Roberto Luongo

The veteran goalie has wanted out of Vancouver since Cory Schneider usurped him as the primary starter late last season, and he didn’t change his mind after both goalies looked shaky in an opening-round sweep at the hands of the Sharks.

“I feel like I am in a stage of my life where I want to play,” Luongo said during his exit interview on Thursday. “Whether that’s here or somewhere else remains to be seen. But what has happened over the course of the last two years suggests that maybe it’s not my place to be the starter here anymore. That being said, things change so, who knows.”

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis gave further credence to the idea that Luongo will be hitting the road, calling the prospect of him returning next season “unlikely.”

“We’re going to do a thorough review of everything in the organization,” Gillis said. “Five years ago we reset. It’s time to do it again. … We have to get younger.

“Clearly, the landscape has changed and we have to address those changes going forward.”

Luongo has seen his playing slowly diminish over the past four seasons, and the .907 save percentage he posted this year was his worst mark since 1999-00 — his rookie season.

The first shot was lobbed Monday afternoon when Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa alleged the Sharks — particularly Logan Couture and Joe Thornton — were guilty of embellishing. While Couture and Thornton stepped around the accusations, McLellan offered some pretty strong words.

“They use that word embellish, and I haven’t heard that for a while,” McLellan said, according to CSN Bay Area. “In fact, I think it was in vogue a couple of springs ago.”

McLellan, of course, is referring to the Canucks’ 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks were accused of diving and embellishing that postseason, and apparently the league hasn’t forgot about it. If McLellan’s words are any indication, it would appear the rest of the league hasn’t forgotten about another Vancouver transgression.

“If we go back now to look at the series, we’ve been called cheaters in Game 1, we’ve been called embellishing Canadians after Game 3,” McLellan continued. “If the series goes any deeper, we may be accused of biting, eventually.”

That is probably a shot at Vancouver forward Alex Burrows who appeared to bite Patrice Bergeron during the 2011 Cup Final. Speaking of Burrows, he was dragged into the conversation as well.

“I guess it if I was him, while he’s up on his soap box trying to save the integrity of the game and doing all that stuff, I’d swing by player No. 14 [Burrows] and player No. 17 [Ryan Kesler] – The Beast — and have a little talk with them about diving and the integrity,” Sharks forward Adam Burish quipped. “Then he can work his way over to our room. But, I’d start with those two guys in his room.”

The Sharks can close out the series Tuesday night in San Jose.

While the Canucks have been accused of diving by many across the game in the last few seasons, it was Bieksa who came out and blasted two members of the San Jose Sharks, accusing them of diving in the two teams’ first-round playoff series.

Many see it a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but Bieksa went right after both San Jose’s Logan Couture and Joe Thornton, accusing the Sharks forwards of embellishing.

VAN's Bieksa calls out Couture and Thornton for embellishing calls. "It's a lack of integrity." Yep, we're not kidding. More to come.

—
Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) May 06, 2013

Bieksa - “Thornton, another so-called Canadian ... He gets slashed, takes his glove off, shakes his hand."

—
Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) May 06, 2013

(This stuff is gold.) Bieksa: “Couture has been snapping his head back. This isn’t my opinion. The evidence is in the video.”

—
Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) May 06, 2013

It actually got better from there. Bieksa went on to say that maybe the Canucks should try their hand at diving, to which just about everyone outside of Vancouver likely responded with “You mean you’ve stopped?”

More Bieksa: “Those are 2 Canadian guys who are supposed to be playing the game with integrity. Maybe our team has to do more of that.”

—
Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) May 06, 2013

However, this isn’t the first time Bieksa has gotten all bent out of shape about diving. In fact, he actually called his own team out for doing such back in 2011.

“I know guys will do whatever it takes for a power play to win a game,” Bieksa said, according to The Province. “But sometimes they’re crossing that line of integrity. I think for the better of the game, for the good of the game we need people to stay on that line and not cross it, and not dive and exaggerate for calls.”

Bieksa also said that it’s not necessarily cheating, but added “it’s a matter of integrity.” So at the very least, we know that Bieksa sure values integrity.

Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin, who has a reputation of being a squeaky-clean player, may have crossed a line in Game 3 on Sunday night against San Jose. The Canucks forward appeared to catch Sharks forward Logan Couture with a butt-end following a faceoff during the Sharks’ 5-1 win.

Sedin was caught giving the shot, and Couture and the Sharks had the last laugh. Couture would score his second goal of the game, a power-play tally, just 21 seconds after Sedin went to the box.

See an animation of the butt-end in the video below.

Animation via Twitter/@AndrewCieslack (Stick tap to Sporting News)

The color commentator and play-by-play man took a moment to call out the Canucks’ most-famous fans, the Green Men, on Wednesday night. The voices of the Sharks completely blasted the men in green, first calling them “the two 40-year-old virgins in the green suits,” and finishing up by assuming that “they have a big snow globe collection.”

Check out the video below to see what else Hahn and Remenda were saying what we have all been thinking.

Luongo told the media Tuesday afternoon — and the Canucks confirmed shortly thereafter — that the polarizing goalie will be in net for the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs series with the San Jose Sharks.

Cory Schneider, who is considered the No. 1 goaltender for the Canucks, remains out with a mystery injury. He missed the final two games of the season, and while he hoped to be ready for the playoffs, he’s not quite there, it would seem.

“No one is ever really 100 percent in the playoffs at any point,” Schneider told reporters after practice Tuesday. “I feel like I can contribute and be a difference-maker on this team, and I want to do whatever I can to play.”

According to ESPN, the NHL is in the final planning stages of its outdoor stadium series scheduled for next season. The series will include six games — including both American and Canadian teams. The games will be played in various football and baseball stadiums across North America.

The first game will be the rescheduled and much-anticipated matchup in Ann Arbor at the “Big House” — the largest stadium in North American – between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The next five games will follow in the coming weeks proceeding the Winter Classic. The report includes cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Vancouver — additional cities will be announced in the next two weeks.

One game to have leaked is an All-California matchup at Dodger Stadium between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 25. This will be one of three games outdoor games scheduled that week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014, in New Jersey.

The league would like to schedule two of those games in the New York area during Super Bowl week — both featuring the New York Rangers. The plan proposes two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 26 and Jan. 29. The Rangers would play the New Jersey Devils in the first game and the New York Islanders would make the trip down the Long Island Expressway on the 29th — oddly enough the Rangers would be the visiting team in both contests.

The next two games will take place after the Super Bowl during Hockey Week Across America — which starts Feb. 28 and runs through Mar. 2. One of the NFL’s most popular stadiums, Solider Field, will host one of those games. The Pittsburgh Penguins will make the trip out to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Mar. 1 — the last outdoor game in Chicago was in 2009 at Chicago’s other classic park, Wrigley Field.

On Mar. 2 the last outdoor game will take place. The Vancouver Canucks will host the third Canadian-based Heritage Classic in a matchup against the Ottawa Senators at B.C. Place.

“We set the bar pretty high on all these. If you’re going into a market that’s had [a Winter Classic], the bar is high,” NHL chief operating officer John Collins told ESPN.com’s Craig Custance. “If you’re going into a market that hasn’t had it and they’ve seen it, they’ve heard about it and they want to experience it. The bar is possibly even higher for them.”

What the people want is what the people get — eventually. Man, are we in for a show next season.

The suspense was at an all-time high Wednesday just minutes before the deadline. The goalie was pulled off the ice at practice just minutes before the deadline, and speculation ran wild. However, the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline came and went, and Luongo was not traded.

He has a pretty solid reason as to why he might still be a Canuck.

“My contract sucks,” Luongo told reporters following practice.  ”That’s what the problem is. Unfortunately it’s a big factor in trading me and it’s probably why I’m still here.”

Luongo signed a 12-year deal worth $64 million prior to the 2010-11 season. He’s signed through 2021-22, and he comes with a $5.33 million cap hit for the duration of that deal.

“I’d scrap it if I could right now,” Luongo said.

See all of Luongo’s candid media session in the video below.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Vancouver has traded Kevin Connauton and a second-round draft pick for Stars forward Derek Roy. 

The longtime Sabre has potted just four goals in his first season in Dallas but has the capability to be a 30-goal scorer, proven by his 32 snipes during the 2007-08 campaign. Roy, 29, scored 17 goals and added 27 assists in 80 games a season ago.

Connauton was Vancouver’s No. 4 prospect in Future Watch, according to The Hockey News’ Brian Costello, which can be seen in his tweet below.

DAL trades Derek Roy to VAN for Kevin Connauton and a 2nd rd pick. #tradecentre

—
Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 02, 2013

Canucks deal for Derek Roy still subject to trade call with the league, but a good pickup indeed for Van city

—
Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) April 02, 2013

Dallas-bound Kevin Connauton was Vancouver's No. 4 prospect in Future Watch...a solid B-list prospect very close to being NHL-ready.

—
Brian Costello (@bcostellothn) April 02, 2013

FYI the Roy deal does not rule Vancouver out of the Ryane Clowe mix ...

—
Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) April 02, 2013

The Toronto Star reports that the Maple Leafs and Canucks recently resumed trade discussions about the veteran goaltender. Trade talks reportedly have been ongoing for quite some time, and while they may have died down in the past weeks, they’re reportedly back on now.

Things have changed since the two teams last discussed the trade, but the time for a deal may be approaching. Luongo, who came into the season as the backup, saw a decent amount of playing time earlier in the season, especially when anointed starter Cory Schneider struggled. However, Schneider has found his way, and that’s left Luongo riding the pine. He hasn’t played since March 18.

According to the report, Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis has backed off the lofty demands that he opened trade talks with. If he really wanted to get a deal done, it’s likely he would have had to come down anyway. The Leafs have gotten surprisingly good goaltending out of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, which has quelled the urgency for the Leafs to add a goalie.

The report also speculates that Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff and Phoenix’s Mike Smith could give Toronto general manager Dave Nonis other options as well.

Luongo is 7-4-3 this season with a 2.47 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

Edler, who has been in the NHL for six years, will serve a two-game suspension after smashing Coyotes’ netminder Mike Smith to the ice with less than two minutes left in the second period of Friday night’s 2-1 Canucks victory. The Vancouver defensemen chased down after the loose puck, but in doing so, committed full body contact with the defenseless goalie behind the net.

The NHL charging rule states that “a goalkeeper is not ‘fair game’ just because the goalie is outside of the goal crease.”

Check out the brutal hit in the video below.

The four-time All-Star and the Boston College alum have been jockeying for time in the Canucks’ net, with both putting up strong numbers but neither standing out enough to win the starting job outright. You’d think this competition would cause a rift between the two goalies, but the two seem to be taking it in stride, even taking time to spoof the controversy in a skit for TSN.

Granted, Luongo and Schneider aren’t the greatest actors (although head coach Alain Vigneault “[gave] them both full marks”), but even Bruins fans have to admit the video is pretty funny.

Check it out below.

According to Italian sports psychologist Bruno Demichelis, Canucks co-owner Francesco Aquilini hired him away from soccer club Chelsea after Vancouver’s loss to Boston because “he was very concerned about the physical and psychological condition of the Canucks players, and the negative impact it had on their performance in the Stanley Cup final.”

Now, Demichelis is suing the team for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract after he was fired during the NHL lockout. According to The Canadian Press, Demichelis is suffering “mental distress” as a result of his firing, considering he moved his family to Vancouver to work for the Canucks.

The Vancouver franchise has yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen delivered a high elbow to Chicago’s Marian Hossa in the third period of the Blackhawks’ 4-3 win Tuesday, and it will reportedly earn Hansen a hearing with the NHL. According to multiple reports, Hansen will have an afternoon hearing Wednesday with the league. It’s reportedly a phone hearing, which means the longest suspension Hansen could be handed is a five-game ban.

Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that Hossa was “OK,” and that the team would know more Wednesday. The playmaking forward does have a concussion history. He was the recipient of a dirty hit from Phoenix forward Raffi Torres during last year’s playoffs. Hossa didn’t play the rest of the playoffs following the hit, while Torres was suspended 21 games for his actions.

Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault said after the game that he thought there was “no chance” Hansen would receive any sort of supplementary discipline.

“It wasn’t even a penalty,” he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Tribune. “Both referees looked at the play, and until [Jonathan] Toews went out to talk to them it wasn’t even a penalty. … He’s trying to grab a puck in the air. It’s unfortunate if a young man is hurt. He’s trying to jump to get the puck. Stuff happens.”

See the hit in the video below.

Roberto Luongo

The Canucks seemed all but committed to Cory Schneider after giving the former backup a three-year contract extension worth $12 million. The secondary move, after signing that extension, was obvious. The Canucks would have to trade Luongo.

However, the lockout came and went, and once the league reopened for business, Vancouver was left with just a week or so to unload the goaltender before the season began. They didn’t do that, and they opened the season with both goalies on the roster. That’s worked out well so far, if you’re in Camp Luongo at least. He’s seen the bulk of the action thus far, and that’s basically because he’s earned it. He’s 3-0-2 so far with a 1.53 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

That’s not sitting well with Camp Scheider, of course, where the former Boston College netminder’s agent, Mike Liut, isn’t thrilled with how much action his client has seen this season.

“Our concern is we were hoping that this would be the year that Cory would play 75 percent of the games,” Liut told the Vancouver Sun in an interview Monday. ”We are only interested in resolution, we are not going to get into the finger-pointing game and to that end you have to take a step back and you have to give them latitude to make a business decision.”

Schneider has only made four starts, including an opening night disaster in which he allowed five goals before being lifted for Luongo.

“Is Roberto going to be there all year?” Liut said. “It’s certainly looking like he’s going to be or both will be there until the [April 3] trade deadline. What happens after that, we’ll have to react to that. But my concern is in the obvious, we have a 48-game season and you’ve got two goalies of their stature.

“Roberto is established, everybody knows what he can do, and you’ve got another one in Cory, who hopes to get an opportunity to play for the first time (as a No. 1 goalie), and we’ve got this fractured season.”

Of course, it won’t be easy for Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis to trade a player of Luongo’s stature and get the most in return, especially when you consider the hefty contract that he’s playing under. Gillis hasn’t been shy when asked about Luongo trade talks, but obviously nothing has come of those talks yet. Gillis raised some eyebrows this weekend when he was in Washington checking out the Capitals-Penguins game, but he denies there being any sort of goaltending talks between the Canucks and Capitals.

Still, there are some who want this resolved sooner than later, and no one wants that more than Liut.

“If they are both there for the entire season, and it’s a 48-game season, and Roberto plays 40 games, that’s a disaster,” Liut told the Vancouver Sun. “That’s an extreme and I don’t think that’s going to happen, but certainly the sooner the better.

“Vancouver has a decision to make with their goaltending, everybody knows that. We don’t need to add more to it than that. Everyone wants it resolved and if it can get resolved that will be better for everybody.”

Schneider, to his credit, is remaining diplomatic in regards to the entire situation.

“As a pro, you accept that,” Schneider said, according to Sportsnet. “If you’re being outplayed, somebody’s going to take your job and it’s as simple as that. Nothing is given and nothing is guaranteed in this world.”

Until a decision is made and a resolution is reached, expect the awkwardness to continue. However, if Vancouver continues to win hockey games, maybe that’s something Gillis and Co. choose to live with for at least one more (albeit shortened) season.

Luongo was simply fantastic Friday against a red-hot Chicago Blackhawks team. The backup Vancouver Canucks goalie stopped 27 of 28 shots before standing tall in the shootout in a big win for Vancouver.

However, it wasn’t easy, as Luongo had to face a murderers’ row of shooters in the shootout. The Blackhawks feature one of the best sets of forwards in the game, and they rolled out a trio of playmakers for the shootout.

Luongo had to deal with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp in the shootout.

The Vancouver goalie stopped all three (and then Nick Leddy to boot) to help the Canucks pull off the important win.

Even though he was successful in protecting his net, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t at least a little nervous.

Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province tweeted this gem from Luongo following the game. Stick tap goes to CBS’ Eye on Hockey blog.

Luongo on Toews, Kane & Sharp lining up for shootout “I think I pooped myself a little there before the shootout when I saw all those guys"

—
Jason Botchford (@botchford) February 02, 2013

The Canucks forward tried out a nifty spin-o-rama shootout move against the Los Angeles Kings. The move, which some questioned the legality of, wasn’t enough as Burrows rang the post with the shot attempt.

According to ex-NHL referee Kerry Fraser, it was a legal move. He answered a question about the play on TSN.ca, saying “the right decision was made by the referee to allow Alexandre Burrows to continue with the shootout attempt following his ‘creative’ move on Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.

“While I would have also allowed the play to continue as per the rules, I believe that an unfair advantage is being given to the shooters over the goalkeepers on plays such as this.  As players continue to enhance their offensive skills, ‘circus type maneuvers’ have been allowed to flourish in an effort to enhance the entertainment value of penalty shots and shootouts.”

Fraser says that the since the puck never actually came to a complete stop, it’s a legal move. It’s not necessarily fair, he adds, and even offers up a suggestion to help aid goalies in these situations.

“The instant an approaching forward drops his head to execute a spin or other “skilled” move from close range I would suggest that the goalie immediately attack and initiate body contact with the player and the puck. Contact by the goalie with the puck would be deemed a save.”

The Kings ended up winning the game later in the shootout.

See Burrows’ shootout attempt below.

Schneider started Vancouver’s season opener on Saturday against Anaheim, but was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Roberto Luongo played the rest of that game and then started the Canucks’ 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton on Sunday.

Luongo, the Canucks’ former No. 1 goalie, is on the trading block after being displaced by Schneider in last season’s playoffs.

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis told the Vancouver Sun on Tuesday that a potential trade for Luongo is in place, but he declined to provide any other details.

The Canucks also continue to have one of the most outspoken fan bases, which is fun because it often leads to some entertaining hijinks thanks to the wonder of the Internet.

Some Vancouver fans are at it again with the 2013 season just days away. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Green Men or riots in the streets, however. No, this time, it’s all about pairing optimism with some soulful singing.

Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog brings us the song “Season of Cup,” which is supposed to be a play on the song “Seasons of Love,” except you know, this one is about hockey.

Check it all out in the video below. It’s, uh, cute to say the least.

Roberto Luongo

Luongo has been the subject of trade rumors for some time now, with Cory Schneider taking over as the Canucks’ No. 1 goaltender. The latest team to be linked to the three-time All-Star is the Leafs, who happened to fire general manager Brian Burke on Wednesday. But while Luongo has noted his respect for Burke, the GM’s dismissal doesn’t necessarily mean Toronto will shy away from going after the veteran netminder.

According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Luongo is still very much in the hunt to become a Leaf in the wake of Burke’s firing.

#NHL news: Source saying #Canucks Luongo still very much in the hunt to become a #Leaf despite GM Burke relieved of his duties.

— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) January 9, 2013

Luongo spoke earlier this week about the prospect of joining Toronto, and he seemed to be warming up to the idea, even mentioning Burke specifically.

“I have a lot of respect for Toronto, Brian Burke and the Leafs,” Luongo said, according to the Toronto Sun. “They are obviously part of the equation, there’s no denying that. But there’s a lot of things that can happen. I want to make sure I’m aware of all of the possibilities.

“I don’t know [what's going to happen],” he continued. “I’ve never been part of something like this before. It’s cliche to say this, but it’s going to be day by day. I don’t have an answer. I don’t know what the end result will be.”

Luongo, who turns 34 in April, has 10 years at $5.33 million per season remaining on his current deal with the Canucks. That makes moving the goaltender a difficult task, although it’s something that seems inevitable at this point.