Monday, November 19, 2007

Canucks call up a reinforcement to the front




While Mattias Ohlund serves his four game suspension back in Vancouver, the Cancuks are heading out on the road. And it would seem that one game on the upcoming calendar has caught their attention.

With an eye to Wednesday night and a rematch with the Minnesota Wild, the Canucks have sent down to Manitoba the speedy but little Jannik Hansen and told Mike Brown to pack his suitcase and join the Canucks for a little travel.

Brown is probably best known for his penalty minutes as opposed to his scoring touch and has been busy keeping "in uh shape?", while down on the farm. Compiling some 69 penalty minutes in 17 AHL games this season, well on the pace to last years record total of 194 penalty minutes,in his spare time he's put three points into his personal stats page this year, equalling last years goal output already.

The animosity that last Friday's game in Vancouver sparked is no doubt responsible for the line up juggling by Alain Vigneault. One of his top defencemen, Ohlund was suspended for a nasty slash on the Wild's Mikko Koivu, but there have been some that have suggested that Koivu could have used a few penalties, not to mention a few other indiscretions by other Wild players last week.

But perhaps the final straw for Vancouver were the oratorical stylings of Minnesota's 6-foot-7, 258-pound enforcer Derek Boogaard. Who is apparently not impressed with the Canucks and their attitude towards his fellow Wild Players.

Said Boogaard in moment of phonetic flourish, "Maybe I can go after, or check Naslund and those Pinky and the Brain twins,'' Boogaard said."

Not quite fighting words we guess, but an indication that Wednesday night's game will possibly be a rather physical affair and one we suspect that not only will be watched in Minnesota and British Columbia, but from Colin Campbell's office in Toronto.

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