. Something HAS to be done. Whether it's a trade, new coach, signing a player, something needs to change. The Canucks now head to Dallas on Wed to face the Stars.

Canada Looking forward to Beating Fins Again

The Finnish team beat Sweden 1-0 tonight at GM Place to advance to the semis of the World Junior Championship. Team Canada beat Finland last week 5-1 and look to repeat that performance tomorow. But the outcome could be decidedly more difficult as Finnish Goaltender Tuukka Rask pulled out a performance of his life stopping 53 shots tonight. Team Canada is rolling right now though, all the confidence in the world. They know how to beat this team. Look for Canada to put the boot to Finland early and sit on the lead on the back of Justin Pogge. In the other draw, Team USA leads Sweden 2-1 right now. If all goes as expected USA should meet Russia in the semis in a showdown of the 2 best teams going into this tournament. Having watched both teams, Team USA has the speed, size, and Goaltending to take care of Russia. Look for USA to win in a high scoring affair.

Great Finishes at BCS

First Ohio State outlasts Notre Dame 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl. A great game by the Buckeyes, with all the talk about Irish QB Brady Quinn, it was Buckeyes QB Troy Smith was the star of this show with 2 big TD passes. The Buckeyes should be the best team going into 2006 next year, what a performance. In the Sugar Bowl, one of the most exciting football games from beginning to end that I have EVER seen, West Virginia beats Georgia 38-35 in thrilling fashion. The game won on a gutsy but brilliant play call from the Mountaineers in the 4th quarter with less than 2 min to go, 4th and 7 in their own zone, they fake the punt and pick up the 1st down. UNBELIEVABLE!!! We can only dream that the Texas/USC Rose Bowl will give us the same entertainment level.

Way to Piss Your Life Away

To think that former Ohio State All-American RB Maurice Clarett was once one of the most highly sought after NFL prospects in the Nation, Clarett surrendered to authorities today after authorities allege that Clarett attempted to rob a couple outside of a Nightclub. Clarett faces 2 counts of aggrevated robbery. Clarett was drafted by the Denver Broncos but did not play a single game due to injuries. This isn't the first highly publicized incident that Clarett has been involved in since leaving Ohio State, previous run-ins include filing a false report with Police, several NCAA violoations and of course challenging the NFL minimum age rule.

What's on TV
College FB, Florida St vs Penn St , 5:00pm PST on ABC
World Junior Hockey, Canada vs Finland, 4:00pm PST on TSN
World Junior Hockey, Russia vs USA, 8:00pm PST on TSN
NBA, Philadelphia vs Sacramento, 7:00pm PST on Sportsnet

Picks of the Day
Orlando Magic +11.5 over Detroit Pistons
Nashville/Colorado o6.5-115
Record YTD (4-10, -738)