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Preparing myself to cheer when/if Vegas lost in the playoffs was something I was looking forward to tweeting about.

This has now been taken from me.

BEST CHECKING IN WITH OLD FRIENDS

@TheStanchion if you don’t somehow find some gd way to get vanek’s ‘ima just smack this puck right here’ clapbomb hat trick goal in the provies tonight, i’ll become one of those ppl who can’t even 😒 — a greenish gloom (@apuckalypseNow) March 28, 2018

You’re goddamn right I was going to gif this.

Provies rule: Any Vanek clap bomb will get in, whatever the team he plays for.

BEST DEBATE

Thomas Vanek with 3+1 tonight. Red hot for the #BlueJackets. There was no market for him, and that’s on 30 other GM’s. Vanek will join @ScottRintoul and @DanRiccio650 tomorrow on @Sportsnet650 . I’m on the red eye to take in #Jays #Yankees. — Andrew Walker (@AndrewWalker650) March 28, 2018

Sure. Fine. I said from week 2 of the season there would be no market for him. We blame a lot on Benning tho.... and the point is, can’t blame this one on him. — Andrew Walker (@AndrewWalker650) March 28, 2018

If plan was to flip him, and you said you knew there would be no market, what could he think? Can’t blame others if there wasn’t going to be a market..that’s on the signing of intent was to flip https://t.co/GIjfyUPhsw — Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) March 28, 2018

BEST PREDICTION

His success in Columbus is getting him a three year deal here July 1 isn't it....? — Lance Uppercut (@ThaDawg13) March 28, 2018

BEST JERSEY SIGHTING

@botchford @TheStanchion how about this for a jersey sighting? Would Charlie have even made the team if Emilio wasn’t hot for his mom? #tripledeke pic.twitter.com/ZGZ5f2XNqq — Dave Caddie (@dave_caddie) March 28, 2018

Good to see Conway getting out to watch a game.

BEST HONOURING

Haven’t seen this in a while. pic.twitter.com/LYe1hUp2XE — kirk anderson (@krkndrsn) March 28, 2018

Pavol Demitra, you are missed.

BEST REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Anytime something slightly new comes along in this Green Mile walk to end the season, people in Vancouver tend to get pretty excited.

Hell, I get pretty excited.

There are only so many times you can talk about DJ MDZ’s hitz and confusing love of one-handed waving of his stick on defence before you start to question your sanity.

“I swear I typed out this exact same sentence about MDZ last game. And the game before that. And the game before that.”

This makes anything outside the normal storylines we’ve already discussed a hundred times this season tend to stand out, and it becomes a reason to celebrate.

At this point watching Joseph LaBate team up with Megna, Chaput and Darcy to reel off five wins in a day in Fortnite is probably one of the most exciting things to happen in March, to be honest.

The boys 5th squad win of the day on @Twitch https://t.co/xqdbz6pGxB — Joseph LaBate (@JosephLaBate) March 26, 2018

Look how calm they are when they win their fifth game of the day.

They’re ice cold. They’re so used to winning it barely registers on their emotional spectrum.

It’s like listening to a soliloquy from Dexter.

So with the arrival of Gaudette on Thursday, people are understandably stoked to see what the new kid can do.

Gaudette represents something new, and “something new” has the chance to “not be the 2017/18 Canucks season to date,” and that alone is worthy of throwing a raucous party.

Not only can people drop some sweet Drake references (“Gaud’s Plan”), but the last time a kid from college showed up to end a season, things worked out pretty swell.

But Gaudette is no Boeser, which is why it’s good to keep things in perspec-

Or we can jump right into the Ryan Kesler comparisons.

Ryan Kesler, who in 2011 damn near became a God in this town after he single-handedly Hulk Hogan’d up against Nashville, broke his body against San Jose, managed to Hulk up once more after he ate his vitamins and said his prayers, helped the team limp past San Jose, only to die on his shield against Boston, before completing his heel turn to the NWO and joining Anaheim …

Well, that’s kind of a big shadow, to ask if this college kid is gonna be like a guy who has almost played 1,000 NHL games and has 562 career points to date.

Now yes, Dave Pratt is going to generate conversations with takes that lean to the hotter side of things; it’s what gets his blood flowing in the morning.

But the fact remains that high expectations do exist for many Canucks prospects, now more than ever with Benning Super Scout in charge.

And on one hand, the eternal hope for the “best-case scenario” is the sweet delicious fuel for many a sporting fan.

You never want to tell someone, “How dare you have hope, you foul cretin, you toe rag; that player is bound to fail, temper thine expectations!”

It’s these severe beatings analytics hands out to people with pie-in-the-sky hopes that causes a lot of tension in the Great Hockey Wars, after all.

But on the other hand, analytics are here for a reason, and it’s because they help temper expectations to something more reasonable.

Especially in cases where maybe some people are already pencilling in all of Vancouver’s prospects as can’t miss, top-six players.

It’s why William Karlsson’s shooting percentage will be the most must-see TV next year, because sometimes the numbers are pleading with you to not get too far ahead of yourselves.

So, just, you know, don’t set the bar too high for the kid.

Before you know it, he can go scoreless in five games and then people are wondering if LaBate has room for him on his Fortnite squad, which of course he doesn’t, have you seen his squad? They’re an elite killing unit, there is no room for Gaudette, and then things get super awkward when Gaudette tweets about how he sure wishes he had friends to play Fortnite with and LaBate ghosts him.

So let’s just all agree that Gaudette’s potential is exciting, and it will be fun to watch him, and we will take it day by day.

BEST SHOT

LISTEN Jim Madigan @GoNUmhockey: Adam Gaudette is relentless on ice, Kesler-like characteristics https://t.co/6j3CQ2LpHJ — TSN Radio Vancouver (@TSN1040) January 18, 2018

BEST CHASER

Tip of the hat to Ryan Henderson for digging up the shot tweet.

BEST LIE

“Every time I come to Vancouver, I fall more in love with the city. I’ll take rain over the cold from back home! I’m excited to be here; skate was good today, I’ll get a few more in and hopefully play Thursday.” - @Hockey_Gaud — Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 27, 2018

Every single person who lives in the Lower Mainland knows people who visit here (invariably from L.A.) and go “Oh I just LOVE the rain!” like the rain is just some kooky neighbour who dropped by with fresh pie.

OK, let’s talk after the rain slams into your face, every day, for six months straight.

Then we’ll see how much you love the rain, sir.

Don’t get me wrong, Vancouver is a beautiful city.

But rain is never a selling point, and is never something you embrace after living here a while.

BEST NEVER FORGET

Giving Gaudette the 88 sweater is like throwing away the shirt that still kind of smells like the girl you hooked up with a few times and wanted to date but she didn't want to get serious #Canucks #IstillmissTryamkin — Ricky M (@realrichmer) March 27, 2018

Hey, if Ryan Kesler can go from 20 to 17, Tanev from 18 to 8, and Naslund from 22 to 19, then Gaudette can go from 88 to 8 if the Canucks deal Tanev.

Thus freeing up 88 for BFG’s possible return.

Still, wanna bet how quickly Gaudette shirseys get made?

Probably being sold as we speak.

BEST DEDICATION

I asked Patrik Laine about how he was able to save his beard after taking a high-stick and suffering a gash on his chin against Nashville. Clearly he didn't want to lose the beard. Here's his response: #NHLJets#NHL pic.twitter.com/2uqmtW1Q1D — Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) March 27, 2018

BEST TRIP THROUGH TIME

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Jim honestly describes Sbisa exactly the same way he describes Gudbranson.

To this day I still wonder where the idea Sbisa had a “good first pass” comes from.

Also, shout out to what looks like Eric Crawford trying to angle for draft picks (I guess he’s the OG club founder of Team Draft Pick in the Benning era) before Jim just moves on.

I also enjoyed Gilman and Henning taking it all in.

BEST WTF

MARKY makes a big stop halfway through the 2nd. #Canucks still lead 1-0 in goals, 19-11 in shots, and 8,000-0 in Bobbleheads. pic.twitter.com/V7w6HNIedj — Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 28, 2018

Who.

Who thought that giant, nightmare-inducing doll was a good idea.

Who in marketing still has a job after this.

BEST WTF 2

I mean … this fits the criteria.

Burke also was a fan of fighting in a barn as well, so I mean, it works.

I feel like Lou Lam and Chia know it’s a photo shoot so they’re laying off, but Burke only has one gear, so he’s shoot wrestling in this picture and cranking Benning’s neck, causing Benning to become alarmed.