With the resurgence of the NHL we are pleased to see that the Canucks are still a perennial contender as always. With their guts first attitude they bring everything and more to a game with their bruising style of play. The Canucks are power houses in the center ice and on the defensive end with enforcers who will make anyone on a fast break think twice. With the Sedin twins on the ice there is sure to be fireworks with their dominating performances every game. It is hard to see anyone beating the Canucks this year even the ultra-talented teams that can be found on the east coast. With a nation that is starving for a Stanley cup since Montreal the Canucks seem to be the perfect front runner for the role of champion.

There are few sports that require balance on slivers of metal on ice and fortunately for us we have hockey. Let there be no mistake, hockey players are the ultimate athlete. With the grace of a dancer on skates almost something out of a fantasy land a hockey player could range well into the two hundred pound realm. Not only are they huge they hit hard as well, now if we put it all together we have an elite athlete who weighs somewhere north of two hundred pounds looking to take off some heads, now that sounds like something I would like to see.

The Canucks have always been considered to be a power team and this year is no exception. The Canucks have garnered themselves the reputation of head takers with their ability to put anyone on their backs. Constantly circling offense has been what has been a propelling factor that the Canucks heavily rely on with their straight forward mentality there is very few answers that opposing teams have found themselves left without an answer.

There is truly an “it” factor with the Canucks there is one name that stands out above the rest. The one man who people will be looking to will be in overdrive mode when you see Robert Luongo on the ice it will be something special. Luongo has been on the receiving end of the post season mishaps and that has been the reason for him to be left on the ice in tears. Those who view the glass half full are the ones who point the finger at Luongo. Those who are ones who view the glass half empty will coincidentally point the finger at the same man. For the positives the outlook is good for Luongo to lead the Canucks to the cup with the reflection of his recent past. The recent past of Luongo has shown that he can win the big game with the 2010 Olympics as shining proof that he is truly something special. People who would argue that the Olympic accomplishment he was able to accomplish means nothing in the NHL, they are seriously diluted.

With the Canucks as good as they are all of the shortcomings would be highlighted exponentially with negativity and with lingering doubts. At the very least Luongo would be wise to use this opportunity to shed the doubters this year and place himself as truly a great player. With the emergence of this mentality of Luongo carrying the weight of a team that desperately needs to bring a championship back to their country.

There has been a stirring up coming within the fan base of the Canucks and it has been something that has breathed new life into the resurgent team this could very well be the year that the Canucks come out on top and finally bring home the hardware.

With the recent installment of the Sedins, the Canucks seem to have the perfect recipe for a Stanley cup that no one seems to be able to stop with the twins combining well into the one hundreds in points there seems to be no slowing them down. When thinking about the twins and what they are able to accomplish on the ice it is easy to find yourself speechless. With the hockey nation quickly running out of superlatives we are able to just stand and gawk at what was accomplished. With the twins recently combining in the previous season for 198 points there appears to be nowhere to go but up. It would be a full time job for anyone to attempt to stop the Sedins in the offensive zone, the twins to appear simply without peer.

On the offensive side of the puck it would seem that the twins are able to read each other’s minds and have an almost preemptive strike on where the puck is going to end up. Not only would the Sedins be a handful due to the fact that the seemingly effortlessly move the puck up and down the ice because of some kind of metaphoric telepathy. The Canucks have something real special with the twins who are able to cycle the puck through the offensive zone without any hindrance. Accolades for these two magnificent players are just not enough to put into words it is just simply something you have to see in person to fully comprehend.

Recently there has been an uprising in the twins of Daniel who has taken the scoring title with 104 points on the year. To be able to score 104 points in the year is something that most players in the NFL dream about. Fans get something truly special with the Sedin twins.

Offensively the Canucks have remained potent with the consistent scoring that has sent defenses into ta confused heap. The Canucks have the ability to baffle the defense the way they have done in the past but will be able to carry it through to the later minutes of the game. With the inclusion of a circling offensive attack there has been a new form of Canuck brewing that we are all very excited to see. It has been a while since the Canucks have evolved and now it seems that they have taken the leap of faith in changing things up. On the offensive side of the puck the Canucks are dynamic with the varying attack that has very rarely been seen by onlookers. Now the game has changed and the Canucks are real game changers it the way that they move the puck around.

On the defensive side of the puck they are slightly less dynamic but on the flip side they hit much much harder. The Canucks are much more physical than most teams in the NFL which is much more fun to watch and can be a nightmare for other teams. The Canucks have a bone crushing style of defense that would be anything less than spectacular the way they fly to the puck. How do you get a multi hundred pound man from not smashing you into the ground? No one has an answer for that, which is precisely why the Canucks are worth watching any chance you can get.

To watch the Canadians on the ice is a thing of beauty with the way they seem to effortlessly glide down the ice with unmatched speed. When they implement the speed that they have acquired they can use it in one of two ways. One way the Canucks implement the speed is they can use it to ram you into the ground with the ferocity of a rabid animal. Another way they can utilize the wonderful speed is to zip past the defenders and score a game winning goal. Either way it is formidable to say the least.

When playing in the big games there is always the factor of the hero to zero roles and who will be playing it the most this year. With the Canucks poised to make a real run at greatness there are a few people that come to mind in the hero to zero conversation. Let’s just leave it at that. We will go out on a limb and say that the whole defense has the chance to become heroes when they want to be especially in the power play. There are some things that are brought up in the conference room with the coaches on what to look out for. There are other things that are brought up amongst fans everywhere. This is most definitely one of those things that are brought up amongst fans everywhere. The defense has been remarkable given the history of the defense of the Canucks.

Anyone who understands hockey will tell you that if you want to win your defense needs to be willing to convert on the power plays. This could not be a truer statement with the Canucks. They need their defense to convert and commit with the power plays. They have had some stand out moments but there needs to be some kind of defining factor the them if they hope to pull through if they are taken into the deep water.

We should ask ourselves what it would take to have the defense commit to converting power plays in to something that actually says power. This would be having the defensemen take on the role of team leaders. The defense has the unique ability to uplift the team when they need it most with a big hit or a play in a man up situation. Those Canucks just seem to shine like no other when the fans are behind them then the big hits  start coming.

There are some key matchups in the NHL every game but there are few that are as compelling as the Sedins versus the defense of just about any team in the NHL. There are few things that are truly disturbing to witness other than the occasional freak injury. With the thought of a horrible accident barred from the mind the most recent thing that comes to mind about what many would consider to be stirring would be the Sedins ripping apart any defense. The Sedins seem to be able to leave a jumbled mess of defenders in their wake when they go to work. The way that the Sedins effortlessly move the puck from side to side and from center to back are a thing of true beauty and a thing that would be considered a true art form and the Canucks are certainly lucky to have them.

There might be the occasional opposition would be a trouble for the Sedins but they always seem to find a way to cool it down just as quickly as the hope builds in the other teams that they might have an answer. Combined the Sedins represent two of the top four or five skaters in the NHL which by no stretch of the imagination would be an exaggeration. Stopping the twins would anyone’s priority if they think to stand a chance of winning. Watching the Sedins live is quite simply put the experience of a hockey fan’s dreams.

To be on point would be an understatement to defend against the Canucks powerhouses that are the Sedins. They seem to have some kind of link to each other that no one in the NHL has been able to figure out and for good reason the twins are the top scorers in all of hockey. A live experience of a defense left in shambles is just something that you have to smile at no matter what team you are rooting for.

This has been said before but it will be said again in the respect that we might be seeing a shadow of former greatness in the Canucks. They have truly emerged out of the ashes to become a contender in every sense of the word. The team seriously has the potential to being up some major firepower on offense. Also if offense is not enough for you they have and always had one of the hardest hitting defenses in the game. With the talent oozing from every pore they just need to put it all together. If the Canucks can manage to pull it all together we could be witnessing one of the most dominant post season performances we have seen in a long time. With this being said there are a few key factors that need to gain a foothold and take action.

A potent offensive attack has always been the foundation of a team that needs to know they still got it. If the Canucks can pull it all together they will more than likely find themselves in a situation they haven’t seen in  a while which is on the path to something special called the Stanley cup. If the Canucks can manage to swim in the deep water late in the game they will be in great shape to pull off some unlikely wins.

The key for the Canucks is to head into the third period leading. If the Canucks can pull off that feat they will be in great shape with their record having been 38-0-3 when leading coming into the third period. The Canucks need to stave off early attacks to preserve themselves to hold late leads to maintain that ever important momentum. The momentum is a huge game changer when playing in near exhausting situations.

So much has been made of a team that carries the burden of a nation that has been starved of a Stanley cup champion since Montreal won in 1993. There have been murmurs of a new Canadian champion that will be the successor to the powerhouse US teams that seem to have come out of the woodwork lately. With the Canucks in the position of a lifetime to take away the title they might just stand the right shot to find the mark and take the cup. The Canucks represent the best hope of the country for bringing home a title for the sport that most would argue was born in Canada. The downfall of the Canucks would be that they have not reacted well to high expectations in the past years. In recent years they have fared better but not the best, the Canucks have a mental lapse that they just can’t seem to shake when faced with high expectations.

When carrying the weight of a nation on their shoulders the Canucks have seemed to collapse with the weight. It would be interesting to see a team with that history to react to adversity, whether it is that first blown call or terrible goal. The Canucks seem to be riding a high on confidence that we have not seen so recently lately. There are few things that we have seen lately and that is the Canucks making it out of the second round of the playoffs.

The Canucks, since riding this high of confidence seem to be able to handle the mental pressure of bearing the weight of a hungry nation. With Canada placing their hopes of winning a Stanley cup on the Canucks they seem to be faring fairly well lately. It is only going to get better form here with the Canucks ever growing confidence it will be very interesting to see where they go from here.

Needless to say that the Canucks have some kind of mental blockage to get over with the most recent memory being the Stanley cup run in 2011 that has had everyone shaking their heads at some point. With the Canucks being paired with the 8^th seeded Chicago Blackhawks there were few things that one would have expected to see from the defending champions at the time. One of those things that were least expected was that the Blackhawks would put up the fight that they did. The Canucks managed to escape by the skin of their teeth. This was a big scare for anyone who was a fan of the Canucks let alone hockey in general. The NHL has been infamous for close games like this one where the higher ranked team just seems to almost face elimination.

With everything going as expected the Canucks made it to the finals of the Stanley cup and all was right in the NHL. This is just one of the many story lines that the NHL has to offer in wild excitement on ice that is rivaled by few sports if any. Anyone who has a pusle will be on the edge of their seat when the NHL is in action. There just simply isn’t anything quite like watching a hockey game in person. There is something deep down inside that is awoken when you see huge men competing on ice. There is one thing about hockey that few sports have and that is the fights!

With the fights happening pretty regularly that is just one moment that would be viewed as many as barbaric. But we all know that that means that they wish they were there in person to watch the fights. Hockey is truly something special with the fights happening and the game stopping to take in the action, there is nothing like it.